Mass Media & Society chapter 1-4

Why do most new magazines fail?

Many new companies do not have the money to keep publishing long enough to refine their editorial content, sell advertisers on the idea and grow subscribers.

Grove Press in the late 1950s and early 1960s:

challenged censorship laws by publishing Lady Chatterley's Lover and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

The invention of _____ has been called the third information communications revolution. Explain the significance of this invention in the history of information communication.

computers stores and transmits info. more efficiently

Overall, American media ownership is contracting rather than expanding. This is because large companies are buying small companies. This trend is for media companies to cluster together into big groups, which means that small number of companies now control many aspects of the media business. This trend is called _______, and takes four different forms: ___, ____, _____, and _____.

concentration of ownership chains, vertical integration, broadcast networks, and conglomerates

true or false A single magazine publisher today may publish 200 or more different magazines each month.

false

true or false Although they didn't like it, most colonial editors paid the Stamp Tax to avoid trouble with the government.

false

true or false Chain ownership of newspapers has expanded the sources of information for readers.

false

true or false It takes six months from the time a book deal is signed by an editor until it is published.

false

true or false Mass media businesses are enjoying decreasing costs for replacing equipment as they keep pace with the present rapid development of communication technology.

false

true or false Most new magazines survive for five years.

false

true or false Over the past 20 years, magazines have begun to rely less on freelance writers.

false

true or false Since newspapers make money from advertising on Internet editions, they do not ever charge for stories from their archives.

false

true or false The International Copyright Law of 1891 required publishers to pay royalties only to American authors, not to foreign ones.

false

true or false The U.S. mass media are generally non-profit businesses.

false

true or false The author usually creates a book's cover and decides on a typeface

false

true or false The majority of newspaper readers still use the newspaper in its printed format.

false

true or false The media provide information and entertainment, but do not influence culture

false

true or false The most successful magazines today cater to general audiences.

false

true or false Today, men are the largest purchasers of print magazines.

false

true or false Today, most major cities have at least two daily newspapers.

false

true or false Typically an agent's fee is 20 percent of the author's royalties.

false

true or false Vertical integration means that companies own other companies unrelated to mass media

false

The biggest emerging competitors for newsreaders are Internet-only news sites called ____, technology-based companies, such as Buzzfeed, which gather viral content from traditional news organizations and social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and post this borrowed content as news on their own sponsored sites.

news aggregators

true or false A conglomerate like General Electric holds an interest in media companies as well as companies unrelated to the media business.

true

true or false Affiliates are stations that use network programming but are owned by companies other than the networks.

true

true or false Books, newspapers and magazines were America's only mass media for 250 years after the first American book was published in 1640.

true

true or false Compulsory elementary education by 1900 meant more demand for textbooks.

true

true or false Disadvantages of media concentration include a loss of diversity and opinion.

true

true or false In the future, Internet magazines will expand publications' readerships.

true

true or false In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst demonstrated that newspapers focused on sensationalism could yield enormous profits.

true

true or false It is reported that roughly 90 percent of Wired magazine's digital ad revenue is coming from the traditional Web. The tablet is becoming a significant contributor to all this but, candidly, the bulk of this is coming from the Web site.

true

true or false Many American book publishing films are owned by large media corporations

true

true or false Many large publishers will only look at manuscripts that are submitted by agents.

true

true or false Many newspapers have imitated USA Today, running shorter stories and more color and graphics.

true

true or false Media convergence is the melding of the communications, computer and electronics industries.

true

true or false More than half of what is published in a daily newspaper is advertising.

true

true or false Phonetic writing, the first information communications evolution, was developed about 1000 B.C.

true

true or false Recently, large corporations have bought up newspaper that once were family owned, and today, instead of newspapers competing locally, national newspaper chains now compete with one another across the country.

true

true or false The New York Sun is remembered because it was the first newspaper geared toward a working class audience.

true

true or false The audience fo digital magazines is evenly divided among men and women compared to the audience for printed magazines, which skews toward female readers.

true

true or false The audience for digital magazines is evenly divided among men and women.

true

true or false The digital magazine audience is younger than print magazine readers and better educated.

true

true or false The digital magazine audience tends to be younger than print magazine readers and better educated.

true

true or false The second information communications revolution began with the invention of paper.

true

true or false The third information communications revolution introduced digital computers that can process, store and retrieve information.

true

true or false Today's chains and conglomerates own many American newspapers.

true

true or false Two features common in the era of "jazz journalism" were tabloid and the use of many pictures.

true

true or false Under the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798, many editors were sent to jail for criticizing the nation's leaders.

true

The battle for New York readers between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst provoked the Spanish-American War and popularized the term____.

yellow journalism

_____ is a form of sensationalized reporting that emphasizes crime, sex and violence, also called jazz journalism and tabloid journalism.

yellow journalism

The ____, passed by Congress in 1798, were the U.S federal government's first attempt to control the press.

Alien and Sedition Laws

The beginning of an African-American press tradition began in 1827 in New York City with the publication of _____ by John B. Russwurm and the Reverend Samuel Cornish. They launched their newspaper to respond to racist attacks in several local newspapers.

Freedom's Journal

Discuss the beginnings and development of paperback books and their role in the democratization of reading in America.

In 1939, Robert de Graff introduced America's first series of paperback best-sellers, called Pocket Books, which issued titles that had already succeeded as hardbound books. They were inexpensive (25 cents), and they fit in a pocket or a purse. Suddenly, a book could reach millions of people who had never owned a book before. Paperbacks democratized reading in America.

The ____ trial established the American law principle that truth is the best defense against libel.

John Peter Zenger

The media:

provides information and entertainment, affects political institutions, affects social institutions, and affects cultural institutions

Give an example of conglomerate, and explain how it fits the definition.

Sony; it owns media companies like Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Electronics as well as well as other businesses that are unrelated to the media business like Micronics.

The first books in the United States were imports, brought by the new settlers or ordered from England after the settlers arrived. In 1638, the colonists set up a press at Cambridge, Mass. And in 1640 they printed America's first book, ____, which became an instant bestseller.

The Bay Psalm Book

Advantages of concentration of ownership

- increases diversity of opinion - higher wages - better working conditions - higher quality project

Disadvantages of concentration of ownership

- limits diversity of opinion - limits local control - authoritarian corporate culture - emphasis on profits over quality

The alternative press:

-is also called the dissident press -was revived in the late 1950s and 1960s -challenged the conventional wisdom and espoused "radical" ideas -became an outlet for social protest

The New York Sun:

-relied on advertising -was the first paper to hire newsboys -was the first penny paper -used sensational news to appeal to the working class

Discuss the three categories of today's magazines, explaining the specialization, strengths, and financial structure of each category.

1. Consumer magazines - All magazines sold by subscription or at newsstands, supermarkets, bookstores, and online (make the most $!) 2. Trade, technical, and professional magazines - Magazines dedicated to a particular business or profession 3. Company magazines - Magazines produced by businesses for their employees, customers, and stockholders (no ads, main goal is to promote company)

Why do today's magazines target specialized audiences for readership? Have they always been that way, or were there any factors that forced the industry to change and adapt? Explain. Also, give at least three specific examples of magazine advertisers targeting an audience and the reasons for each.

1. To cater to specific needs, such as providing them with latest updates on fashion, sports, celebrities, etc. 2. To reach out to every target group, such as professionals who take an interest in stock, global business, politics, etc. 3. To increase revenue and making efforts to be the best magazine in each household When magazines were first being published, they were targeting general audiences. In an effort to survive and compete with the invention of radio and TV, magazines began to sought a defined, target audience.

Technological advances in the last 40 years have led to seven important changes in the way books are produced, distributed, and promoted. List and explain all seven.

1.Because computers monitor inventories more closely, publishers can easily order new printings of books that are selling quickly so booksellers can keep the books in stock. 2.Book publishing is an on-screen industry. Publishers now receive most manuscripts from authors electronically via the Internet. Editors then send the books into production online. This means books can be formatted and printed anywhere, often overseas. 3.Electronic graphics make books more interesting, and many book publishers are using online content to produce expanded versions of traditional books and to add materials that enhance a book's marketability. 4.Publishers are using Web sites and social media to promote their books and to advertise blockbusters. 5.Large publishers are continuing to consolidate, and the number of small publishers is decreasing. 6.Many aspects of the publishing process, such as copyediting, photo research and design, are contracted to freelancers who work outside the publishing house. Because publishing can be done online, book projects can be managed from any location. This means that publishers have fewer in-house employees today and much of the work is contracted and sent overseas. 7. To expand the market for books, publishers are exploring all aspects of digital delivery for e-books so that books can be made available on all mobile devices as well as in printed form.

Discuss the social development role of magazines in America from 1830 to 1910, mentioning key personalities, publications, issues, and achievements.

1830 - Louis A. Godey hires Sarah Josepha Hale as the first woman editor of a general circulation women's magazine, "Godey's Lady's Book" First to capitalize female audience 1865 - "The Nation," featuring political commentary Opinion journal 1887 - Cyrus Curtis publishes "The Ladies' Home Journal" Leading a crusade against dangerous medication 1893 - Samuel A. McClure founds "McClure's Magazine," featuring muckrakers Ida Tarbell and Lincoln Steffens Called to end the close relationship between gov. and big businesses 1910 - W.E.B. Du Bois and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People start "The Crisis"

Publishers pay authors a royalty for their work, and the amount is based on an established percentage of the book's price and may run anywhere from __ of the cover price of the book.

6%-15%

The average U.S. adult spends more than ____ of his or her waking life with the mass media.

75%

In 1731, _____ decided that Philadelphia needed a library. So he asked 50 subscribers to pay 40 schillings each to a library company. The company imported 84 books, which circulated among the subscribers. This circulating library was America's first.

Ben Franklin

The biggest selling work published by colonial presses in the 1700s was:

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Give an example of vertical integration, and explain how it fits the definition.

Gannett, which owns the nation's largest chain of newspapers, also owns television and radio stations, so Gannett is a newspaper chain that is also a vertically integrated company.

In 1904 as a reporter for McClure's Magazine, ____ targeted the Standard Oil Co., the nation's biggest oil monopoly controlled by John D. Rockefeller.

Ida Tarbell

The tradition of an independent press in America was established in 1721 through defiance of British control by _____, who published his New England Courant without the crown's "Published by Authority" label.

James Franklin

Early investigative magazine writers who exposed corruption in business and government were called _____.

Muckrakers

_____ was founded by Frederick Douglass and was often called the most important African-American pre-Civil War newspaper, "Right is of no Sex- Truth is of no color- God is the father of us all, and we are all Brethren" read the masthead.

North Star

Explain the significance of the passage of the International Copyright Law of 1891 to American authors. What was the American book publishing business like in terms of royalty paid to authors and how did the ICL of 1891 change the payment to authors?

Prior to the passage of the International Copyright Law of 1891 American publishers were not required to pay royalties to foreign authors. American publishers were, however, required to pay royalties to American authors. This meant that it cost more to publish an American author than a foreign author. With the passage of the International Copyright Law of 1891, both foreign and American authors had to give permission to publishers to publish their work. This meant that royalties had to be paid to both foreign and American authors. As a result, publishers were motivated to publish more American authors.

Opposition to the British _____ in 1765 to collect tax from American colonies turned most colonial newspaper publishers into revolutionaries. All the colonial newspapers, even those loyal to the crown, fought the act.

Stamp Act

____, founded by abolitionists in 1865, is the oldest continuously published opinion journal in the U.S., offering critical literary essays and arguments for progressive change.

The Nation

Publishers in 1925, Harold Ross' _____ magazine launched the wittiest group of writers that ever gathered around a table at New York's Algonquin Hotel. Harold Ross persuaded Raoul Fleischmann, whose family money came from yeast company of the same name, to invest half a million dollars in the magazine before it began making money in 1928. After one owner- the Fleischmann family- and only two editors in 60 years, the magazine was sold in 1985 to Advance Publications, the parent company of one of the nation's largest magazine groups, Conde Nast.

The New Yorker

_____, first published in 1821, was the nation's first general interest magazine.

The Saturday Evening Post

Discuss the advantages of small presses.

They can specialize in specific topics and can target a specific audience.

____, who founded and edited the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's monthly magazine, The Crisis, attacked discrimination against African American soldiers during World War I, and exposed KKK activities and argued for African American voting and housing rights.

W.E.B. DuBois

Libel is ____.

a false statement that damages a person by questioning their character or reputation

Most of the income the mass media collect annually is from:

advertising

Today's digital devices:

feed data to the servers of technology companies, which is kept indefinitely

Internet versions of newspapers:

generate a lot less money for advertising than paper editions

Mass communication:

is communication from one person or group of persons through a transmitting device to large audiences or markets.

Sedition is_____.

language that authorities believe could incite a rebellion against the government

Briefly describe the struggle of the colonial and early U.S. press to establish its independence from government control, naming and briefly describing at least four key events in the progress of that struggle.

news was subject to British approval and government subsidized many colonial newspapers but people wanted independent press key events to establish independence: -James Franklin started his own newspaper in Boston in 1721 New England Courant appeared without "published by authority" so it became the first independent press -Benjamin Franklin published Poor Richards Almanac in 1732 proving a printer could make money without government sanctions or support -John Peter Zenger started the New York Weekly Journal in 1733 Zenger arrested for printing false and seditious writing about governor Cosby landmark precedent for freedom of the press in America- truth was defense against libel -Alien and Sedition Laws passed by congress in 1798 were governments first attempt to control critics anyone that writes false, scandalous, and malicious against government writing can be fined up to $2,000 and jailed for 2 years

What did the alternative press of the 1800s contribute to American journalism? Describe the contributions of three alternative newspaper publishers of the 1800s.

newspapers became an outlet for the voices of social protest - John B. Russwurm & Rev. Samuel Cornish - started Freedom's Journal, the first newspaper directed at an African American audience - William Lloyd Garrison - published The Liberator, advocated anti-slavery and women's rights - Frederick Douglass - started The North Star, the most important African America pre-Civil War newspaper

The invention of _____ has been called the second information communications revolution. Explain the significance of this invention in the history of information communication.

paper knowledge/books became available to everyone

Recently, many newspapers have established a fee structure for Internet access called a ____, which usually offers a sampling of the current stories free, for example, but requires a subscription to retrieve the full text of longer stories and for access to archive. Some newspaper offer free Internet access only to people who also subscribe to their daily print edition.

paywall

The invention of _____ has been called the first information communications revolution. Explain the significance of this invention in the history of information communication.

phonetic writing people began to use symbols to represent sounds.

Early colonial newspapers:

printed "Published by Authority" on the first page to indicate British approval

Many research studies have proven that different people process messages differently- a phenomenon described as _____. This occurs because everyone brings many variables- family background, past experiences, interests and education, for example, to each message.

selective perception

Consolidation in book publishing industry can mean that the large media corporations that control book publishing companies demand increasingly higher profits, and the publishing companies look for extra income in three ways:

subsidiary & international rights, blockbusters, and chain bookstores and Internet retailers.

The rights to market a book to create related products, such as movies and t- shirts, are called ______

subsidiary rights

The first major competition for newsreaders in America came from:

television

Who is responsible for seeking potential authors and projects and working out an agreement with the author?

the acquisitions editor

New American Library was:

the first mass market publisher to issue serious books by and about African Americans.

The second information communications revolution began with the invention of:

the movable printing press