JL MC Test 2
Which radio program panicked listeners on Halloween eve in 1938?
"War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles
American studios were able to gain control of the world film industry around World War I.
True
As a result of the number and diversity of cable offerings, the major networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have lost a significant portion of the viewer base they had in the 1960s and 1970s.
True
Between 80 and 90 percent of new movies lose money during their theatrical release.
True
By the 1960s, most radio listening was done outside the home.
True
Comcast is the nation's largest cable TV system operator.
True
Concerned that cable television would undermine broadcast television, the FCC enacted rules limiting cable's growth.
True
During the 1920-30s, the United States was the only country that allowed commercial interests to control broadcasting.
True
Examples of genres include comedy, drama, romance, and action/adventure.
True
Few children's programs are aired on network television because most advertisers aren't interested in reaching that audience.
True
In its entrepreneurial phase, radio was marketed as a ship-to-shore communication device.
True
In the landmark Midwest Video case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the cable industry was a form of electronic publishing with the rights to control content.
True
Internet radio stations are those that either stream or simulcast a version of their on-air signal over the Web, or create a station exclusive to the Internet.
True
Many of the program conventions in television actually came from radio.
True
Movie studios can earn significant profit by distributing their films in foreign markets.
True
Network radio helped modernize America by deemphasizing local in favor of national programs.
True
One strategy of the television networks to pull program sponsorship away from single sponsors was to invent longer format shows.
True
Only one person at a time watched the first motion pictures.
True
RCA delayed the deployment of FM radio for many decades because it was more concerned with the development of television.
True
Six studios dominate the U.S. film business.
True
Some U.S. cities are challenging privately owned cable giants by building competing, municipally owned cable systems.
True
The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed after World War I to give the United States an early worldwide monopoly over radio broadcasting.
True
The first entrepreneurial vision of wireless telegraphy was as point-to-point communication and not as a one-to-many mass medium.
True
The movie industry has largely embraced the Internet's ability to distribute new films and rentals to consumers.
True
The narrative situation and complications in a sitcom are typically resolved by the end of the episode.
True
The quiz-show scandals of the 1950s led to a loss of faith in the truth of TV images.
True
The rise of pirate micropower radio stations in the United States in the 1990s led the federal government to approve a new class of noncommercial low-power FM radio stations.
True
Third screens typically function as "catch-up services" allowing consumers to watch TV shows or movies that played earlier.
True
Three-dimensional (3-D) movies did little to stem the drop in movie theater attendance in the 1950s.
True
To become a mass medium, the early silent films had to offer what books achieved: the suspension of disbelief and stories that engaged an audience's imagination.
True
Which of the following accurately describes the difference between the U.S. and U.K. models of broadcast media in first half of the 20th century?
UK: gov't owned and supported with taxes; US: owned by private enterprise, supported by advertising
VHS outsold the technically superior Betamax videocassette format because
VHS has more tape space and could record longer programs (supported pornography business)
The _______ was important to radio technology because it allowed radio signals to be amplified permitting wireless telegraphy.
audion vacuum tube
The Hollywood Ten are famous for
being accused of being communist sympathies and displaying unpatriotic messages in their films and refusing to testify
Programs that are in off-network syndication are
reruns that are no longer on primetime - essential for making up deficit financing
The best way to erase the losses of deficit financing for a TV show is
selling program into rerun or off-network syndication
What is a typical characteristic of independent films?
small budgets, shown in auditoriums/small film festivals, rely on real-life situations and documentaries, non studio locations/inexpensive
Nonprofit radio today is
struggling to survive government funding cuts
What time period is considered the "golden age" of radio?
1930's-40's
Which event sparked the then FCC Chairman to declare television a "vast wasteland?"
Quiz Show Scandal
Which of the following technologies caused major changes in the radio industry?
Television
Which film was the first successful talking motion picture?
The Jazz Singer
The computerized nerve center of a cable system is called the
headend
_____ demonstrated the Justice Department's attempts at breaking up monopolies within the film industry.
the Paramount Decision
Let's say there are about 100 million TV households in the United States. On a given Wednesday night, about 50 million of those households have their TV set turned on to a program. Of that 50 million, 25 million are watching American Idol on Fox. What is American Idol's share (not rating) estimate?
(25 million watching Fox/50 million households using TV) = 50%
Which of the following time blocks are the most important to radio stations today?
6-9 AM; 4-7 PM (drive times)
Which radio program introduced the concept of continuing story lines?
Amos n Andy
What is the difference between a common carrier and an electronic publisher?
Common Carrier: providing services that do not get involved in content; must offer part of its service on a first-come, first-served basis; Electronic Publisher: can pick and choose its channels and content
While the Radio Act of 1912 tried to address the problem of interference, it wasn't until the Communications Act of 1934 that the government had the power to revoke licenses of stations that did not comply.
False
With television capturing suburban audiences by the mid-1950s, movie producers made only family-friendly films to lure that audience back to theaters.
False
Some of the advantages and disadvantages of FM radio over AM were the following:
FM had a cleaner sound and better music quality, but traveled less distance
After completing its first five television episodes, an independently produced TV program no longer requires deficit financing to fund its production.
False
Because of high equipment and operating costs, digital technology is not expected to benefit independent filmmakers for many years.
False
By law, nonprofit broadcasters are allocated 25 percent of all the broadcast frequencies in the United States.
False
Corporate sponsors are now funding 90 percent of public television's annual budget.
False
Documentaries generally avoid controversial or unpopular subject matter.
False
Due to competition among media, radio became obsolete after the arrival of television.
False
For creative reasons, film studios have generally resisted making product placement deals.
False
Hollywood was the international center of cinema from the very beginning.
False
Most TV series from the 1950s have survived, and that is because they were originally shot on film.
False
Movie palaces looked beautiful on the outside, but were often very shabby on the inside.
False
Movie theaters are still the largest single source of revenue for a typical feature film.
False
Ratings refers to the percentage of households watching a given show out of all households watching television at a given moment in time.
False
Reality TV shows cost more for networks and cable to make than sitcoms or dramas.
False
The 1996 Telecommunications Act allows cable companies to offer telephone service, but the phone companies are not permitted to enter the cable TV business.
False
The Hollywood Ten were studio writers and directors jailed for leaking military secrets to the Soviet Union.
False
The Motion Picture Patents Company was established in 1908 to share film technology with independent filmmakers.
False
The Radio Act of 1927 created the Radio Corporation of America.
False
The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is credited with transmitting the first TV picture electronically.
False
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has resulted in more competition and less consolidation in U.S. radio.
False
The ability to stream TV shows on devices like smartphones and the iPad haven't changed consumers' viewing habits much.
False
The nation's largest radio network is owned by telephone giant AT&T.
False
The term "evergreens" refers to recently produced TV shows that are popular.
False
Time shifting refers to the delay of broadcast programs because of different time zones across the United States.
False
Under the Radio Act of 1927, broadcasters were allowed to own their radio channels.
False
Which of the following statements is/are true about the relationship between the radio industry and the concept of media convergence?
More amateurs have the ability to start stations, more variation in content, podcasts bring back storytelling and entertainment, portability returns from transistor stages (phones/iPods)
How is the development of radio similar to the development of the Internet?
Neither had previous models to copy
Which of the following is one of the methods used by the Trust to control the film industry?
Pooled patents, withheld equipment if no payment, controlled flow of movies by charging theater owners
The act that first emphasized that broadcasters did not own their channels but were granted licenses provided they operated in the "public interest, convenience, or necessity" was the
Radio Act of 1927
Which event led to the Radio Act of 1912?
The Titanic
What is vertical integration?
control over three levels of the movie business in order to dominate and control: production, distribution, exhibition
When a studio engaged in block booking, it
required exhibitors to rent new or marginal films along with popular films
Which term best describes the financial arrangement that most TV producers and movie studios enter into to make prime-time TV shows?
deficit financing
An effective genre of television program to deal with serious or controversial social issues would be
domestic comedy
Adolph Zukor formed the Famous Players Company in 1912 to
fight the Trust (Edison) and control movie production at all levels
The telegraph was useless as a means of communicating between ships at sea or between ships and the shore because
it requires wires
Which development was a consequence of the quiz-show scandal?
less trust in TV, ended sponsor's creative control, undermined democratic TV forever
The very earliest uses of Marconi's wireless radio were for
military and commercial shipping
One of the ways cable channels are successful is by
narrowcasting: finding and catering to the needs of a niche audience with specific interests
Mary Pickford was
one of the most powerful woman in the movie industry, "America's Sweetheart", forced producers to pay her a higher salary (elevated the financial status and professional role of film actors), first woman to earn $1 million in a year
Despite new technologies like personal MP3 players and music online, traditional radio continues to see billions of dollars in advertising money because
over 90% of US teens and adults listen to the radio in a given week, 10% of media dollars go to radio, revenue has dropped but # of stations has rose, only spend 20% of budget for programming (music is cheap)
The transistor made radio receivers
portable
Which of the following is not an element of vertical integration in the movie industry?
production, distribution, exhibition
In 1965, the FCC established must-carry rules, which
required cable operators to carry all local TV broadcasts
In commercial filmmaking, who is considered the "author" of a film?
the director
In a situation comedy
the recurring cast deals with a narrative situation that is resolved by the end of the episode; all about plot
Nickelodeons and the silent films they showed were very popular with turn-of-the- century immigrant populations because
there was no language barrier and they provided an inexpensive escape
In the TV freeze of 1948-1952
there were no TV licenses given
Which of the following statements about the three traditional major broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) is true?
they still remain a good business investment even though cable and online competitors have gained control of some of their audience
Anthologies were replaced by other types of programming in the 1950s because
they were too expensive and controversial, economic changes in audience (lower-middle class rise), and complexity didn't fit well with ads