Web-Based Essay
December 12, 2008
The Transformation of the News Industry
MEDIA
Introduction
The news industry encompasses a wide range of topics, themes and mediums. News is always occurring, and will always be happening in the world. The industry has no immediate threats, although the mediums that consumers use to obtain their news have evolved and will continue to evolve in the future. Advancing technology is the most significant force behind the shift of news mediums.
History of Mass Media Mediums
Mass media is defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as “a medium of communication [such as newspapers, radio, or television] that is designed to reach the mass of the people —usually used in plural.” There are numerous forms of communication and methods of obtaining information. Mass media has an extensive history and has evolved with society and technological advances.
Media began before the Industrial Revolution with the printing press. The first form of mass media was the penny press created by Benjamin Day in 1833. The idea behind the penny press was to reduce the price of newspapers from six cents to one penny by selling newspapers on the street, as opposed to solely relying on newspaper subscriptions for sources of revenue. Reaching a wider audience, the penny press used a more simplistic style and approach for newspapers, including human interest stories that had never been printed previously.
Printed news was and still remains a universal approach to distributing information about the world to the public. It was an important communication tool because it was the only means of providing information, other than face to face communication, to a large number of people during the 19th century. The next significant medium invented for the purpose of mass communication was the radio. The first radio news broadcast took place in 1920. The radio quickly became the most popular media form for disseminating information to the public. Not only did the radio provide news, it also included and still currently broadcasts music and various entertainment programs as well.
- Radio
Following radio, television was invented in the late 1920’s and available to the public during the late 1930’s. The basic function of a television is the sending and receiving of moving images along with an audio component. Television has been and is still used for news consumption and as a source of entertainment.
Television
Today, the Internet is the most widely used medium for media consumption. The Internet is made up of computer systems interconnected that exchange information. For the public, the Internet provides a place that the average computer literate individual can search and find information on almost any topic they wish to learn more about.
Statistics
The average American is exposed to about 3000 advertising messages a day using various mediums. The media influences every aspect of daily life because no one is immune to the media industry. Clothing, billboards, magazines, newspapers, the radio, television and the Internet are the main outlets that advertisers use to reach their target demographics.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the average American age 12 and older typically watches 4.7 hours of television per day, which will total 1704 hours per person in the 2008 calendar year.
U.S. Supreme Court Justices
In a typical local television news broadcast, 30 percent of the broadcast is made up of advertising. Compared to the 0.7 percent of time spent on public service announcements, the discrepancy of time allotment in television news broadcasts is significant. 53.8 percent of a news broadcast is set aside for stories informing the public about crime, disaster, and war. In addition, 17 percent of the United States population can name at least three U.S. Supreme Court Justices, compared to the 59 percent of the population who can name all three of The Three Stooges.
Three Stooges
Local television is ranked as the most frequently used news source for 18-to-34-year-olds, with over 70 percent of the age group watching local television at least once a week, and more than half of those surveyed watching local TV news at least three times a week. The local television ranking system is driven by women and low/middle income groups. The second-most frequently used weekly news source is the Internet. The Internet is ranked number one among men, high-income groups, and broadband users.
Medium Central to Media
Television is the medium that is central to media (Silva). In our current culture, the daily hours of television viewing are constantly increasing and the television remains a popular form of mass communication. Popular culture entertains and informs the public of world events, celebrity gossip, as well as various additional newsworthy stories. Media events fall under the concept that the media industry decides what information is considered as news worthy/important, as well as an approach for the industry to promote their ideals to the largest audience possible.
Mass communication can be distributed by numerous mediums, but television is the most effective communication technology to ensure that the message is delivered as it was intended. Radio has the possibility for misunderstanding and miscommunication because audio is the sole communication tool that is provided to the public by this particular medium. Tone, inflection, volume, emphasis, and word choice are the only elements that a broadcaster is allowed to use on the radio because the medium involves audio without the aid of visual support.
Traditionally, watching television has been an activity and pastime for people to experience together. Television programs are usually viewed with family and friends. It is a social hour for people to come together, with common interests, and share the experience of a particular program. Typically, television shows are scheduled for a time period targeted at a specific audience and demographic.
News Reporters
News Reporters typically are employed by television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and/or magazines. Their typical duties include gathering information, writing stories, interviewing people, checking their sources, and reporting stories. Their main priority is focused around informing the public of events and occurrences in the world to the best of their knowledge. The pay scale for news reporters varies by numerous factors including age, level of experience, and the market you are in. Layoffs, buy-outs, and not renewing contracts are all prevalent job security issues news reporters (as well as many other professions) are being faced with in our country’s current recession. Fewer viewers directly reflect in lower ratings. Low ratings do not attract and/or necessarily maintain advertisers, the sole source of revenue for television and radio stations. Job security used to include seniority and experience, but with the constant budget cuts in every industry, cheaper employees can be seen as a positive benefit, change, and cost saver.
Celebrity News
When “celebrity news” is searched on google, the immediate results list over 10 million celebrity gossip, entertainment, and news websites. Today the public is extremely interested in lives of celebrities, lessening the level of interest people still have in real news. The definition of news is “any information whose revelation is anticipated to have an intellectual or actionable impact on the recipient.” The shift from traditional newsworthy sources and events occurring around the world to “breaking news” including which new starlet is dating a rock star, has altered the quality of information people consume on a daily basis. As entertaining as the daily activities of celebrities may be, significant events are happening locally, nationally, and internationally everyday that do not receive as much attention from broadcasters or viewers as they deserve. Sensational celebrity encounters are a common conversation topic, as opposed to world events, in daily personal discussions.
Advancing Technology
- Cell Phones
Cellular phones enable individuals to be in constant communication wherever they are (depending on the level of wireless service). Portable telephones that can be used virtually anywhere transformed media into a more immediate industry. Receiving a phone call or using the Internet, directly available from their cell phones, allows people to obtain breaking news or almost any other information instantly.
Cell phones are eliminating the boundaries between different mediums. Some cell phones have multiple options including listening to music, watching television programs/movies, surfing the Internet, and playing games. Portable devices enable people to use various mediums at their leisure and severely reduce the usage of traditional singular mediums such as television, radio, and the Internet one at a time.
Apple’s iPhone is a current example of a cell phone that is transforming media as we know it today. Apple invented a device that allows for transmedia flow from numerous mediums into a singular location, a personal cell phone. The iPhone combines the technology of a cellular phone, an iPod, and the Internet into one simple device.
iPhone
Telephone service is the prime function of a cell phone, providing the ability to communicate with other people by voice. Additionally, constant instant communication is maintained by sending text messages, emails, and instant messages via the Internet anywhere an individual wishes to be (cell phone towers permitting).
The iPhone also contains an iPod, a popular personalized portable music player. IPods eliminate the need for traditional radios, listening to advertisements, and listening to music you are not partial to because individuals create their own play lists on their iPods. In addition, you can download television shows and movies right onto your iPod, as well as the iPhone. By combining the technologies of an iPod and a cell phone, the iPhone includes two popular products, thriving due to the convenience factor.
Cell phones in general are enabling the public to have access to anything at anytime because of the Internet. Instant communication in various forms (voice, text messaging, emailing, and instant messaging) provides people with choices of how they wish to communicate with others. More advanced models, such as the iPhone, allow people to be at the center of evolving technology and keep up with the newest trends.
- Recording Devices
The flexibility and convenience factor of television consumption previously did not coincide with the busy lifestyle the current culture is experiencing. Society today is changing into a more immediate culture where people have the ability to access information at their leisure using the Internet (having the option of Internet access on cell phones). Television programs remain constant because of the set schedules of when they are broadcasted to the public, although, there are numerous choices for the methods of obtaining a television program due to new technology and new media.
Watching a television show on the Internet, the day following the television premier, enables viewers to watch their favorite programs at any location with Internet access the very next day. The Internet provides accessibility and options to consumers of the time period they would prefer to see a television show, as opposed to the set schedule television networks dictate to the public. Commercials and advertisements are included in the online broadcasts, but the amount of time spent on advertisements is significantly less than on traditional television programs. The online compromise of advertisements is acceptable for the typical viewer’s preferences.
Comcast’s On Demand feature lets people view selected television programs and movies instantly when they wish to on their personal television sets. On Demand has the capabilities to pause, fast-forward and rewind programs if the viewer missed something or does not particularly enjoy a segment. Similarly, TiVo DVRs have an immediate function permitting people to watch television shows and movies at their convenience. The DVR records a person’s favorite programs no matter what time they are aired, even if the scheduled time slot changes, so an individual can watch their weekly television shows whenever they wish. It has the elements of fast-forwarding, rewinding, instant replaying, pausing, slow motion, and can record two programs at the same time. TiVo can search television programming by title, actors, directors or the device’s built in recommendations for programs you might enjoy based on your previous television show recording choices.
- Internet
The Internet keeps up with our fast paced culture with its substantial database, including an infinite amount of information available instantly, almost anywhere in the world. Websites such as Youtube enable anyone to upload videos they create themselves onto the Internet for public viewing. Network television show clips, and sometimes entire episodes, are uploaded to Youtube for anyone with Internet access to watch as well. There are also websites, such as Hulu and Surf The Channel, providing free popular television programs without commercials to the public. This flexibility provides viewers with multiple options for their preference of television programming consumption.
Advancing technology is constantly changing the media industry, making traditional mediums less popular than they once were. Scheduled television programming does not attract a similar number of viewers it once did because of new technologies that provide more convenient options for consumers. New media is changing the way audiences view television programs.
Major networks upload their popular shows to the Internet the day after the network premier, as opposed to being forced to live by the network schedules. The public now has the choice to engage in alternate activities, while still watching television programs when they want to, without worrying about remembering to record a specific show. With the Internet, activities do not have to be organized around a set schedule if a person watches a television program religiously.
The three major networks, NBC, ABC, and CBS, have several of their shows available online. Some shows have multiple episodes, whereas other more popular shows only have the current week’s episode available, forcing consumers to stay up to date with that particular program. In addition, the websites provide “sneak peeks” of the season’s newest episodes, interviews with the cast and crew, and blogs where viewers can meet one another to analyze the highlights of the plotline and discrepancies in the details (for serious “die-hard” fans). Some websites provide entire television show series on their website, such as Lost on ABC. The only downsides to viewing these programs online are that you are still forced to watch commercials, not every television show is available online, and you are never among the first group of people to see the newest episodes.
In addition to the major networks, there are popular websites that provide television shows and movies for the public at no charge. Websites such as www.hulu.com and www.surfthechannel.com have a wide variety and selection of movies and television shows that people can watch without commercials at their personal convenience. Without a set schedule, people have the flexibility to be spontaneous with their daily activities, pastimes, and lives. Providing people with choices is a positive element of new media, allowing people to determine the methods and mediums they prefer to obtain their television shows are on their own terms.
Recent and Future Changes in the News Broadcasting Industry
Ownership restrictions of television and radio stations were made less strict by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, having a significant impact on the news broadcasting industry. The FCC requires that all television stations currently broadcast in both digital and analog signals. The new FCC regulations require that all television broadcasts aired after February 2009 must be in High-Definition (HD-TV), eliminating the need for broadcasting using analog signals. The new shift to broadcasting in HD-TV is forcing people with analog televisions (without cable) to buy a converter box or their television sets will not work in or after February 2009. This change is making television stations switch to digital recording devices instead of using traditional tapes. New equipment, such as cameras and editing systems, is necessary for television stations to broadcast in HD.
HD-TV
Role of the Audience
The role of the audience has shifted within the media industry. “In its broadest sense, the term ‘audience’ is almost interchangeable with ‘society,’ for it is used to refer to the many ways in which the media relate to the broader social world. In this sense, all people in a society constitute a potential audience for any media product” (Stokes, 129). Previously, audience members were simply consumers of the one way information the media conglomerates broadcasted to them. The public accepted the shows on television as they were broadcast by multimedia corporations during regular seasons and sweeps periods.
In today’s technological society, audiences have numerous choices for their viewing pleasure. Multiple channels and stations geared towards specific interest groups are available to anyone who is willing to subscribe to them, instead of only broadcasting from the three major networks; ABC, CBS and NBC. Audience participation is promoted and encouraged through blogs, text messaging, and the Internet. The alternatives available to the public create and allow a more competitive consumer driven market for mediums to attract active participants. Audiences have the options to voice their opinions about a plot line (Lost on ABC), play along with a game show (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on ABC), and/or vote for their favorite contestants in a reality TV show (American Idol on Fox) in our active audience culture.
The Future of the News Industry
The future of the media is not clearly defined. There will always remain a need for news, meaning that the news industry is not in jeopardy. The methods of creating and obtaining news will continually be improved to satisfy the needs of both consumers and professionals in the news industry. Poynter Online provides five suggestions for the future of news broadcasting. Their suggestions consist of: collaboration and partnering, harnessing the energy and learning from current experiments, targeting and customizing, getting over being jilted by the audience, and understanding that defining value and pricing it will remain elusive. This is one approach for the future of the news industry, but the real future of the news industry is not planned out or set in stone. Numerous questions about the future of the news industry remain unanswered as our culture shifts along with advancing technology and new media.
Works Cited
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