Mass Media: Radio and tv

Basic information:

If you want to listen to the radio, you switch on your radio set and tune in to a broadcasting station. You need an aerial (BE)/antenna (AE), a receiver, an amplifier and loudspeakers to receive good stereo quality on VHF (AE: FM). You can listen to the news and the weather forecast, to pop(ular) songs or classical music, to radio plays or to live broadcasts of sporting events, depending on what your favourite programmes are.

The BBC, which used to have a complete monopoly of radio and televi­sion broadcasting, has always been financed by annual payments/ licence fees. Though under government control, the BBC has full autonomy in choosing the content of its programmes and in running its own affairs.

ITV consists of 15 regional television companies. The programmes it broadcasts are financed by commercial advertising.

There are also many private and independent local radio stations, which are financed by companies paying to have commercials, i.e. advertisments for their products, broadcast on the radio. Sometimes advertisers even sponsor their own programmes, e.g. a quiz show or a serial.

In addition to the thousands of local radio stations in the USA, there are three major national networks – CBS, NBC and ABC – which dominate the radio services. Being the largest commercial TV companies in the country, these three networks are also responsible for the majority of TV programmes broadcast nationwide. Unlike the commercial networks, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is largely financed through donations.

Cable TV and satellite TV

Cable TV, which was first introduced in the US, began to make its appear­ance in many European countries in the 1970s and 1980s. The deregulation of broadcasting in some countries led to the introduction of many private networks and satellites were launched, beaming station programmes into cable networks.

At first cable TV developed relatively slowly in most countries. There was one major problem: the cost of digging the roads up and of installing cables in people's homes. But the network is growing.

Direct transmission by satellite has largely been introduced, which means that there are dozens of new (satellite) channels in addition to the ones already existing. Many countries in Europe have set up their own satellite broadcasting and all over the world private companies and government organizations plan to put more satellites into orbit.

An Example of commercial TV

British Sky Broadcasting, formerly known as Sky Channel, is a private British company. Launched in 1982 as a pan-European English-language entertainment satellite service, it is the pioneer satellite-to-cable channel in Europe and it now broadcasts to millions of cable-TV viewers in Europe. Its different channels can also be received directly via satellite if you have a dish aerial and a suitable TV set.

Its programmes are typical of private TV stations: panel games, family and variety shows, children's features, sitcoms, animated cartoons, westerns and thrillers (often imported US series), sport and music; in short, for the most part light entertainment.

Problems of TV today and in the future:

1. Twenty, or even as many as 40, programmes may be enough for most viewers: saturation point may have been reached.

2. Will competition between the TV stations lead to an improvement in the programmes of public-sector broadcasters like the BBC or does a larger number of channels inevitably lower the standards of all TV programmes.

3. More channels do not necessarily mean a wider spectrum for viewers: more variety may be offered by three state-run TV stations than by 30 private channels.

4. Trivialized and unbalanced news coverage must be avoided.

5. Will there be enough programmes for minorities, enough educational and arts programmes etc.

6. Will satellite and cable TV alter viewing patterns, so that people will spend more time watching TV.

7. In order to protect young viewers from violent or pornographic programmes a legal framework and electronic devices in, the TV sets are essential; it is a matter of parental control to ensure that children do not have access to such movies on video cassettes.

set [set] радіоприймач

to tune in to [tju:n] прислухатися до

broadcasting station [´brͻ:dˏkɑ:stɪŋ

´steɪʃ(ǝ)n] радіомовна станція

aerial /antenna [´e(ǝ)rɪǝl] [æn´tenǝ] антена

receiver   [rɪ´si:vǝ] одержувач

amplifier [´æmplɪfaɪǝ] підсилювач

VHP (very high frequency), [´fri:kwǝnsɪ] ДВЧ (30-300 МГц)

FM (frequency modulation) частотна модуляція

radio play [´reɪdɪǝυ] [pleɪ] п'єса для радіо

live broadcast [laɪv] [´brͻ:dkɑ:st] пряма трансляція

programme BBC   [´prǝυɡræm] програма Бі-Бі-Сі

monopoly [mǝ´nɒp(ǝ)lɪ] монополія

licence fee [´laɪs(ǝ)ns] [fi:] ліцензійний збір

autonomy [ͻ:´tɒnǝmɪ] незалежність;

автономія

ITV (Independent [ˏɪndɪ´pendǝnt] мовна телекомпанія

Television) [´telɪˏvɪʒ(ǝ)n] Ай-Ті-Ві

to broadcast   [´brͻ:dkɑ:st] мовлення

commercial (adj) [kǝ´mɜ:ʃɪ(ǝ)l] комерційного

призначення

advertising [´ædvǝtaɪzɪŋ] рекламування; реклама

commercial (n)   [kǝ´mɜ:ʃ(ǝ)l] комерційна реклама

advertisement [ǝd´vɜ:tɪsmǝnt] комерційне

телебачення

advertiser [´ædvǝtaɪzǝ] рекламодавець

to sponsor [´spɒnsǝ] спонсор

quiz show [kwɪz] [ʃǝυ] телевікторина

serial [´sɪ(ǝ)rɪǝl] серіал

network [´netwɜ:k] радіотрансляційна

мережа

donation   [dǝ(υ)´neɪʃ(ǝ)n] благодійний внесок

deregulation   [dɪˏreɡjυ´leɪʃ(ǝ)n] дерегуляція

to launch to beam [lͻ:ntʃ] [bi:m] запуск в промінь

to install [ɪn´stͻ:l] встановлювати

channel   [´tʃænl] канал

orbit орбіта; [´ͻ:bɪt] життєвий шлях

pioneer [ˏpaɪǝ´nɪǝ] першопроходець

dish aerial [´dɪʃˏe(ǝ)rɪǝl] антена

panel game [´pænl] [ɡeɪm] ігри типу вікторини

variety show   [vǝ´raɪǝtɪʃǝυ] естрадне шоу

feature [´fi:tʃǝ] повнометражний фільм

sitcom (situation comedy) [sɪtʃυˏeɪʃ(ǝ)n телевізійне комедійне

´kɒmɪdɪ] шоу

animated cartoon [´ænɪmeɪtɪd] мультиплікаційний

[kɑ:´tu:n] фільм

series   [´sɪ(ǝ)ri:z] телесеріал

light entertainment   [laɪt] [ˏentǝ´teɪnmǝnt] легка розвага

viewer   [´vju:ǝ] глядач (особ.

телеглядач)

saturation point   [ˏsætʃǝ´reɪʃ(ǝ)npͻɪnt] максимальна кількість

competition   [ˏkɒmpɪ´tɪʃ(ǝ)n] змагання

public-sector broadcaster   [´pʌblɪk] [´sektǝ] державна служба

[´brͻ:dˏkɑ:stǝ] мовлення

to lower [´lǝυǝ] нижчий

spectrum   [´spektrǝm] спектр

variety   [vǝ´raɪǝtɪ] різноманіття

to trivialize [´trɪvɪǝlaɪz] опошляти

unbalanced   [ʌn´bælǝns] порушувати рівновагу

coverage   [´kʌv(ǝ)rɪdʒ] репортаж;

art [ɑ:t] мистецтво

to alter [´ͻ:ltǝ] змінювати

framework [´freɪmwɜ:k] структура

device   [dɪ´vaɪs] проект

to ensure   [ɪn´ʃυǝ] забезпечувати