copyright © 2006 allyn and bacon8-1 william r. davie and james r. upshaw chapter eight –...

Copyright © 2006 Allyn and BaconCopyright © 2006 Allyn and Bacon 8-8-11

William R. Davie and James R. UpshawWilliam R. Davie and James R. UpshawChapter Eight – Broadcast NewsChapter Eight – Broadcast News

William R. Davie and James R. UpshawWilliam R. Davie and James R. UpshawChapter Eight – Broadcast NewsChapter Eight – Broadcast News

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Principles of Electronic MediaPrinciples of Electronic MediaPrinciples of Electronic MediaPrinciples of Electronic Media


Principles of Electronic MediaPrinciples of Electronic MediaChapter Eight – Broadcast NewsChapter Eight – Broadcast News


“Thus, we have here a great loop of impotence: The news elicits from you a variety of opinions about which you can do nothing except to offer them as more news, about which you can do nothing”

-Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death)




Principle #1

The appeal of broadcast news rests on humans' ancient need to tell one another of the day's events.




Why News is Important

Broadcasting Roots

Audiences

Technology


An Oral TraditionAn Oral TraditionAn Oral TraditionAn Oral Tradition

Oral cultures (prelit, lit, postlit – Ong) “Town Criers” “…broadcasters learned to ‘write for the ear,’ meaning to

break complex news stories into short, simple sentences that seemed almost conversational. Radio reports could therefore help the listener’s brain create vivid images of events. All of this made news accessible and appealing to a wide range of listeners, turning radio into an all-American medium” (p. 176).


Edward R. MurrowEdward R. MurrowEdward R. MurrowEdward R. Murrow

“Edward R. Murrow, broadcasting from the bombing blitz of London, set the standard. In waves of staccato phrases that sounded almost poetic, Murrow painted word pictures of war and suffering that carried the power of the European catastrophe through the listeners’ ears and into their hearts” (p. 176).


The AudienceThe AudienceThe AudienceThe Audience

“The intimacy of broadcast media tends to create visceral relationship swith listeners and viewers. Research indicates that the public responds not only to news but also, in complex psychological ways, to the people who present it…” (p. 176)

(Recall The Lonesome Gal and parasocial interaction)


The AudienceThe AudienceThe AudienceThe Audience

The decline of broadcast news. “Ratings for the nightly newscasts on

ABC, CBS, and NBC reportedly dropped 34 percent between 1994 and 2004 – falling almost 60 percent below their peak in the late 1960s” (p. 177).


TechnologyTechnologyTechnologyTechnology

Cellular phones for radio journalists Satellites Portable earth stations Field-to-base microwave technology Videophones Infrared cameras




Radio’s Traditional Paths

Radio’s Roots

Radio Today


RadioRadioRadioRadio

Wire services > Newspapers = Networks > Affiliates

“Radio thus permeates our environment and keeps most of us from falling utterly out of touch with important events” (p. 178).

Radio as “the tribal drum” (McLuhan, 1964)


Early RadioEarly RadioEarly RadioEarly Radio

The Hindenburg Disaster (recorded sound)

“By the 1950s, however, radio’s primacy as a medium was overtaken by the raging growth of television, for which radio had paved the way by assembling audiences in the living room” (p. 179).


Modern RadioModern RadioModern RadioModern Radio

Reduction in staff Clear Channel Communications “New corporate owners have found ways to cut

newsgathering costs even more severely. A station group can tap into digital technology that permits one staffer to feed newscasts to several stations without ever going near their towns” (p. 179).




Principle #2

The quality of proximity makes local broadcast news appealing to most people.




Television’s Traditional Paths

The Structure of News

The Process of News

Local Stations

What It’s Worth


NetworksNetworksNetworksNetworks

“A network really is just a relationship among stations and a central production core that feeds them programming. In return for this bounty of content, stations agree to clear air time for prime-time shows and the commercials that accompany them – the networks’ primary revenue source” (p. 180).


News StructureNews StructureNews StructureNews Structure

News as “acceptable losses” in exchange for prestige.

Advent of 60 Minutes (CBS) and the news magazine shows (20/20, etc.).

Corporate takeovers (Capital Cities Communications > ABC, Loews Corporation > CBS) and the proliferation of “soft news”.


Soft NewsSoft NewsSoft NewsSoft News

“The resulting drive for ratings generated newsmagazines rich in emotional stories with dramatic structure – similar to their fictional siblings in network entertainment – and very light on complex political and government-policy stories. The new programs fit nicely into primetime. Elsewhere in the schedule, the networks’ morning shows moved increasingly into soft news and talk, emphasizing stories of personal interest – not relatively abstract big-picture news” (p. 182).


News ProcessNews ProcessNews ProcessNews Process

Management: oversight, competition, profitability

News Selection: “Gatekeeping” Reporting and Production: Line Producers,

Field Producers, Correspondents. Presentation: Graphic Art.




Principle #3

Live reporting abroad can draw mass attention to neglected disasters--part of the "CNN effect."




What’s News on TV?

CNN

Fox News Channel

MSNBC Microsoft/NBC

CNBC Consumer News Business Channel

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network


24 hr. News Channels24 hr. News Channels24 hr. News Channels24 hr. News Channels

CNN was the first 24 hr. news channel. It was created by Ted Turner and came to prominence during the first gulf war (1990).

“CNN Kept journalists working around the world even as ABC, CBS, and NBC cut back their foreign bureaus” (p. 185).


24 hr. News Channels24 hr. News Channels24 hr. News Channels24 hr. News Channels

Fox News Channel was created by Rupert Murdoch. It’s express purpose was to “balance” the scales of what Murdoch saw as a predominant liberal bias in network news . The “news with an attitude” approach.




News on the Internet

Who Gets News There?

How Do They Get It?


Internet NewsInternet NewsInternet NewsInternet News

Convergence of news formats (text, radio, television)

Hypertext links: “The viewer.reader who activates such a link is tapping the World Wide Web’s capacity to open long, deep corridors of information. By combining broadcasting’s brevity and visual allure with its ability to provide detailed background on a news topic, an Internet site can appeal to a large cross-section of news consumers” (p. 188).




Principle #4

Broadcasting's urge to serve changing audience desires always clashes with some journalistic values.




Influence of News on Society

Ratings Relate to Rates

The Technology Boon

Trust and Credibility

Commercialism and Complexity


The Customer is Always The Customer is Always Right?Right?

The Customer is Always The Customer is Always Right?Right?

Is the function of news to inform decision making or to entertain? “However, what if viewers or listeners

indicate little interest in foreign news or political stories? Should those stories be dropped from the agenda?” (p. 189).


TechnologyTechnologyTechnologyTechnology

If it’s not broken, fix it anyway! “With budget “bean counters” more

influential than ever before, managers who purchase expensive tools feel daily pressure to use them, whether news justifies it or not” (p. 190).


CommercialismCommercialismCommercialismCommercialism

What can happen when free market capitalism mixes with broadcast journalism? “KOLO-TV in Reno, Nevada, offered any

business elaborate and positive news coverage in return for a $5,000 sponsorship” (p. 192).




Principle #5

Doing broadcast journalism entails a responsibility

to put public service first.

copyright © 2006 allyn and bacon8-1 william r. davie and james r. upshaw chapter eight –...

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