Unit III. Tv and Other Media of Mass Communication

READING

A. Pre-reading task. Answer the questions:

1. What do you know about mass communication? Who coined this term?

2. In what way is mass communication different from other ways of communication?

3. What means of mass media do you know? Which ones are your favourite? Why?

B. Put these ways of communicating in order from the oldest (1) to the newest (10). Compare the answers in groups.

1. email

2. television

3. typewriter

4. newspaper

5. telephone

6. letter

7. fax machine

8. mobile

9. radio

10. the Internet

C. Read the text and translate it into Russian using the Active Vocabulary.

distribution распространение

limited ограниченный

demand спрос

run out of закончиться, истощить запас

tune in to a programme настраиваться на программу

tremendous огромный, невероятный

incorporate соединять

convey передавать

outsmart «обогнать», перехитрить, обвести вокруг пальца

onslaught атака, натиск

solely исключительно

prompt подвигнуть, побуждать

adapt подстраивать, приспособлять

advent приход, появление

shift менять

outcome результат

air транслировать

interactivity интерактивность, режим диалога

T elevision is different from other mediums of mass communication like radio, print and new media. Each of these mediums has their own strengths and imitations.

Print medium needs physical distribution of its limited products. If there is too much demand, the newspaper stand can run out of newspapers. In comparison to it, anyone with a television set can have access to it. Too many people tuning in to a particular programme does not affect its availability.

O n the other hand, television is a transitory medium. If you have a television set, most probably you would prefer to be in front of it to catch the latest action. This is because the audio visual nature of television gives it an edge over both radio and print.

Radio is an aural medium whereas print relies just on visual content. The tremendous success of television as a mass medium has its roots in its ability to incorporate both visual and aural content. It combines compelling visuals with the personal immediacy of radio. This audio visual character gives it great power in conveying realism and this keeps the viewer emotionally involved. The aural nature of radio makes it an excellent medium for transmitting music and speech. Television, on the other hand, is a better medium for conveying documentary information. Would you prefer watching news on television or listening to it on radio? The visual content of television news makes it more appealing than radio news. This is because radio cannot outsmart television in providing the experience of physical reality. Imagine watching a tennis match between Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams on your TV set. Wouldn’t it convey a more “real” experience of the match than hearing a radio commentary?

You can listen to radio while doing your household work. You can listen and drive or shave while hearing the news. However, watching television demands more undivided attention. You can play your radio in the living room and hear it from the kitchen. However, if you try to do the same with television, you are sure to miss most of the action. Many people keep their radios switched on in the background while they go about with their daily activities. This trait of radio has helped it to survive the onslaught of t elevision. Radio stations have realized this advantage and have included more musical content in their programming.

Audio content in television is used to support the visuals. This is because television is an audio visual medium, while radio relies solely on audio content. This fundamental difference between the two influences the way in which news or other programmes are presented in the two media.

Internet is giving television a tough competition. Internet or new media has opened a whole new world of communication. There is no mechanism which allows the producer of the programme to find out whether all the viewers liked the programme or not. Thus, another trait of television is delayed feedback. New media on the other hand is an interactive medium. It allows you to instantly register your comments about its contents. It allows you to even create your own content. While watching a television programme, you are more or less an inactive spectator. This is definitely not the case with new media.

A television news show can bring the world to our homes. It can tell us about world leaders meeting in Washington, the effects of global warming in Antarctica and about an Indian athlete winning a gold medal in a world championship. That’s why television is generally regarded as a domestic medium. New media, on the other hand, is the medium of the individual. It allows you to connect with people around the world with just the click of a mouse. Television allows you to witness events happening around the world. New media empowers you further by allowing you to participate in these events by posting your comments on websites.

Watching a popular television programme can give you a sense of community. New media takes this one step further. It allows you to create communities which will help you to stay in touch with people of similar interests. For example, if you like the songs of some singer, you can join his or her fan club on the internet. This will help you to be in touch with and share songs with another fan.

If you compare today’s newspapers with those before the arrival of television, you will notice that the visual content of today’s newspaper is much more. This is because the arrival of television has prompted the print industry to reinvent itself. People were impressed by the magic of the visual content offered by television. Not to be left behind, the print media started providing more photographs and other illustrations.

Every time a new medium emerges, the older media try to adapt to the new challenge. Before the advent of television, more than 60 percent of the print content was fiction based. However, soon television became the preferred source of entertainment for most people. This prompted print to shift more towards nonfiction content. While television delivers you the latest headlines in no time, the newspaper concentrates more on analysis and provides you with additional background information.

D o you watch audience backed shows? Here, the voters decide the outcome of the show. This is an attempt by television to include an element of interactivity into its content. The arrival of new media has prompted television to change itself to meet the new challenge. Similarly, news shows and other programmes have started airing viewer’s ‘sms’. Some news channels allow you to send reports which might have been shot on your camera or mobile phone. This is termed as ‘citizen journalism’. This allows the viewer to participate in the content or programme production. Today, newspapers also try to be participatory in nature. Many major newspapers encourage viewers to send interesting photographs which are published.

When television first came into existence, it was predicted that it will wipe out newspapers. However, it is not so. The newspaper reinvented itself to meet the new competitor. Similarly, many predict the death of television in the age of new media.

C. Answer the following questions:

1. Which of the following statements about television is not true?

1. it is audio visual in nature

2. it is a live medium

3. it is less powerful than print

4. delayed feedback is one of its traits

2. Which of the following allows the viewer to participate in television content production?

1. Citizen journalism

2. Current affairs programmes

3. News

4. Serials

3. Identify the false statement

1. Newspapers need to be physically delivered to the readers

2. Television has wiped out newspapers

3. Television is a domestic medium

4. New media is interactive in nature

4. What do you think - will you stop watching television in the years to come?

D. Retelling. Now retell the text using the Active Vocabulary list.

WORD STUDY

A. Check the pronunciation in the dictionary and mark the stressed syllable in the following words:

audio, characteristic, anchor, bomb, neighbouring, to access, to record, to identify

B. Translate the following word combinations into Russian:

1. newspaper stand

2. to give an edge

3. tough competitor

4. delayed feedback

5. inactive spectator

6. global warming

7. new challenge

8. latest headlines

9. background information

10. citizen journalism

11. programme production

12. to meet competitor

13. compelling visuals

14. personal immediacy

C. Find out in the text the English equivalents to the following words:

1. печатные СМИ

2. сильная сторона

3. предоставлять возможность, право

4. чувство принадлежности, объединения

5. оставаться на связи

6. воссоздать, обновлять

7. появляться

8. уничтожить, стереть с лица земли

D. Form nouns from verbs.

1. televise

2. communicate

3. demand

4. distribute

5. activate

6. involve

7. convey

8. participate

9. compare

10. adapt

11. concentrate

12. prefer

13. compete

14. influence

E. Match the words to make word combinations.

mass competition

print commentary

newspaper communication

radio stand

tough media

F. Insert the necessary prepositions.

1. Television is different ____ other mediums of mass communication ___ radio, print and new media.

2. The newspaper stand can run _____ newspapers. Too many people tuning ____ a particular programme does not affect its availability.

3. ____ comparison ___ it, anyone with a television set can have access ____ it.

4. This is because the audio visual nature of television gives it an edge_____both radio and print.

5. Radio is an aural medium whereas print relies just ____ visual content.

6. The tremendous success of television ____ a mass medium has its roots ____ its ability to incorporate both visual and aural content.

7. Would you prefer watching news ___ television or listening ___ it ___ radio?

8. New media empowers you further by allowing you to participate in these events by posting your comments ____ websites.

9. It allows you to create communities which will help you to stay ___ touch ___ people of similar interests.

10. This prompted print to shift more _____ nonfiction content.

GRAMMAR STUDY

A. ACTIVE/PASSIVE VOICE

We use the Active Voice to point out that the subject of the sentence is the producer of the action:

1. She switches on TV every day.

2. He sold his video recorder.

3. They will record this programme.

We use the Passive Voice to point out that the producer of the action expressed by the verb is not the subject, but the object (which can be mentioned or not):

1. TV is switched on (by her) every day.

2. Video recorder was sold (by him).

3. This programme will be recorded (by them)

We also use the Passive Voice when:

1. we want to make the active object more important

2. we do not know the active subject

The Passive Voice is used with preposition “by” when we want to emphasise the “agent” or “doer” of the action. If we want to show the “instrument” which produced the action, then we use the preposition “with”:

1. The man was killed by a serial killer.

2. The man was killed with a knife.

The Passive Voice formed with a conjugation of the verb “to be” and a past participle. The form of Passive Voice depends on the tense which is used in the sentence. Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses:

infinitive		to be washed
simple	present	It is washed.
	past	It was washed.
	future	It will be washed.
	conditional	It would be washed.
continuous	present	It is being washed.
	past	It was being washed.
	future	It will be being washed.
	conditional	It would be being washed.
perfect simple	present	It has been washed.
	past	It had been washed.
	future	It will have been washed.
	conditional	It would have been washed.
perfect continuous	present	It has been being washed.
	past	It had been being washed.
	future	It will have been being washed.
	conditional	It would have been being washed.

Choose either Active or Passive Voice:

1. a) The room painted yesterday. b) The room was painted yesterday.

2. a) The company produces a hundred cars each year. b) The company is produced a hundred cars each year.

3. a) His meal was served right in time. b) His meal served right in time.

4. a) The e-mails have already been sent. b) The e-mails have already sent.

5. a) The machine was repaired a few days ago. b) The machine repaired a few days ago.

6. a) Cheese makes from milk.

b) Cheese is made from milk.

7. a) The gates are locked at 6 o’clock.

b) The gates lock at 6 o’clock.

8. a) A new hospital is being built.

b) A new hospital is building.

9. a) How many babies had been born by the beginning of 1998?

b) How many babies bore by the beginning of 1998?

10. a) Water covers most of the earth’s surface.

b) Water is covered most of the earth’s surface.

B. Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

They build houses. – Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

he says – it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).

They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.

The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).

Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.

Use Personal Passive.

1.People know that she is a good swimmer.

→

2.They say that Francis is in hospital.

→

3.They think that the children are in bed.

→

4.People believe that the robber has worked in the bank.

→

5.People believe that nuclear power stations are dangerous.

→

6.His collegues thought that he was on holiday.

→

7.People know that cars pollute the environment.

→

8.They suppose that the new product will come out soon.

→

9.They found that the mission was impossible.

→

10.They believe that she will win a gold medal.

→

SPEAKING