MEDIA ESSENTIALS
About the Authors
Brief Contents
Preface
Contents
Mass Media Industries
Mass Communication: A Critical Approach
The Evolution of Mass Communication
The Oral and Written Eras
The Print Era
The Electronic and Digital Eras
Media Convergence
CONVERGING MEDIA: Disney and Steve Jobs
Mass Media and the Process of Communication
The Evolution of a New Mass Medium
Debating Media’s Role in Everyday Life
Media Literacy: Ways of Understanding
The Linear Model
The Cultural Model
The Social Scientific Model
A Closer Look at the Cultural Model: Surveying the Cultural Landscape
The “Culture as Skyscraper” Metaphor
The “Culture as Map” Metaphor
Tracing Changes in Values
A Closer Look at the Social Scientific Model: Gathering Data
Comparing Analyses of Cancer News Coverage
Gathering and Analyzing Data
Critiquing Media
Evaluating Cultural and Social Scientific Research
MEDIA LITERACY: Bedouins, Camels, Transistors, and Coke
Conducting Our Own Critiques
THE CRITICAL PROCESS BEHIND MEDIA LITERACY
Benefits of a Critical Perspective
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Books and the Power of Print
CHAPTER 2 TIMELINE
The Early History of Books: From Papyrus to Paperbacks
Papyrus, Parchment, and Codex: The Development Stage of Books
Writing and Printing Innovations: Books Enter the Entrepreneurial Stage
The Printing Press and the Publishing Industry: Books Become a Mass Medium
The Evolution of Modern Publishing
Early Publishing Houses
The Conglomerates
The Structure of Publishing Houses
Types of Books: Tradition Meets Technology
Print Books
Electronic and Digital Publishing
The Economics of the Book Industry
Money In
Money Out
CONVERGING MEDIA: Self-Publishing Gets Redefined
Books in a Democratic Society
MEDIA LITERACY: Banned Books and “Family Values”
Censorship
Books and Community
Physical Deterioration
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism
CHAPTER 3 TIMELINE
The Early History of American Newspapers
Colonial Newspapers and the Partisan Press
The Penny Press: Becoming a Mass Medium
Yellow Journalism
The Evolution of Newspapers: Competing Models of Modern Print Journalism
“Objectivity” in Modern Journalism
Interpretive Journalism
MEDIA LITERACY: Covering Business News
Literary Journalism
Journalism in the Technology Age
Categorizing News and U.S. Newspapers
Small Local Papers: Focus on Consensus
Regional and National Newspapers: Focus on Conflict
Ethnic and Minority Newspapers
The Underground Press
The Economics of Newspapers
Money In
Money Out
Challenges Facing Newspapers
Declining Readership
Decreasing Competition
Joint Operating Agreements
Newspaper Chains
Going Digital
CONVERGING MEDIA: News Aggregation
Blogs
Citizen Journalism
Newspapers in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Magazines in the Age of Specialization
CHAPTER 4 TIMELINE
The Early History of Magazines
The First Magazines: European Origins
Magazines in Eighteenth-Century America: The Voices of Revolution
Magazines in Nineteenth-Century America: Specialization and General Interest
Going National as the Twentieth Century Approaches
The Evolution of Modern American Magazines
Distribution and Production Costs Plummet
Muckrakers Expose Social Ills
General-Interest Magazines Hit Their Stride
General-Interest Magazines Decline
MEDIA LITERACY: The Evolution of Photojournalism
Types of Magazines: Domination of Specialization
Men’s and Women’s Magazines
Entertainment, Leisure, and Sports Magazines
Age-Specific Magazines
Elite Magazines
Minority Magazines
Trade Magazines
Alternative Magazines
Supermarket Tabloids
Online Magazines
CONVERGING MEDIA: Print, Web, and Synergy
The Economics of Magazines
Money In
Money Out
Major Magazine Chains
Magazines in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Sound Recording and Popular Music
CHAPTER 5 TIMELINE
The Early History and Evolution of Sound Recording
From Cylinders to Disks: Sound Recording Becomes a Mass Medium
From Records to Tapes to CDs: Analog Goes Digital
From CDs to MP3s: Sound Recording in the Internet Age
Records and Radio: A Rocky Relationship
U.S. Popular Music and the Rise of Rock
The Rise of Pop Music
MEDIA LITERACY: The Rise of Digital Music
Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay
Rock Blurs Additional Boundaries
Rock and Roll Embattled
The Evolution of Pop Music
The British Are Coming!
Motown: The Home of Soul
Folk and Psychedelic: Protest and Drugs
Punk, Grunge, and Alternative Rock: New Genres on the Horizon
Hip-Hop Redraws Musical Lines
The Country Road
The Economics of Sound Recording
CONVERGING MEDIA: 360 Degrees of Music
A Shifting Power Structure
Making and Spending Money
Sound Recording in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting
CHAPTER 6 TIMELINE
The Early History of Radio
Inventors Paving the Way: Morse, Maxwell, and Hertz
Innovators in Wireless: Marconi, Fessenden, and De Forest
Early Regulation of Wireless/Radio
The Networks
The Radio Act of 1927
The Golden Age of Radio
The Evolution of Radio
Transistors: Making Radio Portable
The FM Revolution
The Rise of Format Radio
The Characteristics of Contemporary Radio
Format Specialization
MEDIA LITERACY: Host: The Origins of Talk Radio
Nonprofit Radio and NPR
Radio Goes Digital
The Economics of Commercial Radio
CONVERGING MEDIA: Streaming Music
Money In and Money Out
Buying Influence with Payola
Radio Ownership: From Diversity to Consolidation
Radio in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Movies and the Impact of Images
CHAPTER 7 TIMELINE
The Early History of Movies
Advances in Film Technology
Telling Stories: The Introduction of Narrative
The Arrival of Nickelodeons
The Evolution of the Hollywood Studio System
Edison’s Attempt to Control the Industry
A Closer Look at the Three Pillars
Hollywood’s Golden Age: The Development of Style
Narrative Techniques in the Silent Era
Augmenting Images with Sound
Inside the Hollywood System: Setting the Standard for Narrative Style
Outside the Hollywood System: Providing Alternatives
MEDIA LITERACY: Breaking through Hollywood’s Race Barrier
The Transformation of the Hollywood Studio System
The Paramount Decision
Flight to the Suburbs
Television
Home Entertainment
The Economics of the Movie Business
Money In
Money Out
New Uncertainties in the Digital Age
CONVERGING MEDIA: Movie Theaters and Live Exhibition
The Movies in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Television, Cable, and Specialization in Visual Culture
CHAPTER 8 TIMELINE
The Early History of Television
Becoming a Mass Medium
Controlling TV Content
Staining TV’s Reputation
Introducing Cable
The Evolution of Network Programming
Information: Network News
Entertainment: Comedy
Entertainment: Drama
Talk Shows and TV Newsmagazines
Reality TV
Public Television
The Evolution of Cable Programming
Basic Cable
MEDIA LITERACY: The United Segments of America: Niche Marketing in Cable
Premium Cable
Regulatory Challenges Facing Television and Cable
Restricting Broadcast Networks’ Control
Reining in Cable’s Growth—for a While
Television in the Digital Age
Home Video and Recording
The Internet and Improved On-Demand Technology
CONVERGING MEDIA: Television Online
DBS
Cell Phones, Mobile Video, and WiMax
The Economics of Television and Cable
Money In
Money Out
Ownership and Consolidation
Television in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
The Internet and New Technologies: The Media Converge
CHAPTER 9 TIMELINE
The Early History of the Internet
Military Functions, Civic Roots
The Net Widens
The Evolution of the Internet: From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and Beyond
Web 1.0
Web 2.0
Web 3.0
The Economics of the Internet
MEDIA LITERACY: Net Neutrality
Money In and Money Out
The Noncommercial Web
Security and Appropriateness on the Internet
Information Security: What’s Private?
Personal Safety: Online Predators
Appropriateness: What Should Be Online?
The Internet in a Democratic Society
CONVERGING MEDIA: Fragmentation, Polarization, and Convergence
Access: Closing the Digital Divide
Ownership and Customization
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Electronic Gaming and the Media Playground
CHAPTER 10 TIMELINE
The Early History of Electronic Gaming
Mechanical Gaming
The First Video Games
The Evolution of Electronic Gaming
Arcades and Classic Games
Consoles and Advancing Graphics
Computers and Related Gaming Formats
The Internet and Social Gaming
CONVERGING MEDIA: Consoles, Portables, and Entertainment Centers
The Media Playground
Communities of Play: Inside the Game
Communities of Play: Outside the Game
Immersion and Addiction
The Economics of Electronic Gaming
Money In
Money Out
MEDIA LITERACY: Writing about Games
Electronic Gaming in a Democratic Society
Self-Regulation
Free Speech and Video Games
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Advertising and Commercial Culture
CHAPTER 11 TIMELINE
The Early History of American Advertising: 1850s to 1950s
The First Advertising Agencies
Retail Stores: Giving Birth to Branding
Patent Medicines: Making Outrageous Claims
Department Stores: Fueling a Consumer Culture
Transforming American Society
Early Regulation of Advertising
The Evolution of U.S. Advertising: 1950s to Today
Visual Design Comes to the Fore
New Breeds of Advertising Agencies Are Born
Ad Agencies Develop a Distinctive Structure
The Internet Alters the Ad Landscape
Persuasive Techniques in Contemporary Advertising
Using Conventional Persuasive Strategies
Associating Products with Values
MEDIA LITERACY: Idiots and Objects: Stereotyping in Advertising
Telling Stories
Placing Products in Media
Commercial Speech and Regulating Advertising
Targeting Children and Teens
CONVERGING MEDIA: Naming Rights as Convergent Advertising
Triggering Anorexia and Overeating
Promoting Smoking
Promoting Drinking
Hawking Drugs Directly to Consumers
Monitoring the Advertising Industry
Advertising in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Media Framing Industries
Public Relations and Framing the Message
CHAPTER 12 TIMELINE
Early History of Public Relations
Age of the Press Agent: P. T. Barnum and Buffalo Bill
Business Adopts Press Agent Methods
Professional Public Relations Emerges
The Evolution of Public Relations
PR Agencies and In-House PR Services
A Closer Look at Public Relations Functions
CONVERGING MEDIA: YouTube and Wartime PR
MEDIA LITERACY: Improving the Credibility Gap
Tensions between Public Relations and the Press
Elements of Interdependence
Journalists’ Skepticism about PR Practices
Shaping PR’s Image
Public Relations in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Media Expressions
The Culture of Journalism: Values, Ethics, and Democracy
Modern Journalism in the Information Age
What Is News?
Values in American Journalism
MEDIA LITERACY: Bias in the News
Ethics and the News Media
Ethical Predicaments
Resolving Ethical Dilemmas
Reporting Rituals
Focusing on the Present
Relying on Experts
Creating and Balancing Story Conflict
Acting as Adversaries
Journalism in the Age of TV and the Internet
Comparing Print, TV, and Internet News
Adapting to the Internet
The Power of Visual Language
CONVERGING MEDIA: Digital Camera Journalism
Alternative Models: Public Journalism and Fake News
Public Journalism
Fake News
Journalism in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression
The Origins of Free Expression and Free Press
A Closer Look at the First Amendment
Interpretations of Free Expression
The Evolution of Censorship
Unprotected Forms of Expression
MEDIA LITERACY: A False Wikipedia “Biography”
First Amendment versus Sixth Amendment
The First Amendment and Film
Citizens and Lawmakers Control the Movies
The Movie Industry Regulates Itself
The First Amendment, Broadcasting, and the Internet
Two Pivotal Court Cases
Dirty Words, Indecent Speech, and Hefty Fines
Political Broadcasts and Equal Opportunity
CONVERGING MEDIA: Convergent Bullying
Fair Coverage of Controversial Issues
Communication Policy and the Internet
The First Amendment in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Media Economics and the Global Marketplace
CHAPTER 15 TIMELINE
The Transition to an Information Economy
How Media Industries Are Structured
Deregulation Trumps Regulation
The Rise of Media Powerhouses
Analyzing the Media Economy
CONVERGING MEDIA: Shifting Economics
How Media Companies Operate
How the Internet Is Changing the Game
Business Trends in Media Industries
The Age of Hegemony
Specialization and Global Markets
The Rise of Specialization and Synergy
Disney: A Postmodern Media Conglomerate
The Growth of Global Audiences
Social Issues in Media Economics
The Limits of Antitrust Laws
MEDIA LITERACY: From Fifty to a Few: The Most Dominant Media Corporations
A Vast Silence
Cultural Imperialism
The Media Marketplace in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Social Scientific and Cultural Approaches to Media Research
Early Media Research Methods
Propaganda Analysis
Public Opinion Research
Social Psychology Studies
MEDIA LITERACY: What to Do about Television Violence?
Marketing Research
Social Scientific Research
Early Models of Media Effects
Conducting Social Scientific Media Research
Contemporary Media Effects Theories
Evaluating Social Scientific Research
Cultural Approaches to Media Research
Early Developments in Cultural Studies Media Research
Contemporary Cultural Studies Approaches
CONVERGING MEDIA: Studying Digital Natives
Evaluating Cultural Studies Research
Media Research in a Democratic Society
CHAPTER ESSENTIALS
STUDY QUESTIONS
MEDIA LITERACY PRACTICE
ONLINE RESOURCES
Glossary
Notes
Credits