A cold and rainy day in the UK, which are like most days there, on January 1st, 1927 birth of an idealistic concept was born. Produce publicly funded T.V. programming, yet keep it separate from state. The choices that lay ahead were, to charge the public for the programming, or sell airtime commercially to fund public TV and radio. The UK unlike the Americas choose to charge the public, by means of a TV License rather than sell commercial time. After doing a survey, almost 70% of participants stated, “commercials would take too much away from the enjoyment of the Telly.”¹ As the TV license for programming progressed it became a law and tax, which would contradict the earlier of keeping it separate from state.
To charge practically everyone in the country and insure they have a TV license if in fact they are partaking in watching of said TV, is a major undertaking for a country of approximately 31 Million households, as published by their National Data Base information page ¹. Information on this website also states, that of the 31 million address’s that make up the list there are 25 million that have active licenses, and 3.9 million of those are at a discounted rate for seniors over 75, and around 40,000 customers have a 50% discounted rate for being legally blind as they can only hear the TV but not view it.
In part with keeping track of violators the UK employs sensor vans, and hand held devices that pick up radio and TV signals and their strength which then can be located to insure a license is issued. Moving into the 20th Century you are also required to purchase a license if you watch TV or listen to radio on a computer, or iPad, or phone as well. If two people live at the same residence and there is more than on...
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...population; according to the latest Gallop Poll4, as opposed to the UK being at 20% according to University of Birmingham, UK5. Ultimately it depends on if you want to spend money on a TV license or doctor visits as to which is the best. My findings are conclusive that with commercial TV Americans have choices as opposed to people of the UK who have to purchase a TV License and have no freedom of choice.
Worked Cited Page:
1http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk ,accessed, February 17th, 2014
2http://.marketingcharts.com/television/primetime-tv-hour ,accessed, February 17th, 2014
3http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2012/forum_20120921/en/ ,accessed, February, 17 2014
4http://www.gallup.com/poll/165671/obesity-rate-climbing-2013.aspx,accessed, February 17, 2014
5http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/mds/centres/obesity/obesity-uk/index.aspx ,accessed, February 17, 2014
Michael Parenti (2002) declares media in the United States is no longer “free, independent, neutral and objective.” (p. 60). Throughout his statement, Parenti expresses that media is controlled by large corporations, leaving smaller conglomerates unable to compete. The Telecommunications Act, passed in 1996, restricted “a single company to own television stations serving more than one-third of the U.S. public,” but is now overruled by greater corporations. (p. 61). In his opinion, Parenti reveals that media owners do not allow the publishing of stories that are not beneficial and advantageous. Parenti supports his argument very thoroughly by stating how the plutocracy takes control over media in multiple ways: television, magazines, news/radio broadcasting, and other sources.
Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and internationally. The aim of these companies is to generate revenue and in order to do this they create and air shows that cater to popular demand. In doing so, they sometimes compromise on the quality of their content. This is where public broadcasters come into perspective.
...d that television holds on us, Postman give two ideas. The first idea that he gives, he describes it as ridiculous to create programming that demonstrates how “television should be viewed by the people” (161).
Presently 98% of the households in the United States have one or more televisions in them. What once was regarded as a luxury item has become a staple appliance of the American household. Gone are the days of the three channel black and white programming of the early years; that has been replaced by digital flat screen televisions connected to satellite programming capable of receiving thousands of channels from around the world. Although televisions and television programming today differ from those of the telescreens in Orwell’s 1984, we are beginning to realize that the effects of television viewing may be the same as those of the telescreens.
Taras examines the commitments and values of CBC with the Canadian government and the citizens. He looked at a particular case of when CBC clashed with the government, and how CBC struggled to keep their TV programs running (Taras, pp.4-5). Next he talked about how the media industry is being taken controlled by powerful corporation and claims that PSB have the responsibility to protect the minorities (Taras, p.6). Subsequently, Taras discussed the ups and downs CBC had gone through until this day. Lastly, Taras explores the complex and intimate relationship between public broadcasters and the government; how they take advantage of each other to accomplish their goals. Ultimately, Taras believes that PSB will continue to have an impact in society despite living in a generation of digital media.
In this paper, I will explain why public support is important, but not essential for the Public Broadcasting Service to fulfill its mission to provide alternative programming to the American public. I will show how public broadcasting would exist without the support of the federal government, and then explain why the positive externalities created by public broadcasting lead to market failure and suggest that government support of PBS is in the best interest of society.
The Effect of Television In The Age of Missing Information Bill McKibben, in his book The Age of Missing Information, explores the impact of television on modern cultures both in America and around the world. In the book McKibben carries out an experiment; he watches the entire television broadcast of 93 separate cable channels for one entire day. In all McKibben viewed 24 hours of programming from 93 separate cable stations, that is more than 2,200 hours of television. His purpose in this formidable undertaking was to determine how much actual information that was relevant to real life he could glean from a day of television broadcasting. McKibben also spent a day camping alone on a mountain near his home.
Electronic media content can be viewed differently according to personal opinions, but the First Amendment Rights of the United States Constitution lay the foundation for the legal system that is to be followed. These rights form a guide that help citizens have a stronger grasp on what is and isn’t acceptable within the eye of the law. Narrowing down to electronic media content, there has been a rise of tension involving first amendment rights of content regulations. The spectrum scarcity rationale has made it possible to control licensing schemes, along with direct content control to make sure rules are being followed according to the First Amendment. The differences between cable TV versus broadcasting are similar, yet contrasting.
Tremblay tackles this issue by comparing the broadcasting policies by authorities in Canada , Quebec and United States . The policies in Canada clearly exist to maintain their national identity and cultural sovereignty. It is encouraged to use the “Canadian ways” to carry out functions which would be Canadian a...
Imagine living in a world that did not cater to you. A world that did not approve of the types of relationships you had or desired; a world that only used you for the punchline of a joke or for taboo sex appeal; a world that would rather pretend that you do not exist. For members of the LGBT community, this is their reality. Television shows, movies, music, advertisements — all of these mediums are most assuredly intended for a heterosexual audience. True, there are handfuls of television shows that have queer characters, but it is very rare for these television shows to be on primetime television. Primetime television is the hotspot of all media. It is the time when all of America is watching, and the shows featured during these time-slots
...rom broadcast media also heralds an opportunity. In a world of self-service digital, where consumers compare everything according to value, online video is the ultimate table stakes. For mere pennies a day, consumers can get the content they want (that’s key) when they want it on whatever device they are using. They can watch their shows on their time from the mobile phone or a tablet or a computer or a smartTV. And that is the ultimate value for whatever it costs. Perhaps broadcast media can figure it all out in time. Perhaps they can stave off Judgment Day by evolving their business models to provide the kind of value consumers want. Then they become just another online video provider competing for the same eyeballs as everyone else. Changing their business model (away from subscriptions) would require Herculean efforts.
“Nowadays in the modern world, society if affected by more things we can think of. Society is affected by movies, TV shows, TV reality shows, magazines, and books. A report was recorded over a six-month period about Television shows and daily news broadcasts. From September 1, 1999 through February 29, 2000; The Grand Rapid Institute recorded and viewed a few programs and at the end of the month the Institute tallied up the number of letters sent after a recorded program and it showed how unfair the programs were and how people became a democracy to let them know” (TV News 1).
Before television existed people had to depend on Radio stations to receive their little bit of entertainment and news. But in 1878, the invention of TV began. The first TV made didn’t look anything like the way TV’s look today. It was a mechanical camera with a large spinning disc attached to it (Kids Work). But as over the years, of course, inventions of different TV’s progressed and by the 20th century about 90 percent of our population had a TV in their household (MGHR). Television today is mainly used for people take a break from their life by relaxing and enjoying some entertainment.
Television has always been an industry whose profit has always been gained through ads. But in chapter 2 of Jason Mittell’s book, Television and American Culture, Mittell argues that the rise of the profit-driven advertising television model can be traced back through American television history, and that the rise of the profit-driven advertising model of television actually helped to mold American culture both from a historical standpoint and from a social standpoint.
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