Chap 3 Flashcards
(36 cards)
5 stages of the life cycle of mass media
Innovation Dissemination Peak Decline Adaptation
Ethnic and native American newspapers
- people outside the mainstream of society, such as Spanish and German immigrants used newspapers to create a sense of community and ethnic identity.
- native Americans felt they needed to express complaints too
- Elias Boudinot launched 1st native American paper “Cherokee Phoenix”
- Cherokee nation held control of the 4 page paper which was printed in half English and half their language
Challenging British Control
- James Franklin published a newspaper in Boston called the New England Currant, and published it without the Published by Authority Stamp
- James Franklin began the tradition of an independent press in this country
Sedition Laws
- created by British and carried over the American Colonies
- made it a crime to publishing content about govt. leaders
- Seditious language is language authorities believe could incite rebellion against govt.
- anyone who disobeyed could be fined up to $2000 or jailed for 2 years
- laws expired after 2 years
Advertorial
print edition of infomercial
Newspapers try to adapt
-w/ TV invention and the internet, newspapers are forced to seek new ways to attract readers & get money
other factors forcing change
-unionization (Int. Typographical Union in the 1850’s, Newspaper Guild in 1934 which was the first union for reporters)
opposition to stamp act of 1765
- 1765 British taxed publishers as last ditch effort to control American newspapers
- newspapers refused to pay
- papers published mocking the tax
- stamp act congress; no taxation without representation
the 1800’s
- Frontier journalism: gold, silver, and adventure lured people west. Aided by telegraph the Indiana Gazette, Texas Gazette, Oregon Spectator, etc met the needs of the people wanting newspapers (moved easily from coast to coast)
- the wide opened land beckoned many journalists
- Samuel Clemmons
Impact of Advertising
- most newspapers revenue is from advertising
- most print papers are 2/3 advertising now and some are more than 80% advertising
- newspapers make more money on print ads than online ads
Freedom of the press
- in 1773 John Peter Zenger started the new York journal
- Very critical of NY governor; accused him of incompetence
- Zenger was arrested and jailed, charged with printing false and seditious writing
Adaptation
- medium reaches this stage when it begins to redefine its position in the marketplace
- Learning to adapt in face of new technology
- Refocusing on consumer needs that can still be met is crucial
The first Newspapers
- the first colonial was called Publik Occurrences, and was printed Sept. 12th 1690 and consisted of 2 pages of news and one blank page
- stopped print after 1sts issue bc Harris reported that the French king was sleeping with his sons daughter.
Comp. w/ radio & TV
-tv influences the look and sound of many newspapers and newspapers began to offer more in depth coverage to set themselves apart.
Declining readership
- staff cuts, newspaper closures, and consolidations
- decline of the two newspaper market
- newspaper chains = more common
Earliest newspapers in America
- began as one page announcements that mostly contained news headlines from Europe
- Were controlled by the British govt. and words “Published by Authority” were stamped on them
Tabloid Journalism (selling sex and violence)
- smaller format newspaper (11 inches by 14 inches) w/ illustrations and sensational stories
- New York Daily news (created first beauty pageant)
- The Daily News merged pictures and screaming headlines w/ reports about crime, sex, and violence, to exceed anything that appeared before it. Ran full page pics with punchy texts.
Decline
- Consumer growth reaches a cap & begins to decline
- There is a loss of audience and revenue
- the medium is ultimately challenged by another, newer one (usually driven by new technology)
Innovation
- Creation of technology, each mass media began as innovation characterized by a technological innovation that makes a channel or transmission possible (ex; there would be no film industry if no one invented the motion picture camera)
- Marketing the business; The innovation stage also includes marketing innovations.
struggling to attract readers
- papers now try to attract women & subgroups
- trying to get hyper-local w/ coverage; more focus on community editions. (this began as more people moved into suburbs)
- expanding new media dept.
- looking for new ways to produce content cheaper.
20th century brings more competition
- 2 NY publishers Joseph Pulitzer & William Randolph refined the penny press. The focus was on sensational news and gossip
- in order to publish so cheap they relied on ads. Also created comics and ran publicity stunts.
Yellow Journalism
- Heart & Pulitzer competed to run the most sensationalized stories about the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain. Reader reaction helped draw America into Spanish American War.
- Heart and Pulitzer blamed the Spanish for the sinking of Maine, Hearts dubbed it “The Journals War”, but the two actually share blame for it bc they both inflamed the public unnecessarily about events in Cuba.
What is yellow journalism?
journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration.
Peak
- the medium commands the most attention & generates the most revenue. Think of this as max dissemination
- Very high % of houses accepted the medium
- Not all mediums reach a peak where they control market