FINAL EXAM Flashcards
Historically, what are the two sources of revenue for newspapers?
advertising and circulation
3 categories of advertising in the newspaper industry?
local classifieds, local/retail advertising, national advertising
circulation
how many copies of a newspaper get out there, whether it’s in the hands of the consumer, a bookstore, kiosk, etc.
Where do subscriptions fall into?
they are including in circulation
Publick Occurrences
first paper published in the American colonies in 1690; first and only issue b/c shut down for offensive remarks toward the king of France
What two things were colonial newspapers subject to?
British censorship + paper taxes
New England Courant
1721 paper published by James Franklin; first paper to be published w/o “By Authority” notice
John Peter Zenger
originally accused of libel but in 1735, he was acquitted b/c truth was used as his defense against libel claims; first time a person had done so in American courts
Who constituted the audience of colonial era newspapers?
wealthy elite
What did colonial era newspapers mainly cover?
shipping/mercantile news + political essays/discourse
Who were the primary publishers of newspapers from the 1780s to the 1820s?
political parties who focused on opinion, not news
When was the First Amendment adopted?
1791
When was the steam-powered printing press invented?
1814
What is true about the circulation of post-independence American newspapers?
they were expensive, and circulation was relatively small and dominated by yearly subscriptions
What are the four important elements of the Industrial Revolution that were the early ‘enablers’ of newspapers?
- migration from rural to urban centers
- steam powered rotary/printing press
- cheaper and easier to produce paper
- literacy rates improved
What was the penny press?
a 1-2 cent paper that focused on news for the average reader; supported primarily by advertising and a lesser extent circulation revenues
Why is the penny press so important?
birth of news as objective and independent, crucial for democracy; had middle class people wanting the news
What are the 3 business models for local news?
- cooperative “co-op”
- non-profit conversion
- government support
cooperative business model
business model in which members “buy in” with varying degrees of involvement in editorial decisions
Why is local news so important?
it is important in keeping the local government stable
non-profit conversion business model
local news business model that places an emphasis more on tax status rather than profit
What are some examples of successful non-profit converters?
Texas Tribune, AP
What exactly is a non-profit?
an organization in which the money that is made is redistributed back into the business instead of to the shareholders
How much do public broadcast stations get from CPB?
about 50% of their funding
What is the annual federal budget for funding public broadcasting?
$400-500 million per year
hard paywalls
paywall that forces consumers to subscribe in order to read, listen, or watch news
advantages to hard paywalls?
targeted niche audience, premium content
disadvantages to hard paywalls?
lower circulation/readership; inflexibility
soft paywalls
paywall that allows some content to be shared
example of soft paywalls?
academic journals; summaries
metered paywalls
paywall that allows a certain numb er of articles to be read, typically per month
How much of those who engage in news sites w/ meter paywalls convert to subscribers?
about 5-10%
What is fake news?
news that is made up, manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions + spread the word; can be intentional or unintentional
What are the types of fake news?
- hoax news
- misleading news
- mimic websites
- satire
- clickbait
- alternative facts
hoax news
news that is fabricated with the intention of misleading or confusing readers
misleading news
news stories that report quotes, images, statistics out of context; can be old stories that are re-reported with a new misleading headline
mimic websites
fake news websites that mimic the look of trusted news sources in order to fool readers into thinking a story is real
satire
fake and ironic news that are intended to be funny or entertaining
clickbait
news that is promoted with dramatic or misleading headlines that do not reflect the content of the real story
alternative facts
a different interpretation of facts, usually derived from a misinterpretation of reports or by only focusing on a subset of the available info
Eadweard Muybridge
in 1878, a photographer who set up 24 cameras at a racetrack to take pictures of a horse as it ran by; took those photographs, combined them to make first modern movie
How did the movies (as we know them) come to be?
the movies did NOT arrive in a flash as a result of one investor’s grand change
How did the movie as a medium of communication develop?
developed as a result of social, legal, and organizational responses to different periods’ technology
Why has the movie industry changed and developed?
it has changed and developed as a result of struggles to control distribution channels to audiences
star system
an operation designed to find and cultivate actors under long-term contracts, with the intention of developing those actors into famous stars who would enhance the profitability of the studio’s films
A Films
expensively made productions featuring glamorous, highly-paid stars
B Films
lower-budget films that are made quickly
theatrical films
films created to be shown first in traditional movie theaters
box office receipts
the sum of money taken in for admission at movie theaters around the country
Who gets the gross box office?
everyone! eventually divided up 50/50 but everyone gets a little bit of the gross
“rentals”
term used to refer to the ‘net’ share of the box office that the distributors collect
blockbusters
films that bring in more than $200 million at the U.S. box office
the majors
term that refers to the 5 most powerful companies in Hollywood b/c of distribution power
Who are the majors?
Disney/Twentieth Century Fox
Universal Studios
Warner Brothers Studios
Paramount Studios
Columbia Pictures
film production firms
companies involved in coming up with story ideas, finding scriptwriters, hiring the personnel needed to make the movie, and making sure the work is carried out on time AND on budget
film distribution firms
companies responsible for finding theaters (or other outlets) in which to show the movies around the world and for promoting the films to the public
independent producers
production firms that are not owned by a distributor
scriptwriters
individuals who create plays for the movies, with scenes and dialogue
talent agents
individuals who represent various creative personnel and aim to link them w/ production firms in exchange for a percentage of the creators’ revenues from the finished product
pitch
initial presentation of a movie idea to a producer
treatment
detailed outline of an initial pitch to executives of a production or distribution firm; if executives approve of the treatment, they will probably order a script to be written
on spec
writing a script for a film without a contract to do so, with the hope that when the script is passed along to various production firms by scriptwriter’s agent, it will be bid for and purchased
green light
a term used to describe production and distribution executives’ approval of the making of a particular film
guilds
unions established by writers, directors, actors, and other crew members to protect their mutual interests and maintain standards
example of a Hollywood UNION?
IATSE (Int’l Alliance for Theatrical Stage Employees)
examples of Hollywood GUILDS?
WGA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA
Two ways to compensate Hollywood talent?
- up-front salary
- back-end/revenue-sharing model
back-end participation?
individually negotiated compensation that is usually negotiated for by the agents
back-end residuals?
form of talent compensation that involves blanket agreements dictated by the guilds
line producer
the individual who makes sure the equipment and personnel are there when they are needed
completion bond companies
insurance companies that, for a large fee, pay any costs that exceed an agreed-upon amount for a film
release date
date on which film will open in theaters
day-and-date release
a simultaneous release date for a movie in different countries
block booking
when movie distributors force exhibitors to book blocks/packages of their films; illegal in the U.S.
wide release
the opening of a film in more than 600 theaters simultaneously, usually accompanies by a large publicity campaign to entice people to see the film
saturation release
the initial release of a film in more than 2000 theaters simultaneously
limited release
the release of a film to only a handful of carefully selected theaters around the country
platform release
a type of limited release in which a film opens in fewer than 600 theaters and then opens as a wide release if successful
title testing
conducting interviews w/ filmgoers in shopping malls, other public places to determine the most alluring name for an upcoming picture
previewing
a type of concept testing that takes place after a film is completed by before it is formally released
rough cut
a preliminary version of the movie
publicity
the process of creating and maintaining favorable “buzz” about a movie among its target audiences
word of mouth
the discussions that people who see the movie have with their friends in person or on social media
tracking studies
research on the public’s awareness of and interest in a film, beginning two weeks before the film’s release and continuing thru the first month of release
negative cost
the total cost of making and editing the movie
P&A
prints and advertising; cost of marketing and delivering a film to theaters
bookers
people who license movies from distributors for theaters
exhibition license
an agreement b/w a distributor and an exhibition firm that specifies the date on which the distributor will make the film available to the exhibition firm’s theaters, the number of weeks the theaters agree to run the film, and when + where competing theaters can show the same film; also sets financial agreements b/w distributor and exhibition firm
percentage-above-the-nut approach
an agreement drawn b/w a distributor and an exhibition firm in which the executives of the exhibition firm and the distribution firm agree on the costs of operating each theater; then, film by film, the distributor and the exhibition firm negotiate what percentage of revenues above that break-even point the exhibition firm will pay the distribution firm
