mass media Flashcards
mass media (n) Many people believe that the influence of ~ in our
society is too great.
a mass of people
the press (n) The main job of the ~ is to inform people about the
latest news.
= newspapers or
magazines (daily,
weekly or monthly)
subscribe to sth (v) If you ~ to a newspaper or magazine, it is delivered to
your doorstep regularly.
a subscription (n)
a viewer (n)
a listener (n)
~s are all the people that watch television at a given
time, whereas ~s, as the word says, listen to the radio.
watch TV
listen to the radio
viewing habits (n) Studies have shown that ~, especially of young viewers,
have changed over the last decades, with children
spending more and more time watching TV.
do sth out of habit
broadcast sth (v) BBC World Service ~s radio and television
programmes for learners and teachers of English.
publish sth
unbiased (adj) In a dictatorship, journalists are not allowed to broadcast
~ news since any open criticism of the leadership will
be punished.
= objective (adj)
report the facts
↔biased (adj)
a TV set (n)
a channel (n)
a programme (n)
In order to watch television, you need a ~. Nowadays,
television offers dozens of different ~s with a wide
range of ~s, such as news programmes or soap operas.
switch channels =
zap (v)
switch (sth) on (v) Most people find that ~ing on your TV is much easier
than turning it off again.
= turn it on
↔ turn / switch it off
a screen (n) It is only a year since this talented young actor has made
her ~ debut.
a star of stage and
screen
public television (n)
license fees (n)
~ , like the first three channels in Germany, is mainly
financed by monthly ~ that all viewers have to pay.
regulated by the
state
advertise (v) Companies ~ on TV or in magazines in order to
persuade consumers to buy their products.
advertising (n)
an advertisement (n) If you want to sell your old furniture, why don’t you
place an ~ in the local newspaper?
= an ad(vert) (n)
a commercial (n) Private television, on the other hand, is financed by
advertising, i.e. by broadcasting ~s at regular intervals.
a commercial break
market research (n) All private TV channels do extensive ~ in order to
make sure that they produce programmes that appeal to
the target groups of their commercials.
a survey (n)
(the) ratings (of a
programme) (n)
If a programme has high ~, it is popular with audiences,
i.e. a lot of people are watching it or listening to it.
high / low ratings
(n)
cancel (v)
(a programme)
In the US, TV stations often ~ a programme after only
one or two weeks if the ratings are not satisfactory.
cancel an order
interactive (adj) There are plans to introduce ~ TV where viewers are
able to select programmes at their own convenience.
interact with sb (v)
= communicate
a satellite dish (n) By using a receiver and a ~, one can receive TV
channels from several different countries.
wash the dishes
a remote control (n) If you press the ~, you can switch channels on a TV set
or adjust the volume.
a remote area
a weather forecast
(n)
According to the latest ~ there will be heavy showers in
Scotland and the north of England.
forecast sth (v)
= predict sth
a documentary (n) Yesterday we watched an interesting ~ about the
wildlife in South Africa.
a ~ is based on
facts
a manual (n) If you buy a new product, e.g. a DVD player, the
producer includes a ~ to explain to customers how this
product works.
Please follow the
instructions in the ~
carefully!
store sth (v) Today personal computers are able to ~ more data than
the older industrial models.
storage (n)
retrieve sth (v) Using specialised software, it is often possible to ~ data
on a damaged computer disk.
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freedom of the press
(n)
In 1791, the American Bill of Rights guaranteed
American citizens the ~.
freedom of speech
regional newspapers In the US, there are few national publications, with the
exception of USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.
The market is dominated by ~.
local newspapers
quality newspapers (n)
~, such as the Times, the Guardian or the Independent,
ensure a high standard of reporting.
= broadsheets (n)
tabloids (n) ~ like the Sun or the News of the World, on the other
hand, are directed towards a mass readership.
= popular papers
the gutter press /
the yellow press
eye-catching layout
(n)
They rely on ~, sensational headlines and articles that
can be easily read by everybody.
try to catch sb’s eye
sensationalist (adj) But there have always been controversies over whether
individuals should be protected against ~ reporting.
celebrities (n) ~ like Madonna or Cher often complain about being
persecuted by photographers.
= well-known persons
a VIP
influential (adj) The Sun is considered by many as the most ~
newspaper in the UK today.
influence sb (v)
appear (v) In England, the first daily newspaper ~ed in the
eighteenth century.
= was published
circulation (n)
a copy (n)
Today, the Times, the most famous British newspaper,
has a ~ of about 300,000 ~ies per day.
= number of printed
copies
source (n) Television has become the most important ~ of
information and entertainment for most people.
the ~ of a river
a network (n) Nation-wide television ~s like ABC, NBC and CBS
provide local stations with a wide range of programmes,
which also means that their influence is immense.
tune in to (v) In the USA most people can ~ over 100 different
television channels via cable TV.
“pay-per-view” TV In ~, a subscriber pays a fee in order to watch a single
programme or film.
”pay TV”
audience ratings (n)
revenues (n)
Since commercial stations rely heavily on ~ to increase
their advertising ~, entertainment plays an important
role in American television.
= income (n)
prime time This is particularly true during ~, i.e. the period
between 6 and 10 p.m.
interrupt sth (v) Even news programmes are presented as shows and ~ed
regularly by commercials.
an interruption (n)
uninterrupted (adj)
non-commercial (adj) In the US, only about one fourth of all TV stations are
~, i.e. not financed by advertising.
commercial (adj)
educational (adj) PBS, the single non-commercial TV network in the US,
broadcasts primarily ~ and cultural programmes.
educate sb (v)
funded by (v) It is ~ mainly ~ the US government and various
foundations.
= financed by
a presenter (n) A ~ is the person who introduces different sections of
radio or television programmes.
= an announcer (AmE)
coverage (n) Several channels provided complete ~ of all
competitions at the Olympic Games.
report / cover events
news agencies (n) TV and radio stations as well as newspapers rely to a
large extent on ~ which gather news worldwide and
provide the media with information.
e.g. AP or Reuters
be addicted to sth
(adj)
If you are ~ to watching television, you cannot live
without it.
a TV addict (n)
a drug addict
suitable for (adj) Some parents complain that most Hollywood films are
not ~ for children, e.g. because they are too violent.
= appropriate
censorship (n)
edit sth out (v)
But producers emphasise that the constitution bans any
~ of the media.
They have ~ed out all references to her father in the
interview.
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