Media and the Sport Business

Question 1

media

Answer 1

1. the means of mass communication (TV, radio, newspaper, internet)
2. people whose job it is to disseminate information (editors and journalists)

Question 2

nexus

Answer 2

the core or centre of a connection between two or more things

Question 3

programming input

Answer 3

1. Sport viewed as programming that can ‘break through the clutter’ – can deliver specific audiences
2. Value of sports programming tied to Leagues’, teams’ and athletes’ market reputation and legitimacy – leveraged by TV- placing actors at events, promoting other programming

Question 4

mass communication

Answer 4

the process through which the media deliver visual, audio, and/or written messages to a large audience

Question 5

elements of mass media

Answer 5

1. commercial - organizations
2. audience - large, heterogeneous
3. content - words, sounds, image
4. organization- source of content

Question 6

elements of research perspectives

Answer 6

1. practices - decision making
2. text - form of product
3. audience - consumer

Question 7

media convergence

Answer 7

“buzzword”

1. the increasing integration of mass communication, telecommunication and data communication in the delivery of media content

Question 8

media growth

Answer 8

25% of all US TV programming sport related ESPN receives over $8 per subscriber, per month (average cable is $0.26 per channel)

Question 9

most popular cable sport

Answer 9

auto racing

Question 10

most network sport

Answer 10

football

Question 11

average population of television

Answer 11

1. 99% of US Households own TV; 78% worldwide

2. Average time of use 4.9 hours/day in US; 4 in Canada

Question 12

benefits of sport in newspapers

Answer 12

1. ‘safe’ ideological content – not political, religious, doesn’t usually antagonize readership
2. Promotes civic boosterism – allows newspaper to take sides, cheer for home team
3. Allows newspaper to contribute to civic identity – a good citizen by having local coverage

Question 13

4 types of sports news

Answer 13

1. hard news - records
2. soft news - exclusives
3. orthodox rhetoric - authorial subjectivity as celebrity
4. reflexive analysis - critical

Question 14

codes of televised sport product

Answer 14

1. technical (location of cameras, etc.) and narrative (storylines) conventions
2. becomes the way of watching
3. new viewers, employees become socialized into these practices
4. what is shown (and not shown) is a selected representation of the event

Question 15

ESPN

Answer 15

created by Bill [and son, Bill] Rasmussen, launched September 7, 1979

1. First sporting event shown on ESPN: live slow-pitch softball game
2. ESPN now its own form of entertainment

Question 16

Why are sports important to broadcasters?

Answer 16

1. Ratings: % of TV households tuned into a program (of total households with TV)
2. Share: % of TV households w/sets in use at time (compares to other shows at same time)
3. advertising and program sponsorship revenue
4. driving subscription penetration - sports channels need content
5. public-service obligations - showing nationally significant events, like Superbowl in US

Question 17

general media trends

Answer 17

1. declining rating
2. erosion of 18-34 male demographic
3. new technologies and platform
4. decline of newspaper