Unit 3
Broadcast Media
| Few professions can match broadcast journalism for rewards in terms of job satisfaction, interest, variety, excitement, experiences, creativity – and for the select few – fame and wealth. So what does it take to become a player in the world of broadcasting? You need to have: 1. A passionate and endless interest in news and current affairs, about everything from town to the entire world. 2. A refusal to accept that everything on the Internet is truth. 3. An understanding that Google and Wikipedia are not primary research resources but can be used as a guide to look further. 4. An ability to generate and develop ideas and to check that you have the facts to back them. 5. An ability to work well in a team in a variety of roles and to communicate quickly and clearly, especially with fast-moving digital working methods. Personal qualities include: 1. Initiative, commitment, motivation and energy. 2. Drive and resistance under pressure. 3. Flexibility and adaptability to cope with changing priorities. (from ‘Broadcast Journalism’ by Boyd, Stewart and Alexander) |
· Do you think that qualities and qualifications listed in the box are typical for broadcast journalists? Discuss each item listed and decide whether this quality or qualification is indispensable for all journalists or for broadcast journalists only.
· Can you list the qualities that are necessary for broadcast journalists only?
· Would you like to work as a TV/radio journalist? Why? Why not?
Part 1 Radio
· Do you often listen to the radio? What sort of stations do you usually listen to?
· Do you use radio as a source on information? Why? Why not?
· Study the small text in the box below.
| Originally known as radiotelegraphy or wireless telegraphy, radio is one of the oldest mass communication devices that we still use. In fact the use of radio in recent years has increased dramatically with more private channels competing with each other to broadcast better entertainment music, news and information that would keep their listeners on their toes and updated. Astonishingly, radio is the only mass communication medium, which has received more popularity after the advent of Internet: with the new trend of radio stations streaming live on the Internet. |
· Answer the following questions:
ü What old mass communication devices do we still use? Are they all equally successful and popular nowadays?
ü How would you explain the meaning of the expression ‘to keep someone on the toes and updated’?
ü Why is the word ‘astonishingly’ used in the text?
· Study the following list of careers on a radio station. Does any position appeal to you?
| The General Manager (GM) sits atop the food chain at most radio stations, according to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Guide to Radio Careers. In order to get this gig, you will need to work in radio for a while. Most GMs rise through the ranks of either sales or programming to the top spot. A radio station general manager oversees the key departments at a station, including sales, programming, promotions, and engineering. The GM is the final decision maker at a radio station and sets the tone for the rest of the staff. According to the NAB guide, a college degree is a prerequisite for general managers, and many even hold MBAs. Programming - Program Director. Radio programming departments used to employ three people: an operations manager, a program director, and an assistant program director. Nowadays most stations simply have a program director, who is often in charge of programming at multiple stations. Program directors work with on-air personalities and help foster the image of the station by coming up with clever promotions. At talk and music stations alike, they are responsible for giving a station its “sound” or “feel.” On-Air Staff/Production. Many radio stations, particularly talk radio stations, have news departments. The news department is run by a news director. The news director, in most cases, anchors newscasts on the station. He manages a staff of news anchors and reporters. Some stations employ people who solely report on sports. A sports reporter anchors sportscasts on a station and also covers local teams. On-air personalities run the gamut from highly-paid morning and afternoon drive talents in major markets to hourly, part-time announcers and disc jockeys on stations in cities and towns of all sizes. Producers and board operators are integral parts of a radio station's programming and production staff. Often these two jobs are melded into one. Frequently, though, at big market radio stations, a producer works with the air talent of a particular show by booking guests and devising content for the program. At times, a producer plays a key role as an on-air personality of a show. In some situations the producer does all or part of the board operator’s job, which includes answering the phones and running the control board in the radio studio. A sales staff at a radio station is guided by a director of sales, responsible for hiring a national and local sales team. A general sales manager directly oversees the national sales manager (directly responsible for national sales accounts and ad agencies) and the local sales manager (directly responsible for local accounts and ad agencies.) These managers direct a staff of account executives, who work at varying levels. Account executives sell air time on the radio station as well as other sponsorship opportunities such as live broadcasts from a place of business. A director of engineering and/or chief engineer oversees a staff of engineers at most radio stations. Engineers are responsible for the technical components of a radio station. If equipment breaks, they troubleshoot and fix it. They are also in charge of maintaining the radio station's broadcast transmission tower. |
· Study the vocabulary:
ü Fill in the gaps in the sentences.
1. A ___________________oversees the key departments at a station, including sales, programming, promotions, and engineering.
2. __________________ are responsible for the technical components of a radio station.
3. A _________________ is responsible for hiring a national and local sales team.
4. ______________________ work with on-air personalities and help foster the image of the station by coming up with clever promotions.
5. ______________________ sell air time on the radio station as well as other sponsorship opportunities
6. A_______________________ is often in charge of programming at multiple stations.
7. The______________________ is the final decision maker at a radio station and sets the tone for the rest of the staff
8. The news department is run by a ___________________________.
9. A college degree is a prerequisite for _________________________.
10. A _________________works with the air talent of a particular show by booking guests and devising content for the program.
11. A ______________________ anchors sportscasts on a station and also covers local teams.
12. A___________________________, in most cases, anchors newscasts on the station.
· Imagine that you are given a chance to start your own radio station.
ü Will it be a talk or a music station? What will be the target audience of your station?
ü How would you choose a person for the position of the GM?
ü What qualities and qualifications will the on-air staff of your station possess?
ü Discuss and role-play an interview with a person, who is applying for a job on your radio station.
READING
· Before you read:
ü Name two/three radio/TV personalities that have shaped the image of radio/TV in your country.
ü What makes these people so special? Do they possess any unique professional (human) qualities?
Walter Cronkite: “the most trusted man in America”.
‘Walter Cronkite came to be the sort of personification of his era,’ – one of his colleagues said. ‘He became kind of the media figure of his time. Very few people in history, except maybe political and military leaders, are the embodiment of their time, and Cronkite seemed to be.’
At one time, his audience was so large, and his image so credible, that a 1972 poll determined he was “the most trusted man in America” – surpassing even the president, vice president, members of Congress and all other journalists. In a time of turmoil and mistrust, after Vietnam and Watergate, the title was a rare feat – and the label stuck.
"For decades, Walter Cronkite was the most trusted voice in America," said President Barack Obama in a statement. "His rich baritone reached millions of living rooms every night, and in an industry of icons, Walter set the standard by which all others have been judged."
Mr. Obama said that Cronkite calmly shared the world's news while never losing his integrity.
"But Walter was always more than just an anchor," Mr. Obama said. "He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down. "
Cronkite's achievements were remarkable for a man whose beginnings were anything but remarkable.
Walter Leland Cronkite was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 4, 1916, the only child of a dentist father and homemaker mother. When he was still young, his family moved to Texas. One day, he read an article in "Boys Life" magazine about the adventures of reporters working around the world - and young Cronkite was hooked. He began working on his high school newspaper and yearbook and, in 1933, he entered the University of Texas at Austin to study political science, economic and journalism. He never graduated. He took a part time job at the Houston Post, left college to do what he loved: report.
After working as a general assignment reporter for the Post and a sportscaster in Oklahoma City, Cronkite got a job in 1939 working for United Press. He went to Europe to cover World War II as part of the "Writing 69th," a group of reporters who found themselves covering some of the most important developments in the war, including bombing missions over Germany, and later, the Nuremburg war trials. In 1940, he married Mary Elizabeth Maxwell - known as "Betsy" - and for the next six decades she was the dutiful reporter’s wife, enduring sometimes long separations while he covered the world, and raising three children. Cronkite once wrote about her: “I attribute the longevity of our marriage to Betsy’s extraordinary keen sense of humor, which saw us over many bumps (mostly of my making), and her tolerance, even support, for the uncertain schedule and wanderings of a newsman.”
While working for the UP, Cronkite was offered a job at CBS by Edward R. Murrow – and he turned it down. He finally accepted a second offer in 1950, and stepped into the new medium of television. In the early 50s, it was a medium many of the ‘serious’ journalists at CBS and elsewhere viewed with skepticism, if not disdain. Radio and print, they contended, were for real reporters; television was for actors or comedians.
At first, it seemed an unlikely fit. Walter Cronkite, with his serious demeanor and unpretentious style - honed by his years of unvarnished reporting at UP - was named host of "You Are There" in which key moments of history were recreated by actors. Cronkite was depicted on camera interviewing "Joan of Arc" or "Sigmund Freud." But somehow, he managed to make it believable.
The young director of the series, Sidney Lumet said he picked Cronkite for the job because "the premise of the series was so silly, so outrageous, that we needed somebody with the most American, homespun, warm ease about him."
During his early years at CBS, Cronkite was also named host of "The Morning Show" on CBS, where he was paired with a partner: a puppet named Charlemagne. But he distinguished himself with his coverage of the 1952 and 1956 political conventions and as narrator of the documentary series "Twentieth Century." In 1961, CBS named him the anchor of the "CBS Evening News" - a 15 minute news summary anchored for several years by Douglas Edwards.
At the time, the broadcast lived in the long shadow cast by NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report, the most popular television newscast in the country. Expectations for the Cronkite newscast were not high. But in 1963, the broadcast was expanded to 30 minutes – and Cronkite won a title for which he had long campaigned, Managing Editor. The added time gave the broadcast more depth and variety, and the title gave Cronkite more influence over the content and coverage.
And it came at a significant time. In September of that year, Cronkite launched the expanded program with an extended interview with President John F. Kennedy. Two months later, it was Cronkite who broke into the soap opera "As The World Turns" to announce that the president had been shot – and later to declare that he had been killed.
It was a defining moment for Cronkite, and for the country. His presence – in shirtsleeves, slowly removing his glasses to check the time and blink back tears – captured both the sense of shock, and the struggle for composure, that would consume America and the world over the next four days.
Cronkite's audience began to grow – but not quickly enough for network executives who, in 1964, decided to try an anchor team at the conventions – Robert Trout and Roger Mudd – to rival Chet Huntley and David Brinkley at NBC. Cronkite was not happy about the change, and viewer reaction was swift. Over 11,000 letters poured in protesting the switch. Network executives never tried that again. In 1966, The CBS Evening News began to overtake the Huntley-Brinkley report in the ratings, and in 1967 it took the lead. It remained there until Cronkite's retirement in 1981.
They were years filled with astonishing change – and indelible history. In 1968, Cronkite returned from visiting Vietnam and declared on television: “It seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is a stalemate.” President Lyndon Johnson, on hearing that, reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost America." Not long after, Johnson declared his intention not to run for re-election. That same year saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy – two more shocking moments that bound the country together through the medium of television. Once again, as he had five years earlier, Cronkite was the steadying force during a time of national sorrow.
“It's a kind of chemistry,” former Johnson aide and CBS News commentator Bill Moyers once said. “The camera either sees you as part of the environment or it rejects you as an alien body, and Walter had 'it,' whatever 'it' was.”
One of Cronkite's enthusiasms was the space race. And in 1969, when America sent a man to the moon, he couldn't contain himself. “Go baby, go!,” he said, as Apollo XI took off. He ended up performing what critics described as “Walter to Walter” coverage of the mission – staying on the air for 27 of the 30 hours that Apollo XI took to complete its mission.
Cronkite even managed to have a surprising influence on world affairs. In 1977, he interviewed Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat, who told Cronkite that, if invited, he’d go to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The move was unprecedented. The next day, Begin invited Sadat to Jerusalem for talks that eventually led to the Camp David accords and the Israeli-Egyptian treaty.
In 1981, Cronkite announced he would retire at the age of 65, to make way for a new anchor in the chair, Dan Rather. A commentator in the New Republic said it was like “George Washington leaving the dollar bill.” There were so many requests for interviews, eventually all of them were turned down.
In retirement, Cronkite kept busy with other projects – a short-lived magazine program on CBS called "Walter Cronkite's Universe," a few documentaries, plus a seat on the CBS board of directors. He spent a considerable amount of time at his summer home in Martha's Vineyard, sailing the boat he named for his wife, "The Betsy." And he wrote his autobiography, "A Reporter's Life," published in 1996.
In 2005, Cronkite's wife Betsy died after a battle with cancer. His two daughters and son survive him.
While Cronkite kept a lower profile in his later years, he did make a significant contribution to the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric": it is his voice that has been used during the opening of the broadcast since its debut in 2006, bridging generations and signifying the newscast's strong link to its storied past.
· Understanding the story
ü Choose the best answer to the following questions:
1. In the first passage the author implies that
A. Walter Cronkite was an important political and military leader.
B. Walter Cronkite was an outstanding personality.
C. Several political and military leaders were as important as Walter Cronkite.
2. President Barack Obama thinks that
A. Walter Cronkite’s work was connected with icons.
B. Walter Cronkite was respected by his colleagues.
C. Walter Cronkite was popular among Americans.
3. The author thinks that Cronkite's achievements were remarkable
A. Because he came from a remarkable background.
B. Because there was nothing special about his background.
C. Because he was not expected to become an extraordinary personality
4. According to the story, "Writing 69th"
A. was a group of war correspondents
B. took part in bombing missions over Germany
C. took part in the Nuremburg war trials
5. According to the text, in the early 50s, radio was
A. as popular as TV
B. less popular than TV
C. more popular than TV
6. According to the text, Walter Cronkite as the host of the "You Are There" program,
A. interviewed such famous people as Sigmund Freud.
B. took part in historical recreations
C. interviewed some actors
7. According to the story, Walter Cronkite wanted to become the Managing Editor of his news program because
A. it was an important step in his career
B. it was a chance to make this program as popular as Huntley-Brinkley Report
C. he wanted to change the program
8. The day when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated was important for Cronkite’s career because
A. Kennedy was his personal friend
B. he managed to express the emotions of the whole nation
C. he managed to make a live report about president’s death
9. According to the text
A. Cronkite’s attitude to the war in Vietnam was important
B. Cronkite was against wars in general
C. Cronkite was against President Lyndon Johnson
10. In 1977
A. Cronkite asked President Anwar El-Sadat to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
B. Cronkite was invited go to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Menachem Begin
C. Cronkite made the words of President Anwar El-Sadat heard
ü Discuss the following questions:
1. What does the author of the text mean when he says that Cronkite came to be the sort of personification of his era?
2. What does the author mean when he writes that the title given to Cronkite was ‘a rare feat’?
3. Why did President Obama call Cronkite ‘more than just an anchor’?
4. What do we learn about Cronkite’s background from the story?
5. What do we learn about "Writing 69th" from the text?
6. What can you say about Cronkite’s family life? What made his wife Betsy an ideal wife for a reporter?
7. What do we learn about Cronkite’s coming to television? Was it an important step in his career? Why do you think so?
8. What do we learn about Cronkite’s interview with Sigmund Freud from the story?
9. Who was Cronkite’s partner in the famous program "The Morning Show"?
10. What made Cronkite’s coverage of Kennedy’s assassination so special?
11. What do we learn about Cronkite’s role in the war in Vietnam?
12. What did critics describe as “Walter to Walter” coverage?
13. What does the author of the text describe as “a surprising influence on world affairs”?
14. What did a commentator in the New Republic describe as “George Washington leaving the dollar bill”?
15. What did Walter Cronkite do in retirement?
· Focus on vocabulary
ü Match the word from the first column with its meaning.
| demeanor | murder of an outstanding, famous person (a politician) |
| embodiment | |
| turmoil | the way you behave, which gives people an impression of your character and feelings |
| integrity | a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty |
| a general assignment reporter | sharpen with a whetstone make sharper or more focused or efficient |
| disdain | a journalist who covers a wide range of problems |
| demeanor | the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's consideration or respect |
| hone | the state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself |
| composure | the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles |
| assassination | a tangible or visible form of an idea, quality, or feeling |
· Topics for discussion.
ü What did you learn about Cronkite’s education? Do you think that professional training in journalism is essential for a good career? Nowadays many people believe that a university degree is useless for a good journalist. Do you agree with this viewpoint?
ü What did you learn about Cronkite’s marriage from the text? What did Walter Cronkite attribute the longevity of his marriage to? Do you think that a good family is less important than a good career? Do you agree that men and women have different viewpoints on this problem? If you had to choose between a good career and a good family – what would you choose?
ü The author of the text tells us that “in the early 50s, TV was a medium many of the ‘serious’ journalists at CBS and elsewhere viewed with skepticism, if not disdain. Radio and print, they contended, were for real reporters; television was for actors or comedians”. Can you explain such a viewpoint? Do you think that nowadays some mass media are also considered to be serious and reliable, and some are not? What is the reason for such attitude?
ü Comment on the words of President Lyndon Johnson, who reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost America." How profound can the influence of a reporter (an anchor) be? Is there (or was there) a reporter (an anchor) in you country, who could exert such an influence on the nation?
· Sharing the ideas
ü Imagine that you had a chance to organize the presentation of the Cronkite’s book "A Reporter's Life". Make a plan of this presentation. Role-play it with your group-mates.
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