Radio and Television in great britain and the usa

Television today has become the most import­ant source of information and entertainment for many people. As a result of technological developments almost every household in the world's industrialized countries is equipped with at least one television set. In the USA most people can tune in to over 60 different television stations via cable TV or a satellite dish - a development which in all probability will be followed in Europe. In comparison, the importance of radio has decreased.

Rapid changes in the electronics industry make it difficult to give a complete overview of the electronic media market. What seemed technologically impossible only a few years ago is now easily accessible to the general tele­vision viewer. Consider, for example, “Pay TV”, a programme which can be received via satellite or cable TV with the help of a decoder for a monthly fee, and "pay-per-view" TV (PPV), whereby a subscriber pays a fee to watch a single programme or film. Develop­ments like these have led to many new possi­bilities for television viewing and, in addition, have had the effect of reducing cultural differ­ences between countries and regions as more and more programmes are produced for and sold to a worldwide audience.

Radio programmes have managed to uphold their characteristic structures over the last years, but their influence has decreased. For many people radio programmes only serve as background entertainment to other activities, like driving a car.

TV and radio stations as well as newspapers rely to a large extent on news agencies, which gather news worldwide and provide the media with information. The best known are Associ­ated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) in the USA and Reuters in Britain.

In the USA the radio and television systems have always been, for the most part, private and commercially financed. Advertisements are the main and often the only revenue for radio and television stations. Out of the 1,488 television stations that existed nationwide in 1991 less than 25% were non-commercial. The system is regulated by the Federal Com­munications Commission, which requires television stations to have a licence in order to broadcast. Most local stations are affiliated with one of the large, nationwide television net­works like the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Columbia Broadcasting Service (CBS) or the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), traditionally the three most influential networks. Network affiliation means that a local station can rely on the films, shows and other programmes that have been bought or produced by the net­work. The networks distribute a mixture of programmes to their many affiliated stations (also called "outlets"), which means that the influence of these networks is immense.

Cable News Network (CNN) has expanded the concept of network TV by offering national and international news via satellite around the world.

Since commercial stations rely heavily on high audience ratings (i.e. a large percentage of viewers watching their programmes) to increase their advertising revenues, entertainment plays an im­portant role in American television, especially during "prime time", the period between 8 and 11 pm. Even news programmes are often pres­ented as shows in order to gain higher ratings and are, like most other programmes, interrupted by commercials. Some of the anchormen and anchorwomen in nationwide news programmes have even gained the status of TV or film stars.

Apart from commercial stations the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), the single non­commercial television network in the USA, pro­duces and broadcasts primarily educational and cultural programmes. It is financed mainly by the US government and various foundations.

There are no national radio stations in the USA, but every town has at least one local radio station.

In Britain the electronic media are in a process of change and the formerly dominant position of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is crumbling. In addition to the two non-commercial BBC television channels, which are financed mainly through the fees paid by television view­ers, one can choose from Independent Television (ITV) and Channel Four, both commercial channels, which are broadcast nationwide.

The introduction of cable TV and the satellite networks have brought a further change to television in Britain and many households are now able to choose between numerous national and international programmes.

Radio remains popular in Britain. There are five national and 32 local BBC stations, as well as two national and over 100 local commercial stations.

Task 5. Explain the following:

· to tune into a TV station;

· “Pay TV”;

· “pay-per-view” TV;

· revenue;

· to be affiliated with a network;

· network TV;

• an outlet;
• audience ratings;
• “prime time”;
• a commercial;
• an anchorman/ anchorwoman;
• electronic media.

Task 6. Answer the questions:

1. What changes have there been in the electronic media market in America and Europe?

2. What do TV and radio stations rely on financially?

3. Describe American electronic media market.

4. Why does entertainment count heavily in American television?

5. What are the four major TV channels in Britain?

6. Compare the US and British electronic media in terms of their commercialization.

Task 7. Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases in Task 4:

· главный источник информации и развлечений;

· телевизор есть в каждом доме;

· настроить канал;

· по кабельному телевидению;

· спутниковая тарелка;

· по всей вероятности;

· дать полное представление о чем-л.;

· быть легко доступным обычному телезрителю;

· стирать культурные различия между разными странами;

· мировая аудитория;

· служить фоном для другой деятельности;

· в большей степени;

· по большей части;

· быть основным и часто единственным источником прибыли;

· иметь разрешение на вещание;

· являться частью чего-л./ входить в состав чего-л.;

· расширить представление о чем-л.;

· сильно зависеть от высоких рейтингов;

· получить статус чего-л.;

· ранее влиятельные позиции чего-л. пошатнулись.

Task 8. Translate the sentences into English using the vocabulary of Tasks 1 and 4.

1. Современное телевидение (за исключением, пожалуй, платных телеканалов спутникового или кабельного телевидения) сильно зависит от высоких рейтингов. Чем выше рейтинги, тем больше стоит реклама, которая является основным, а часто и единственным источником прибыли телеканала. Чтобы у передачи были высокие рейтинги, телевизионщики стараются удовлетворять большинству вкусов и предпочтений, не учитывая интересы меньшинства телезрителей. А удовлетворять интересам большинства – значит транслировать в основном развлекательные передачи, нередко, к сожалению, включающие в себя эротические сцены или сцены насилия. Это, кстати, объясняет тот факт, почему по всей стране телеканалы транслируют примерно одинаковый набор передач, каждые 10 или 20 минут делая перерывы на рекламу. А смотреть такие передачи или нет – это уже вопрос вкуса и приличия.

2. Сегодня, когда компьютер и интернет есть почти в каждой семье, телевизор перестает быть главным источником информации и развлечений. В большей степени он служит просто фоном для всего того, что мы делаем. Наверное, еще рано говорить о том, что влиятельные позиции телевидения пошатнулись, однако если суть телевидения останется прежней и если, к примеру, телевещание не начнется в формате 3D, интернет будет только прибавлять в популярности и когда-то существовавшая монополия телевидения закончится.

Task 9. Write a summary of the two texts and retell it.

& — READING&SPEAKING

2.6. BBC – THE WORLD’S MOST LISTENED-TO STATION

Task 1. Discuss with the group:

· How popular is radio nowadays? What accounts for this?

· Which do you prefer: reading a newspaper, watching TV or listening to the radio? Why?

Task 2. Read the text about one of the most famous radio stations and turn to the tasks after it.

BBC - The World's Most Listened-to Station

At the height of the Arab-Israeli conflict, during the Yom Kippur war[56], a personal aide to Israeli Premier Golda Meir used to break off from whatever he was doing at 1 p.m. each day to listen to the radio.

He would tune in to the BBC for a quick and accurate summing up of the news, paying close atten­tion to information on the moves and responses of Arab nations and the rest of the world.

In Stockholm, a key press aide to former Premier Olof Palme would begin his day with an unvarying routine of listening, not to Sweden's state radio with its leftist twist, but to the World Service bulletins of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

There was nothing unusual in what the two men did, except for the fact that they were then among an estimated 20 million people, who, quite simply, held the belief that the BBC's World Service was "the best broadcasting service in the world."

Today, little has changed. Millions still hold that belief, although a more accurate figure of worldwide listeners to the service is around 30 million. [...]

But just how did the BBC become possibly the world’s most listened to and dependable news bulle­tin radio station over the years?

History shows that it was in 1932 that the BBC first decided to extend its broadcasts overseas.

It was then known as the "Empire Service" and was set up purely as a "friendly link" between Britain and countries abroad.

Its successor, the World Service, today broad­casts for 24 hours a day in English and is supplemented at peak listening times by additional series of programmes designed to be of special interest to Africa.

[...] The popularity of the BBC World Service goes beyond the services it offers; it is largely a question of tradition, habit and prestige built up over 47 years.

"The phrase ‘I heard it on the BBC’ is taken as the modern equivalent of the medieval quod erat demonstrandum [57]," smugly claims the BBC's handbook.

Nobody is as good as that. But many believe that the claim reflects both an extraordinary belief in the service's independence and the fact that those with a professional need to know are among the BBC's estimated 69 million regular listeners worldwide. [...]

Even under stress of war, both good as well as bad news, victories as well as defeats, were broadcast. News bulletins were not tampered with. Disasters like the fall of Singapore were reported promptly.

In occupied Europe, people risked their lives to listen to BBC news because they regarded it as truthful. [...]

The BBC employs about two dozen full-time news correspondents all over the world, while in Bush House - headquarters of the external ser­vices - there are hundreds of experts on political, economic and cultural matters.

In addition, there are dozens of "stringers".

Another important part of Bush House is the monitoring service which listens to and reports on foreign broadcasts, supplying a daily flow of significant news and comments from overseas to the BBC, the press and the government.

This activity, which began just before the out­break of World War II, has, from experience, provided valuable information about events and attitudes abroad not always so readily or economically available from other sources.

This is particularly so in the case of countries from which, either for geographical or political reasons, normal reporting is difficult.

From "BBC - the world's most listened-to station" by Edmund Teo, The Straits Times (Singapore), August 28, 1979, p. 14.

Task 3. Paraphrase the following expressions from the text:

§ a personal aide to smb;

§ to break off from smth;

§ accurate summing up of the news;

§ broadcasting service;

§ a news bulletin;

§ a dependable radio station;

§ peak listening times;

§ The popularity of smth goes beyond the services it offers;

§ regular listeners;

§ to be tampered with;

§ to be reported promptly;

§ a stringer.

Task 4. The text is taken from a daily paper.

a) Explain the function of the first 3 paragraphs.

b) What else does the text contain besides factual information?

c) What is the purpose of this article?

d) What features, therefore, are typical of a newspaper article in your opinion?

Task 5. Write a short text describing the BBC World Service containing only factual information and prepare its retelling.

Task 6. What do you know about the historical background of the following lines: In occupied Europe, people risked their lives to listen to BBC news because they regarded it as truthful?

LISTENING

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