Glossary

acculturation	In a media context, the tendency of reporters or other media professionals to adopt the ideas and attitudes of the groups they cover or with which they have a great deal of contact.



advertising agency	A company that handles both the creative and the business side of an advertising campaign for its clients.



agencies of socialization	The various people or organizations that contribute to the socialization of an individual.



agency	Organization that handles basic needs of advertisers.



agenda building	The ways the media decide what is newsworthy.



agenda-setting effect	The influence of the mass media created by emphasizing certain topics, thus causing people to perceive those same issues as important.



alphabet	A group of letters used to symbolize each of the sounds that make up a word.



AM	Amplitude modulation of radio waves.



Arbitron	The professional research organization that measures radio audiences.



Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)	An organization formed by advertisers and publishers in 1914 to establish ground rules for counting circulation data.



authoritarian theory	The prevailing belief that a ruling elite should guide the intellectually inferior masses.



banner ads	Type of advertising found on web pages.



best-seller list	Ranking of best-selling books based on retail sales.



beware surveillance	A media function that occurs when the media inform the public of short-term, long-term, or chronic threats.



Billboard	The sound-recording industry trade publication that tabulates record popularity.



block booking	A policy of major film studios that required theater owners to show several of a studio's low-quality films before they could receive the same studio's top-quality films.



broadband	Increased bandwidth for Internet connections, which speeds up downloads.



browsers	Type of software that lets individuals search for content on the World Wide Web.



business-to-business advertising	Advertising directed not at the general public but at other businesses.



campaign	In advertising, a large number of ads that stress the same theme and appear over a specified length of time.



carriage fee	Fee paid by cable systems to carry a cable network.



categorical imperative	Ethical principle that states people should behave as they would wish all others to behave.



catharsis	A release of pent-up emotion or energy.



catharsis theory	A theory that suggests viewing aggression will purge the viewer's aggressive feelings.



cease-and-desist order	A Federal Trade Commission order notifying an advertiser that a certain practice violates the law; failure to comply with a cease-and-desist order can result in fines being levied against the advertiser.



channel	The pathway by which a message travels from sender to receiver.



circulation	The total number of copies of a publication delivered to newsstands, vending machines, and subscribers.



clock hour	Radio format that specifies every element of the program.



commercial television	Television programs broadcast by local stations whose income is derived from selling time on their facilities to advertisers.



Communications Act of 1934	Act of Congress creating the Federal Communications Commission.



communist theory	Theory of the press that holds the media should promote the goals of the ruling political party.



comprehensive layout	The finished model of a print ad.



computer-assisted reporting (CAR)	Skills involved in using the Internet to aid reporting.



concept testing	A type of feedback in which a one- or two-paragraph description for a new series is presented to a sample of viewers for their reactions.



consent order	Federal Trade Commission order in which the advertiser agrees to halt a certain advertising practice without admitting any violation of the law.



consequence	The importance or weightiness of a news story.



consumer advertising	Advertising directed at the general public.



controlled circulation	A type of circulation in which publications are sent free or distributed to a select readership, such as airline passengers or motel guests.



convergence	The blending of communication technologies.



conversational currency	Topic material presented by the media that provides a common ground for social conversations.



copy	Headlines and message in an ad.



creative boutique	Advertising organization that specializes in the creative side of advertising.



credibility	The trust that the audience holds for media that perform surveillance functions.



critical/cultural approach	Analytical technique that examines power relationships in society and focuses on meanings people find in texts.



crystallization	The sharpening and elaboration of a vaguely held attitude or predisposition.



cultivation analysis	An area of research that examines whether television and other media encourage perceptions of reality that are more consistent with media portrayals than with actuality.



culture	Common values, behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that bind a society together.



cycle	In all-news radio, the amount of time that elapses before the program order is repeated.



decoding	The activity in the communication process by which physical messages are translated into a form that has eventual meaning for the receiver.



defamation	The act of harming the reputation of another by publishing false information.



demo	A demonstration tape used to sell a musical performer or group.



developmental journalism	Type of journalism, practiced by many Third World countries, that stresses national goals and economic development.



developmental theory	The assumption that government uses media to further national, economic, and social goals.



digital technology	A system that encodes information-sound, text, data, video-into a series of on and off pulses that are usually denoted as zeros and ones.



digital television (DTV)	Television signals consisting of binary signals that allow for improved picture quality.



digital videodisk (DVD)	A disk that stores audio, movies, video, and graphics in digital format that is compatible with DVD players and home computers.



direct action	An ad that contains a direct response item (such as a toll-free number) that allows advertisers to see results quickly.



direct broadcast satellite (DBS)	A system in which a home TV set receives a signal directly from an orbiting satellite.



disintermediation	The process of delivering a product or service directly to the consumer.



distribution system	The actual cables that deliver the signals to subscribers.



distributors	Sector of media industry that takes products from manufacturers and delivers them to retailers.



double feature	Practice started by theaters in the 1930s of showing two feature films on the same bill.



dummy	Rough version of a magazine that's used for planning how final version will look.



dysfunction	Consequence that is undesirable from the point of view of the welfare of society.



e-book	Digital version of a book, which can be read by using a computer or a special reader.



editorial policies	Guidelines the print media follow to persuade the public on certain issues or to achieve specific goals.



electronic news gathering (ENG)	Producing and airing field reports using small, lightweight portable TV equipment.



e-mail	Electronic messages sent from computer to computer.



encoding	The activity in the communication process by which thoughts and ideas from the source are translated into a form that may be perceived by the senses.



Equal Opportunities rule	Part of the Communications Act of 1934; Section 315 allows bona fide candidates for public office to gain access to a broadcast medium during political campaigns.



evaluation	Research done to measure the effectiveness of an advertising or a public relations campaign.



experiment	A research technique that stresses controlled conditions and manipulates variables.



Fairness Doctrine	Now defunct FCC doctrine that required broadcast stations to provide various points of view on a controversial issue.



Federal Communications Commission (FCC)	A regulatory agency, composed of five individuals appointed by the president, whose responsibilities include broadcast and wire regulation.



feedback	The responses of the receiver that shape and alter subsequent messages from the source.



field experiment	An experiment that is conducted in a natural setting as opposed to a laboratory.



First Amendment	The first amendment of the Bill of Rights, stating that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.



FM	Frequency modulation of radio waves.



focus group	A group of 10 to 15 people led by a moderator that discusses predetermined topics.



format	Consistent programming designed to appeal to a certain segment of the audience.



formative research	Advertising research done before developing a campaign.



format wheel	Visual aid that helps radio programmers plan what events happen during a given time period.



framing	The general way a news medium treats a topic.



franchise	An exclusive right to operate a business in a given territory.



Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)	Law stating that every federal executive-branch agency must publish instructions on what methods a member of the public should follow to get information.



free-link exchange	Web advertising technique in which one company exchanges free ad space with another.



free marketplace of ideas	Press philosophy that endorses the free flow of information.



full-service agency	An ad agency that handles all phases of advertising for its clients.



functional approach	A methodology that holds something is best understood by examining how it is used.



gag rules	Judicial orders that restrict trial participants from giving information to the media or that restrain media coverage of events that occur in court.



gatekeepers	Individuals who decide whether a given message will be distributed by a mass medium.



golden mean	Ethical principle that states moderation is the key to virtue.



gramophone	A "talking machine" patented in 1887 by Emile Berliner that utilized a disk instead of a cylinder.



graphophone	A recording device similar to the phonograph, but utilizing a wax cylinder rather than tinfoil.



hard news	Timely stories with significance for many people.



head end	The antenna and related equipment of the cable system that receives and processes distant television signals so that they can be sent to subscribers' homes.



heavy metal	Counterculture musical trend of the 1960s-1970s, characterized by a vaguely threatening style and heavy use of amplification and electronic equipment.



hegemony	Dominance of one entity over another.



Hicklin rule	A long-standing obscenity standard based upon whether a book or other item contains isolated passages that might deprave or corrupt the mind of the most susceptible person.



house drop	The section of the cable that connects the feeder cable to the subscriber's TV set.



human interest	News value that emphasizes the emotional, bizarre, offbeat, or uplifting nature of a news story.



hypertext	Digital navigational tool that links one electronic document to another.



IBOC (in-band, on-channel)	Digital radio broadcasting system that is also compatible with current analog radio.



ideology	Particular set of beliefs or ideas.



independents	Radio or TV stations unaffiliated with any network.



indirect action ad	Advertisement that works over the long run to build a company's image.



information gathering	Phase of a public relations campaign where pertinent data are collected.



injunction	A court order that requires an individual to do something or to stop doing something.



instrumental surveillance	A media function that occurs when the media transmit information that is useful and helpful in everyday life.



Internet addiction	Condition in which a person spends too much time on the Internet, cannot control his or her Internet use, and neglects social responsibilities to spend time online.



interpersonal communication	A method of communication in which one person (or group) interacts with another person (or group) without the aid of a mechanical device.



investigative reports	News reporting that requires extraordinary efforts to gather information about matters of public importance.



jazz	A form of popular music that emerged during the Roaring Twenties and was noted for its spontaneity and disdain of convention.



jazz journalism	Journalism of the Roaring Twenties that was characterized by a lively style and a richly illustrated tabloid format.



joint-operating agreement (JOA)	An agreement, intended to preserve editorial competition, in which two newspapers merge their business and printing operations but maintain separate newsrooms.



joint venture	Method of movie financing in which several companies pool resources to finance films.



Kinetoscope	The first practical motion picture camera and viewing device, developed by William Dickson in 1889.



libel	Written defamation that tends to injure a person's reputation or good name or that diminishes the esteem, respect, or goodwill due a person.



libel per quod	Written material that becomes libelous under certain circumstances.



libel per se	Falsely written accusations (such as labeling a person a "thief" or a "swindler") that automatically constitute libel.



libertarian theory	The assumption that all human beings are rational decision makers and that governments exist to serve the individual.



limited partnership	Method of movie financing in which a number of investors put up a specified amount of money for a film.



linkage	The ability of the mass media to join different elements of society that are not directly connected by interpersonal channels.



machine-assisted interpersonal communication	A method of communication involving one or more persons and a mechanical device (or devices) with one or more receivers.



macroanalysis	A sociological perspective that considers the functions performed by a system (e.g., mass media) for the entire society.



magazine	Printed publication that contains an assortment of materials that appears on a regular basis.



mainstreaming	In cultivation analysis, the tendency of differences to disappear among heavy-TV-viewing people, apparently because of cultural and social factors.



management by objectives (MBO)	Management technique that sets observable, measurable goals for an organization to achieve.



marketing	Developing, pricing, distributing, and promoting an idea, a good, or a service.



mass communication	The process by which a complex organization, with the aid of one or more machines, produces and transmits public messages that are directed at large, heterogeneous, and scattered audiences.



mass media	The channels and the institutions of mass communication.



meaning	The interpretation an audience makes of text.



media buying service	An organization that specializes in buying media time to resell to advertisers.



Mediamark Research Inc. (MRI)	Company that measures magazine readership.



media vehicle	A single component of a mass medium, for example, a newspaper or TV network.



message	The actual physical product in the communication process that the source encodes.



message research	Pretesting messages in an ad campaign.



microanalysis	A sociological perspective that considers the functions performed by a system (e.g., mass media) for the individual.



modem	Device that allows computers to communicate via phone lines.



Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC)	An organization formed by the nine leading film and film equipment manufacturers in 1908 for the purpose of controlling the motion picture industry.



MP3	Digital method of encoding sound files on the Internet.



MPAA rating system	The G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 rating system for movies administered by the Motion Picture Association of America.



muckrakers	Term coined by Theodore Roosevelt to describe the reform movement undertaken by leading magazines in the 1890s; corrupt practices of business and government were exposed to the general public by crusading members of the press.



national advertiser	Advertiser who sells a product all across the country.



National Public Radio (NPR)	A noncommercial U.S. radio network.



network	An organization composed of interconnecting broadcasting stations that cuts costs by airing the same programs.



newsgroups	Section of the Internet devoted to message boards that are organized according to topic.



newshole	The amount of space available each day in a newspaper for news.



nickelodeon	A popular name for the many penny arcades and amusement centers that emerged around the beginning of the 20th century and specialized in recordings and film.



noise	In communication, anything that interferes with the delivery of a message.



noncommercial television	Television programs broadcast by those stations whose income is derived from sources other than the sale of advertising time.



nonduplication rule	FCC rule passed in 1965, stating that an AM-FM combination may not duplicate its AM content on its FM channel for more than 50 percent of the time.



observational learning	A form of education in which individuals learn by observing the actions of others.



ombudsperson	An individual in a media organization assigned to handle complaints from audience members.



one-stops	Individuals who sell records to retail stores and jukebox operators who are not in a position to buy directly from the record company.



operating policies	Guidelines that cover the everyday problems and situations that crop up during the operation of a media organization.



paid circulation	A type of circulation in which the reader must purchase a magazine through a subscription or at a newsstand.



panel study	A research method in which data are collected from the same individuals at different points in time.



paradigm	A model used for analysis.



parasocial relationship	A situation whereby audience members develop a sense of kinship or friendship with media personalities.



pass-along audience	That portion of a magazine's total audience composed of individuals who pick up copies of a magazine while at the doctor's office, at work, while traveling, and so on.



payola	Bribes of gifts and money paid to DJs by record companies in order to gain favorable airplay for their releases.



pay-per-view (PPV)	A system that allows cable TV subscribers to pay a one-time fee to view one specific program or movie.



penny press	The mass-appeal press of the early 19th century.



persistence of vision	Quality of the human eye that enables it to retain an image for a split second after the image has disappeared.



phi phenomenon	Tendency of the human perceptual system to perceive continuous motion between two stationary points of light that blink on and off; basis for the illusion of motion in motion pictures.



phonograph	A "talking machine" developed by Thomas Edison in the late 1870s; the hand-cranked device preserved sound on a tinfoil-wrapped cylinder.



photojournalism	Journalism in which written text is secondary to photographs in news stories.



pickup	A technique of financing a motion picture.



pilot	The first episode of a projected television series.



pilot testing	A process that involves showing a sample audience an entire episode of a show and recording their reactions.



policy book	At radio and TV stations, a book that spells out philosophy and standards of operation and identifies practices that are encouraged or discouraged.



political press	Newspapers and magazines of the 1790-1820 era that specialized in publishing partisan political articles.



polysemic	Having many meanings.



portal	The first page a person sees when opening an Internet browser.



positioning	In advertising, stressing the unique selling point of a product or service to differentiate it from the competition.



primary audience	That portion of a magazine's total audience made up of subscribers or those who buy it at the newsstand.



primary demand ad	Advertisement that promotes a specific product category, such as milk.



Prime-Time Access Rule	Rule adopted in 1970 intended to expand program diversity by barring network programs from the 7:30-8:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) time slot.



printing on demand	One-at-a-time printing of books that exist in a digital database.



prior restraint	An attempt by the government to censor the press by restraining it from publishing or broadcasting material.



prominence	News value that stresses the importance of the person involved in the event.



prosocial behavior	A general term used by researchers to describe behaviors that are judged desirable or worthwhile under the circumstances.



protocol	A common language accepted by computer programmers.



proximity	News value based on the location of a news event.



Public Broadcasting Act of 1967	Congressional act that established the Public Broadcasting Service.



publicity	The placing of stories in the mass media.



public journalism	The philosophy that newspapers should try to solve civic problems as well as report the news.



publics	The various audience served by public relations.



publishers	Segment of the print media industry responsible for the creation of content.



rack jobbers	Individuals who service record racks located in variety and large department stores by choosing the records to be sold in each location.



Radio Act of 1927	Congressional act establishing the Federal Radio Commission, a regulatory body that would issue broadcasting licenses and organize operating times and frequencies.



rate base	Number of buyers guaranteed by a magazine and used to compute advertising rates.



rating	The ratio of listeners to a particular radio station to all people in the market; the ratio of viewers of a particular TV program to the number of households in the market equipped with TV.



receiver	The target of the message in the communication process.



reinforcement	Support of existing attitudes and opinions by certain messages.



resonance	In cultivation analysis, the situation in which a respondent's life experiences are reinforced by what is seen on TV, thus reinforcing the effect of TV content.



retail (local) advertiser	Business that has customers in only one trading area.



retailers	Segment of the media industry responsible for selling media products to the consumer.



revenue sharing	Process by which video stores share movie rental fees with movie companies.



rough layout	Early version of a print ad.



satellite news gathering (SNG)	Using specially equipped vans and trucks to transmit live stories from any location via satellite.



Sedition Act	Act of Congress passed in the late 1790s that made it a crime to write anything "false, scandalous or malicious" about the U.S. government or Congress; it was used to curb press criticism of government policies.



selective demand ad	Ad that stresses a particular brand.



self-determination	Ethical principle that states that human beings deserve respect for their decisions.



share of the audience	The ratio of listeners to a particular radio station to the total number of listeners in the market; the ratio of the number of households watching a particular TV program to the number of households watching TV at that time.



shield laws	Legislation that defines the rights of a reporter to protect sources.



slander	Spoken defamation. (In many states, if a defamatory statement is broadcast, it is considered libel, even though technically the words are not written. Libel is considered more harmful and usually carries more serious penalties than does slander.)



sliding scale	An arrangement between a motion picture exhibitor and a distributor that details how much box office revenue will be kept by the movie theater.



socialization	The ways an individual comes to adopt the behavior and values of a group.



social responsibility theory	The belief that the press has a responsibility to preserve democracy by properly informing the public and by responding to society's needs.



social utility	The media function that addresses an individual's need to affiliate with family, friends, and others in society.



soft news	Features that rely on human interest for their news value.



source	Person who initiates communication.



spam	The electronic equivalent of junk mail.



status conferral	A process by which media attention bestows a degree of prominence on certain issues or individuals.



stimulation theory	A theory that suggests viewing violence will actually stimulate an individual to behave more violently.



storyboard	A series of drawings depicting the key scenes in a TV ad.



strategic planning	Management technique that sets long-range, general goals.



streaming video	Method of sending TV over the Internet.



subsidiary rights	Rights given by a publisher to others, allowing them to reproduce certain content.



surveillance	The news and information function of the mass media.



survey	A technique of gathering data that typically uses a questionnaire.



tabloid	A heavily illustrated publication usually half the size of a normal newspaper page.



tactical planning	Management technique that sets short-range, specific goals.



target audience	In advertising, the segment of the population for whom the product or service has an appeal.



technological determinism	The theory that contends technology drives historical change.



Telecommunications Act of 1996	Major revision of U.S. communication laws that affected broadcasting, cable, and telephone industries.



text	Object of analysis in the critical/cultural approach.



timeliness	News value that stresses when an event occurred.



time shifting	Recording programs and playing them back at times other than when they were aired.



tracking studies	Study that examines how ads perform during or after a campaign.



trespass	Illegal entry onto another's property.



UHF	The ultra-high-frequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum; channels 14 through 69 on the TV set.



underground press	A type of specialized reporting that emerged in the mid- to late 1960s, with emphasis on politically liberal news and opinion, and cultural topics such as music, art, and film.



uses-and-gratifications model	A model proposing that audience members have certain needs or drives that are satisfied by using both nonmedia and media sources.



utility	Ethical principle that stresses the greatest good for the greatest number.



Variety	The entertainment industry trade publication.



V-Chip	A device installed in a TV set that restricts the reception of violent or objectionable material.



veil of ignorance	Ethical principle that argues that everyone should be treated equally.



VHF	The very-high-frequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum; channels 2 through 13 on the TV set.



web page	A hypertext page contained within a website.



website	A set of hypertext pages linked to each other that contain information about a common topic.



World Wide Web (WWW)	A network of information sources that uses hypertext to link one piece of information to another.



yellow journalism	Sensationalized journalism, appearing during the 1890s, noted for its emphasis on sex, murder, popularized medicine, pseudoscience, self-promotion, and human-interest stories.



zoned edition	Newspaper that has special sections for specific geographic areas.

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