Stanley J. Baran
| all-channel legislation | 1962 law requiring all television sets imported into or manufactured in the United States to be equipped with both VHF and UHF receivers
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| audimeter | device for recording when the television set is turned on, the channel to which it is tuned, and the time of day; used in compiling ratings
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| bandwidth | portion of the spectrum utilized to transmit video and audio signals; an indication of a channelís information carrying capacity
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| broadband | channels with broad information-carrying capacity
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| broadcast spectrum | that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum on which the FCC grants permission to transmit
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| channel surfing | travelling through the television channels focusing neither on specific programs nor on the commercials they house
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| clear time | when local affiliates carry a networkís program
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| coaxial cable | copper-clad aluminum wire encased in plastic foam insulation, covered by an aluminum outer conductor, and then sheathed in plastic
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| compensation | network payments to affiliates for clearing content
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| cruising | see channel surfing
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| digital video recorder (DVR) | television service that uses sophisticated digital software to put significant amounts of control over content in viewers' hands
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| distant importation of signals | delivery of distant television signals by cable television for the purpose of improving reception
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| fiber optics | signals carried by light beams over glass fibers
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| Financial Interest and Syndication Rules | FCC rules delineating the amount of ownership the television networks are allowed in the programming they air
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| Fin-Syn | see Financial Interest and Syndication Rules
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| first-run syndication | original programming produced specifically for the syndicated television market
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| grazing | watching several television programs simultaneously
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| iconoscope tube | first practical television camera tube, developed in 1923
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| interlaced scanning | television format in which electron beams sweep the picture tube twice, creating half the images' lines on the first pass and filling in the gaps on the second pass
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| kinescope | improved picture tube developed by Zworykin for RCA
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| microwave relay | audio and video transmitting system in which super high frequency signals are sent from land-based point to land-based point
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| MNA reports | multinetwork area television ratings based on the 70 largest markets
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| multiplexing | the practice of using one channel to transmit multiple forms of content; in FM radio by using extra channel space and in television and cable through signal compression
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| must-carry rules | rules requiring cable television systems to carry the signal of every television station within a specified radius
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| network | centralized production, distribution, decision-making organization that links affiliates for the purpose of delivering their viewers to advertisers
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| news staging | re-creation on television news of some event that is believed to have happened or which could have happened
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| Nipkow disc | first workable device for generating electrical signals suitable for the transmission of a scene
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| off-network | broadcast industry term for syndicated content that originally aired on a network
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| overnights | television ratings data gathered from homes connected by phone lines to Nielsen computers
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| peoplemeter | remote control keypad device for recording television viewing for taking ratings
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| personal video recorder (PVR) | see digital video recorder
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| pilot | a sample episode of a proposed television program
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| pixels | the smallest picture element in an electronic imaging system such as a television or computer screen
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| pocketpieces | television ratings based on a national sample, computed and reported every two weeks
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| portable peoplemeter | a pagerlike device that "reads" embedded audio signals in electronically delivered media content on radio, television, and the Web
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| progressive scanning | digital television format compatible with personal computers in which the entire picture is built line by line in one scan of the televisionís electronic beam
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| put | an agreement between a producer that a network guaranteeing that the network will order at least a pilot or the network must pay a hefty penalty
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| rating | percentage of a market's total population that is reached by a piece of broadcast programming
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| share | the percentage of people listening to radio or of homes using television tuned in to a given piece of programming
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| short ordering | network practice of ordering only one or two episodes of a new television series
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| Sixth Report and Order | fundamental blueprint for the technical operation of television, issued in 1952
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| spot commercial sales | in broadcasting, selling individual advertising spots on a given program to a wide variety of advertisers
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| stripped | broadcasting a syndicated television show at the same time five nights a week
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| sweeps periods | special television ratings times in February, May, July, and November in which diaries are distributed to thousands of sample households in selected markets
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| syndication | sale of radio or television content to stations on a market-by-market basis
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| television freeze | 1948 freeze in authorization of new television stations while the FCC resolved a number of technical problems
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| time-shifting | taping a show on a VCR for later viewing
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| vast wasteland | expression coined by FCC Chair Newton Minow in 1961 to describe television content
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| WebTV | online delivery of high definition television to special home receivers
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| zapping | using the remote control to switch to other content when a commercial appears
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| zipping | fast-forwarding through taped commercials on a VCR
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education