Media today

MEDIA TODAY

MASS COMMUNICATION IN A CONVERGING WORLD

— 5TH EDITION —

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MEDIA TODAY

MASS COMMUNICATION IN A CONVERGING WORLD

— 5TH EDITION —

JOSEPH TUROW

University of Pennsylvania

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Fifth edition published 2014

by Routledge

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and by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 2014 Taylor & Francis

The right of Joseph Turow to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in

accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used

only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

First edition published in 1999 by Houghton Mifflin Company

Fourth edition published in 2011 by Routledge

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by

any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying

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publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Turow, Joseph.

Media today : mass communication in a converging world / Joseph Turow. — [5th edition].

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Mass media. I. Title.

P90.T874 2013

302.23—dc23

2013005609

ISBN 13: 978-0-415-53642-4 (hbk)

ISBN 13: 978-0-415-53643-1 (pbk)

ISBN 13: 978-0-203-11158-1 (ebk)

For Oriana Avra

vi

About the Author

J

oseph Turow is the Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Communication at the

University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. He has

been described by the New York Times as “probably the reigning academic expert

on media fragmentation.” He holds a PhD in communication from the University of

Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1986. He has also served on the faculty at

Purdue University, where he received two departmental teaching awards, and has

lectured at many other universities in the United States and around the world. For

2010, he was awarded an Astor Visiting Lectureship by Oxford University. He is

a fellow of the International Communication Association and was named a distin￾guished scholar by the National Communication Association.

Turow has authored nine books, edited five, and written more than 150 articles

on mass media. His other books include The Daily You (Yale University Press, 2012);

Playing Doctor: Television, Storytelling, and Medical Power (University of Michigan Press,

2010); Niche Envy: Marketing Discrimination in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2006); and

The Hyperlinked Society (coedited with Lokman Tsui, University of Michigan Press,

2008). Additionally, he is the editor of the New Media World book series out of

University of Michigan Press. Turow currently serves on the editorial boards of the

Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Poetics, and New Media and Society. He has

also written about media and advertising for the popular press (e.g., the Washington

Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe) and has been interviewed on National

Public Radio.

vii

Brief Contents

Part I The Nature and Business of Media

1–156

1 Understanding Mass Media, Convergence, and the Importance

of Media Literacy....................................................................................... 2

2 Making Sense of Research on Media Effects and Media

Culture..................................................................................................... 28

3 The Business of Media ............................................................................ 57

4 Financing and Shaping the Media: Advertising, Public Relations,

and Marketing Communications .............................................................. 90

5 Controls on Media Content: Government Regulation,

Self-Regulation, and Ethics ...................................................................123

Part II The Media Industries

157–419

Preface: The Forces Driving Convergence in Media Industries...............157

6 The Internet Industry.............................................................................168

7 The Book Industry .................................................................................191

8 The Newspaper Industry ........................................................................219

9 The Magazine Industry ..........................................................................246

10 The Recording Industry .........................................................................271

11 The Radio Industry ................................................................................301

12 The Movie Industry ................................................................................335

13 The Television Industry ..........................................................................364

14 The Video Game Industry.......................................................................396

Epilogue.......................................................................................................420

Notes............................................................................................................422

Photo Credits ...............................................................................................427

Index ............................................................................................................429

viii

The Great “Television Everywhere” Rumble, 2

Introducing Media Convergence, 3

Introducing Mass Communication, 5

The Elements of Communication, 6

Mass Communication Defined, 9

Mass Media and Convergence, 11

Mass Media, Culture, and Society, 14

How Do We Use the Mass Media in Our

Daily Lives?, 14

How Do the Mass Media Influence Culture?, 16

Media Today & Culture: The Shift to Mediated

Communication, 17

Media Literacy, 20

Principles of Media Literacy, 21

Media Literacy Tools, 23

The Benefits of a Media-Literate Perspective, 25

Key Terms, 26

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 27

Case Study: The Media as Social Currency, 27

Detailed Contents

Part I The Nature and Business of Media

1–156

The Nature of Mass Media Research, 29

The Early Years of Mass Media Research in the

United States, 30

Searching for Community: Early Critical Studies

Research, 30

Fearing Propaganda: Early Concerns about

Persuasion, 31

Kids and Movies: Continuing Effects

Research, 33

Social Relations and the Media, 35

The Limits of Propaganda: Limited Effects

Research, 37

Consolidating the Mainstream Approach, 38

Studying Opinion and Behavior Change, 38

Studying What People Learn from Media, 39

Media Today & Culture: Facebook and Social

Judgments, 41

Studying Why, When, and How People Use the

Media, 42

The Rise of Critical Approaches, 43

Moving from Mainstream Approaches to Critical

Approaches, 43

Cultural Studies, 49

Historical Approaches to Cultural

Studies, 49

Anthropological Approaches to Cultural

Studies, 49

Linguistic and Literary Approaches to Cultural

Studies, 50

Using Media Research to Develop Media Literacy

Skills, 51

Where Do You Stand with Respect to Media

Effects?, 51

How to Make Sense of Discussions and Arguments

about Media Effects, 52

How to Explore Your Concerns about Mass

Media, 52

Key Terms, 55

Questions for Discussion and Critical

Thinking, 55

Case Study: Evaluating a Scholarly

Article, 56

2 Making Sense of Research on Media Effects

and Media Culture .............................................28

1 Understanding Mass Media, Convergence,

and the Importance of Media Literacy .................2

DETAILED CONTENTS

ix

Identifying an Audience for Mass Media Content, 58

Defining and Constructing a Target Audience, 59

Creating Content to Attract the Target Audience, 63

Determining a Genre for Mass Media Content, 64

Entertainment, 64

Media Today & Culture: Television and Character

Diversity, 65

News, 68

Information, 71

Education, 73

Advertising, 73

Mixing Genres in a Convergent Media System, 75

Production of Mass Media Content, 76

Media Production Firms, 77

Distribution of Mass Media Content, 79

Exhibition of Mass Media Content, 81

Financing Mass Media Content, 83

Funding New Productions, 83

Funding When Production Is Already Complete, 85

Media Literacy and the Business of Mass Media, 86

Key Terms, 88

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 88

Case Study: Teens as a Constructed Audience, 89

4 Financing and Shaping the Media:

Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing

Communications................................................90

Why Do Media Firms Care about What Government

Does?, 124

The First Amendment, 125

Media Today & Culture: Facebook and the Dilemma of

Government Control in China, 126

More Allowable Government Control over Media

Content, 128

Regulating Content before Distribution, 128

Regulating Content after Distribution, 134

Economic Regulation, 139

Media Self-Regulation, 143

External Pressures on Media to Self-Regulate, 144

Internal Pressures on Media to Self-Regulate, 146

The Role of Ethics, 149

Making Ethical Decisions, 149

Ethical Duties to Various Constituencies, 150

Forming Ethical Standards for the Mass

Media, 151

Media Literacy, Regulation, and Ethics, 152

Media Regulation and the Savvy Citizen, 152

Key Terms, 154

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 154

Case Study: Journalists and Ethical Dilemmas, 155

What Is Public Relations?, 103

The Public Relations Industry and Media, 104

Production in the Public Relations Industry, 106

Distribution in the Public Relations Industry, 109

Exhibition in the Public Relations Industry, 110

The Rise of Marketing Communications, 111

Branded Entertainment, 111

Direct Marketing, 113

Relationship Marketing, 113

Advertising, Public Relations, and Convergence, 113

Media Literacy Issues Related to Advertising and PR, 114

Advertising and Commercialism, 115

Truth and Hidden Influence in Public Relations, 116

Targeting by Advertising and Public Relations

Firms, 118

Key Terms, 121

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 121

Case Study: Exploring Marketing

Communications, 122

5 Controls on Media Content: Government

Regulation, Self-Regulation, and Ethics ..........123

The Advertising Industry, 91

An Overview of the Modern Advertising Industry, 92

Production in the Advertising Industry, 95

Media Today & Culture: Asian American Stereotypes

and Ad Campaigns, 97

Distribution in the Advertising Industry, 98

Exhibition in the Advertising Industry, 100

Determining an Advertisement’s Success, 101

3 The Business of Media ......................................57

DETAILED CONTENTS

x

The Rise of the Internet, 169

Production, Distribution, and Exhibition on the

Internet, 174

The Net Neutrality Controversy, 176

Social Media Sites and Search Engines, 177

Funding Online Content, 180

Sites Involved in Image-Making, 180

Sites Selling Products or Services, 180

Content Sites Selling Subscriptions, 180

Selling Advertisements, 181

“Web-Centered” and “App-Centered” Businesses, 183

Media Ethics: Confronting Internet Piracy, 187

Determining Your Own Point of View as a Critical

Consumer of Media, 188

Media Today & Culture: Social Media and the Korean

Music Industry, 189

Key Terms, 189

Questions for Discussion and Critical

Thinking, 190

Case Study: The Use of Mobile Devices for Price

Comparisons, 190

The History of the Book, 192

The Book Industry Today, 197

Educational and Professional Books, 197

Consumer Books, 197

Variety and Specialization in Book Publishing, 200

Financing Book Publishing, 201

Production in the Book Publishing Industry, 203

Production in Trade Publishing, 203

Production at a University Press, 204

Book Production in the Electronic Age, 205

Media Today & Culture: Libraries and the Challenges

of Lending E-Books, 206

Reducing the Risks of Failure during the Production

Process, 206

Distribution in the Book Industry, 208

The Role of Wholesalers in the Distribution

Process, 209

Assessing a Title’s Popularity, 210

Exhibition in the Book Publishing Industry, 211

Exhibition of Consumer Books, 211

Exhibition in Textbook Publishing, 212

Convergence and Conglomeration in the Book

Industry, 214

Ethical Issues in Book Production, 215

Key Terms, 217

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 217

Case Study: Independent versus Chain Bookstores, 218

Part II The Media Industries

157–419

The Forces Driving Convergence in Media

Industries, 157

The Spread of Digital Media, 158

The Importance of Distribution Windows, 159

Audience Fragmentation and Segmentation, 161

Globalization, 163

Conglomeration, 164

Moving Forward, 166

Key Terms, 167

6 The Internet Industry.......................................168

8 The Newspaper Industry ..................................219

7 The Book Industry ...........................................191

DETAILED CONTENTS

xi

The Development of the Newspaper, 220

An Overview of the Contemporary Newspaper

Industry, 224

Daily Newspapers, 224

Weekly Newspapers, 226

The Variety of Newspapers, 226

Media Today & Culture: The Rise of Hispanic

Newspapers, 227

Financing the Newspaper Business, 227

Advertising, 227

Circulation, 229

Production in the Newspaper Industry, 231

Creating Newspaper Content, 231

The Technology of Publishing the Paper, 234

Distribution in the Newspaper Industry, 235

Determining Where to Market the Newspaper, 235

Exhibition in the Newspaper Industry, 236

Achieving Total Market Coverage, 237

A Key Industry Issue: Building Readership, 237

Building Print Readership, 237

Building Digital Readership, 239

The Future of Newspapers versus the Future of

Journalism, 241

Ethics and New Models of Journalism, 242

Key Terms, 244

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 245

Case Study: Analyzing a Newspaper’s Attempt to

Engage Its Audience, 245

9 The Magazine Industry ....................................246

Producing the Magazine as a Branded Event, 262

Distribution in the Magazine Industry, 263

Exhibition in the Magazine Industry, 266

Media Ethics and the Magazine Industry, 266

Key Terms, 269

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 270

Case Study: Exploring Magazine Media Kits Online, 270

10 The Recording Industry ...................................271

The Development of Magazines, 247

An Overview of the Modern Magazine Industry, 251

Five Major Types of Magazines, 251

Business-to-Business Magazines/Trade Magazines, 252

Consumer Magazines, 252

Literary Reviews and Academic Journals, 253

Newsletters, 254

Comic Books, 254

Financing Magazine Publishing, 255

Controlled Circulation Magazines, 256

Paid Circulation Magazines, 256

Market Segmentation, 257

Digital Circulation, 258

Media Today & Culture: Giving Readers a Voice, 258

Production in the Magazine Industry, 259

Magazine Production Goals, 259

The Rise of Records, 272

An Overview of the Modern Recording Industry, 277

International Ownership, 277

Dispersed Production, 278

Concentration of Distribution, 279

Features of the Recording Industry Audience, 280

U.S. Sales: Singles versus Albums, 280

Changing Media Platforms, 281

Diverse Music Genres, 282

Production and the Recording Industry, 282

Media Today & Culture: Women Take Their Place in

Hip-Hop, 283

Artists Looking for Labels, Labels Looking for

Artists, 283

Finding Music to Record, 285

Royalties, 285

Producing a Record, 286

Self-Producing Music for Sale, 286

Compensating Artists, 286

Distribution in the Recording Industry, 287

The Importance of Convergence

in Promotion, 289

Video, Television, and Movie Promotions, 291

Concert Tours, 292

Exhibition in the Recording Industry, 293

Digital Downloads, 293

Physical Sales, 294

Ethical Issues in the Recording Industry, 295

Parental Concerns about Lyrics, 295

Industry Concerns about Piracy, 296

Key Terms, 300

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 300

Case Study: The “Big Three” Websites through the Eyes

of Fans and Musicians, 300

DETAILED CONTENTS

xii

The Rise of Television, 365

Television in Its Earliest Forms, 365

An Overview of the Contemporary Television Industry, 371

Television Broadcasting, 371

Subscription Cable, Telco, and Satellite Services, 373

Online and Mobile Platforms, 375

Production in the Television Industry, 376

Producing Cable and Satellite Channel Lineups, 377

Producing Broadcast Channel Lineups, 379

Producing Online/Mobile Lineups, 379

Producing Individual Channels, 380

Producing Individual Programs, 385

Distribution in the Television Industry, 387

The Rise of Radio, 302

An Overview of the Terrestrial Radio Industry, 308

Where and When People Listen to the Radio, 308

AM versus FM Technology, 308

Commercial Radio Stations versus Noncommercial

Radio Stations, 309

Radio Market Size, 309

Production in the Radio Industry, 310

Radio Formats, 311

Determining Listening Patterns, 315

Working with Formats, 316

Producing the Playlist, 317

Conducting Research to Compile the Playlist, 317

Maintaining the Format and Retaining the Target

Audience, 318

Distribution in the Radio Industry, 320

The Role of Networks, Syndicators, and Format

Networks, 320

Exhibition in the Radio Industry, 321

Advertising’s Role in Radio Exhibition, 321

Learning Who Listens, 322

Conducting Market Research to Determine

Ratings, 322

When Stations Fare Poorly in the Ratings, 324

Radio and the New Digital World, 325

Satellite Radio, 325

Media Today & Culture: Diversity Programming on

Satellite Radio, 327

Online Radio, 327

Traditional Radio’s Responses to Digital Music, 329

Media Ethics and the Construction of Radio

Audiences, 330

Key Terms, 333

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 333

Case Study: Radio’s People Meter Ratings, 334

The Rise of Motion Pictures, 336

An Overview of the Modern Motion

Picture Industry, 341

Production in the Motion Picture Industry, 344

The Role of the Majors, 344

Distinguishing between Production and

Distribution, 344

The Role of Independent Producers, 344

The Process of Making a Movie, 345

Theatrical Distribution in the Movie Industry, 351

Finding Movies to Distribute, 351

Media Today & Culture: Banning of Hollywood Films

around the World, 352

Releasing Movies, 352

Marketing Movies, 353

Theatrical Exhibition in the Motion Picture

Industry, 355

The Relationship between Distributors and Theater

Chains, 355

Digital and 3D Screens, 356

Convergence and Nontheatrical Distribution and

Exhibition in the Motion Picture Industry, 357

Shift to Digital Marketing, 358

The Shift to Online and Mobile Downloads, 358

The Problem of Piracy, 359

Media Ethics and the Motion Picture Industry, 360

Cultural Diversity and Cultural Colonialism, 360

Key Terms, 362

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 363

Case Study: The Exhibition of Independent and

Non-English-Language Films, 363

13 The Television Industry ....................................364

12 The Movie Industry ..........................................335

11 The Radio Industry ..........................................301

DETAILED CONTENTS

xiii

The Contemporary Shape of the Video Game

Industry, 402

Video Game Hardware, 402

The Production of Video Game Software, 404

Advertising Content and Video Games, 408

Distribution and Exhibition of Video Games, 410

Video Games and Convergence, 411

Media Ethics: Confronting Key Issues, 412

Concerns about Content, 412

Concerns about Piracy, 413

Concerns about Self-Regulation, 415

Media Today & Culture: Women and Video Games, 418

Key Terms, 419

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 419

Case Study: Good Guys and Bad Characters in Video

Games, 419

Epilogue ...........................................................420

Notes ...............................................................422

Photo Credits ....................................................427

Index................................................................429

Media Today & Culture: Lack of Diversity in Television

Programming, 390

Exhibition in the Television Industry, 391

Media Ethics: Converging Screens, Social Television, and

the Issue of Personalization, 392

Key Terms, 394

Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking, 395

Case Study: Out-of-Home Television, 395

14 The Video Game Industry.................................396

The Video Game Industry and Convergence, 397

The Rise of the Video Game Industry, 397

xiv

Our Approach to Studying Media Today

Welcome to Media Today: Mass Communication in a Converging World!

As the subtitle suggests, this fifth edition of Media Today uses convergence

as a lens that puts the reader at the center of the profound changes in the 21st-century

media world. Through the convergence lens, readers learn to think critically about the

role of media today and about what these changes mean for their lives presently and in

the future. The book’s media systems approach helps readers to look carefully at how

media are created, distributed, and exhibited in the new world that the digital revolu￾tion has created. In this way, Media Today goes beyond the traditional mass communi￾cation textbook’s focus on consuming media, to give students an insider’s perspective

on how media businesses operate. How exactly does Google profit from web searches?

What will the magazine look like in five years?

Joseph Turow—who has been teaching Intro to Mass Communication for well

over a decade—demonstrates the many ways that media convergence and the perva￾siveness of the Internet have blurred distinctions between and among various media.

After looking at the essential history of each media industry, Turow examines the cur￾rent forces shaping that industry and explores the impact of emerging trends. From

newspapers to video games or social networking to mobile platforms, Turow’s Media

Today prepares students to live in the digital world of media, helping them to become

critical, media-literate consumers of mass media and, if they go on to work in mass

media industries, more alert, sensitive practitioners.

Media Today, Fifth Edition, is characterized by its focus on the following:

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Convergence

Today, it is impossible to write about the workings of the newspaper, television,

magazine, recording, movie, video game, advertising, and public relations indus￾tries without taking into account fundamental changes being wrought by websites,

blogs, e-mail, MP3 files, and multimedia streams. Consequently, readers will find

that every chapter incorporates digital media developments into the main flow of the

material.

Preface