Name a public service Broadcaster

An example of a Public service broadcaster is the BBC.

What is PSB? (250 words)

Psb means Public Service Broadcast. It is a broadcasting network that operates with the interest of
the viewers in mind instead of for making a profit. PSB networks supply content for all parts of the
community. This means that PSB channels have content from news casts to children’s shows.

Examples of PSB networks are the BBC and RTE. PSB networks get a certain amount of funding from
the government. They receive a block sum of money which is then spent on operating the network.

Broadcasting networks like the BBC get enough funding to run without having to do advertising or
promotion. They also gain some income to operate the channel by selling their TV programs to other
channels. However networks like RTE do not receive enough money from the government to cover
all their expenses. RTE generates income from TV advertisements other forms of promotion on their
channel.

PSB networks have to fill quotas set by the government. This means that they can only show a
certain amount of pacific genres, they have a minimum amount of programs the channel originally
commissioned and a limit on the amount of repeats that the channel is allowed to have.

What are the debates on whether PSB is relevant today?

One of the debates of PSB today is that PSB broadcasters such as RTE and the BBC get funding to run
their services. This funding is essential for running the service in the manner it is run. Other networks
argue that they should get funding because they also provide a service to the public. So far only
government run networks get funding from the government.

Another argument is that the BBC expands into more platforms as the technology becomes more
available. The argument against this is that the BBC may come to have too much of an influence on
the public. The counter argument is that as less and less people get their news from TV and
newspapers the BBC has to find ways of having news feed for as large an audience as possible.

Identify 3 Commercial Broadcasters. How do they obtain their revenue compared to the BBC?
What debates recently have there been about product placement on commercial television? (100
words)

ITV, SKY and CNN are examples of commercial broadcasters. Stations owned by these companies
prioritise making programs that maximise profits. This influences the programs that are shown on
the channels that the broadcasters own.

They generate income through advertisements and product placement. One of the ways these
channels make money is by doing TV advertisements between and within programs.

Another way these broadcasters generate income is by doing product placement. There is a debate
that when product placement is done irresponsibly it can give the viewer the wrong impression of
what the product is and be very misleading.
Another issue with product placement is that in some cases a TV show can get money to feature a
product as a major plot component in the show. It can also cause impressionable viewers to copy
what they see onscreen and be more likely to buy products such as junk food or other unhealthy
products.

Bullet point the key benefits of SKY 1 eg. Franchising, merchandising and spin offs.

- Franchising allows the company to expand with minimised growth risk.

- Merchandising acts as a form of promotion for the company and its programs.
- Spin offs are a sure way to make programs that have a low chance of failing.

What is a multi-national media conglomerate and give 3 examples? Name 5 well known
organisations/companies that they own. (100 words)

A national media conglomerate is a large company that is made of a collection of smaller companies
that operates in multiple countries. Examples of large multinational media conglomerates are,
Comcast, Time Warner and The Walt Disney Company.

Comcast owns companies such as NBC universal and Universal Studios. The Walt Disney Company
owns the ABC network, Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar. They acquired Marvel Comics in 2009. One of
their films The Avengers made over 1 billion dollars in 2012.

Time Warner owns Warner Bros Studios and DC Comics. It was formed in 1990 when the companies
Time Inc. and Warner Communications did a merger. It also owns the company HBO.

What is the difference between a monopoly and Oligopoly with examples?

A Monopoly is when one company is the sole supplier of a certain product. This means that it has no
competition and can raise prices for their product or service without losing any customers. The BBC
used to have a monopoly on

An oligopoly is when the market for a certain product or service is controlled by a small group of
companies. An example of this in media is the blockbuster film industry which is dominated by
companies such as The Walt Disney Company and Twentieth Century Fox.

What is the difference between Vertical and Horizontal integration, with examples?

Vertical Integration is where a company starts expanding into another stage of the production chain.
This helps to ensure that the company gets a cheaper price when it comes to dealing with a certain
part of a production process.

Horizontal integration is where a company expands its business in the same stage of the production
process. It differs from vertical integration because the company deals with familiar territory when
carrying out vertical integration.
What is an independent Production Company and give 3 examples? Name 4 TV programs that they
make.

An independent production company is a production company that runs without outside control.
Examples of independent production companies are, Hat Trick Productions who produced Derry
Girls, Blue Eagle Productions who made Dancing at Lughnasa and Octagon Films who produced The
Door.

Task 2
What is channel proliferation and Multi-Channel TV?

Channel Proliferation is when the amount of channels available to a viewer increases over time. This
gives the viewers a larger choice of channels to watch.

Multi-Channel TV is when TV programming is provided to the viewers by a service provider. It usually

does this for a fee.

Identify when and how multi-channel TV came about(research the 1990 and 1996 Broadcasting
Act).

Multi-channel TV came about in the 1980s. The 1990 broadcasting act made it easier for
independent broadcasting companies to operate. It also effected the BBC by making it compulsory
for it to get 25% of its output from other independent companies. The 1996 Broadcasting act further
loosened the regulations for independent broadcasters.

How is the internet now being used to broadcast television programs?

Broadcasters like the BBC and RTE now have websites to catch up on shows that are played on their
channels during the week. Companies such as Netflix and Amazon now streams film and TV shows
through their respective apps. Internet broadcasting gives the viewer a lot more choice on what they
want to watch.

What is the difference between satellite, digital and cable?

Satellite TV is programing is fed to the viewers TV through radio signals from a satellite. Cable uses
phone wires to broadcast its programing. Internet uses wires and satellite signals to broadcast
information. Unlike cable and satellite TV internet allows the user to send information. Cable can
only get channels from wires.
Task 3
What does the term regulation and de-regulation mean?

Regulation in media is when media companies are regulated by rules and procedures. This is done by
the government. De regulation is when these rules and restrictions are loosened to allow the media
more freedom of speech and in some cases to expand their companies.

What does desensitisation mean?

Desensitisation is when the viewers give less of an emotional reaction to violent aspects on a media
device. This is due to repeated exposure to violence in media. Issues with desensitisation are that
the viewers lack of empathy to what is happening onscreen also relates to what is happening is their
lives.

How has the concept of watershed become blurred?

The watershed was originally designed to air programs that contained content deemed unsuitable
for children. For this reason the watershed is aired after 9pm. Because viewers have become more
accepting of violent and inappropriate content the programing before the watershed now contains
content that previously would have been aired before the watershed.

What are the main roles of Ofcom and briefly the ASA? (250 words)

Ofcom is an organisation that regulates communication technologies and companies. Ofcom stands
for ‘‘of communications’’. It regulates TV, phone companies, mobile companies, postal services as
well as many other types of organisations that operate in the communications industry.

Ofcom is a government run organisation. Therefore it operates without influence from corporate
bodies. The organisation operates heavily under the Communications Act 2003. This law prevents
political advertising to be done on radio and TV as well as making it an offence to access internet
without paying for it.

The organisation operates to help the public and consumers. It ensures that competition between
different communication companies is maintained. It does this by enforcing competition law. Ofcom
also works along side the Competition and Markets Authority.

Ofcom gets its funding from fees from industry companies as well as funding from the government.

The organisation ensures that:

- services such as broadband are of a high standard.

- there is a large variation of radio and TV content to caster for as many audiences as possible.
- TV and radio audiences do not hear offensive content.
- People are treated fairly on tv and radio.
- The uk has a universal postal service that is universally priced.
ASA is organisation that moderates advertising. ASA stands for Advertisement Standard Authority. It
regulates advertisements to ensure that they do not show inappropriate content as well as make
sure that advertisements publish claims that are true and not exaggerated. The ASA ensures that
advertisements that break the ASA’s regulations are fixed to fit the criteria or have the
advertisements withdrawn.