Impact of Television on Mass Media Content - Essay Example

Table of contents: Introduction………………………………………………p.2 Television media content………………………………….p.3 The impact of television media……………………………p. 6 Drawbacks of television media……………………………p .7 Conclusion………………………………………………….p .9 Works cited ……………………………………………….. p. 11 Outline Mass media has many avenues through which they can get to the members of the public who are the targeted and end users. Media as a form of communication was introduced about 550 years ago. In the past, there was only print and audio form of media; in the form of newspapers and radios. There has been a lot of growth in the media especially with the introduction of technology. Innovation in media related technology has ensured that the members of the public can access more information and in a timely manner. One of the mass media that revolutionized the advertising, information sharing and entertainment aspects of the media was the introduction of television. This paper will discuss the impact of television on the mass media content and origins of television advertising. Introduction Mass media is an important aspect in the world because it informs the members of the public on current events that are being witnessed around the nation. The advancement in innovations has led to a growth and advancement in the mass media channels. The introduction of television brought a form of media communication whereby individuals could see and hear what was being reported. Television grew to be very popular because could see and hear what was being communicated. Initially, most of the content that was being communicated was mostly informative content such as current events at the local and international level, the weather and documentaries. The content on the televisions was also black and white. With time, the content expanded to include entertainment content like music and soap operas that increased the number of individuals that subscribed to television. Thesis statement: Television media led to the decline in the traditional media channels such print magazines and radio. Television media content The introduction of televisions in the 1950 decade brought competition to the already established newspaper and radio industry. The other forms of media that existed had to establish and introduce new strategies so as to maintain market relevance. In the year 1962, installing and use of satellite Telstar I was initiated (Lamb et al). Real time images and audio content would be transmitted to the audience from wherever it was occurring. This enabled television media to have an upper hand since it could transmit news from all over the world. This gave television media an upper hand in the media because individuals would source information content from all over the world and it had an entertainment factor. According to Barkin (p 10), people liked television media because they felt that it was valid in comparison to radio and newspapers forms of information content. There were few television programs that broadcasted, so some of them had to be repeated before station broadcasting hours ended. The 1980 decade witnessed lot of progress in television media due to the launch of 24 television hours especially in the United States of America (Barkin p 9). This increased the number of audiences for the various television stations that aired throughout the day and night. People who worked at night were kept busy and entertained by the continuous programs on their favorite television stations. With the growing popularity of the television stations, other forms of media such as radio, newspapers and magazines recorded low sales volumes. Some newspapers had to close their businesses due to the high competition from the television stations. A greater number of people preferred to view images as they listened, in contrast to reading or just listening without viewing images. Cable television was introduced whereby individuals could pay a given amount of money periodically such as per month to access some premium stations. The premium stations had a high number of entertainment programs and live broadcasting of international news. Competition moved from being different types of media such as newspapers and television, to competition between different television stations (Shimp p 16). According to Barkin (p. 3), the 1990 decade saw the growth of many television stations with the introduction of many genres of the programs that were being aired on television stations. The growth of the television media outlet contributed to an astronomical growth of the film and entertainment industry especially Hollywood in the United States of America. With the introduction of talented movie producers, directors, actors and actresses, there was an increase in the demand for the media content placed in the market. Luckily, the supply of news, interesting and entertaining content has improved since the 1990’s (Barkin 4). The 21st century has seen the growth of the number of individuals that can access internet television. Lamb et al (p. 17) is of the opinion that, with internet television, viewers can give feedback on the content that is aired on the television media. Therefore, producers, directors and actors can create and maintain relationships with their target audience thus leading to a large market following and standing. High numbers of audience for televised content translates to a higher likelihood of the content being constantly and consistently recorded for airing (Lamb et al p. 18)). The continuous airing of television media content also translates to higher ratings and earnings for the television content. Nowadays, television stations have to compete with digital media such as internet television whereby digital material is availed to viewers through the internet. Shimp asserts that this “form of television stations provision is very convenient and popular” among individuals that live away from their countries of origin (p.4). Such people can just type the live content broadcasting web addresses, and they can be able to access the television programs that they need and want to watch. Internet television content has an advantage over other television stations since it can be downloaded and watched later. It is also easier to access content that had been aired earlier on watch it as if it was current news (Shimp p 7). Such a provision is not available for normal television stations. However, people can watch ‘omnibus’ version of their favorite programs which are usually aired during the weekends. The omnibuses are usually composed of a whole week worth of the programs that were aired during the whole week. Therefore, individuals that missed the normal airing of programs can get to watch them on the weekends. Some television stations also have a provision whereby people can record their various stations as they air and then play them back later (Barkin p. 22). Television has to be the media outlet that has gone through the highest form of growth and recognition among individuals in the world. According to Lamb et al (p. 15), by the time that television sets were invented and became commercial, about a thousand people in the United States actually owned television sets. When we fast forward the scenario about half a decade later, about 95% of American nationals have a television set at home. American households also keep on changing their television states constantly. The viewership of the television as a form of media around the world is also very high. An increase in the number of people that are obese as a result of leading an inactive life has been attributed to the television. The interesting television programs that are aired on the television keep people glued on the screen for a long time (Lamb et al p. 23). In most cases, the foods that such individuals consume throughout the day are also very unhealthy which worsens their already sedentary lifestyle. I agreed that the inactive life led by individuals as a result being addicted to television shows has been cited as a negative effect of introducing television as a form of media in the world. I believe that television led to reduction in the market share of the non-audio mass media such as newspapers and also radio due to the ability to display images. The impact of television media Lamb et al asserts that television has gone from primarily being a technology that informs to one that entertains, educates, and is interactive and increasingly mobile (p. 25). The television is one of the major mass media tools that advertisers use to inform and attract consumers to the products and services they intend to sell to consumers. One of the major advantages of the television as a form of advertising medium is its ability to reach a wide range of potential consumers within a very short period of time which could at times be seconds. The advertisements are researched on and designed and crafted to influence a particular target audience to purchase goods and services or ideas. Television advertisements are used to inform and influence the intended target population (Lamb et al p 26). Lamb et al (p 25), asserts that television revolutionized the advertising world and in turn advertising has evolved over the years to become a lucrative industry that is combining creativity and scientific in-put in pursuit of consumers and more so their wallets. There are various forms of television advertising and they are categorized in terms of their target market. National television advertising is used when targeting consumers nationwide. Spot television adverting is used when targeting specific markets which can arise for example when marketing new brands or marketing brands to specific consumers. The other forms of advertising include syndicated advertising, cable advertising and local television advertising (Lamb et al p 27). Television advertising is unique in many aspects and this is why it remains a favorite option for marketers. One reason is that television advertisements engage the sense of sight and hearing of the viewer and by extension enable the viewer to imagine using the product or service. The adverts also have the advantage of capturing the senses and imagination in an intrusive way making them difficult to ignore unlike advertisements in other media such as newspapers. By involving the senses of the viewer television adverts can entertain the viewer making them unforgettable a vital aspect in the marketing world. Television adverts are able to use humor and are often created to be humorous and unforgettable which is an advantage they have over other forms of media which do not have and cannot have an interactive aspect. The advertisements often have a huge impact on viewers and they are designed to be repeated at certain intervals and can have an impact on retailers and other traders who find it easier to market a product that has been branded and advertised to the masses. (Shimp p 40). I believe that television is part of many households and everyday life in the world today. It has greatly changed over the years and has even influenced cultural and social life. Television has improved the imagination of human beings and transmission of information. Drawbacks of television media Television advertising has its draw backs and one of them is the cost of television advertising which continues to rise. This can spiral to huge amounts depending on the marketing campaign which often requires several adverts in a campaign to run for a certain period of time. Another problem facing television advertising is the loss of viewership. With the emergence of alternative sources of entertainment such as the internet and cable television has meant that the television has had to share their viewers with these media which has negatively affected television adverting which cannot advertise if no one will see the advertisements. Channel surfing or zapping has also been a disadvantage to television advertisers because it reduces the chances of the potential consumer viewing the advert targeting him/her. The digital video recorder (DVR) threatens television advertising because viewers will tend to zip past the advertisements as they are unwilling to interrupt watching their favorite shows. It has become challenging for advertisers to reach a large block of potential consumers at one given time due to the wide selection of programming catering to the different tastes of potential consumers (Shimp p 36). Television media has been observed to have an impact in the field of politics by increasing popularity of political voters in the country. The first presidential candidate debate was seen in 1960 when President John F. Kennedy was voted into power. President Kennedy was the democratic presidential candidate while Nixon was the Republican candidate. Kennedy’s well groomed image was a positive aspect of his features. His attractive features were a contrast to the unkempt nature of Nixon’s appearance (Shimp p 56). Due to the television, media, individuals were able to notice the difference in poise and grooming. Therefore, individuals who were not loyal republicans chose John F, Kennedy. Television media slowly captured the assasination of president John F. Kennedy in 1963. Television media also contributed to the shaping of journalists’ careers such as Huntley Brinkley and Walter Cronkite. Cronkite became a face that most American households associated with the thorough and truthful reporting of news for two decades. By showing certain content in their news pieces, they show the important features of the reported news that people should focus on. This is one of the reasons why the media should be responsible and have in their employment only members of high integrity who cannot be compromised in any way to change news content to fit the interest of a few people in the society. I believe that proper etiquette and passion in reporting of news contributed to the growth of the popularity of television stations and media personalities. The television media had, and still hold a lot of power in agenda setting and shaping the attitudes of individuals. Conclusion The paper has successfully looked at television as a form of media. Television is a superior form of media avenue because it offers both audio and visual content availability to its clients. Commercial television sets were introduced into the market in the 1950 decade. The sets grew in popularity and gave a lot of competition to other forms of media such a newspapers, magazines and radio. Some newspapers had to close down with the introduction of television media in the market (Barkin p 14). Television media changed from only offering news and informative content to offering entertaining programs for audiences. This increased the number of television media subscribers and buyers of television sets. By the beginning of the 21st century, about 95% of the American population were in possession of television sets. Internet television has also been introduced in the market whereby individuals can watch television stations on the internet. People can also download programs to watch or watch episodes aired a long time ago. I believe that television media holds a lot of power in shaping the content that is made available to audiences. The media should be responsible in their reporting because they are responsible for creating and shaping peoples’ opinions. Modern digital televisions such as online channels will still remain relevant in overcoming location barriers in transmitting information. Works Cited Barkin, Michael. America television News: The media marketplace and the Public interest. New York: Sharp Inc, 2003. Print. Lamb Charles W., Joseph F. Hair, Jr., Carl D. McDaniel. Essentials of Marketing. Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Shimp, Terence A. Advertising, Promotion, and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Read More