Real Communication An Introduction

534 Appendix B   Understanding Mass and Mediated Communication

computers, cell phone entertainment, video games, music/

audio, and print (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010). Of

course, much of this time is spent media multitasking—

using more than one media type at the same time—and

that overlapping usage allows kids and adults to pack

nearly 11 hours of content into their daily lives. In fact,

in today’s digital media environment, it is almost impos-

sible to escape media (Pavlik & McIntosh, 2013).

Understanding Mass Media

Messages

There are several important factors that help shape the

kinds of mass media messages that are made and deliv-

ered. In this section, we discuss these key influences, including the economics of

a high-risk media industry, the principle of free speech and government regula-

tion, and the role of media bias.

The Business of Media

Media organizations range from tiny production companies to huge interna-

tional conglomerates (such as Sony) that are parent companies to a number of

other large organizations (such as Sony Pictures Entertainment, which itself is

the parent company of Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems, among others).

Some companies form just for the purpose of making one movie or television

show, whereas others, such as Universal and Netflix, oversee, purchase, or dis-

tribute thousands of movies and TV programs each year. But all of these compa-

nies are businesses—they need to make money to stay in business.

Sources of Revenue

There are two main sources of revenue for the mass media: consumer pur-

chases and advertising. Consumers pay directly for some media messages, such

as going to the movies, subscribing to cable, satellite or on-demand online

streaming services, and buying magazines, e-books, or DVDs. Advertising

dollars also support many of the same media that consumers purchase (maga-

zines, newspapers, cable TV) because purchases alone are not enough to keep

these industries afloat. Advertising is also the sole support for several other

media, including broadcast TV and radio and much of the Internet. Adver-

tising rates are determined mainly by how many people are in the audience

(and for how long). For print media, this means circulation size (the number

of people who buy or subscribe to newspapers and magazines); for live TV

and radio, this primarily means ratings (the number of households that are in

the viewing/listening audience for a given time slot, including those who re-

cord and watch later the same day). For Web sites and streamed TV content

on computers or mobile devices, usage data can get more complicated, but

everything gets measured—from unique hits (that is, individual visitors to a

site) and the amount of time people spend browsing to people’s patterns of

IN-FLIGHT BOREDOM

is a thing of the past, as

increasingly more airlines

equip each individual seat

with a TV screen and headset

jack, along with basic chan-

nels, film rental options, and

satellite radio. © Charles Polidano/

Touch The Skies/Alamy

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