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From Radio to TV

From Radio to TV. Ch. 2. Cultural Precedents. The lists 5 precedents: Urbanization Penny Press Vaudville The Phonograph Motion Pictures. A Closer Look at Urbanization and The Penny Press. The “penny press” is the forerunner of modern journalism. Before the Penny Press Partisan Press

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From Radio to TV

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  1. From Radio to TV Ch. 2

  2. Cultural Precedents • The lists 5 precedents: • Urbanization • Penny Press • Vaudville • The Phonograph • Motion Pictures

  3. A Closer Look at Urbanization and The Penny Press • The “penny press” is the forerunner of modern journalism. • Before the Penny Press • Partisan Press • Commercial Press

  4. Before The Penny Press • Both types of papers left a legacy • Editorial Pages, “Opinion Journalism” • Business papers/ Business Section

  5. Before The Penny Press • “Objectivity” did not exist • The audience wasn’t “mass.” • Readers tended to be educated • Subscription Only • Even largest of papers rarely hit 1,500 circulation

  6. Key Dates • 1690- First North American newspaper (Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick) • 1734 John Peter Zenger Case (Zenger is accused of Seditious Libel. Found Innocent. Case lays foundation for Freedom of The Press) • 1820- a subscription cost about $10-12, more than a week’s wages for a skilled worker (think $1,000-$1,200 for a subscription to a newspaper)

  7. Newspapers Become Mass Media • During the 1800’s • People moved to cities (urbanization) • Industrialization (technology) • Increase in Literacy • Social Turmoil • Cheaper paper/technology + Literacy gave rise to a penny press

  8. Penny Press • Cost a Penny • Steam-Press could produce 4,000 papers an hour • Subscriptions still existed, but there were now daily street sales • The New York Sun (1833) cut subscription altogether

  9. Penny Press • The Sun ran: • Serialized Stories making legends of Davy Crocket and Daniel Boone-- predecessor to celebrity news • Local events • Scandals • Fabricated stories (“scientific” evidence for man on the moon) • Within 6 months of being founded, had a circulation of 8,000 (twice that of its closest competitor) • Initiated a wave of penny papers that featued “human interest” stories (ordinary people facing extrodinary challenges)

  10. Penny Press • Other innovations of the Penny Press include: • Crime Reporting • Started to pull away from partisan issues to attract a mass audience (objectivity) • New York Morning Herald sought to “free” papers from political parties. It wanted to be an independent paper and targeted the middle and working class. • Ad revenues, classifieds and sales become driving force (market replaced political sponsorship) • Gave rise to advertising as an industry and consumerism • As 1800’s went on, “yellow journalism” developed. Age of sensationalism, but also muckraking. Two legacies: • Tabloid sensationalism and gossip • Investigative journalism

  11. Penny Press to Modern Press • 1848- 6 NY papers formed The Associated Press (AP), the first major wire service. • Wire services started with telegraph, then radio then digital transmission allowing reports to come from other parts of the region (DC) and then coast to coast (and then worldwide). • Developed in the 19th c. (Civil War etc…) “objective” style journalism and the “inverted pyramid” became the norm by the early 20 c.

  12. Some Morals to the Story • Although this is a Broadcast class, the story of Newspapers puts modern media in perspective and illustrates the link between market, industry and audience • Technology + Market Forces partially determine the role of the press • Rise of “opinion journalism” traces its roots to pre-penny press days (although the bar is now lowered for the ability too publish)

  13. Dr. Brinkley http://www.anthonyrudel.com/audio/johnr_brinkley.mp3

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