UNIT 5

MASS MEDIA INDUSTRIES IN A DIGITAL

AND ONLINE ENVIRONMENT

TELEVISION

 A short chronology of Spanish TV

- 1956-1980: Monopoly of public television
- 1980-1997: Competition to TVE begins with the appearance of the first
autonomic TV channels, consolidation of private networks (Antena3, Tele5,
Canal +)
- 1997-2004: Appearance pf thematic paid channels through satellite and cable
broadcast
- 2004-2006: New autonomic and private channels (Cuatro, LaSexta) and
beginning of TDT broadcast
- 2006-: Subscription television networks begin to operate: Vodafone TV,
Movistar Plus
- 2010-: Expansion of on-demand video platforms: Netflix, HBO, Amazon
Prime Video
- 2016-: Subscription and on-demand television outlets begin concentration
movements: Movistar Plus + Netflix, Vodafone TV + HBO
 Technological advances (digitalization) have been a very significant factor for
the increase in the number of available channels
- TDT (Terrestrial DIgital Television): Increase in for-free channels; Neox,
Nova, Energy…
- Cable: ONO, Euskaltel
- Internet: Movistar Plus, Vodafone TV, Orange TV

These subscription TV providers offer thematic paid channels

 Television classifications:
- According to type of signal:
o Analog television (uses analog signals)
o Digital television (uses digital signals)
- According to distribution channel:
o Terrestrial television: signals are transmitted through hertzian terrestrial
waves and received with conventional UHF antennas
o Satellite television: a parabolic or dish antenna is required to tune in the
corresponding satellite, and a decoder of the digital signals with an active
subscription if the service is paid
o Cable television: the television signal is distributed through coaxial
cables or optic fibre
o Internet television: the television signal uses the internet wiring – copper
telephone lines or optic fibre – to reach the television set. A decoder is
required for paid services
- Classic programming is when audiovisual content is broadcasted in a pre-
established specific time schedule
- On-demand programming refers to audiovisual content stored in a network
space and distributed to the final user when requested. The user decides what
to see, when and where, and in which device.
- Some hybrid consumption modes exist, like classic programming
television networks that offer the option to go to the beginning of the
currently live program
- The creation of VCR and videotapes was a key landmark in the history of
on-demand programming.
- The user could choose what to watch at any time, to decide that they would
record and watch the current program later instead of live right now.
Ephemeral television died to become recorded television. This analog on-
demand was made possible by the use of tape recorders. VHS tapes could be
recorded and shared, but also bought or rented. Video rental during the
1980s brought the beginning of on-demand consumption habits, and later led
thematic paid channels to offer on-demand content through their cable or
satellite digital television networks.
- In pay-per-view distribution models, viewers that have a receiver-decoder
connected to their computers or TV sets could select the contents they want
to see or store on their receives for later viewing and pay for those. This is a
very popular mode in thematic TV channels (sports, movies…). This meant
a great change:
o The main source of income for TV channels did not come from
advertising anymore, but from subscription and pay-per-view fees
o The goal was not to achieve the highest audience at each time, but to
offer an attractive enough catalog of contents to get as many subscribers
as possible
- On-demand subscription platforms begin operating in Spain during the
2010s, with a combination of pay-per-view subscription and hybrid models.
o A subscription model implies that users have to pay a monthly or yearly
fee to have unlimited access to the catalog available in the platform
o A Hybrid require a paid subscription to access a subset of the catalog,
but have some contents that require further payments (Amazon Prime
Video)
- During the first moments of digital on-demand, viewers were locked to their
decoders to watch, what meant that they could watch whatever they wanted
whenever they wanted, but not wherever they wanted. When decoders were
replaced by internet distribution, any device connected to the internet
became a watching device: modern television sets, computers, tablets,
smartphones…
- These trends have also involved and evolution in consumption habits of
television viewers. For example, current viewers tend to prefer shorter and
self-contained content: this results in very different programs for broadcast
and on-demand platforms, even for shared themes
o Competitive cooking reality TV shows:
o MasterChef: many episodes in a season with the same
contestants, the winner is announced in season finale. Episodes
are more than 3h long
o Nailed it: The seasons are made of many self-contained episodes
and a winner is announced in each episode. Episodes are roughly
30min long
- Fiction series also suffered some changes during this time
o Some platforms (HBO or on-demand TV channel platforms) keep to
classic distribution models, broadcasting or releasing one episode a week
after the premiere
o Others (Netflix) experiments with different models, like releasing all
episodes for a whole season at the same time. Orange is The New Black
was one of the first series released this way.
- This again leads to new consumption habits like binge-watching, the practice
of watching entertainment or information content for a prolonged time span,
usually a single television show. In other words, watching many episodes of
one show in one sitting. Which raises mental health concerns.
RADIO

 Radio waves are disseminated through two different means:

- Amplitude modulation (AM) uses the band between 540 and 1,700
megahertz. Its signals are prone to frequent static interference, but their high-
power allow them to travel long distances, especially at night.
- Frequency modulation (FM) uses the band between 88 and 108 megahertz.
They offer much higher levels of clarity but rarely can travel more than 80
miles 130km) from the site of their transmission.
 The first decade of the 2000s saw the advent of satellite radio, where signals
were transmitted via satellites –and needed specific receivers to tune-in– instead
of terrestrial over-the-air waves.
 Later, online radio began through audio streaming over the internet, meaning
audio files are delivered to devices so that they can be listened to while they are
coming into the device, instead of having to wait for full download.
 FEATURES OF RADIO OVER THE INTERNET
- Programming is fragmented or contents are presented in isolation, and
consumed individually: on-demand radio
o Previously: continuous and unique broadcast, massive audience
- Programming does not account for the time factor anymore: each member of
the audience decides when to listen
o Previously: broadcast and listening were simultaneous, immediate and
ephemeral, for all members of the audience
- Geographic limits due to radio wave reach disappear
- Radio stations create specific websites offering access to contents, storage
and search options, links to other contents from the media group, live
broadcasts…
- Radio contents are also present on social media: users can follow and
interact with them; creators can use them as contrast or source
 PODCASTS:
- A podcast is an audio program in a compressed digital format, delivered via
an RSS feed over the internet to a subscriber and designed for playback on
digital connected devices (computer, smartphone, audio player).
o An RSS feed is a specially formatted file that allows users and
applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-
readable format. Subscribing to RSS feeds can allow a user to keep track
of many different websites in a single news aggregator, which constantly
monitor sites for new content, removing the need for the user to
manually check them.
- On its first stages, radio stations just uploaded their broadcast contents as
podcasts. This quickly evolved towards original and specific contents created
for streaming, both by traditional radio stations and other professional
producers, media personalities, or plain users.
 Podium podcast: Created in 2016, part of Prisa Radio group
o Original podcasts: Estirando el chicle, Menlo Park, El gran
apagón…
o Broadcast programmes in radio stations of the media group
o More in-depth content based on programmers from Cadena SER
  EITB Podcasts: Created in 2021 by EITB
o Collects audios from all radios in the media group
o Recovers classic from the archive
o Original podcasts: Artxipielagoa, Barruan gaude/Estamos
dentro…

NEWSPAPERS

 DIGITALIZATION OF PICTURES
- Digitalization of production methods for newspaper pictures brings certain
advantages to the work process in editorial departments: the most relevant
one is probably getting rid of the darkroom.
- Photographic development is the chemical process by which photographic
film or paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or
positive image. Photographic processing transforms the latent image into a
visible image, makes this permanent and renders it insensitive to light.
- Digitalization of pictures:
 Digital photography allows for lossless processing: the original can be
printed and modified as many times as desired.
 There is more choice for photography editing and processing.
 The final result is immediately visible, without having to wait for the
development process.
 Storage and retrieval is aided by computer tools.
 DESKTOP PUBLISHING
- Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software
on a personal (desktop) computer.
 Before the invention of desktop publishing software, the tasks involved
in desktop publishing were done manually by people who specialized in
graphic design, typesetting, and prepress tasks.
- Desktop publishing:
 Allows for greater flexibility and creativity in design
 More control on presentation and final result of pages
 As all tasks are carried out in the editorial office, the daily deadline is
delayed
 ONLINE NEWSPAPERS
- Online newspapers were the first news content creators on the web
 1994: El Temps (first Spanish magazine on the Web)
 1995: Avui, El Periosico de Catalunya, La Vanguardia
 1996: El País
 1998: Estrella Digital (first online-only newspaper)
- In addition to producing newspapers digitally, making them available
online brings certain advantages due to interactivity with readers:
 Feedback from the audience: online debate, comments
 Closer contact with the medium: reporters are accessible through email,
digital encounters
 Contact between members of the audience: comment sections, forums
- Other advantages:
 There is no technical or physical limit to online contents; the only limit is
the production capacity of editorial departments.
 Information comes in a continuous update flow: there is almost no
interruption in the news stream.
 Reporters have a wide option of resources available in terms of
information sources, collaborations, correspondents, etc.