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68 - MASS MEDIA IN ENGLISH: RADIO & TV. ADVERTISING: LINGUISTICS AND…

- - - - Overview: 1- definition of media & mass media, + its historical development 2- radio & TV in Britain & USA & 3 - advertising: definition + types, attention-seeking devices & language features
- - - - NB: The media usually refers to news specifically
      - Marshall McLuhan: (Canadian media theorist): the medium is the message. How we communicate =more imp than what is said, & the medium (eg TV) can shape thought
        
        Opposing view = Raymond Williams - more imp how ppl within society use, produce & consume media
        
        MOST would say it’s between the 2 - tech. imp but what humans do with media is too.
      - MASS media = info, opinion, propaganda, advertising, entertainment etc are conveyed → v large audience
        
        Chief forms = radio & TV broadcasting, press, cinema & many types of advertising, & ↑ social media.
        
        Mostly have ‘general interest audiences’, - relatively undifferentiated by class, income, background..
  - - - Radio = 1st electronic mass medium.Marconi 1890s. 1st voice signals broadcast 1906 -US. Took off 1920s - scheduled broadcasts & programmes. ‘Golden Age’ = 1940s
      - TV: Few inventions have impacted contemporary society to same extent
        
        Invented late 1920s, took off late 1940s/50s - by early ‘60s, 90% of homes in US had TV.
        
        Entertainment → journalistic & political force. 1960 - 1st televised presidential debate (Nixon & Kennedy), & V war in colour…
        
        1970s cable TV ↑ competition
        
        1990 explosion of new channels.
        
        Now - huge competition - broadcast & cable compete with Youtube/social media - ‘quick entertainment fixes’ + streaming platforms ..
- - - - Royal Charter
        
        Outlines mission, governance & regulatory arrangements. BBC not directly controlled by govt BUT not 100% ind.- charter renewed by Parl & govt can intervene if programmes 'controversial' + ↑ meddling in appointments
        
        Financed mainly by licence fees (169.50) (70%) + commercial subsidies (30%). CANNOT advertise or give opinion on current affairs / public policy = IMPARTIAL.
        
        BBC had monopoly until 1954 - licences → commercial companies → ↑ ind. TV financed by advertising
        
        Nowadays: 8 national channels+ many regional, IPlayer, 12 nat. radio stations, 40 local & extensive website + World Service - radio, TV, websites in 40 langs
        
        BUT - ↑ fragile. Hostility from press & digital transformation. Reluctance from Tories to renew charter . Funding mechanism ↑ outdated
  - - - Main channels: BBC1 (general), BBC2 (specialist), ITV & Channel 4
        
        Average viewer = 4 hrs per day! Overview types programmes (entertainment, drama, spoken word)
        
        2024: I'm a Celeb..., Strictly, Bake Off, Planet Earth, + series: Traitors, Luther, Happy Valley.
        
        Ind. public body responsible for licensing & regulating broadcasting & communications services = Ofcom. Watchdog. Sets standards & handles complaints.
- - - - Schedules (esp on ‘big 3’) similar & follow daily pattern: nat. news (ABC's America This Morning)→ local news → morning program - eg NBC's Today (mix) → talk shows/soaps →midday news → soaps → evening news → prime (3 hrs) - family comedy then drama → late night interview shows. Sat am- kids; Sun am - pol/eco. talk shows
- - - - Latin ‘advertere’ - “to turn towards”.
        Adverts = texts that try & get our attention, to turn towards them
        
        2 elements present: INFO & PERSUASION
        
        Qs
        
        Is info accurate enough?
        
        Are persuasive techniques used ethically acceptable?
        
        Need to understand HOW ideology & meanings are produced
        
        Semiotics
        
        Advertising uses Semiotics (aka) Semiology: study of signs & sign-using behaviour. 1st used (independently) by Saussure & Charles Pearce in early 20C.
        
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  - - - Lang - many techniques (next section)
      - Product - characteristics, USP etc
      - Purpose - ↑ product sales, restore reputation...
      - Audience - determines many other factors
      - Medium - Which? Print, broadcast (primary revenue generator for commercial TV, radio stations & internet sites), outdoor (eg billboards) covert (product/brand embedded in ent./media eg Estrella -Money Heist) or public service
      - Competition - similar products can orientate + how to stand out
    - - Ads can be categorised in many ways (eg medium) but also by purpose:
        
        Commercial consumer: most pervasive & visible kind. Mass media. Aim = to sell goods.
        
        Prestige, business. Aim: promote confidence & ↑ rep of the company
        
        Trade/technical - specific professional target audience
        
        Govt/charity: Aim: raising awareness/funding/ /modifying social attitudes
        
        Classified: short person-to-person communications, normally in local papers
  - - - Pathos (emotion) Sp Xmas lottery/coke, (happiness), baby crib/charity(guilt)
        
        Logos - 68% of women reported ....
        
        Ethos - company = reliable, so buy! 1 of most important factors in persuading us. Stats from 'reliable experts' - 9/10 dentists agree Colgate... False ethos - celebrity.
      - Effective ads combine the 3 main types of memory encoding: visual, acoustic & semantic.
  - - - LEXIS
        
        Word choice - v imp - communicate feelings, associations & attitudes.
        
        Eg cosmetics - connotations - beauty, cleanliness, naturalness: Natural Wonder, Rainflower, Sunsil, Skin Dew
        
        Adverbs & adjectives - evoke senses eg elegant, superb, enchanting, sheer
        
        In Confessions of an Advertising Man, David Ogilvy - most pervasive words = URGENCY: suddenly, now, hurry, quick; AMAZING: sensational, amazing, remarkable; MAGIC: miracle, magic; GOOD DEAL: offer, bargain
        
        Adjectival compounds common - eg quick-drying, figure-flattering, go-anywhere blouse, best-selling; long-lasting; ready-to-eat-meal…
        
        Often comparative & superlatives e.g More connections. DHL has the world’s biggest logistics network.
        
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        Playing with lang - wordplay & manipulating/distorting everyday meanings
        
        Deliberate misspellings - uniqueness but also recognizable elements. Rice Krispies & Ryvita - “Krisp” and “Ry” meaningful
        
        Coinage: “Give a Timex to all, to all a good time” = Times + excellent + teenfresh, flavoursome, cookability
      - Poetic devices/ figurative language
        
        Personification: “The first bra to understand the facts of life”
        
        Metaphor: “Eat a bowl of sunshine”
        
        Synecdoche: “Clarks bid to get Britain back to their feet” (Britain = British people)
        
        Metonymy: “Wash the city out of your hair”
        
        Parallelism & alliteration: “A different kind of company. A different kind of car”
        
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      - SYNTAX
        
        Nominal groups are predominant, Neutrogena's multi-defence daily moisturiser - implies it defends & protects
        
        Most frequent tenses = imperatives (action - Buy this, Try some today, don´t forget, treat yourself), present simple (general truth) & future (promises)
        
        Slogans & brand names use short, crisp sentences, easy to repeat & remember, + catch-phrases, rhythm, alliteration etc
        
        Style - often informal (eg McDonalds) or even slang - YOLO Travels but caution needed as can alienate some and/or become outdated quickly
        
        Even NO lang - product speaks for itself!
        
        MOST FAMOUS: Nike – Just Do It
        Apple – Think Different
        Coca-Cola – Open Happiness
        L'Oreal – Because You're Worth It
        De Beers – A Diamond is Forever
        McDonald´s - I´m lovin´it
- - - - Consequences
        
        Importance of established intellectual properties. Todd Gitlin: recombinant culture (rehashes - sequels, remakes - eg Just Like That (revival of Sex in the City, Am. The Office- SO - less brand new output.
        
        ↑ in attention grabbing strategies - eg in news broadcasts - everything = breaking news, countdowns, impressive visuals etc. ALSO - more sensationalism.
        
        How to stand out?! BRANDING incredibly important