Media today Joseph Turaw

Praise for Media Today, 3rd Edition
“Media Today is the best textbook to understand the organization, eco-
nomics, and emerging trends within the U.S. media sector. Its institution-
al focus and the level of detail and updated knowledge it provides in this
regard makes it the best textbook for an introductory media course.”
Gisela Gil-Egui, Fairfield University
“What makes Media Today especially stand out is the extra attention to
the dynamics of the ever-changing media industries. Joe Turow’s book
offers a nuanced, comprehensive and accessible treatment of how eco-
nomic incentives and current trends in media matter for us and our
democracy.”
Matt McAllister, Pennsylvania State University
“Media Today engages students and serves as a helpful guide to our new
media-saturated world. The writing is lively and concise, and the color-
ful illustrations are full of zest. Turow’s dry wit engages students in a
conversational narrative that prompts them to connect what they read
to their own experience of contemporary media trends.”
Edward M. Clift, Woodbury University
“Media Today skillfully weaves together all the core components need-
ed for an introductory media course: basics of media literacy and criti-
cism, details about a wide range of the most current media, and an
uncommonly thorough integration of the functioning of media indus-
tries. Accessible and smart in its writing style and full of useful illustra-
tions and tables, Media Today is not only up-to-date in its information,
but its perspective prepares the future of media studies.”
Amanda Lotz, University of Michigan
MEDIA TODAY
An INTRODUCTION to MASS COMMUNICATION
3rd Edition
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:06 PM Page i

Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:06 PM Page ii
JOSEPH TUROW
MEDIA TODAY
An INTRODUCTION to MASS COMMUNICATION
3rd Edition
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:06 PM Page iii
Published 2009
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
First published in 1999 by Houghton Mifflin Company
Revised and reprinted in a Second Edition in 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2009 Taylor & Francis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by
any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
The authors and publishers have taken care in the preparation of this book but make no expressed or
implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is
assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the
information or programs contained herein.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Turow, Joseph.
Media today : an introduction to mass communication / Joseph Turow.—3rd ed.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Mass media. I. Title.
P90.T874 2008
302.23—dc22
2008021757
ISBN10: 0-415-96058-4 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0-415-96059-2 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0-203-89534-7 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978-0-415-96058-8 (hbk)
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Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/18/08 8:32 PM Page iv
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.
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collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
ISBN 0-203-89534-7 Master e-book ISBN
For Judy
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:06 PM Page v
vi
About the Author
Joseph Turow is the Robert Lewis
Shayon Professor of Communication
and Associate Dean for Graduate
Studies at the University of
Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for
Communication. He has been
described by the New York Times as
“probably the reigning academic
expert on media fragmentation.” He
holds a Ph.D. in communication from
the University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1986. He has also
served on the faculty at Purdue University and has lectured at many other univer-
sities in the United States and around the world.
Turow has published more than seventy articles in scholarly journals and ten
books on mass media industries in addition to Media Today. Among those books
are Niche Envy: Marketing Discrimination in the Digital Age (MIT Press),
Breaking Up America: Advertisers and the New Media World (University of
Chicago Press), The Hyperlinked Society (University of Michigan Press), and
Playing Doctor (Oxford University Press). He has also written about media and
advertising for the popular press, including The Washington Post, the Los
Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Turow has received two departmental Best Teaching Awards, along with
numerous conference-paper awards. He served as elected Chair of the Mass
Communication Division of the International Communication Association for

four years. Turow edits “The New Media World” book series for the University
of Michigan Press and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of
Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Poetics, and New Media & Society.
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:06 PM Page vi
Brief Contents
Preface xx
Acknowledgments xxvii
A Visual Tour of Media Today xxviii
To the Student xxxii
Part One
Understanding the Nature of Mass Media 2
1 Understanding Mass Media and the Importance of Media Literacy 4
2 Making Sense of the Media Business 38
3 Formal and Informal Controls on Media Content: Government
Regulation, Self-Regulation, and Ethics
80
4 Making Sense of Research on Media Effects and Media Culture 142
Part Two
Media Giants and Cross-Media Activities 186
5 A World of Blurred Media Boundaries 188
6 Understanding the Strategies of Media Giants 230
Part Three
The Print Media 260
7 The Book Industry 262
8 The Newspaper Industry 298
9 The Magazine Industry 342
Part Four
The Electronic Media 378
10 The Recording Industry 380
11 The Radio Industry 418

12 The Motion Picture Industry 462
13 The Television Industry 504
14 The Internet and Video Game Industries 546
Part Five
Advertising and Public Relations 590
15 The Advertising Industry 592
16 The Public Relations Industry 624
Epilogue 660
Notes 662
Photo Credits 667
Index 669
vii
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Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page viii
Detailed Contents
Part One
Understanding the Nature of Mass Media
ix
1 UNDERSTANDING MASS MEDIA
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA
LITERACY
4
Varieties of Communication 6
Communication Defined 7
Culture Today: Mediated Interpersonal
Communication Breakdown
8
From Communication to Mass
Communication
12

Mass Communication Defined 17
Media Innovation 18
Culture Today: Where Does the Term
Media Come From?
20
Mass Media in our Personal Lives 20
How People Use the Mass Media 21
Culture Today: Catch Phrases as Social
Currency
22
Mass Media, Culture, and Society 23
What is Culture? 25
Criticisms of Mass Media’s Relation to
Culture
28
Media Literacy 28
Foundations of Media Literacy 29
Media Literacy Skills 32
Becoming a Media Literate Person 33
Questioning Media Trends 33
2 MAKING SENSE OF THE MEDIA
BUSINESS 38
The Economy of Mass Media 40
The Role of the Audience 41
Critical Consumer: How Much am
I Worth?
47
The Primary Genres 47
Entertainment 48
News 52

Culture Today: A Dramady Says
Goodbye
53
Information 57
Education 58
Advertisements 59
Mixing Genres 61
The Business of Mass Media 61
Production of Mass Media Content 62
Culture Today: Silicon Freelancers 63
Media Production Firms 63
Tech & Infrastructure: Increasing Pressures
on Special Effects Shops
65
Distribution of Mass Media Content 66
Culture Today: The Disappearance of the
Record Store
68
Exhibition of Mass Media Content 69
Financing Mass Media Content 71
Funding New Production 71
Funding When Production is Already
Complete
72
Media Literacy and the Business of Media 74
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page ix
DETAILED CONTENTS
x
3 FORMAL AND INFORMAL CONTROLS
ON MEDIA CONTENT: GOVERNMENT

REGULATION, SELF-REGULATION,
AND ETHICS
80
Government Regulation of the Media
Marketplace
82
Approaches to Media Regulation 82
Political, Economic, and Cultural Influences
on Government Regulation of the
Media
87
U.S. Media Regulation and the First
Amendment
87
What Does the First Amendment Mean by
“No Law,” and Where Does it
Apply?
88
What Does the First Amendment Mean by
“The Press”?
89
What Does the First Amendment Mean by
“Abridging”?
90
Types of Media Regulation 92
Regulating Content Before Distribution 92
Culture Today: A Selection of Challenged
or Banned Books in the 2000s
95
Critical Consumer: Prior Restraint and

Student Journalism on the Web
103
Regulating Information After
Distribution
104
World View: U.S. Libel Laws Meet the
Internet
106
Is it Ethical? Self-regulation or Market
Pressure: the Imus Case
109
Critical Consumer: Web User Beware 113
Economic Regulation 115
The Struggle with Government over
Information
Gathering117
Gathering Information on Government
Documents and Meetings
117
Gathering Information on News
Events
118
Gathering Information from Confidential
Sources
118
Allowing Information Gathering 119
Media Self-regulation
120
External Pressures on Media Organizations
to Self-regulate

121
Internal Pressures on Media to
Self-regulate 123
World View: Video Game Ratings
Systems
126
Ethics 131
Classical Ethics 131
Making Ethical Decisions 133
Ethical Duties to Various Constituencies
134
Media Literacy, Regulation, and Ethics 136
Media Regulations and the Savvy
Citizen
137
4 MAKING SENSE OF RESEARCH ON MEDIA
EFFECTS AND MEDIA CULTURE
142
The Nature of Mass Media Research 144
Approaches to Mass Media Research 144
Tools for Evaluating Mass Media
Research
149
The Early Years of Mass Media Research in the
United States
151
Searching for Community: Early Critical
Studies Research
152
Fearing Propaganda: Early Concerns About

Persuasion
154
Kids and Movies: Continuing Effects
Research
157
Social Relations and the Media 158
Media Research: Could These Results Have
Occurred by Chance?
161
The Limits of Propaganda: Limited Effects
Research
161
Consolidating the Mainstream
Approach
163
Studying Opinion and Behavior
Change
164
Studying What People Learn from
Media
164
Is it Ethical? When Politics Meets Social
Research
166
Studying Why, When and How People Use
the Media
167
Media Research: A World Class Idea 168
Culture Today: Bridging the Global Digital
Divide

170
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DETAILED CONTENTS
xi
The Rise of Critical Approaches 170
Moving from Mainstream to
Critical 171
Cultural Studies 176
Historical Approaches to Cultural
Studies
177
Anthropological Approaches to Cultural
Studies
177
Linguistic and Literary Approaches to
Cultural Studies 178
Using Media Research to Develop Media
Literacy Skills 179
Where Do You Stand with Respect to Media
Effects? 179
How to Make Sense of Discussions and
Arguments About Media Effects 179
Part Two
Media Giants and Cross-Media Activities
5 A WORLD OF BLURRED MEDIA
BOUNDARIES 188
Six Current Guiding Mass Media
Trends
189
Media Fragmentation 190

Audience Erosion 190
Audience Segmentation 191
Segmentation When Outlets are not
Advertiser-Supported
193
Segmentation When Outlets are Advertiser-
Supported
194
Distribution of Products Across Media
Boundaries
196
Reasons for Crossing Media Boundaries:
Covering Costs
197
Reasons for Crossing Media Boundaries:
Achieving a Good Share of Mind
201
Globalization 202
Worldwide Tastes in Media vs. American
Media Tastes
204
Local Media Organizations vs. Global
Media Organizations
205
World View: Viacom’s Joint Venture
in India
206
Conglomeration 207
Synergy 209
Culture Today: 7-Eleven Morphs into The

Simpsons Version of Itself
212
Digital Convergence 213
A Remarkable Development 213
Encouraging Cross-media Distribution 214
Encouraging Controversy 216
Forcing New Models 217
Media Literacy: Taking a Critical View
of Blurring Media Boundaries
218
Media Profile: Herbert Schiller 219
Three Common Criticisms of the Growth
of Conglomerates
220
Determining Your Point of View
as a Critical Consumer of
Media
224
6 UNDERSTANDING THE STRATEGIES
OF MEDIA GIANTS
230
Three Contemporary Media Giants 232
The Walt Disney Company 232
Critical Consumer: Does Mickey Mouse
Have a Personality?
234
Three Main Strategies 235
World View: Disney to China: “It’s a Small
World After All”
238

News Corporation 239
Media Profile: Rupert Murdoch 243
Three Main Strategies 243
Culture Today: Buying Space on MySpace
244
Google 249
Media Profile: Google Founders Sergey
Brin and Larry Page
250
Three Main Strategies 250
World View: Globalizing Google 252
Media Literacy and Corporate Strategies 257
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page xi
DETAILED CONTENTS
xii
7 THE BOOK INDUSTRY 262
The Meaning of a Book 264
The History of the Book 264
Gutenberg and the Advent of Movable
Type
265
The Impact of the Book on Society 266
The Book in Britain 267
The Book in the British Colonies 268
U.S. Book Publishing Becomes an
Industry 268
The Advent of Dime Novels and Domestic
Novels
270
Conglomerates Enter the Book

Industry
270
Critical Consumer: The Advent of
the Serial
271
Critical Consumer: Book
Conglomerates
272
The Book Industry Today 272
Educational and Training Books 272
World View: The Scarcity of Textbooks 273
Consumer Books 274
Culture Today: Harry Potter Goes
Green
276
Variety and Specialization in Book
Publishing
278
Financing Book Publishing 278
Production in the Book Publishing
Industry
280
Production in Trade Publishing 280
Production at a University Press 281
Tech & Infrastructure: Books on
Demand
282
Book Production and the Electronic
Age
283

Ethical Pitfalls in Book Production 284
Critical Consumer: Plagiarism in the
Twenty-first Century
285
Reducing the Risks of Failure During the
Production Process
286
Critical Consumer: Targeting in the Book
Industry
287
Distribution in the Book Industry 289
The Role of Wholesalers in the Distribution
Process 289
Assessing a Title’s Popularity 290
Exhibition in Book Publishing 291
Exhibition in Textbook Publishing 291
Exhibition Via Bookstores 293
Exhibition Via the Web 294
Media Literacy and the Book Industry 294
8 THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY 298
The Development of the Newspaper 300
The Rise of the Adversarial Press 300
The Birth of the First Amendment 301
Newspapers in Post-revolutionary
America
301
Newspapers Become Mass Media 302
Changing Approaches to News 303
Financing the Paper 304
Defining News 304

Organizing the News Process 305
A Revolution in Newspaper Publishing 306
A Readership Revolution 306
An Advertising Revolution 306
Print Journalism in the Early Twentieth
Century
307
The Era of Yellow Journalism 307
The Newspaper Industry
Consolidates
309
The Rise of the Tabloids 309
Newspaper Industry Woes 309
Media Profile: Katharine Graham 310
An Overview of the Modern Newspaper
Industry
312
Daily Newspapers 312
Weekly Newspapers 316
Newspaper Niches 317
Financing the Newspaper Business 317
Advertising 317
World View: Ethnic Newspapers 318
Advertising Challenges Facing
Newspapers
320
Part Three
The Print Media
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page xii
DETAILED CONTENTS

xiii
Circulation Challenges Facing
Newspapers 321
Production and the Newspaper
Industry
322
Creating Newspaper Content 323
Critical Consumer: Project Censored 325
The Technology of Publishing the
Paper
326
Tech & Infrastructure: Printing: to
Outsource or Not to Outsource?
327
Distribution and the Newspaper
Industry
327
Determining Where to Market the
Newspaper
329
Tech & Infrastructure: Newsprint and
Recycling
330
A Critical View of Marketing and
Distribution Tactics in the Newspaper
Industry
330
Exhibition in the Newspaper Industry 331
Achieving Total Market Coverage 331
New Exhibition Strategies for

Newspapers
332
A Key Industry Issue: Building
Readership
332
Building Print Readership 333
Building Digital Newspapers 335
Media Literacy and the Newspaper
Industry
337
9 THE MAGAZINE INDUSTRY 342
The Development of Magazines 343
The Transformation of Magazines into
Mass Media
344
The Rise of Women’s Magazines 344
Fundamental Changes in Magazine
Publishing
346
New Roles for Mass-circulation
Magazines 347
Sensational News: the Work of the
Muckrakers
347
Entertainment Roles: the Ladies’ Home
Journal and the Saturday Evening
Post
348
Magazines Later in the Twentieth
Century

349
An Overview of the Modern Magazine
Industry
350
Five Major Types of Magazines 351
Business-to-business Magazines/Trade
Magazines
351
Consumer Magazines 352
Literary Reviews and Academic
Journals
353
Culture Today: Academic Journals and
Open Access
354
Newsletters 354
Comic Books 355
Financing Magazine Publishing 356
Controlled-circulation Magazines 356
Paid-circulation Magazines 358
Market Segmentation 359
World View: Magazines in China Come of
Age
360
Production and the Magazine Industry 360
Magazine Production Goals 360
Producing the Magazine as Brand 364
Culture Today: Pushing Time Ahead 365
Media Profile: Oprah Winfrey, Cross-media
Phenomenon

366
Distribution and the Magazine Industry 367
Exhibition and the Magazine Industry 369
Tech & Infrastructure: Cover Lines 370
Media Literacy and the Magazine
Industry
371
Conglomeration 371
Advertiser Influence on Content 372
Critical Consumer: Jean Kilbourne and
Magazines
373
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page xiii
DETAILED CONTENTS
xiv
10 THE RECORDING INDUSTRY 380
The Rise of Records 381
Minstrel Shows 382
Vaudeville Shows 382
Listening to Music at Home 383
The Advent of the Record Player 383
Records and the Rise of Radio 385
Rethinking Radio and Recordings,
1950–1980
387
The Development of Formats 387
Media Profile: Berry Gordy 388
New Developments in Technology 389
Toward a New Digital World: the 1980s
and 1990s

389
An Overview of the Modern Recording
Industry
390
International Ownership 390
Fragmented Production 391
Concentration of Distribution 391
Unique Features of the Recording
Industry
392
U.S. Sales and Audiences 392
Singles vs. Albums 392
Diverse Recording Media Formats 393
Diverse Music Genres 395
Production and the Recording Industry 396
Artists Looking for Labels; Labels Looking
for Artists
396
World View: Latin Music 397
Finding Music to Record 398
Royalties 399
Compensating Artists 399
Producing a Record 399
Self-producing CDs for Sale 400
Tech & Infrastructure: Analog vs.
Digital
401
Distribution in the Recording Industry 402
The Importance of Promotion 403
Video, Internet, and Movie

Promotions
405
Concert Tours 406
Exhibition in the Recording Industry 406
Digital Downloads 406
Is It Ethical? Corporate Sponsorship
of Music Stars
407
Traditional Record Stores 407
Other Retail Stores 408
Culture Today: Gold, Platinum, and
Diamonds
408
Internet Stores 409
Record Clubs 409
Direct Sales 409
Two Major Public Controversies 409
Concerns Over Lyrics 410
Concern About Access to Music 411
Media Literacy and the Recording
Industry
413
11 THE RADIO INDUSTRY 418
The Rise of Radio 419
The Early Days of Radio 419
Tech & Infrastructure: How the Radio
Spectrum Works
421
Determining the Use of Radio 421
The Creation of the RCA 422

Government Regulation of Radio 423
Radio in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s 425
Network Programming 426
Rethinking Radio, 1950 to 1970 427
Radio and the Rise of Television 428
The Baby Boom, Radio, and
Recordings
428
Ethics and Payola 428
FM Radio and the Fragmentation of Rock
Music
430
Challenges of Fragmentation and
Digitalization, 1970 to the Present
430
An Overview of the Terrestrial Radio
Industry
432
When and Where People Listen to
the Radio
432
AM vs. FM Technology 432
Part Four
The Electronic Media
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page xiv
Commercial Radio Stations vs.
Noncommercial Radio Stations 433
Radio Market Size 433
Production in the Radio Industry 434
Radio Formats 435

Determining Listening Patterns 437
Working with Formats 440
Culture Today: Payola Radio 441
Producing the Playlist 442
Conducting Research to Compile the
Playlist
443
Maintaining the Format and Retaining the
Target Audience
443
Distribution in the Broadcast Radio
Industry
445
The Role of Networks and Syndicators 445
Format Networks vs. Traditional
Networks
446
Exhibition in the Broadcast Radio
Industry
447
Advertising’s Role in Radio Exhibition 447
Placing and Scheduling Commercials 448
Learning Who Listens 448
Conducting Market Research to Determine
Station Ratings
449
When Stations Fare Poorly in the
Ratings
451
Broadcast Radio and Social Controversy 451

Radio Consolidation 451
The Radio Industry’s Increasing Influence
over the Political Process
452
Radio and the New Digital World 453
Satellite Radio 453
Internet Radio 455
Traditional Radio’s Responses to Digital
Music
456
Commercial Time 456
HD Radio 457
Internet Participation 457
Media Literacy and the Radio Industry 459
12 THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY 462
The Rise of Motion Pictures 464
Using Photographic Images to Simulate
Motion
464
DETAILED CONTENTS
xv
Films Become Mass Entertainment
Media 465
Vertical Integration and the Advent of the
Studio System
467
Self-regulation and the Film Industry 468
New Challenges for the Film Industry 469
Media Profile: Hattie McDaniel 470
Is It Ethical? Increasing the “Gross” at the

Box Office
472
Changes in Technology 473
An Overview of the Modern Motion Picture
Industry
473
Production in the Motion Picture
Industry
476
The Role of the Majors 477
Distinguishing Between Production and
Distribution
477
The Role of Independent Producers 477
The Process of Making a Movie 477
World View: Hollywood Meets
Bollywood
480
World View: Asian Film Trend 484
Theatrical Distribution in the Motion Picture
Industry
485
Finding Movies to Distribute 486
Releasing Movies 486
Marketing Movies 487
Is It Ethical? Who’s the Critic? 489
Theatrical Exhibition in the Motion Picture
Industry
490
The Relationship Between Distributors and

Theater Chains
490
Digital Theaters 492
Tech & Infrastructure: Digital Film 493
Non-theatrical Distribution and
Exhibition
493
Traditional and Online Video Stores 494
Exhibition of Movies on Television 495
The Problem of Piracy 495
Media Literacy and the Motion Picture
Industry
497
Cultural Diversity and Cultural
Colonialism
497
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page xv
13 THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY 504
The Rise of Television 505
Television in its Earliest Forms 505
Television Gains Widespread Acceptance in
the 1950s
506
Television in the 1960s 507
The Rise of Cable Television 509
Government Regulation of the Cable
Television Industry in the 1960s and
1970s
510
A Fragmented Television Era 511

New Networks Emerge 511
New Technologies Mean New Opportunities
and New Challenges
511
Consolidating Ownership 512
Tech & Infrastructure: TV Ratings
and Kids
513
An Overview of the Modern Television
Industry
513
Television Broadcasting 514
Culture Today: Digital TV Conversion 515
Cable and Satellite Services 517
Production in the Television Industry 519
Producing Channel Lineups 520
Producing Broadcast Channel Lineups 523
Producing Individual Channels: Cable,
Satellite, and Broadcast
525
World View: Hispanic Television 527
Culture Today: The Broadcast Networks
and African Americans
530
Distribution in the Television Industry 532
Syndication 533
Challenges to Traditional TV Production
and Distribution
535
New Avenues for Network

Distribution
536
New Avenues for Production Firms 537
Exhibition in the Broadcast Industry 537
Television and Media Literacy 538
Audience Issues 539
Content Issues 540
Industry Control Issues 541
DETAILED CONTENTS
xvi
14 THE INTERNET AND VIDEO GAME
INDUSTRIES 546
An Industry Background 547
The Rise of Computers and the Internet 549
The Advent of the Personal Computer 550
Online Capability 551
The Hyperlink and the World Wide
Web
552
The Rise of Video Games 553
An Overview of the Modern Internet
Industry
555
Production and Distribution in the Internet
Industry
555
World View: Google in China 559
Exhibition in the Internet Industry 563
Media Research: The Pew Internet and
American Life Project

564
An Overview of the Modern Video Game
Industry
568
Video Game Hardware 568
World View: PlayStation Nation:
Ireland?
570
Video Game Software 572
Advertising Content and Video Games 574
Culture Today: Girl Games 575
World View: Digital Resistance? Digital
Terror?
577
Distribution and Exhibition of Video
Games
578
Media Literacy and the Internet and Video
Game Industries
579
Blurring of Media Boundaries 580
The Power of Conglomerates 580
The Filtering of Content 582
Privacy 583
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page xvi
15 THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY 592
The Rise of the Advertising Industry 593
The Birth of the Advertising Agency 594
The Advent of Radio Advertising 596
Advertising, the Postwar Era, and

Television
596
Trends in the Second Half of the Twentieth
Century
597
An Overview of the Modern Advertising
Industry
598
Advertising Agencies 599
Media Profile: Tom Burrell 602
Production in the Advertising Industry 603
Media Profile: Lionel Sosa 604
Creating Portraits 606
Culture Today: Dove’s Contrary Approach
to Beauty Ads
607
Distribution in the Advertising Industry 608
Exhibition in the Advertising Industry 611
Culture Today: Advertising to Hispanics
Outdoors
611
Cross-platform Deals 612
Determining an Advertisement’s
Success
613
Threats to Traditional Advertising 613
Media Literacy and the Advertising
Industry
615
Is It Ethical? Is it Ethical to Advertise? 615

Advertising and Commercialism 616
Culture Today: Ubiquitous Advertising 617
Advertising and Democracy 618
The Power of Conglomerates 619
16 THE PUBLIC RELATIONS INDUSTRY 624
Distinguishing Between Public Relations and
Advertising
625
DETAILED CONTENTS
xvii
What is Public Relations? 625
The Rise of Public Relations 627
Early Pioneers in Advertising and Public
Relations: Benjamin Franklin and P. T.
Barnum
627
The Public Relations Industry comes
of Age
629
Growth and Change in the PR
Industry
632
An Overview of the Modern Public Relations
Industry
633
Corporate Communication
Departments
633
Public Relations Agencies 634
Major Public Relations Activities 635

Corporate Communications 636
Financial Communications 637
Consumer and Business-to-business
Communication
638
Public Affairs 639
Crisis Management 640
Media Relations 642
Production in the Public Relations
Industry
642
Distribution in the Public Relations
Industry
643
Culture Today: Buzz Marketing 644
Exhibition in the Public Relations
Industry
645
Culture Today: Protecting Stars from
Journalists
646
The Rise of Integrated Marketing
Communication
647
Branded Entertainment 647
Database Marketing 649
Relationship Marketing 649
Agency Holding Companies 649
Media Literacy and the Persuasion
Industries

650
Truth and Hidden Influence in the
Persuasion Industries
651
Targeting and the Persuasion
Industries
652
Conglomerates and the Persuasion
Industries
655
Part Five
Advertising and Public Relations
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/17/08 8:47 PM Page xvii
Mediated Interpersonal Communication
Breakdown 8
Where Does the Term Media Come From? 20
Catch Phrases as Social Currency 22
A Dramady Says Goodbye 53
Silicon Freelancers 63
The Disappearance of the Record Store 68
A Selection of Challenged or Banned Books in the
2000s 95
Bridging the Global Digital Divide 170
7-Eleven Morphs into The Simpsons Version of
Itself 212
Buying Space on MySpace 244
Harry Potter Goes Green 276
Academic Journals and Open Access 354
Pushing Time Ahead 365
Gold, Platinum, and Diamonds 408

Payola Radio 441
Digital TV Conversion 515
The Broadcast Networks and African
Americans 530
Girl Games 575
Dove’s Contrary Approach to Beauty Ads 607
Advertising to Hispanics Outdoors 611
Ubiquitous Advertising 617
Buzz Marketing 644
Protecting Stars from Journalists 646
xviii
How Much am I Worth? 47
Prior Restraint and Student Journalism on
the Web 103
Web User Beware 113
Does Mickey Mouse Have a Personality? 234
The Advent of the Serial 271
Book Conglomerates 272
Plagiarism in the Twenty-first Century 285
Targeting in the Book Industry 287
Project Censored 325
Jean Kilbourne and Magazines 373
CULTURE TODAY
CRITICAL CONSUMER
TECH & INFRASTRUCTURE
Feature Topics
Increasing Pressures on Special Effects Shops 65
Books on Demand 282
Printing: to Outsource or Not to Outsource? 327
Newsprint and Recycling 330

Cover Lines 370
Analog vs. Digital 401
How the Radio Spectrum Works 421
Digital Film 493
TV Ratings and Kids 513
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:07 PM Page xviii
FEATURE TOPICS
xix
U.S. Libel Laws Meet the Internet 106
Video Game Ratings Systems 126
Viacom’s Joint Venture in India 206
Disney to China: “It’s a Small World After
All” 238
Globalizing Google 252
The Scarcity of Textbooks 273
Ethnic Newspapers 318
Magazines in China Come of Age 360
Latin Music 397
Hollywood Meets Bollywood 480
Asian Film Trend 484
Hispanic Television 527
Google in China 559
PlayStation Nation: Ireland? 570
Digital Resistance? Digital Terror? 577
Could These Results Have Occurred by
Chance? 161
A World Class Idea 168
The Pew Internet and American Life Project 564
WORLD VIEW
MEDIA PROFILE

IS IT ETHICAL?
MEDIA RESEARCH
Self-regulation or Market Pressure: the
Imus Case 109
When Politics Meets Social Research 166
Corporate Sponsorship of Music Stars 407
Increasing the “Gross” at the Box Office 472
Who’s the Critic? 489
Is it Ethical to Advertise? 615
Herbert Schiller 219
Rupert Murdoch 243
Google Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page 250
Katharine Graham 310
Oprah Winfrey, Cross-media Phenomenon 366
Berry Gordy 388
Hattie McDaniel 470
Tom Burrell 602
Lionel Sosa 604
Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:07 PM Page xix
Preface
Welcome to the third edition of Media Today: An Introduction to Mass
Communication. Media Today stems from my concern that students in the intro-
ductory course need to be exposed to a fuller, more realistic view of the exciting,
changing world of media in the new century. This innovative and up-to-date third
edition reveals the forces that guide the creation, distribution, and exhibition of
media systems; places the Internet and digital media as organic parts of those media
systems; and actively challenges students to see and hear their favorite media prod-
ucts in genuinely new ways.
A Cutting-Edge, Real-World Approach to
Studying Mass Communication

Media Today is the product of over three decades of teaching the introductory
course, talking to colleagues around the country about course trends and issues,
and writing about mass media industries and issues in the scholarly and popular
press. The hope is that readers will become critical, media literate consumers of
mass media and, if they go on to work in mass media industries, more alert, sen-
sitive practitioners. The book presents a cutting-edge, real-world approach to the
contemporary media system and its issues without wrenching the instructor from
the familiar flow of topics in the basic course.
The third edition of Media Today is built around four distinct concepts:
■ A media systems approach
■ Unique insights into media trends
■ Emphasis on the centrality of digital convergence
■ A media literacy goal
Let’s take a look at each:
A Media Systems Approach
Unlike other texts for the introductory course, the third edition of Media Today
takes a media systems approach out of the conviction that the best way to engage
students is to reveal the forces that guide the creation, distribution and exhibition
of news, information, entertainment, education, and advertising with media sys-
tems. Then, once they begin to understand the ways these systems operate, stu-
dents will be able to interact with the media around them in new ways.
The key to this unique approach is this: What fundamentally separates mass
communication from other forms of communication is neither the size of the audi-
ence (it could be large or small) nor the use of technology (mediated communica-
tion can be mass or interpersonal). Rather, what distinguishes mass communication
is the industrialized, or mass production, process that is involved in creating and
circulating the material. It is this industrial process that generates the potential for
reaching millions (even billions) of diverse anonymous people at around the same
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Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:07 PM Page xx

time (say, through televising the Olympic games). The third edition of Media Today
uses this production-based approach to scrutinize the media, in order to show stu-
dents how the industrial nature of the process is central to the definition of mass
communication.
The text introduces the media as an interconnected system of industries—not
as totally separate from one another. Of course, an introductory text can’t begin
with a sophisticated exploration of boundary blurring. Students have to first under-
stand the nature of the mass communication process. They must become aware that
taking a mass communication perspective on the world means learning to see the
interconnected system of media products that surrounds them every day in new
ways.
Chapters 1 through 4 introduce this notion of interconnected news as they
explore the nature of the mass communication process, the business of media, soci-
ety’s formal and informal controls on media, and research on media effects and cul-
ture. Chapters 7 through 16 emphasize this industrial process, beginning with an
overview of each industry, and then moving through production, distribution and
exhibition, taking time to discuss relevant issues and controversies along the way.
Unique Insights Into Media Trends
Chapter 5: A World of Blurred Media Boundaries is unique among introductory
media texts, and introduces students to the general media environment by taking
a close look at the six trends that are guiding today’s media environment:
■ Media fragmentation
■ Audience segmentation
■ Distribution of products across media boundaries
■ Globalization
■ Conglomeration
■ Digital convergence
Chapter 6: Understanding the Strategies of Media Giants builds upon students’
new understanding of these six guiding trends through vivid case studies that exam-
ine how three of the largest media firms—News Corporation, Disney, and

Google—are responding to these trends across media, and how their strategies are
influencing all media industries. Students are then equipped with the media liter-
acy skills and knowledge about the “big picture” to consider and explore ten indi-
vidual media industries—from books (Chapter 7) to public relations (Chapter 16).
Emphasis on the Centrality of Digital Convergence
This edition of Media Today takes full account of one of the most important devel-
opments of our time: the rise of digital media, including the Internet, video games,
MP3 players, and mobile phones, and their convergence—that is, their intercon-
nection and blurring—with each other and with traditional mass media such as
newspapers, magazines, and analog television. It used to be that an introductory
mass communication text could nod to new-media developments by concentrat-
ing them in a chapter on the Internet and maybe one on video games. That is no
longer enough.
It is today simply impossible to write about workings of the newspaper, televi-
sion, magazine, recording, movie, television, advertising, and public relations indus-
PREFACE
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tries without taking into account fundamental changes being wrought by websites,
blogs, email, MP3 files, and multimedia streams. Consequently, the reader will find
that every chapter incorporates digital-media developments into the main flow of
the material.
Chapter 1: Understanding Mass Media and the Importance of Media Literacy
announces from its very first line—“Your TV is ringing”— that this book will cover
a wide variety of media in ways that highlight the clash between the new and the
old. Chapter 2: Making Sense of the Media Business’s introduction to the business
aspects of the media shows how Internet activities—like those involved with broad-
cast television and newspapers—can be illuminated through the categories of pro-
duction, distribution, and exhibition. Chapter 3: Formal and Informal Controls
on Media Content’s discussion of formal and informal controls on media content,

and Chapter 4: Making Sense of Research on Media Effects and Media Culture’s
discussion of the history of media research on key social issues, cover topics related
to the Internet and other digital vehicles alongside topics relating to traditional
media. Chapter 5: A World of Blurred Media Boundaries’ introduction to the blur-
ring of media boundaries and Chapter 6: Understanding the Strategies of Media
Giants’s close examination of the cross-media strategies of major media firms place
digital changes at the center of corporate activities—developments that Chapter 6
underscores with a section devoted to Google’s activities on the web and across
many other platforms.
This emphasis on the centrality of digital convergence is carried through each
of the ten chapters on the individual media industries (Chapters 7 through 16).
Chapter 8: The Newspaper Industry introduces students to the opportunities and
challenges of the online, on-mobile, 24/7 organizational environment that has been
emerging. Similarly, much of Chapter 10: The Recording Industry centers on the
transformation that is taking place around digital music. Chapter 14: The Internet
and Video Game Industries describes unique characteristics of the web domain and
of the digital-gaming environment.
A Media Literacy Goal
The overarching goal of the third edition of Media Today is to help students become
media literate members of society. Being media literate involves applying critical
thinking skills to the mass media, and finding meanings beneath the
surface of movies, ads, and other types of content. It also involves reasoning clearly
about controversies that may involve the websites students use, the mobile devices
they carry, the TV shows they watch, the music they hear, the magazines they
read, and much more. It means becoming a more aware and responsible citizen—
parent, voter, worker—in our media-driven society.
The aim of Media Today, third edition, is to help students become critical con-
sumers who seriously examine the mass media’s roles in their lives and in the greater
culture, without making them totally cynical and distrustful of all mass media. The
text helps students think in an educated manner about the forces that shape the

media and their relationships with them so that they will become media literate
citizens who are:
■ Knowledgeable about the influences that guide media organizations
■ Up-to-date on political issues relating to the media
■ Sensitive to the ethical dimensions of media activities
■ Knowledgeable about scholarship regarding media effects
PREFACE
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Media Today-FM(P4):Media 7/4/08 10:07 PM Page xxii
Media Today encourages and develops these skills and attributes as it presents
students with a realistic, cutting-edge picture of the changing media world
in the new century. It reinforces and develops student media literacy skills in
every chapter of the text, through unique chapter-ending sections applying media
literacy to the issues of the chapter.
Media Today’s Features
A number of valuable features—including boxes and end-of-chapter materials—
appear in each chapter to enhance students’ exploration and enjoyment of the
third edition of Media Today.
Engaging, Up-to-Date Feature Boxes Provide
Students Perspective and Interest
These 65 boxed features have been completely updated throughout the book to
address the latest issues, trends, and developments in today’s media environment.
Topics include controversies in video game ratings systems (World View box,
Chapter 3), advertising on social networking sites like MySpace.com and
Facebook.com (Culture Today box, Chapter 6), digital television conversion
(Culture Today box, Chapter 13), the rising tide of celebrity journalism (Culture
Today box, Chapter 16), and much, much more.
New! Culture Today boxes: explore current, often controversial issues in today’s
media-rich environment. Boxes encourage a media literacy approach by asking
students to consider the role that mass media play in shaping and reflecting our

culture.
Updated! Critical Consumer boxes: challenge students to think critically about
controversies they encounter in the films and TV shows they watch, the music they
listen to, and the books, newspapers, and magazines they read. Boxes prompt stu-
dents to explore the effects and implications of mass media on individuals and on
society as a whole.
Updated! Tech & Infrastructure boxes: help students demystify mass media
technologies by explaining how they work, helping students understand their role
in the production, distribution, and exhibition of content across media outlets and
around the world.
Updated! World View boxes: focus on the global aspects of mass media systems
and provide an up-to-date, international perspective on the availability and social
implications of media throughout the world.
Updated! Is It Ethical? boxes: use vivid, current, real-world examples to discuss
issues of ethics in increasingly competitive industry environments.
Updated! Media Profile boxes: take an in-depth look at biographies of media
people—both historical and current—with a special emphasis on diversity. Boxes
feature profiles of media practitioners, critics, institutional leaders, and others.
PREFACE
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Updated! Media Research boxes: introduce students to practical aspects of real-
world media research and discuss the impact of research findings. Emphasis is
placed on the importance and influence of historical and ongoing media research.
Rich and Diverse Chapter-Ending Materials and Exercises
Give Students an Opportunity to Test and Explore What
They’ve Learned
These valuable end-of-chapter materials are designed to challenge students to
think critically and to build their media literacy skills.
Updated! Questions for Critical Thinking and Discussion: challenge students

to consider the “big picture” impact of what they’ve learned in each chapter and
to apply their knowledge to contemporary debates about the media.
New! Questions for Constructing Media Literacy: ask students to think about
how THEY use the media.
New! Case Studies: ask students to research the media they consume regularly
in their everyday lives (say, for instance a magazine of their choosing), exploring
in depth how mass media move through the production, distribution, and exhibi-
tion processes.
Updated! Online Chapter Review and Study Guide: provides students with a
way to recap what they’ve read in a chapter, or to review for an upcoming exam.
New! Internet Resources: connect students to relevant websites to guide them
to learn more about the topics discussed in each chapter.
Updated! Key Terms: highlight the important terms introduced in each chapter,
which can also be found in the marginal glossary, or reviewed through interactive
flash cards on the Media Today student website.
Media Today’s Ancillary Package
A full array of new ancillary materials supplementing these book-based features—
including a companion DVD and rich online resources for instructors and stu-
dents—make teaching the course, and being a student in it, especially rewarding.
For Students Student Website at
www.routledge.com/textbooks/mediatoday
The student website features content-rich assets to help students expand their
knowledge, update their text, study for exams, and more! Features include:
■ Dynamic self-quizzes for each book chapter: help students test their knowl-
edge and prepare for exams.
■ Interactive
Key Terms
flashcards: provide students with a fun way to review
important terms and definitions.
PREFACE

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