JOMC 101 Ch 6 MC – Flashcards

Who transmitted the first electronic TV picture?
A) John Grierson
B) Philo Farnsworth
C) Vladimir Zworykin
D) Thomas Edison
E) None of the above options is correct.

In the TV freeze of 1948-1952, ______.
A) the FCC halted technological experiments in order to decide on a workable model for American color television
B) a number of television stations froze new programming in order to make decisions about sponsorship issues and advertising
C) advertisers boycotted television programming as a way of ensuring their own monopolies
D) the FCC declared a freeze on new licenses because of concerns about frequency-interference problems
E) the monopolies of a few television corporations prevented others from entering the field, putting a freeze on broadcasting competition

Which of the following was not one of Sylvester “Pat” Weaver’s strategies for forcing advertisers to relinquish some of their power over television programming?
A) The introduction of magazine shows like the Today show
B) The development of television specials, such as the TV versions of Richard III and Peter Pan
C) The development of spot ads—shorter ads to be sold to individual sponsors
D) Decreasing the length of television programs, allowing for fewer advertisements to go to any one sponsor

Which development was a consequence of the quiz-show scandal?
A) The patent pool was declared a monopoly and dismantled.
B) The networks couldn’t keep control over programming, and the sponsors became the sole authority.
C) Quiz-show hosts were no longer allowed to have stock in the company.
D) Quiz-show contestants had to be vetted by the show’s sponsors first.
E) None of the above options is correct.

The final part of the cable system that actually brings the cable into the home is called ______.
A) feeder or trunk cable
B) headend
C) cathode ray tube
D) fiber-optic cable
E) drop or tap line

Which of the following is a way cable channels have achieved success?
A)
Creating programs that target the largest possible mass audience
B)
Avoiding being “bundled” with other channels as part of a package deal
C)
Finding and catering to the needs of a niche audience with specific interests
D)
Emulating broadcast network programming
E)
None of the above options is correct.

Why have TV broadcasters been threatened by cable?
A)
Cable systems have better satellites.
B)
Cable systems might choose not to carry the signal of a local broadcast station.
C)
Since cable’s inception, the FCC has favored the cable industry over the broadcasting industry.
D)
Cable’s clearer signal and ability to target niche audiences attracted viewers away from broadcasters’ programming.
E)
Broadcasters never felt threatened by cable.

Which of the following is a premium cable channel?
A)
ESPN
B)
CNN
C)
MTV
D)
C-SPAN
E)
HBO

How have direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services challenged cable?
A)
They offer a lot more stations than cable.
B)
They are able to send signals directly to small satellite dishes where the installation of cable wires hasn’t been possible.
C)
They have started to create their own programming, while cable still only shows reruns of old network programs.
D)
They have a better relationship with broadcast networks than cable does, and thus have lower retransmission fees than cable.
E)
All of the options are correct.

VHS outsold the technically superior Betamax videocassette format because ______.
A)
the recorders cost less
B)
VHS offered more tape space and could record longer programs
C)
more money was spent advertising the VHS format than the Betamax
D)
consumers couldn’t tell the difference between the two formats
E)
All of the options are correct.

Differences in, and competition over, technical standards ______.
A)
caused the FCC to temporarily ban any new TV licenses in the late 1940s and early 1950s
B)
meant that it took over a decade before all three of the major networks started broadcasting in color in the mid-1960s
C)
resulted in a “war” between the Beta and VHS formats of home videocassette recorders
D)
resulted in a “war” between Blu-ray and HD DVD formats for high-definition movie recordings
E)
All of the options are correct.

One potential drawback for consumers who use a DVR (digital video recorder) is that ______.
A)
they have to be at home to press “record” in order to tape a program
B)
they can’t skip past commercials
C)
marketers and advertisers might be able to “see” what they watch
D)
they can only use them to record broadcast network programming, not cable programming
E)
DVRs can be unreliable and don’t always record what you program them to record

The practice of recording shows and watching them later when it is more convenient is called ______.
A)
fin-syn
B)
viewer’s choice
C)
time shifting
D)
stripping
E)
syndicating

A catch-up service ______.
A)
lets you watch episodes after they air on TV
B)
is an online fan site with plot descriptions
C)
refers only to DVD players
D)
usually refers to something you see in a movie theater
E)
None of the above options is correct.

Although some media critics disagree about the terminology, smartphones and other mobile devices used to watch videos are sometimes referred to as ______.
A)
first screens
B)
time shifting
C)
fourth screens
D)
off-network
E)
headends

In a situation comedy ______.
A)
character development is emphasized over plot twists
B)
characters change dramatically over the course of the series
C)
characters are under a great deal of stress
D)
viewers consider themselves slightly smarter than the characters
E)
viewers consider themselves slightly inferior to the characters

In its early days, television drama drew on ______ for many of its ideas, sets, actors, technicians, and directors.
A)
the music industry
B)
radio
C)
movies
D)
New York theater
E)
None of the above options is correct.

Anthologies were replaced by other types of programming in the 1950s because ______.
A)
advertisers didn’t like anthologies
B)
they were expensive to produce
C)
the television audience changed as it expanded
D)
some were considered too controversial
E)
All of the options are correct.

______ are one of the longest-running serial programs in the history of television.
A)
Workplace comedies
B)
Daytime soap operas
C)
Sitcoms
D)
Hybrid dramas
E)
Anthology dramas

According to the textbook, which of the following statements about television news is true?
A)
There have been relatively few changes to the television news industry since the start of the 24/7 cable news channels.
B)
From the very start of television, networks were concerned with keeping their news departments separate from big commercial sponsors like tobacco companies.
C)
ABC News was the first news program to be aired by a major television network.
D)
Since the 1960s, national polls have shown local television news is typically thought of as more trustworthy than newspapers.
E)
None of the above options is correct.

Which of the following statements about reality television is false?
A)
The genre includes programs like Survivor, Top Chef, and American Idol.
B)
The shows introduce us to characters/people who seem more like “us” and less like celebrities.
C)
The inspiration for reality TV can be traced to MTV’s Real World.
D)
Reality TV is much more expensive to make than typical comedies or dramas.
E)
All of the options are true.

Which of the following statements about public broadcasting is true?
A)
It would have lost all funding from the government if the Senate hadn’t killed a 2011 effort by a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
B)
Public broadcasting hopes to increase corporate contributions with on-air promotional messages.
C)
One of its main missions continues to be providing educational children’s programming.
D)
The bulk of the funding for public broadcasting comes from viewers, listeners, and corporations.
E)
All of the options are correct.

In 1970 the FCC created the ______, which “constituted the most damaging attack against the network TV monopoly in FCC history.”
A)
Prime Time Access Rule
B)
must-carry rules
C)
access channels
D)
Financial Interest and Syndication Rules
E)
None of the above options is correct.

In 1965, the FCC established must-carry rules, which ______.
A)
required cable operators to carry local TV broadcasts
B)
established technical standards for cable broadcasts, regulating the signals carried by cable systems
C)
blocked cable systems from bringing distant television stations into cities with local stations
D)
blocked cable operators from carrying local TV broadcasts
E)
None of the above options is correct.

In 1972, the FCC required cable systems to provide and fund a tier of ______ dedicated to local education, government, and the public.
A)
DBS services
B)
must-carry rules
C)
access channels
D)
pay-per-view channels
E)
superstations

What is the difference between a common carrier and an electronic publisher?
A)
A common carrier may examine content before distributing it; an electronic publisher may not.
B)
A common carrier is not allowed to import any foreign programming; an electronic publisher may.
C)
A common carrier may not transmit video images; an electronic publisher can send both analog and digital images.
D)
A common carrier must offer at least part of its services on a first-come, first-served basis; an electronic publisher can pick and choose its channels.
E)
There is no difference between a common carrier and an electronic publisher.

Which of the following is not true about the aftermath of the Telecommunications Act of 1996?
A)
Competition from allowing regional and long-distance phone companies as well as cable companies into each other’s markets has kept cable rates low.
B)
Consolidation of regional phone, long-distance, cable, and Internet service companies has decreased competition and left consumers with high cable bills.
C)
The cable industry has spent almost $150 billion installing and upgrading its technological infrastructure in the United States.
D)
Cable companies now bundle digital cable television, Internet, and phone services.
E)
All of the options are true.

Below-the-line costs for a TV program include the ______.
A)
writer
B)
camera crew
C)
actors
D)
director
E)
All of the options are correct.

Which term best describes the financial arrangement that most TV producers and movie studios enter into to make prime-time TV shows?
A)
Prime Time Access Rule
B)
Above-the-line costs
C)
Below-the-line costs
D)
Economy of scale
E)
None of the above options is correct.

Which of the following is the best way to erase the losses of deficit financing for a TV show?
A)
Selling the program into rerun, or off-network, syndication
B)
Selling national and local advertising spots
C)
Selling the program to individual affiliates
D)
Renting the program to the networks
E)
Time shifting

When might broadcast networks air syndicated programs?
A)
During prime time
B)
During fringe time
C)
During time shifting
D)
Only during the daytime
E)
Only during the evening

Programs that are in off-network syndication are ______.
A)
programs that were made specifically for syndication
B)
older programs that no longer run during network prime time
C)
programs that are produced by broadcast networks for cable channels
D)
programs that are too risqué for network television
E)
All of the options are correct.

An airing of the television show Friends on Fox at 6:30 P.M. is an example of ______.
A)
off-network syndication
B)
first-run syndication
C)
video-on-demand
D)
an O & O
E)
hybrid syndication

The game show Wheel of Fortune is an example of ______.
A)
off-network syndication
B)
first-run syndication
C)
fringe time
D)
an O & O
E)
hybrid syndication

Online advertisers pay a rate called a ______.
A)
share
B)
CPM
C)
retransmission fee
D)
software cost
E)
None of the above options is correct.

Which of the following statements about the three traditional major broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) is true?
A)
Nobody watches them anymore.
B)
They are all owned by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp.
C)
They remain attractive business investments despite losing viewers to cable and other new technologies.
D)
They own all of the stations that carry their programming.
E)
None of the above options is correct.

What did major networks do to combat audience erosion in the 1990s?
A)
They threatened not to allow cable operators to carry any of their programming.
B)
They started making edgier and more controversial programming.
C)
They acquired cable channels.
D)
They acquired cable operators.
E)
None of the above options is correct.

Which of the following statements about municipal cable television systems is false?
A)
Communities can build their own municipal cable systems.
B)
Consumers in cities with municipal cable systems typically pay less for cable.
C)
There are only about a hundred municipal cable services across the country.
D)
In most cases, municipal cable systems are operated by community-owned nonprofit electric utilities.
E)
None of the options is false.