Media Studies Final Exam
Part One: One-page essays will be drawn from the following questions 1. Providing specific examples of teleplays, explain the nature of the anthology television dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. Discuss at least four specific factors that contributed to the demise of this program type. What does the demise of this format suggest about program limitations and the influence of advertisers in commercial broadcast television? Ex. of teleplay : Marty in 1953 (butcher) by Paddy Chayefsky, Man Against Crime (independent writers for each episode)
Anthology- a radio or television series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each episode. These usually have a different cast each week Reasons for demise: 1) were telecast live 2) limited scenery 3) difficult to manage commercials 4)episodic series easier to control 5) Percentage of viewers dropped 6) Hollywood lured away talent 7) Incompatible with ads** ● television show will have a different plot episode to episode. Unlike serials which are much more continuous from episode to another. Demise suggests : ● teleplays like Marty, were incompatible w/ advertisements. ● Episodic series were popular in the late 40s, early 50s ● Episodic series- ie: 30 rock → easier to control ● sponsors increasingly vetted scripts for controversial material and especially for anything that they saw as placing their products in a negative light ______________________________________________ 2. Explain how cable differs from broadcast television. How did cable television develop? What were its advantages over broadcast television? How did it first help and then hinder the business of broadcasting? p. 310-312 ● CATV -(idea came from Mrs. Parson’s husband from Oregon) an early form of Cable TV, used to distribute broadcast channels to communities w/ poor reception. The FCC devised restrictive rules to keep cable that way. ○ ppl placed an antenna & connectec a running cable to their homes ● Advantages over broadcast TV:
Anthology- a radio or television series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each episode. These usually have a different cast each week Reasons for demise: 1) were telecast live 2) limited scenery 3) difficult to manage commercials 4)episodic series easier to control 5) Percentage of viewers dropped 6) Hollywood lured away talent 7) Incompatible with ads** ● television show will have a different plot episode to episode. Unlike serials which are much more continuous from episode to another. Demise suggests : ● teleplays like Marty, were incompatible w/ advertisements. ● Episodic series were popular in the late 40s, early 50s ● Episodic series- ie: 30 rock → easier to control ● sponsors increasingly vetted scripts for controversial material and especially for anything that they saw as placing their products in a negative light ______________________________________________ 2. Explain how cable differs from broadcast television. How did cable television develop? What were its advantages over broadcast television? How did it first help and then hinder the business of broadcasting? p. 310-312 ● CATV -(idea came from Mrs. Parson’s husband from Oregon) an early form of Cable TV, used to distribute broadcast channels to communities w/ poor reception. The FCC devised restrictive rules to keep cable that way. ○ ppl placed an antenna & connectec a running cable to their homes ● Advantages over broadcast TV: