Radio and television news are expanding everywhere, often at the expense of print media. Developments in global communications, in theory at least, have made the world
smaller. An event anywhere can theoretically be reported anywhere else on radio within minutes; on television within hours. But theory and practice are often far apart. Broadcast News has become a global business, almost like the music industry, with its own 'Top 10' and an inevitable streamlining of taste. A few major organisations control the newsflow. Syndicators guarantee that more and more of us get to see or hear the same stories. This is typified by the growth of independent or local news stations, and cable suppliers, competing mercilessly with the traditional giants of the news airwaves (the US Networks, the BBC and other Public Service Broadcasters, etc.). But does this development satisfy the democratic demands of enlightened society and of informed citizens? This book presents a catalogue of worries, but also some rays of hope. It looks in detail at news broadcasters on both
sides of the Atlantic. It also covers the international broadcasting scene as well as third world countries and recent developments in Glasnost's USSR. A major empirical study of what we get from broadcast news (taking the case of the USA, Britain and Sweden) is also presented. Models useful for understanding both the present and the future are suggested.
By:
Stanley Baran,
Roger Wallis
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
Spine: 19mm
Weight: 362g
ISBN: 9780415036047
ISBN 10: 0415036046
Series: Comedia
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 06 September 1990
Audience:
College/higher education
,
General/trade
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Primary
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
1 A day in the life of the world 2 Broadcast news in the USA: turmoil, realignment, and restructuring of the traditional operators 3 The traditional news broadcasters in Britain: new establishments fighting older institutions 4 Medium-sized traditional operators in Europe: the example of broadcast news in Sweden 5 Challenging the traditional broadcasters: new players in the news game 6 The international news broadcasters: information, disinformation, and improvised truth 7 Meeting the elephant: broadcast news views the World 8 Which news and why? Understanding the forces that shape the news, Epilogue: What will we know? What should we know? Comparing broadcast news to developments in other media sectors, Postscript: A challenge to European traditions of broadcasting
Roger Wallis is BBC correspondent in Sweden, a journalist for Swedish radio, and a frequent contributor to National Public Radio in the US. He has covered news-making events all over the world. He is also currently completing a PhD in Mass Communications at Gothenberg University, Sweden. Stanley Baran is Head of the Theatre Arts Department, at San Jose State University, in the US. He has published numerous books and articles on the effects of the media.
Reviews for The Known World of Broadcast News: International News and the Electronic Media
`This book is a disturbing insight into worldwide news and how it is selected.' - Press and Journal
