BROADCAST VS. CABLEWhat’s the difference?

“OVER THE AIR”

• The way in which TV was originally broadcast.

• You did not need to pay for cable.

• All you needed was a TV and an antenna.

• Still available.

STATIONS• Stations Identified by “Call

Letters”• Stations east of the Mississippi

River start with “W”• Two exceptions

• KYW in Philadelphia• KDKA in Pittsburg

• Stations west of the Mississippi River start with “K”

BROADCAST

• Broadcast industry is regulated by:

•The FCC – Federal Communications Commission

• The “TV Code” (broadcast ethics) was created by:

•The NAB – National Association of Broadcasters

• Two different frequencies:

•VHF – Very High Frequency

•UHF – Ultra High Frequency

VHF VS. UHF

•VHF• Channels 2 - 13• VHF Channels in the Philadelphia Market

Channel Call Letters Network Affiliate

3 KYW CBS

6 WPVI ABC

10 WCAU NBC

12 WHYY PBS

VHF VS UHF

•UHF• Channels 14 – 83• UHF Channels in the Philadelphia Market

Channel Call Letters Nework Affiliate

17 WPHL “My TV”

23 WNJS PBS

29 WTXF FOX

57 WPSG CW

NOTABLE AFFILIATES

•ABC• American Broadcasting

Company

• CBS• Columbia Broadcasting System

•NBC• National Broadcasting Company

•PBS• Public Broadcasting Service

•BBC• British Broadcasting Corporation

• TBS• Turner Broadcasting System

•HBO• Home Box Office

•CW• CBS and Warner Brothers

BROADCAST ISSUES

CABLE

• Developed in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania to reach valleys with poor reception.

• Cable companies placed Television antennas at the top of mountains, and cables were run down to homes in the valleys, allowing people to receive Broadcast TV stations.

• Today, cable companies like Comcast and Verizon now provide customers with Broadcast TV, Satellite Channels, and other corporate channels.

THE CABLE SOLUTION

SATELLITES

• Sputnik 1• First artificial Earth satellite• Launched by the Soviet Union in 1957

• Telstar 1• World’s first active Communications satellite• Launched by the United States on July 10, 1962• Transmitted the first global television signal on July 12, 1962

HOW SATELLITES WORK

• Geostationary Orbit• An orbit that is synchronized with the Earth’s rotation, allowing a satellite to

remain in a fixed position above the Earth.• An altitude of approximately 22,300 miles above sea level.

• Uplink• A position on Earth from which a signal is sent to a satellite.

• Downlink• A position on Earth (a dish) that receives a satellite signal.

• Footprint• The coverage area on the Earth’s surface of a satellite’s signal.

SATELLITE SIGNAL

SATELLITE FOOTPRINT

MAJOR SATELLITE FOOTPRINTS

SUPERSTATION

• What is a “Superstation?”• A Broadcast TV station, other than a network station, that is also transmitted

by a satellite carrier.• Examples:

• WTBS, Channel 17, Atlanta, GA• WGN, Channel 9, Chicago, IL• WWOR, Channel 9, New York City, NY

MONEY• Broadcast TV

• Revenue earned from advertising (commercials).• Original Broadcast TV was not free – it earned money from people buying

products “As Seen on TV”• Cost to run a commercial is determined, in part, by Ratings.

•Ratings• An estimate of an audience ÷ TV Households

• In addition to Ratings, Shares also help determine the popularity of a program.

•Shares• An estimate of an audience ÷ HUTS (Households Using TV)

• Public TV (PBS)• Revenue comes mostly from Foundations, the CPB, the Government, and

“Viewers Like You” (telethons and pledge drives).

•CPB – Corporation for Public Broadcasting

MEDIA

• Print Media• Newspapers• Magazines

• Electronic Media• Radio

• “Theater of the Mind”• Television

• Live or Recorded• “Live on Tape”

• Technology Media• Podcasts

• Audio on demand• Listen whenever you want• Must have an internet connection to

stream or download• Vodcasts

• Video on demand• Same principals as a podcast

AUDIENCES

Live (theater audience) Television (at home)

Live Response Delayed Response (ratings)

Captive(stays for entire Presentation)

Comes and Goes at will(usually during commercials)

*Note: A compromise of the two audiences is a live studio audience.

BASIC PRINCIPALS OF ELECTRICITY

• Electricity – electron movement from one atom to another.

• Voltage – creates the force that is needed to push the electrons.• The force is known as Electromotive Force (EMF).

• The flow of electrons is know as Current.• Current is measured in Amperes (amps).

• Two forms of electricity:• AC – Alternating Current (household current)• DC – Direct Current (used by devices with batteries)

• Batteries are a course of electrons along with EMF.

• Conductors• Materials with loosely attached electrons

• Insulators• Materials with firmly attached electrons.