Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Mix
100
Describe the functions and origin of mass communication
The three major functions of mass communication are to Inform, Educate and Entertain.
Inform - The example of a news bulletin on radio or television or a news item in a newspaper. They inform us of some event or happening.... “A new President is elected”, “India has beaten Pakistan in cricket”. All these inform us.
Educate - A doctor speaks on radio or television or writes in a newspaper about how to prevent a disease. Experts tell farmers on radio or television about a new crop, seed or agricultural practice. Thereby, the farmers are educated.
Entertain - All the commercial cinema, television serials and music programmes are entertaining.
100
List any eight news values.
Ans: Eight news values are:
Timeliness
Impact
Proximity
Controversy
Prominence
Currency
Oddity
Emotion
100
Discuss any four limitations of Radio Broadcast.
100
Write two significant developments occurred in the year 1982 in Indian television.
Two significant developments that occurred in the year 1982 in Indian television are:
Doordarshan provided national coverage of the Ninth Asian Games for the first time through the satellite INSAT 1A.
Also, for the first time, the transmission was in color and in addition to the domestic transmission, Doordarshan was also providing content for the broadcasters of many other countries.
100
Define Development Communication and describe the role of a development communicator.
Development communication refers to communication that can be used for development. It is about using communication to change or improve something.
Here we use different types of messages to change the socio-economic condition of people.
The role of a Development Communicators is to:
Write or produce programmes on issues related to development.
They play an important role in explaining the development process to the common people in such a way that it finds acceptance.
200
Read any newspaper for a period of at least ten days and list out the development campaigns that you come across during that period.
Ans: Development Campaigns that I come across during that period are:
Make in India - Movement to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan - Nation-wide campaign to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management in urban and rural areas in India.
Digital India - Digital India is a campaign launched by the Government of India in order to ensure the Government's services are made available to citizens electronically.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao - It is a campaign of the Government of India that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls in India.
200
What are the sources of news stories?
Ans: Sources of news stories are:
Listening:
A reporter can get good stories by listening to others.
Example: While traveling in a bus, a reporter overhears a conversation between two passengers about a bus accident in town. By listening to this, the reporter gets a clue to a story. He now has to find out more details of the accident.
Covering events:
Reporters cover events for their publications, channels or news bulletins.
Example : “India-Pakistan cricket Test in Mumbai”, “ Kumbhmela in Haridwar”, “ International Film Festival in Goa “,
The coverage depends upon the importance and magnitude of the event.
Press conferences:
Another major source of news is the press conference.
Example: Leaders of political parties, ministers hold press conferences to announce various programmes and policies of the government. Business houses arrange press conferences to launch their new products.
Police sources:
The police are in charge of law and order. So the police always maintain a close vigil about various activities of citizens. Reporters get details about crime, accidents etc. from police sources
Interviews:
Interviewing people connected with an event or incident is a common practice reporters use to get details.
Parliament and Assemblies:
Parliament and state assemblies when in session generate a lot of news and are a great source to gather news for the reporters
Example: The general budget and railway budget are presented in parliament. State budgets are presented in state assemblies.
200
What are the types of radio transmitters according to strength?
The strength and type of transmitters determine the coverage area of broadcast. There are two types of transmitters:
Low Power Transmitter (LPT)
High Power Transmitter (HPT)
Likewise, there are:
Medium Wave (MW) radio broadcast transmitters
Short Wave (SW) radio broadcast transmitters
200
What do you understand by ‘stereotypes’? Give any two instances of stereotypes from Indian TV programmes.
A stereotype is an oversimplified standardized image of a person or group. Two instances of stereotypes from indian TV programmes are:
In women based serials, the women are most likely found spending most of their time inside a house. Here the stereotype that women are supposed to spend most of the time at home is subtly re-enforced.
The portrayal of a “madrasi” in Hindi comedy shows may not have any real relation to a South Indian.
200
What are the tasks performed by a sub-editor?
Ans: The tasks performed by a sub-editor are as follows:
The first job of a sub-editor is to see that the report is in good language and there are no mistakes. There can be spelling mistakes,grammar and factual mistakes.
Unedited copy
Edited Copy
The next job of the sub-editor is to add value to the report. If some background material has to be added, he has to collect it from the library and improve the story.
Example, if a report is filed on a train accident killing ten people, the sub-editor can improve the story by collecting information about other major train accidents that happened recently.
The sub-editor then has to find a good heading for the story. The heading should be sharp, attractive, crisp and convey the spirit of the story.
A sub-editor should know the space available for the story, whether it is one column, two columns or three etc. A sub-editor should also know about the font sizes available. Each paper has its fonts and types.
Condensation is a task that the sub-editor has to do. If the full story written by a correspondent will not squeeze into the space available, it is the job of the sub editor to condense it by rewriting or editing.
Unedited copy
Edited Copy
300
Describe Origin of Mass Communication
Origin of Mass Communication:
The invention of paper and printing, and later newspapers, were the first steps towards mass communication.
It was through the telegraph, invented by Samuel F. B. Morse, that messages could be sent to long distances using a code.
Alexander Graham Bell succeeded in inventing the first telephone.
In 1947, the invention of the transistor made radio the most popular medium for sending voice messages.
The Television was invented by Baird in 1920.
300
Briefly discuss any two unhealthy trends in newspaper industry.
Two unhealthy trends in the newspaper industry are:
Predatory price wars:
In predatory price wars, one newspaper reduces the price increasing its circulation. But immediately, rival newspapers further cut the price.
The readers benefit by reduced prices, but small and medium newspapers suffer because they cannot afford to have price cuts to increase circulation.
2. Cut - throat competition:
Cut throat competition is also a threat to journalistic norms and values.
There are instances of fake sting operations, criminal trespassing of privacy, glamourization of criminals, promotion of hatred among communities and inflaming of raw emotions.
300
Discuss any four spoken word formats of radio.
Four spoken word formats of radio are:
Announcements :
These are specifically written clear messages to inform. They can be of different types.
For example - Station/programme identification.These mention the station you are tuned into, the frequency, the time and the programme/song you are going to listen to
Radio talk:
It is probably the oldest format on radio.
There has been a tradition to invite experts or prominent persons to speak for 10 or 15 minutes on a specific topic. These talks have to go through a process of being changed into radio’s spoken word style.
Radio interviews: There can be different types of interviews in terms of their duration, content and purpose.
Firstly, there are full fledged interview programmes. The duration of these may vary from 10 minutes to 60 minutes depending on the topic, and the person being interviewed.
Most of such interviews are personality based, for example - with well known people in the field of literature, science, sports, films etc.
Secondly, there are interviews which are used in various radio programmes like documentaries. Here the interviews are short and questions specific. The purpose is to get a very brief, to the point answer.
Thirdly there are a lot of interview based programmes in news and current affairs programmes.
With phone-in-programmes becoming popular, there are live interviews with listeners. These interviews have been made interactive.
Vox Pop (Latin phrase meaning‘ voice of people’) - This is another type of interview based programme. Here generally just one or two questions are put across to ordinary people or people with knowledge on some current topic to measure public opinion. Their names and identity may not be asked.
For example when the general budget or the railway budget is presented in the parliament, people representing radio go out and ask the general public about their opinion.
You have to be very inquisitive and hard working to be a radio interviewer with good general awareness and communication skills.
Radio discussions:
Radio discussions are used to let people have different points of view on matters of public concern.
Radio discussions are produced when there are social or economic issues which may be controversial.
Generally, these discussions on radio are of longer duration-say 15 to 30 minutes.
Two or three people who are known for their views and a well informed senior person or journalist who acts as a moderator take part in the discussion.
The moderator conducts the discussion, introduces the topic and the participants and ensures that every one gets enough time to speak and all issues are discussed.
300
What are two broad formats of television programmes?
1.Two broad formats of television programmes are:
Fiction programmes:
They depend on imagination and dramatization that are meant for entertaining the audiences.
For e.g. Drama/soap operas.
Non-fiction programmes:
They provide a lot of information regarding various events that take place in our surroundings and also impart education on contemporary issues.
For e.g. News.
300
What is the three tier system of Radio Broadcasting of AIR? Describe each tier.
AIR has a three-tier system of broadcasting, namely, national, regional, and local.
The National:
This channel of All India Radio started functioning on May 18, 1988
It caters to the information, education and entertainment needs of the people
It transmits centrally originated news bulletins in Hindi and English, plays, sports, music, newsreel, spoken word, and other topical programmes
It caters to nearly 76% of the country’s population fully reflecting the broad spectrum of national life.
The Regional Stations:
These are the middle tiers of broadcasting.
This also includes the North-eastern service at Shillong which disseminates the vibrant and radiant cultural heritage of the north-eastern region of the country.
Local Radio:
Each of these local radio stations serving a small area provides utility services and reaches right into the heart of the community.
Local radio is down to earth, intimate and uninhibited approach.
They are flexible and spontaneous enough to enable the station to function as the mouth piece of the local community.
400
Write four examples of development communication. Also identify the media of these communications.
Ans: Four examples of development communication along with the media of these communications are:
‘Krishi Darshan’ - A development program on agriculture shown on Doordarshan. (TV)
Information on sensitive health issues such as HIV/AIDS has been communicated in several states, in India. (Comic)
In 1975, SITE (Satellite Instructional Television Experiment), shared programmes on education and development were made available to 2400 villages.(TV)
Post Independence, various government development programmes and how the people could make use of them. (Print)
400
Discuss any four reasons for the newspaper boom in India.
The four reasons for newspaper boom in India are:
Rise in literacy rate: There is a steady rise in the literacy rates in all the states of our country. More and more people are being initiated into the world of reading and writing. They gradually learn to read newspapers and periodicals.
Expansion of the middle class: This leads to an increase in the circulation of newspapers. When a household makes economic and educational progress, they consider it as a status symbol to subscribe to a newspaper.
Untapped market: India still has an estimated 350 million people who can read and write but do not buy any newspaper.
Education of women: In India women are getting more educated and this in turn leads to education of children. Awareness also increases along with this. It contributes a lot to the growth of readership.
400
List any information technology based radio formats and briefly describe it.
Information technology based radio formats are:
Phone in Programme
Radio Bridge
Radio on Internet
Phone in programme
This is called interactive programming where the listener and the presenter talk to each other. Their talk goes on air instantly.
It needs advance publicity so that the listeners get ready to air their grievances/queries or requests.
It is being used for health-related programmes, rural broadcasts, complaints against the government/ administrative machinery, etc.
b. Radio bridge
Radio bridge means connecting different stations throughout the length and breadth of the country.
Example: An expert sitting at Chennai can interact with the common man in the studio in Delhi.
c. Radio on internet
Radio on the internet is a growing phenomenon with thousands of radio stations operating through computer modems.
It removes the restrictions of frequency or license and is relatively cheap to set up.
BBC, Voice of America, and All India Radio are available on the internet.
All India Radio started its services on the internet on 1st May 1998.
400
List out any four equipment required for TV production. Also state the function of each equipment.
Four equipments used in television production and their functions are:
a.Camera
The most basic equipment in any and every production is the camera.
All cameras have a lens in them. This lens selects a part of the visible environment and produces a small optical image.
The camera is principally designed to convert the optical image, as projected by the lens, into an electrical signal, often called the video signal.
Lights
Lighting any object or individual has three main purposes:
To provide the television camera with adequate illumination for technically acceptable pictures.
To show the viewers what the objects shown on screen actually look like
For instance, if there was no light in the room, we would not have been able to see how the chair, table or anything else for that matter would look like
Lights also help us know when the event is taking place, in terms of the season and the time of the day.
To establish the general mood of the event.
c. Microphone
Microphone converts sound waves into electrical energy or the audio signals. But the sounds that we produce are very feeble in nature and cannot be sent to larger distances.
Therefore it is amplified and sent to the loudspeaker which reconverts them into audible sound.
There are different types of microphones available for different purposes.
d. Sound Recorder
Television sound/audio not only communicates information, but also contributes greatly to the mood and atmosphere of the visuals that come along with the audio on screen.
The sound recorder essentially records the sound picked up by the microphone.
400
Discuss any four categories of TV channels. Also give suitable examples of each
Four categories of TV channels with examples are:
News Channels
News may be defined as something that is new or information about recent events or latest happenings, especially as reported by newspapers, periodicals, radio, or television.
Initially news on television meant a bulletin of half an hour or one hour usually telecast at the prime time comprising the top stories of the day. But today there are various programmes, various formats and a number of ways in which the news is being broadcast.
Just a little over a decade ago, only one television channel used to give us news and current affairs - that is, Doordarshan.
We have more than half a dozen news channels in Hindi. Some of them are Aaj Tak, Star News, Zee News, NDTV India, Sahara Samay and ETV.
There are English news channels which include NDTV 24x7, CNBC-TV18, Times Now and Headlines Today.
In addition there are channels in all other major languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Oriya and Urdu.
Sports Channels
Sports channels are television specialty channels that broadcast sporting events like the twenty-20 world cup- usually live. When not broadcasting live events, they offer sports news and other related programmes.
There are some channels that focus on only one sport or one specific region of a country, showing only their local team’s games.
These channels have greatly improved the availability of sports broadcasts, generating opportunities, such as the option to see every single sport our team plays in any part of the world.
Earlier, in India many serials were not telecast at their routine timings because the cricket match was to be shown live.
We now have exclusive sports channels which telecast live sports events thereby not hampering the schedule of other popular fiction and entertainment programmes available on other channels.
Cartoon Channels
The most popular category of television channels among kids are the cartoon channels.
Cartoon Network India is the most popular cartoon-dedicated television channel in India. It airs English, Tamil and Hindi-dubbed versions of a variety of cartoons, including traditional Cartoon Network programmes featuring Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and Popeye the Sailor.
Programmes also include the superhero series including Superman: The Animated Series, Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited, Pokémon, Beyblade, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles etc
Cartoon Network has also aired a few Indian-made cartoons, featuring ‘Akbar and Birbal’, ‘Tenali Raman’, ‘Sindbad’, ‘Ramayan’, ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Vikram and Betal’.
Entertainment and Lifestyle Channels
In television also there are channels dedicated to subjects such as home, garden, kitchen and family. These are called lifestyle channels and they offer a variety of programmes catering to various lifestyle conditions and patterns.
Stylised anchors, well decorated and lit up sets, mesmerizing locations and a cool attitude is how these channels can be best described.
Some examples of lifestyle channels are Zoom and Discovery’s Travel and Living
500
What are media ethics? List out the ethical codes to be practiced by media persons.
Media also needs to have guidelines on what is right or wrong. These are called media ethics. The ethical codes to be practiced by media persons are:
Accuracy: The information provided by media persons in the print media, radio, television and internet has to be accurate.
Confidentiality: A media person maintains confidentiality of information revealed by various sources.
Protection of sources: A source which has provided confidential information should never be revealed.
Right to privacy: A journalist should respect the right of a person to have privacy. That would mean that a journalist should not write about the private life of ordinary citizens.
No incitement to violence: Mass media should not motivate or provoke people to indulge in violence or crime.
No vulgarity or obscenity: Mass Media should not write, display or broadcast anything that is vulgar or obscene.
No Communal writing: Media should avoid writing or broadcasting issues which can promote communal problems.
500
Describe in detail the basic facts to be taken into account while reporting.
The basic facts to be taken into account while reporting is:
Finding the lead:
The lead, or opening sentence, is the most important part of a news story.
A good lead attracts the attention of the readers, listeners or viewers to the story and compels them to go through the story.
Like news stories, leads also can be hard or soft. A hard lead is suited for serious stories. A soft lead is ideal for human interest stories and feature-type reports.
Finding the angle:
A news story is based on the angle it takes.
Once a reporter gets all the facts about a story, the reporter has to decide the most important one and the choice of selecting the right angle begins.
While deciding the angle, the reporter has to weigh various factors.
Angle should change as per the type of newspaper/news. Angle will be different for news in Times Nation vis-a-vis angle for an economic paper accordingly.
Examples:
3. Body of a story:
All the facts and figures come in the body of the story.
For writing a story, the most commonly used method is an inverted pyramid. It means, while going to the bottom, the importance will narrow down.
When writing the story the reporter should put the crucial points in the opening paragraphs and the less important matters in the following paragraphs. The least important details should be put towards the end.
While writing the body, a reporter has to be fluent in the language.
A good story requires an easy flow.
500
Discuss any four features of radio studio.
Four features of a radio studio are:
The studio has a table and a microphone.
The room has just one door, which is not very easy to open, as it is very heavy. Before one enters this room, there is a small enclosed place, which has another heavy door. This empty space is called a sound lock, which prevents unnecessary outside sounds from entering the studio.
The ceiling and walls of the studio are with perforated woolen panels.
There is also an announcer’s booth or a transmission studio. There will be a computer, CD players, tape decks and a mixer here. This is the actual broadcast studio from where presenters make announcements.
500
Explain the television production process.
There are three stages of programme production:
Pre-Production
This stage includes everything you do before entering the studio or reaching the shooting location. It involves:
idea generation
research
scripting
discussions with all the crew members and talents (actors)
arranging equipment, video / audio tapes, properties, costumes
sets designing or location hunting and booking of editing shifts
The first thing to know about any and every production is what you want the programme to look like. There needs to be a clear idea of what you want to make.
The next stage is how to get from the idea to the television image. To translate an idea on screen effectively you need a good and detailed script.
In all it involves planning everything in advance.
Production
This is the stage when you are on the studio floor or on location and are ready to shoot or are actually shooting.
It includes
managing all the facilities
handling of talent and crew members
controlling the crowd
shooting without hurdles and solving any problem related on the spot at that time
Post-Production
This is the third stage of programme production. It is the stage when you get the final shape of the programme.
It includes
cutting the recorded visuals into appropriate length
arranging the visuals in a proper sequence
use of desired effects for the visuals or text / captions
commentary recording, music/song recording
final assembly of the entire programme.
500
What are informative programmes on TV? List four types of informative programmes.
Programmes whose main aim is to provide information to its viewers are termed as informative programmes.
Different types of informative programmes are:
Informative Programmes
Programmes whose main aim is to provide information to its viewers are termed as informative programmes. Different types of informative programmes are:
News and Current Affairs Programmes: For eg. News bulletins, news commentaries - direct coverage of proceedings of important events, news based interviews and panel discussions.
Sports Programmes: for eg. Cricket matches, sports diaries, sports commentary.
Cookery shows, food related programmes eg. Cook it up with Tarla Dalal, Khana Khazana, Mirch Masala.
Programmes imparting information related to contemporary environmental issues, scientific and technological inventions and discoveries and economic policies like Surabhi, Bharat ek Khoj.
