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BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio

CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing >>
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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LESSON 01
BROADCASTING
The subject of broadcasting has assumed a global recognition. With so much advancement
being done in the field of mass communication, the use of air waves for putting the message
across is now a reflex matter in our daily life. Study of the subject gives us clear guidelines as
how best a society can benefit from the gains of these advancements.
Beginning with FOUR BASIC questions
Why to broadcast?
The foremost thing coming to mind is why it is so essential to broadcast something. Well,
growth in the size of societies requires some mechanism to keep people informed about a
number of developments taking place around them to make their life organized, smooth and at
times, to relieve them of their routine anxieties. Such rapid communication helps societies to
improve their quality of life as well.
What to broadcast?
This is a sensitive area. The selection of programs for the purposes of broadcast leads to all
sorts of complications at the later stages. Broadly speaking, the presentations could be
categorized in the following pattern:
Programs for religious affairs, children, women, forces, farmers, business community,
curricula-based-education, sports, whole spectrum of people like plays, music, shows,
interviews, news and views, comic, and live commentary on a range of daily life activities. ...
and still room available to think of more.
To whom to broadcast?
It is a haunting question for a producer of different broadcasts. But there must be a good
amount of distinctness in his, or her, mind as who is targeted for a certain program. Others
(outside the target listeners) may benefit from the program but it essentially remains focused
for a particular segment of people.
This greatly helps the producers in the selection of script and presenters (we shall discuss this
in detail in coming lectures). Otherwise, he will remain confused all the time in shaping the
program. For example, a program addresses the youth; - its script, anchor background music
and choice of quotes to stress different aspects of the topic would be peculiar for the young
people... though other than youth can also enjoy it.
Likewise a program meant for women will be designed as to address the fair sex, but others
are not barred to listen to it. This makes matters easier for the production team.
When to Broadcast?
Not all times are fit for all types of transmissions. A long sight has to be given to various
categories and types of programs for drawing a time schedule for them. Usually religious
programs are aired in the morning by most broadcasting houses which is very logical.
Normally programs for women are broadcast at 11 am or around, assuming that they are free
after having done their early morning chores like making breakfast and sending children to
school etc. News are broadcast traditionally right at the start of an hour so that people can get
them. Dramas are broadcast at a time when presumably every one is at home and want to
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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relax. In countries like Pakistan, which are predominantly agrarian, programs for farmers are
aired when they have finished their field job and now gathering around for gossip or can spare
time to listen to things of their interest. The point to emphasis here is that there should be a
reason in the selection of time to make maximum out of the broadcast, which we all
understand is made possible by putting in so much effort of so many people.
Historical Facts about Radio
Radio developed as a logical next step from telegraph - the need to find a way to send
telegraph signals over land or water without cables.
But the discovery process goes back much further than that.
Discovering radio waves (1864) ­ An amazing piece of math's
The story of radio began almost 30 years before Marconi with a Cambridge professor called
James Clerk Maxwell. Though he had never seen or experienced radio waves, Maxwell
successfully forecast most of the laws that govern their propagation, calculating their speed
and noting their resemblance to light waves.
Maxwell showed how radio waves could be reflected, absorbed and focused like the beam
from a torch - and could change the very nature of the object on which they were focused.
In 1887, German scientist Heinrich Hertz carried out a famous set of experiments that proved
Maxwell had been right all along.
Wireless and Radio
Wireless is the generic term for any transmission that is made without using wires between
points, although it frequently is used to describe radio.
Radio is the term used first in the USA, derived from radiation - the principle that governs radio
waves.
It's a characteristic of all electromagnetic waves that both the electric signal and the magnetic
field that accompanies it cycle many times a second. Think of a cork on a pond - as waves
pass it, it goes up and down.
The frequency of the wave is simply the number of times per second the cork goes up and
down as the peaks and troughs of the wave pass it. Electromagnetic waves cycle a lot faster
than this, and are measured in Hertz, where 1Hz is one cycle per second.
The wavelength is the distance between each consecutive peak or trough, so if you multiply
the wavelength by the frequency, you get the speed of the wave. A 100Hz wave with a
wavelength of 1 meter travels at 100 meters per second.
Marconi's first wireless signal (1893) ­ Three dots that made history
In June 1896 a 22-year-old Italian physicist called Guglielmo Marconi, who had settled in
London the previous year, called upon the Engineer-in-Chief of the Post Office to demonstrate
his new system of 'telegraphy without wires'. He had already approached the Italian
government - but it showed no interest.
The Post Office was more receptive and allowed Marconi to set up his transmitter on the roof
of the Central Telegraph Office, and a receiver on the roof of a building called 'GPO South' in
Carter Lane, 300 yards away.
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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On July 27 Marconi succeeded in sending the signals between the two locations. It was the
world's first recorded wireless message. The following month The Post Office gave Marconi
backing to experiment with wireless apparatus on Salisbury Plain and in coastal locations.
The first transatlantic radio message (1901) ­ Cornwall to St. John's
Following the successes of his British and Italian experiments at home, Marconi became
obsessed with the idea of sending messages across the Atlantic. He built a transmitter, 100
times more powerful than any previous station, at Poldhu, on the southwest tip of Cornwall and
in November 1901 installed a receiving station at St. John's, Newfoundland. On December 12,
1901, he received signals from across the ocean - three dots representing the letter 'S' heard
out of the background static.
The achievement has long been controversial - in theory, medium wave radio signals cannot
carry that far during the day. But it is possible that Marconi may unknowingly also have been
transmitting on the short waves as well.
Whatever the truth of it, news of Marconi's reported feat spread rapidly around the world, and
he was acclaimed by outstanding scientists, including Thomas A. Edison. From now on,
telegraphy and telephony would no longer be reliant on cables to cross oceans, or span
continents.
Alum Bay, Isle of Wight (1897) ­ Marconi's first wireless station
Guglielmo Marconi revolutionized communications with his radio system and he made most of
his early experiments at Alum Bay, Isle of Wight. Alum Bay was a deserted and beautiful
stretch of coastline that provided open water straight to the mainland just as far as his
equipment's top range.
Marconi established his first radio station in sight of the famous 'Needles', where he managed
to transmit two hired ferryboats and another station in Bournemouth.
Then, in August 1898, Marconi was invited by Queen Victoria to demonstrate his equipment
aboard the Royal Yacht. During his presentation he amazed his audience by contacting the
royal home at Osborne House and the Alum Bay station.
Cape Cod Marconi station (1903) ­ an ocean view
At the turn of the century Marconi searched for a wireless station on the east coast of America
to tackle his next big project - communicating across the Atlantic. He needed somewhere with
a clear view right across the ocean and found Cape Cod.
Cape Cod was a desolate headland with a raised plateau looking out over the ocean. In March
1901 he discovered the perfect spot at South Wellfleet, a favourite site for holidaymakers. On
the other side of the Atlantic he established its opposite station at Poldhu in Cornwall, not far
from Goon hilly.
Disaster almost struck when a poorly built aerial collapsed in a gale, but it was rebuilt in time
for Wellfleet to play host to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, to make the world's first
official two-way 'trans-ocean' communication with King Edward VII at Poldhu on January 18,
1903.
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Table of Contents:
  1. BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio
  2. CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing
  3. CURRENT AFFAIRS:Talk Shows, Discussions, Seminars, Live Shows
  4. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING I:VIP Movement, Suddenly Assigned Events
  5. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING II:Pakistan Day March Past, General Elections
  6. CURTAIN RAISER:Political, Financial, Sports, Academics
  7. RADIO FEATURE:Personality Features, Features on Events
  8. MUSICAL PROGRAMS:Classical Music, Light and Film Music, Folk Music
  9. RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Narrative, Dramatized, Imagination, Close to places
  10. DISC JOCKEY:Women in Focus, Daily/ Weekly Division, Making Titles
  11. VOICE IN BROADCASTING:Speech, Accent, Loudness, Stress
  12. NOISE:Physical, Medium itself, Problem at sender’s end, Semantics
  13. STUDIO:Drama Studio, Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions, Music Studios,
  14. RADIO DRAMA I:Stage Dramas, Early Radio Dramas, Ethics, Classification
  15. RADIO DRAMA II:Selection of director, The Playwrights, Script, Voices
  16. ADVERTISEMENT – INCOME GENERATION:Similarities, More Analysis
  17. ADVERTISERS’ APPROACH:Dramatized, Dialogue based, News
  18. FM – A NEW GENERATION IN BROADCASTING:Low Cost, The Difference
  19. MICROPHONE TO TRANSMITTER:Amplifiers, Modulator, Transmitter
  20. WRITING SCRIPT FOR RADIO BROADCAST:NEWS Script, Interviews
  21. INTERACTIVE BROADCASTING:On-line, E-mails, Interview, Views in News
  22. REVISION:CURRENT AFFAIRS, RADIO FEATURE, MUSICAL PROGRAMS
  23. HISTORY OF TELEVISION:Early History, The Black & White Images, Color Television
  24. PAKISTAN TELEVISION (PTV):The Excitement, Timing, Live Broadcast
  25. BROADCASTING LAWS:Laws in the 19th century, Press Council of Pakistan
  26. REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST:The Staff, News Reading, Programming
  27. NEW SCRIPT WRITING AND DIRECTION TECHNIQUES:TV Script
  28. SETS:Permanent Sets, Hot & Cover Sets, Special Sets, Economical
  29. CAMERA SHOTS – THE VISUAL LANGUAGE:Angle Shots, Movement shots
  30. LIGHTS IN VISUAL BROADCASTING:Light Temperature, Light and Distance
  31. INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR:NEWS and Interviews, Dramas and Music
  32. BROADCASTING AND MEDIA IMPERIALISM:The truth in the debate
  33. ENVIRONMENT OF TV BROADCAST:Optical Illusions, POV, Depth of Field
  34. BUDGET:First Part, Second Part, Third Part, The Sponsors
  35. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF DIFFERENT RADIO AND TV FORMATS:TV NEWS
  36. CURRENT AFFAIRS – FROM RADIO TO TV:Seminars, Interviews
  37. PRE-PRODUCTION:Brain Storming, Scripting a new program, Approval
  38. PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION:Booking Shifts, Rehearsals
  39. TV ADVERTISEMENTS – MONEY WITH ENTERTAINMENT:Early Phase, Getting Spots
  40. ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS:The Investment, Fresh Ideas, Closure of channels
  41. ANCHORPERSON:Appearance and Confidence, Job Opportunities
  42. COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIO AND TV BROADCAST:The Difference, Script
  43. TERRESTRIAL TO SATELLITE TO CABLE TV:Cable Network, CD Channels
  44. CAREER IN BROADCASTING:Production, Direction, Lighting Director, Script Writer
  45. REVISION (LESSON 23 TO 44):Broadcasting Laws, PEMRA, Budget