MASS MEDIA

The term mass media is applied to all media that reach a mass audience. By mass media we mean
those means of communication which reach large audiences. They serve as sources of information and
entertainment. In fact mass media have existed as long as mankind itself. There has always been a need to
exchange information among people. But it took a long time to reach their present technology form. New
technology enables us to deliver information very quickly. Never before has so much information been able
to be produced and used so quickly and efficiently.
The most important and well-known means of communication are the press, radio and television.
However, the latest technological contribution to the media – the Internet – tend to replace these classical
media. All of the main newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations now have websites. These “new
media” are starting to get more readers than the old media.
Mass media are used to inform, to educate, to advertise or simply for entertainment. If you want
to know the latest news, they are available in newspapers. You can also listen to the radio or watch TV news.
Besides that, watching TV or listening to the radio is a popular way of spending free time, especially when
the weather is bad. When we come home from school or work, we often switch on TV or radio simply to
replace our missing communicators.
At any newsagents you can notice many kinds of newspapers and magazines. The press in Britain
has a long and proud tradition. London’s first daily newspaper, The Daily Courant, was first published in
1702. It is possible to classify British newspapers in several ways. We can divide them into national and
local newspapers. National newspapers are published nation-wide, local papers are distributed in a particular
area. Another common division is between morning and evening newspapers. There are also daily, weekly,
monthly and Sunday newspapers. However, the most common division is between the quality press
(broadsheets) and popular press (tabloids, redtop papers). Quality newspapers are also called broadsheets
because they are large in size. Broadsheets contain a lot of long articles about serious matters. They contain a
wide variety of national and international news, reports from parliamentary debates, reviews of the arts,
features about fashion and sport and business news. Nearly all the papers pay special attention to the
reporting of sports, which play an important role in British life. They are written in formal style and there
aren’t many pictures and advertisements in them. Typical British broadsheets are The Times, The Guardian,
The Daily Telegraph or The Independent. On the other hand, the popular press is not so serious. It is known
as tabloids or redtop papers because the names of the papers are usually written in red. They contain short
articles about famous people, celebrities, scandals, sex or violence. They are full of big pictures and
advertisements and they are written in informal style. The main tabloids in Britain are The Daily Mail, The
Daily Express, The Daily Mirror or The Sun. The largest daily quality newspapers published in the USA are
The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today or New York Daily News. The New York Post, The
Daily News and The Metro are nationally recognizes tabloids that focus on scandals of celebrities and stars.
In Slovakia, there are a lot of daily, weekly and monthly newspapers. They are aimed at certain
social classes with a certain education and political orientation. There are daily newspapers with nationwide
distribution that are widely read and are influential. The daily press is represented by Sme, Pravda, or
Hospodárske noviny. They contain sections about politics, international news, domestic news, culture, sport,
the weather, radio and TV programmes. There are also some photos, advertisements, crosswords or
competitions. The best-selling daily tabloid is Nový čas. Popular weekly newspapers are Markíza, Plus 7 dní,
Život and many others. They are large in size and more expensive than daily newspapers. They contain the
latest news, information about celebrities, scandals, TV programmes, recipes and crosswords. Besides that,
you can also buy magazines which are related to one topic such as fashion magazines (Eva, Ema), car
magazines, sports magazines, computer magazines and many others.
Modern life is closely connected with radio and television. TV guides help us to find out what is on
TV. People can choose among various kinds of programmes. Mass media allow us to follow world affairs
soon after events have happened. In the case of live broadcasting, we learn about current events as they
happen. The whole world follows the mass media to get the latest information. Many channels broadcast
breaking news in such situations (e.g. catastrophes, terrorist attacks…). Mass media do not only inform but
they also educate, such as documentaries or wildlife programmes. Documentary programmes take us to
places we would never have a chance to see and provide us with information that we would not know.
Another role is to entertain. People like to relax by watching films, sitcoms, series, soap operas, reality
shows, talent shows, quiz shows, game shows, chat shows or cartoons. Many people like watching films,
such as war films, science fiction films, fantasy, horror films, historical films or comedies. Sports fans can
watch live football, tennis, basketball or hockey matches. According to research, most people watch the
news, sitcoms or series. Radio and television stations can be divided in to two categories: commercial and
non-commercial. Commercial stations are supported by charging money to companies which would like
their goods or services advertised on the station. Non-commercial stations are financed from state budget or
they are supported by donations, grants or private organisations. In Britain radio and television broadcasting
is provided by the state-owned BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) which has a high international
reputation. The BBC has five national radio programmes and several television channels. They include the
latest news, sport, educational, cultural and entertainment programmes. In the USA there is a great number
and variety of radio stations. Most non-commercial radio stations are public and educational stations which
are operated by colleges and universities. Hundreds of radio stations in the USA broadcast in other languages
for minorities, such as the Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish. The USA does not have a national
broadcast service. There are hundreds of local TV stations. The four most popular seem to be Fox, CNN,
NBC and ABC. CNN is a news channel well-known across the world.
Slovak television and Slovak Radio have recently merged to create one public-service organisation
called Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS). The most popular Slovak radio stations are Slovensko1, Rádio
OK, Fun Rádio, Express and many others. They broadcast the news, music or discussions. They also provide
their listeners with information about traffic situation on the roads in Slovakia. Slovak TV stations are
Jednotka, Dvojka which are state-owned; TV Markíza and TV JOJ which are commercial. Jednotka
broadcasts mostly the news, political discussions, films, series and children programmes. Foreign language
films on Slovak TV channels are mostly dubbed, rarely subtitled. Dvojka specializes in documentaries, quiz
shows, educational programmes and music. It also broadcasts live football, tennis, basketball or hockey
matches. Commercial stations TV Markíza and TV Joj also enjoy wide popularity. Popular series, sitcoms,
quiz shows, game shows, talent shows and reality shows also form a part of their programme. Apart from
these channels, there are local channels which focus on local interests. Some TV stations make a selection of
their programmes available on their websites.
The Internet presents a true revolution in many areas of our lives. It has changed the way we study,
work, entertain ourselves and communicate. It has made access to any type of information easier. Nowadays,
we do not depend on books, encyclopaedias or dictionaries to find information. Internet search engines,
online books and dictionaries are gradually replacing them. Via the Internet we send documents, buy things,
book hotels, reserve tickets, use the Internet banking service, transfer our money, look for information about
timetables, opening hours or details about products and services. Many people use the Internet as a form of
entertainment. Chatting, joining different discussion groups and reading blogs is becoming very popular,
especially among the young. Access to the Internet at work, schools and at home has already become a
normal part of our lives. However, there are many discussions that concern the safety of personal
information and the safety of bank transfers. Many hackers get into different computer systems and misuse
the data. They also create computer viruses which can destroy data completely. Besides that, there are
children and young people who are obsessed with using the Internet for several hours a day. It is not healthy
for their physical and mental development. Some Internet sites are absolutely inappropriate for children.
Therefore, their choice should be under control of parents.
Mass media have a big influence on human lives, families and society. Thanks to the media people
get the latest information every day. However, they have also brought a lot of disadvantages, especially TV.
Small children are likely to copy violent behaviour from TV because they are not able to realize
consequences. They are not able to distinguish what is fiction and what is reality. They believe that
everything what they see on TV is true. Information can be abused to misinform people. The press, radio and
TV sometimes offer us only half-truth. It is important to realize that not everything we read, hear or see is the
truth. Apart from that, more and more violence, sex and vulgarisms appear on TV which have a negative
influence on children and young people. Under this influence they are becoming more and more rude and
aggressive. Some programmes, such as reality shows, create pseudo-idols and present money or physical
beauty as having the highest value in life. Furthermore, the number of children in playgrounds, parks, sports
centres or libraries has decreased. They prefer spending their free time watching TV or playing computer
games instead of going out with their friends. Overusing these types of media causes damage to their
eyesight and can lead to a habit of overeating. They prevent people from doing sports, being outside and
reading books. Direct communication with each other has also weakened. Children talk to their parents less
frequently and lose interest in their duties. As regards the whole society, according to research elderly people
have lost their position in society and social life. It is so because they are usually not able to follow new
trends and young people don’t have respect for them. They think that elderly people are very old fashioned
and they are not useful members of society.
 QUESTIONS

1. Explain the importance of mass media in society. Do you think the media is commercially
oriented?
2. Present the classifications of the press.
3. What do you know about the press in Britain and the USA?
4. Describe the press in Slovakia, its classifications and give some examples.
5. Why do some journalists create stories with little credibility?
6. What newspapers or magazines do you and your family read regularly?
7. How can you classify radio and TV stations?
8. Name popular radio and TV stations in Britain and the USA.
9. When do people listen to the radio? What radio stations are popular in Slovakia and what
programmes do they broadcast? Which of them are your favourite?
10. Name popular TV channels in Slovakia, make comparison between commercial and non-
commercial ones. What kinds of TV programmes can people choose to watch? Which of
them are the most popular according to statistics?
11. Talk about viewing habits in your family. What TV programmes do you like watching and
when do you watch them?
12. Explain the role of the Internet in society as a modern form of mass media. How has the
Internet changed the way we live?
13. Are you addicted to the Internet? How much time do you spend using Facebook and the
Internet in general?
14. How does watching TV or using the Internet influence people’s behaviour, especially
children’s?
15. Talk about how violence is presented in the media. Give reasons why children are especially
at risk from media violence.
16. How should parents prevent their children from spending too much time in front of the
television or overusing the Internet?

ROLEPLAYS / SIMULATIONS

Imagine you were given the opportunity to run your own TV, radio or online programme for young
people. The programme should be two hours long, once a week. Talk about what would the
contents be, how you would structure it and provide reasonable justifications for your choice.

You cannot imagine your life without TV, you watch TV quite often. You prefer more informative
TV programmes (nature films, travel documentaries) to action films and comedies. Your parents do
not like you sitting in front of TV, in their opinion it is a waste of time. Persuade them you watch
the programmes which broaden your knowledge.

Your grandmother is very old-fashioned and she has no idea about the latest mass media, such as
the Internet. Explain to your grandmother what the Internet is and what it can be used for.
 PICTURES

1 Identify the types of mass media in the pictures. What influence do they have on people’s
lives?
2 Why are people more attracted to one form of media over another? Which mass media do
you consider to be the most effective?
3 Which do you prefer: ‘hard’ news or ‘soft’ news? Explain why.
4 What the effects of having no television in your home would be?