Test Bank for Media and Culture 2016 Update Mass

Communication in a Digital Age 10th Edition Campbell

Martin Fabos 1457668742 9781457668746
Full download link at:
Test bank: https://testbankpack.com/p/test-bank-for-media-and-culture-an-
introduction-to-mass-communication-11th-edition-campbell-martin-fabos-
1319058515-9781319058517/

1. Many of the program conventions in television actually came from radio.

A) True
B) False

2. Television has been praised as unbiased and removed from partisan politics.
A) True
B) False

3. Idahoan Philo Farnsworth is credited with transmitting the first TV picture

electronically when he was only twenty-one years old.
A) True
B) False

4. Between 1948 and 1952, no new licenses were issued to construct and operate TV
stations in the United States.
A) True
B) False

5. In the first years of television, cities that had operating television stations saw an
increase in people going to movie theaters, more people going to nightclubs, and more
people checking out library books.
A) True
B) False

Page 1
 6. The sale of spot ads within such shows as Today and TV specials like Peter Pan helped
to end sponsor control of TV content.
A) True
B) False

7. The quiz-show scandals of the late 1950s resulted from quiz shows' frequently accepting
incorrect answers from contestants and then covering up the mistakes.
A) True
B) False

8. The quiz-show scandals of the 1950s provided the first indication that TV images could
be manipulated.
A) True
B) False

9. CATV stands for "cable access television."

A) True
B) False

10. A communication satellite that is in geosynchronous orbit circles the earth at the same
speed at which the earth revolves on its axis.
A) True
B) False

11. As a result of the number and diversity of cable offerings, the "Big Three" major
networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have lost a significant portion of the viewer base they
had prior to 1980.
A) True
B) False

12. Premium cable channels lure customers with the promise of no advertising.
A) True
B) False

13. DBS does not pose a significant threat to the cable industry.
A) True
B) False

Page 2
14. Time shifting refers to the delay of broadcast programs because of different time zones
across the United States.
A) True
B) False

15. Today, with the advent of DVR, viewers are moving away from the trend of time
shifting that affected advertisers in previous decades.
A) True
B) False

16. Third screens typically function as "catch-up services," allowing consumers to watch
TV shows or movies that played earlier.
A) True
B) False

17. The ability to stream TV shows on fourth screens such as smartphones and the iPad
hasn't changed consumers' viewing habits much.
A) True
B) False

18. Only a few TV series from the 1950s have survived, and that is because these few were
the only ones originally shot on film.
A) True
B) False

19. The narrative situation and complications in a sitcom are typically resolved by the end
of the episode.
A) True
B) False

20. Cable News Network (CNN) premiered in 1980.

A) True
B) False

21. CNN showed an immediate profit and met with widespread cultural success when Ted
Turner introduced it in 1980.
A) True
B) False

Page 3
22. Reality TV shows cost more for networks and cable to make than sitcoms or dramas.
A) True
B) False

23. Few children's programs are aired on network television because most advertisers are
less interested in reaching that audience.
A) True
B) False

24. The federal government funds 90 percent of public television's annual budget.
A) True
B) False

25. With the establishment of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1967, nonprofit
radio and television stations no longer had to ask their audiences for financial support.
A) True
B) False

26. Concerned with the power that the Big Three networks had, the FCC enacted the Prime
Time Access Rule.
A) True
B) False

27. Must-carry rules require cable operators to assign channels to and carry all local TV
broadcasts on their systems.
A) True
B) False

28. Cable systems that operate as common carriers are required by law to approve the
content of all programs they provide their subscribers.
A) True
B) False

Page 4
29. In the landmark Midwest Video case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the cable
industry was a form of electronic publishing with the same First Amendment rights as
print magazines.
A) True
B) False

30. Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, cable operators are allowed to offer
telephone services.
A) True
B) False

31. The 1996 Telecommunications Act allows cable companies to offer telephone service,
but the phone companies are not permitted to enter the cable TV business.
A) True
B) False

32. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 puts strict limits on the number of radio and TV
stations any one company can own.
A) True
B) False

33. An FCC study found that local cable TV companies that face competition have lower
monthly rates than cable companies in noncompetitive markets.
A) True
B) False

34. After completing its first five television episodes, an independently produced TV
program no longer requires deficit financing to fund its production.
A) True
B) False

35. Evergreens are TV shows that are currently popular.

A) True
B) False

36. In TV syndication, barter deals are usually arranged for new or untested shows.
A) True
B) False

Page 5
37. Under a cash-plus syndication deal, a TV station pays less for a popular syndicated
show than it would under a straight cash deal.
A) True
B) False

38. Rating refers to the percentage of households watching a given show out of all
households watching television at a given moment in time.
A) True
B) False

39. A program's share is the percentage of TV sets tuned to the program in comparison to
the overall number of TV sets in use at the time.
A) True
B) False

40. Audience measurement isn't particularly useful to advertisers because it only tells them
how many people are watching a particular program, not what kind of people.
A) True
B) False

41. At the network era's peak, a prime-time series with a rating of 17 or 18 and a share of
between 28 and 30 was generally a success.
A) True
B) False

42. Cable systems in the United States are increasingly owned by fewer and fewer
companies, called multiple-system operators.
A) True
B) False

43. Comcast is the nation's largest cable TV system operator.

A) True
B) False

Page 6
44. Some U.S. cities are challenging privately owned cable giants by building competing,
publicly owned cable systems.
A) True
B) False

45. Who transmitted the first electronic TV picture?

A) John Grierson
B) Philo Farnsworth
C) Vladimir Zworykin
D) Thomas Edison
E) None of the above options is correct.

46. In the TV freeze of 1948–1952, ______.

A) the FCC halted technological experiments in order to decide on a workable model
for American color television
B) a number of television stations froze new programming in order to make decisions
about sponsorship issues and advertising
C) advertisers boycotted television programming as a way of ensuring their own
monopolies
D) the FCC declared a freeze on new licenses because of concerns about frequency-
interference problems
E) the monopolies of a few television corporations prevented others from entering the
field, putting a freeze on broadcasting competition

47. Which of the following was not one of Sylvester "Pat" Weaver's strategies for forcing
advertisers to relinquish some of their power over television programming?
A) The introduction of magazine shows like the Today show
B) The development of television specials, such as the TV versions of Richard III and
Peter Pan
C) The development of spot ads — shorter ads to be sold to individual sponsors
D) Decreasing the length of television programs, allowing for fewer advertisements to
go to any one sponsor
E) None of the options was a strategy.

48. Which development was a consequence of the quiz-show scandal?

A) The patent pool was declared a monopoly and dismantled.
B) The networks couldn't keep control over programming, and the sponsors became
the sole authority.
C) Quiz-show hosts were no longer allowed to have stock in the company.
D) Quiz-show contestants had to be vetted by the show's sponsors first.
E) None of the above options is correct.

Page 7
49. The final part of the cable system that actually brings the cable into the home is called
______.
A) feeder or trunk cable
B) headend
C) cathode ray tube
D) fiber-optic cable
E) drop or tap line

50. The development of satellites in the 1970s ______.

A) brought an end to the franchising frenzy
B) encouraged competition between K-band and C-band technologies
C) enabled premium channels like HBO to be born
D) made the FCC instigate must-carry rules
E) All of the options are correct.

51. Which of the following is a way cable channels have achieved success?
A) Creating programs that target the largest possible mass audience
B) Avoiding being "bundled" with other channels as part of a package deal
C) Finding and catering to the needs of a niche audience with specific interests
D) Emulating broadcast network programming
E) None of the above options is correct.

52. Why have TV broadcasters been threatened by cable?

A) Cable systems have better satellites.
B) Cable systems might choose not to carry the signal of a local broadcast station.
C) Since cable's inception, the FCC has favored the cable industry over the
broadcasting industry.
D) Cable's clearer signal and ability to target niche audiences attracted viewers away
from their programming.
E) Broadcasters never felt threatened by cable.

53. Which of the following is a premium cable channel?

A) ESPN
B) CNN
C) MTV
D) C-SPAN
E) HBO

Page 8
54. How have direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services challenged cable?
A) They offer a lot more stations than cable.
B) They are able to send signals directly to small satellite dishes where the installation
of cable wires hasn't been possible.
C) They have started to create their own programming, while cable still only shows
reruns of old network programs.
D) They have a better relationship with broadcast networks than cable does, and thus
have lower retransmission fees than cable.
E) All of the options are correct.

55. VHS outsold the technically superior Betamax videocassette format because ______.
A) VHS offered high-definition playback
B) VHS offered more tape space and could record longer programs
C) more money was spent advertising the Betamax format than the VHS
D) consumers couldn't tell the difference between the two formats
E) All of the options are correct.

56. Differences in, and competition over, technical standards ______.

A) caused the FCC to temporarily ban any new TV licenses in the late 1940s and early
1950s
B) meant that it took over a decade before all three of the major networks started
broadcasting in color in the mid-1960s
C) resulted in a "war" between the Beta and VHS formats of home videocassette
recorders
D) resulted in a "war" between Blu-ray and HD DVD formats for high-definition
movie recordings
E) All of the options are correct.

57. One potential drawback for consumers who use a DVR (digital video recorder) is that
______.
A) they have to be at home to press "record" in order to tape a program
B) they can't skip past commercials
C) marketers and advertisers might be able to "see" what they watch
D) they can only use them to record broadcast network programming, not cable
programming
E) DVRs can be unreliable and don't always record what you program them to record

Page 9
58. The practice of recording shows and watching them later when it is more convenient is
called ______.
A) fin-syn
B) viewer's choice
C) time shifting
D) stripping
E) syndicating

59. A catch-up service ______.

A) lets you watch episodes after they air on TV
B) is an online fan site with plot descriptions
C) refers only to DVD players
D) usually refers to something you see in a movie theater
E) None of the above options is correct.

60. Smartphones, iPads, and other mobile devices used to watch videos are sometimes
referred to as ______.
A) first screens
B) time shifting
C) fourth screens
D) off-network
E) headends

61. In a situation comedy ______.

A) character development is emphasized over plot twists
B) characters change dramatically over the course of the series
C) characters are under a great deal of stress
D) viewers consider themselves slightly smarter than the characters
E) viewers consider themselves slightly inferior to the characters

62. In its early days, television drama drew on ______ for many of its ideas, sets, actors,
technicians, and directors.
A) the music industry
B) radio
C) movies
D) New York theater
E) None of the above options is correct.

Page 10
63. Anthologies were replaced by other types of programming in the 1950s because ______.
A) advertisers didn't like anthologies
B) they were expensive to produce
C) the television audience changed as it expanded
D) some were considered too controversial
E) All of the options are correct.

64. ______ are one of the longest-running serial programs in the history of television.
A) Workplace comedies
B) Daytime soap operas
C) Sitcoms
D) Hybrid dramas
E) Anthology dramas

65. According to the textbook, which of the following statements about television news is
true?
A) There have been relatively few changes to the television news industry since the
start of the 24/7 cable news channels.
B) From the very start of television, networks were concerned with keeping their news
departments separate from big commercial sponsors like tobacco companies.
C) ABC News was the first news program to be aired by a major television network.
D) Since the 1960s, national polls have shown local television news is typically
thought of as more trustworthy than newspapers.
E) None of the above options is correct.

66. Which of the following statements about reality television is false?

A) The genre includes programs like Survivor, Top Chef, and The Voice.
B) The shows introduce us to characters/people who seem more like "us" and less like
celebrities.
C) The inspiration for reality TV can be traced to MTV's Real World.
D) Reality TV is much more expensive to make than typical comedies or dramas.
E) All of the options are true.

Page 11
67. Which of the following statements about public broadcasting is true?
A) It would have lost all funding from the government if the Senate hadn't killed a
2011 effort by a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
B) Public broadcasting hopes to increase corporate contributions with on-air
promotional messages.
C) One of its main missions continues to be providing educational children's
programming.
D) The bulk of the funding for public broadcasting comes from viewers, listeners, and
corporations.
E) All of the options are correct.

68. In 1970 the FCC created the ______, which “constituted the most damaging attack
against the network TV monopoly in FCC history.”
A) Prime Time Access Rule
B) must-carry rules
C) access channels
D) Financial Interest and Syndication Rules
E) None of the above options is correct.

69. In 1965, the FCC established must-carry rules, which ______.

A) required cable operators to carry local TV broadcasts
B) established technical standards for cable broadcasts, regulating the signals carried
by cable systems
C) blocked cable systems from bringing distant television stations into cities with
local stations
D) blocked cable operators from carrying local TV broadcasts
E) None of the above options is correct.

70. In 1972, the FCC required cable systems to provide and fund a tier of ______ dedicated
to local education, government, and the public.
A) DBS services
B) must-carry rules
C) access channels
D) pay-per-view channels
E) superstations

Page 12
71. What is the difference between a common carrier and an electronic publisher?
A) A common carrier may examine content before distributing it; an electronic
publisher may not.
B) A common carrier is not allowed to import any foreign programming; an electronic
publisher may.
C) A common carrier may not transmit video images; an electronic publisher can send
both analog and digital images.
D) A common carrier must offer at least part of its services on a first-come, first-
served basis; an electronic publisher can pick and choose its channels.
E) There is no difference between a common carrier and an electronic publisher.

72. Which of the following is not true about the aftermath of the Telecommunications Act
of 1996?
A) Competition from allowing regional and long-distance phone companies as well as
cable companies into each other's markets has kept cable rates low.
B) Consolidation of regional phone, long-distance, cable, and Internet service
companies has decreased competition and left consumers with high cable bills.
C) The cable industry has spent almost $150 billion installing and upgrading its
technological infrastructure in the United States.
D) Cable companies now bundle digital cable television, Internet, and phone services.
E) All of the options are true.

73. Below-the-line costs for a TV program include the ______.

A) writer
B) camera crew
C) actors
D) director
E) All of the options are correct.

74. Which term best describes the financial arrangement that most TV producers and movie
studios enter into to make prime-time TV shows?
A) Prime Time Access Rule
B) Above-the-line costs
C) Below-the-line costs
D) Economy of scale
E) None of the above options is correct.

Page 13
75. Which of the following is the best way to erase the losses of deficit financing for a TV
show?
A) Selling the program into rerun, or off-network, syndication
B) Selling national and local advertising spots
C) Selling the program to individual affiliates
D) Renting the program to the networks
E) Time shifting

76. When might broadcast networks air syndicated programs?

A) During prime time
B) During fringe time
C) During time shifting
D) Only during the daytime
E) Only during the evening

77. Programs that are in off-network syndication are ______.

A) programs that were made specifically for syndication
B) older programs that no longer run during network prime time
C) programs that are produced by broadcast networks for cable channels
D) programs that are too risqué for network television
E) All of the options are correct.

78. An airing of the television show Friends on Fox at 6:30 P.M. is an example of ______.
A) off-network syndication
B) first-run syndication
C) video-on-demand
D) an O & O
E) hybrid syndication

79. The game show Wheel of Fortune is an example of ______.

A) off-network syndication
B) first-run syndication
C) fringe time
D) an O & O
E) hybrid syndication

Page 14
80. During the 2013–2014 season, NCIS on CBS drew an average audience of about
_______.
A) 22 million
B) 20 million
C) 25 million
D) 15 million
E) 18 million

81. Online advertisers pay a rate called a ______.

A) share
B) CPM
C) retransmission fee
D) software cost
E) None of the above options is correct.

82. Which of the following statements about the three traditional major broadcast networks
(NBC, CBS, ABC) is true?
A) Nobody watches them anymore.
B) They are all owned by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp.
C) They remain attractive business investments despite losing viewers to cable and
other new technologies.
D) They own all of the stations that carry their programming.
E) None of the above options is correct.

83. What did major networks do to combat audience erosion in the 1990s?
A) They threatened not to allow cable operators to carry any of their programming.
B) They started making edgier and more controversial programming.
C) They acquired cable channels.
D) They acquired cable operators.
E) None of the above options is correct.

84. Which of the following statements about municipal cable television systems is false?
A) Communities can build their own municipal cable systems.
B) Consumers in cities with municipal cable systems typically pay less for cable.
C) There are only about a hundred municipal cable services across the country.
D) In most cases, municipal cable systems are operated by community-owned
nonprofit electric utilities.
E) None of the options is false.

85. CATV stands for "______________________ antenna television."

Page 15
86. A tier of channels that subscribers can order at an additional monthly fee over their
basic cable service is referred to as ______________________.

87. ______________________, satellite-based services that for a monthly fee downlink

hundreds of television channels, began distributing video programming directly to
households in 1994.

88. A relatively recent technology, ______________________ are devices that enable users
to find and record specific television shows (and movies) and store them in computer
memory to be played back at a later time.

89. A popular form of early TV programming that brought live dramatic theater to
television, ______________________ were influenced by stage plays.

90. Though independently owned, ______________________ are radio or TV stations that

sign a contract to carry its programs.

91. After years of going back and forth on cable rates and rules, Congress enacted the
______________________ and brought cable fully under the federal rules that had long
governed the telephone, radio, and TV industries.

92. In television, ___________________ is the process whereby a TV production company

leases its programs to a network for a license fee that is actually less than the cost of
production.

93. O & Os refer to TV stations that are ______________________ by networks.

94. In TV audience measurement, a ______________________ is a statistical estimate

expressed as a percentage of households tuned to a program in the market being
sampled.

95. MSO stands for "___________________-system operator."

Page 16
Use the following to answer questions 96-99:

Match the names with the television terms and events they are most closely associated with.
A. Hybrid drama
B. Television specials
C. Quiz-show scandals
D. WTBS

96. Sylvester "Pat" Weaver

97. Charles Van Doren

98. Ted Turner

99. Breaking Bad

Use the following to answer questions 100-102:

Match the elements of a cable TV system with their descriptions.

A. Distributes signal around a community on utility poles
B. Runs from utility pole to subscriber's home
C. Processes signals received from program suppliers

100. Headend

101. Trunk cable

102. Tap line

Page 17
Use the following to answer questions 103-107:

Select from the following list of terms to match the item with the best answer. Some terms may
be used more than once or not at all.
A. Domestic comedy
B. DirecTV
C. Above-the-line cost
D. Catch-up service
E. Evergreen

103. I Love Lucy

104. Hulu.com

105. Actors' salaries

106. Modern Family

107. Netflix

108. Explain the two key developments that pushed network television from sponsored
programming to spot ads.

109. What are the major differences between basic cable services and premium cable
services?

110. The late 1970s saw the introduction of two major threats to the television networks.
What were they?

111. What services does PBS provide, and how has it fared in comparison with the major
networks?

112. How has the Telecommunications Act of 1996 affected television viewers, both
positively and negatively?

Page 18
113. Explain the effect that third- and fourth-screen viewing habits have had on traditional
broadcast television and cable.

114. If reality-based programs are cheaper to produce, why might television production
companies continue to make more traditional programs like dramas and comedies?

115. Why might a city decide to start its own municipal cable service?

116. Explain how cable and satellite television could be made into more democratic media.

117. How has television served as a national cultural reference point over the years?

Page 19
Answer Key
1. A
2. B
3. A
4. A
5. B
6. A
7. B
8. A
9. B
10. A
11. A
12. A
13. B
14. B
15. B
16. A
17. B
18. A
19. A
20. A
21. B
22. B
23. A
24. B
25. B
26. A
27. A
28. B
29. A
30. A
31. B
32. B
33. A
34. B
35. B
36. A
37. A
38. B
39. A
40. B
41. A
42. A
43. A
44. A

Page 20
45. B
46. D
47. D
48. E
49. E
50. C
51. C
52. D
53. E
54. B
55. B
56. E
57. C
58. C
59. A
60. C
61. D
62. D
63. E
64. B
65. D
66. D
67. E
68. D
69. A
70. C
71. D
72. A
73. B
74. E
75. A
76. B
77. B
78. A
79. B
80. A
81. B
82. C
83. C
84. C
85. community
86. premium channels
87. DBS or direct broadcast satellites
88. DVRs or digital video recorders
89. anthology dramas
90. affiliate stations

Page 21
 91. Telecommunications Act of 1996
92. deficit financing
93. owned and operated
94. rating
95. multiple
96. B
97. C
98. D
99. A
100. C
101. A
102. B
103. E
104. D
105. C
106. A
107. D
108.
109.
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
115.
116.
117.

Page 22