COMN 2200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Commercial Broadcasting

• School: York University
• Department: Communication Studies
• Course: COMN 2200
• Professor: Wade Rowland

Document Summary

Financing a linear medium, with commercial sponsorship. Advertising affects content with both the genre of the content and the quality. Commercial media provides a vehicle for sponsors. Commercial media provide a programming environment where advertisers feel comfortable placing their ads. Advertisers want content of a nature that would not turn audiences away from their products and services. Early radio dropped a very high level of quality (lectures, operas, etc. ), in favour of programming where ads would not seem as intrusive. Because advertisers call the shots, the particular range of programming was virtually all there was. The medium, radio, served the lowest common denominator, yet nothing for niche audiences. Product of the commercial media can be seen as mediocre. Commercial sponsors have a natural bias against the prevailing ideologies; avoid getting people agitated. Private radio is exclusively pop radio, supplemented by highly opinionated talk. Supported in a large part by revenue that is not derived by advertising.