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Baran Book Cover
Introduction to Mass Communication, 2/e
Stanley J. Baran

Television

Glossary

all-channel legislation  1962 law requiring all television sets imported into or manufactured in the United States to be equipped with both VHF and UHF receivers
audimeter  device for recording when the television set is turned on, the channel to which it is tuned, and the time of day; used in compiling ratings
bandwidth  portion of the spectrum utilized to transmit video and audio signals; an indication of a channelís information carrying capacity
broadband  channels with broad information-carrying capacity
broadcast spectrum  that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum on which the FCC grants permission to transmit
channel surfing  travelling through the television channels focusing neither on specific programs nor on the commercials they house
clear time  when local affiliates carry a networkís program
coaxial cable  copper-clad aluminum wire encased in plastic foam insulation, covered by an aluminum outer conductor, and then sheathed in plastic
compensation  network payments to affiliates for clearing content
cruising  see channel surfing
digital video recorder (DVR)  television service that uses sophisticated digital software to put significant amounts of control over content in viewers' hands
distant importation of signals  delivery of distant television signals by cable television for the purpose of improving reception
fiber optics  signals carried by light beams over glass fibers
Financial Interest and Syndication Rules  FCC rules delineating the amount of ownership the television networks are allowed in the programming they air
Fin-Syn  see Financial Interest and Syndication Rules
first-run syndication  original programming produced specifically for the syndicated television market
grazing  watching several television programs simultaneously
iconoscope tube  first practical television camera tube, developed in 1923
interlaced scanning  television format in which electron beams sweep the picture tube twice, creating half the images' lines on the first pass and filling in the gaps on the second pass
kinescope  improved picture tube developed by Zworykin for RCA
microwave relay  audio and video transmitting system in which super high frequency signals are sent from land-based point to land-based point
MNA reports  multinetwork area television ratings based on the 70 largest markets
multiplexing  the practice of using one channel to transmit multiple forms of content; in FM radio by using extra channel space and in television and cable through signal compression
must-carry rules  rules requiring cable television systems to carry the signal of every television station within a specified radius
network  centralized production, distribution, decision-making organization that links affiliates for the purpose of delivering their viewers to advertisers
news staging  re-creation on television news of some event that is believed to have happened or which could have happened
Nipkow disc  first workable device for generating electrical signals suitable for the transmission of a scene
off-network  broadcast industry term for syndicated content that originally aired on a network
overnights  television ratings data gathered from homes connected by phone lines to Nielsen computers
peoplemeter  remote control keypad device for recording television viewing for taking ratings
personal video recorder (PVR)  see digital video recorder
pilot  a sample episode of a proposed television program
pixels  the smallest picture element in an electronic imaging system such as a television or computer screen
pocketpieces  television ratings based on a national sample, computed and reported every two weeks
portable peoplemeter  a pagerlike device that "reads" embedded audio signals in electronically delivered media content on radio, television, and the Web
progressive scanning  digital television format compatible with personal computers in which the entire picture is built line by line in one scan of the televisionís electronic beam
put  an agreement between a producer that a network guaranteeing that the network will order at least a pilot or the network must pay a hefty penalty
rating  percentage of a market's total population that is reached by a piece of broadcast programming
share  the percentage of people listening to radio or of homes using television tuned in to a given piece of programming
short ordering  network practice of ordering only one or two episodes of a new television series
Sixth Report and Order  fundamental blueprint for the technical operation of television, issued in 1952
spot commercial sales  in broadcasting, selling individual advertising spots on a given program to a wide variety of advertisers
stripped  broadcasting a syndicated television show at the same time five nights a week
sweeps periods  special television ratings times in February, May, July, and November in which diaries are distributed to thousands of sample households in selected markets
syndication  sale of radio or television content to stations on a market-by-market basis
television freeze  1948 freeze in authorization of new television stations while the FCC resolved a number of technical problems
time-shifting  taping a show on a VCR for later viewing
vast wasteland  expression coined by FCC Chair Newton Minow in 1961 to describe television content
WebTV  online delivery of high definition television to special home receivers
zapping  using the remote control to switch to other content when a commercial appears
zipping  fast-forwarding through taped commercials on a VCR