The document discusses different types of television stations including commercial, non-commercial, VHF, UHF, and DTV. It also covers the major networks, cable and satellite providers, and the different roles within television such as sales, engineering, programming, and news. Viewership remains high despite increased competition, with over 98% of homes having at least one TV playing for over 7 hours per day on average.

1. Broadcast and
Cable/Satellite TV
Today
COM 110

2. Television Now
• More than 98% of homes in
America have at least one TV
• 3/4 have more than one
• Average American home has
the TV on for more than 7
hours a day
• 66% of all homes subscribe
to cable
• 26 million subscribers to
DBS systems

3. Types of Television
Stations
• Commercial and
noncommercial station : the
primary distinction is the way in
which they obtain funds to stay
on the air
• Commercial stations make
money by selling time to
advertisers
• Noncommercial stations are
not allowed to sell advertising;
survive through donations from
individuals, businesses and the
government

4. VHF, UHF and DTV
stations
• VHF very high frequency, chs. 2-13
• UHF ultra high frequency, chs. 14 +
• UHF signal was considered inferior
• The advent of DTV has eliminated any
distinction in quality; customers on cable
never experienced a difference in quality

5. VHF, UHF and DTV
stations
• Two types of TV business: network television and
local television
• Network: a system in which ABC, NBC, CBS,
FOX develop program schedules for their affiliate
stations; networks sell most of the advertising in
the programs, which is how they make most of
their money
• Local: revolves around scheduling programs and
selling advertising in the community/region

6. Fox and other new
networks
• Currently, all major
networks combined get
around 40% audience
share
• Fox was launched in 1986,
first broadcasting on
Sundays
• Motivated by Fox's
success, other networks
started in the 90's: UPN,
WB - eventually combining
to form CW
• MyNetworkTV, PAX

7. The end of network
television?
• Seven major networks,
along with cable and all
other options for
entertainment; very
competitive
• Unlikely to ever go away,
despite annual profit
decline
• Networks draw large
audiences

8. Local Television
• Various types of local TV stations:
• Network O&Os
• Big Four network affiliates
• CW/PAX affiliates
• Independents
• Low power TV

9. Network owned and
operated stations
• Stations that are owned outright
by the parent network
• Traditionally, the most profitable
stations
• Examples: KABC (Los Angeles),
WNBC (New York)
• Ownership by a network
guarantees a steady supply of
programming and a high profile
for advertisers

10. Major network
affiliates
• Second most profitable class
of TV stations
• Affiliated with a network, but
owned by a separate entity
• Currently, about 200 stations
each are aligned with CBS,
NBC, ABC and Fox
• CW, MyNetwork and i affiliates
are next in profitability

11. Independents
• An independent TV station
is one that does not align
itself with a major network
• Have to develop their own
programming, do not rely
on affiliation for content
• Rare, less than 50 in the
US

12. LPTV: Low Power TV
• FCC authorized LPTV for service in 1982 to create
openings for minority ownership of TV stations, and to
increase the number of TV stations serving a
community
• FCC places power restrictions, which limit the range of
broadcast
• More than 2000 operate in the US, and mostly in rural
areas; the most LPTV stations are in Alaska
• Now they broadcast digitally, but are still referred to as
a "low power TV station"

13. TV Station Ownership
• Most are owned by
companies, networks
and investment groups
• Relaxed ownership rules
permit owning as many
stations as one likes, as
long as the total number
of households reached
does not exceed 39% in
a market
• CBS is the largest owner,
then Fox, and NBC
Universal

14. Public Television
• PBS is noncommercial,
serves 348 member stations
• Operates similar to a network,
as PBS provides
programming to member
stations
• Viewers pledge nearly $500M
a year to PBS stations
• Offer award-winning
children's and educational
programming

15. Cable Programming
• Basic cable services: backbone of cable, lowest
subscription charge, contain local and regional broadcast
signals and advertiser-supported cable services
• Cable Television Consumer Protection and
Competition Act (1992): broadcasters had to choose
either "must carry" or "retransmission consent"
• Must carry: cable company is required to carry the local
TV station's program schedule in its entirety, but the
broadcaster receives no compensation
• Retransmission consent : requires some negotiation for
compensation from the cable system in return for their
signals being carried on the cable

16. Cable Programming

17. Cable Programming
• Advertiser-supported
basic cable services :
cable networks that are
supported by commercials
• Pay services: subscribers
pay an additional fee to
receive these services,
original programming not
available on networks,
typically commercial free

18. Packaging Cable
• Tiering: creation of different service levels
through packaging programming in groups,
increasing in price
• Homes passed (HP) : all households that could
subscribe to a cable system, if they wanted to
• Cable households: HPs that choose to
subscribe
• Pay households: cable homes that pay an extra
fee for pay services
• Multipay households : homes that subscribe to
more than one service
• Pay-per-view: ordering programming as desired
from the cable company

19. Cable and MSO
Ownership
• Multiple system
operators
• Single system
operators/cable system
operators
• MSOs dominate the
cable business

20. Direct Broadcast
Satellites: DBS
• Two main companies:
DirecTV, Dish Network
• Typically priced less than
cable for similar services

21. Working in Television

22. Working in Television
• Sales: in charge of traffic and continuity, if a commercial doesn't air,
sales must make a "make-good"
• Engineering: responsible for the maintenance of equipment,
transmitter.
• Business: accounts payable, accounts receivable, reception/secretary
• Programming: responsible for the purchase of all new programming,
scheduling of broadcast day. Includes program director, floor managers,
lighting directors, art directors and videographers, producers, directors
and production personnel
• News: responsible for all original news programming for a station

23. Working in Television
• Cable system organization
• System manager oversees
the operation
• Chief tech is responsible for
all technical issues
• Marketing manager is
responsible for all sales and
promotion
• Office manager will oversee
customer relations and
accounting