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Mass Media in the USA

         The USA is one of the most media saturated countries in the world. The average 18 year old in the USA spends over 10 hours a day consuming media. This is one of the reasons that kids in the USA consume more media than children in any other country in the world. There are many different media sources in the USA including newspapers, books, radio, magazine, television, movies, video games and the Internet.

         Newspapers were the dominant form of media for many years in the USA until the invention of the television. The most popular newspaper in the USA is The New York Times. This paper is based out of New York City but it has become the most read newspaper in the country. Most US cities have a newspaper (The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Herald Tribune, etc.) and most people in the USA read both The New York Times and their local paper. The USA also has a large magazine industry. The two most popular magazines are Time and Newsweek. These magazines summarize the news for the whole week and offer more information than in newspapers. The first amendment of the US constitution speaks about freedom of the press. Because of this, there are no newspapers or television stations that are owned by the US government.

         Radio is a common media in the USA. Most people listen to the radio while driving in their car. The USA has a national radio station named National Public Radio. NPR has small stations in every major city in the USA. It has many different things on the channel including music, news, interviews and talk shows. The USA also has many “talk radio” programs. These shows feature a person who speaks about politics, usually for 3 hours at a time. The most popular talk radio host is Rush Limbaugh.

         Americans watch more television than any other country in the world. The average person watches more than 3 hours of television every day. Almost all Americans get ‘basic cable.’ This refers to the 8 main channels that every person receives for free. Over half the people in the USA get their news from the television. Many Americans pay to have more channels. They either have satellite television or buy extended cable. There are hundreds and hundreds of TV channels in the USA including Animal Planet (24 hours of animals), ESPN (24 hours of sports), CNN (24 hours of news), History Channel (24 hours of history shows) and HBO (24 hours of movies).

         Many Americans enjoy watching movies regularly. There are movie theaters across the country where people can see new movies. People also go to ‘video stores’ to rent DVDs which they watch at home. There is also a very popular service called Netflix where people make a list of movies online. They are sent a DVD and when they finish it they send it back and a new movie from their list arrives.

         Video games are very popular with young people in the USA. 97% of kids under 18 play video games. People play video games on their computer or on a gaming console. There are three types of consoles in the USA: the Playstation 3, the Xbox 360 and the Wii.

         The Internet is becoming the most common form of media in the USA. More and more people use the Internet for all their media consumption. In the USA you can watch TV on the Internet, you can read the news on the Internet, you can play games on the Internet and you can watch movies on the Internet. Most newspapers have a website with all their articles. The Internet has replaced all other outlets as the first stop for all media in the USA.

Mass Media Test

1) What was the first form of Mass Media?

         A) Newspapers     B) Books    C) Radio     D) Theater

2) The average person spends how much time consuming Mass Media?

         A) 10 hours          B) 6.3 hours                   C) 9.8 hours                   D) 8.9 hours

3) What are the three main purposes of Mass Media?

         A) Advocacy/Persuasion/Entertainment       B) Entertainment/Public Service/Fun

         C) Advocacy/Persuasion/Public Service      D) Persuasion/Commercials/Boredom

4) What is an example of a Public Service Announcement?

         A) Vote for the Party of Regions

         B) Don’t drink alcohol and drive a car

         C) Mr. Proper cleans your toilet better than anyone else

         D) See James Cameron’s Avatar in 3D!

5) What is the most popular newspaper of the USA?

         A) The New York Times          B) The Chicago Herald Tribune

         C) The Los Angeles Times      D) Time and Newsweek

6) Which is not a television channel in the USA?

         A) CNN      B) ESPN     C) Animal Planet            D) 1+1

7) Who was the author of the book The Medium is The Message?

A) Marshall McLuhan     B) Immanuel Kant          C) Sigmund Freud                   D) Marty McFly

7) What is Mass Media? What are some types of Mass Media?

9) Explain the three types of Mass Media. What is their purpose? What do they make you do?

10) Pick two types of Mass Media and speak about how they are used in the USA