Mass Communication Media: Channels, Impact, and Forms

Mass Communication Media (MCM) Defined

Mass Communication Media (MCM) are artificial channels through which messages are transmitted to a receiver or social group.

Purpose of Mass Media

The primary purposes of mass media are to inform, educate, entertain, and shape public opinion.

Impact and Effects of Media

Regarding the effect of delivering information and advertising, mass media can:

• Convince people to adopt (persuasion) or avoid (deterrence) a certain attitude.
• Influence and shape public opinion.

Types of Mass Communication Media

Mass media can be categorized by their sensory elements:

• Verbal/Auditory Media (e.g., Radio): Utilize paraverbal elements (intonation) and nonverbal elements (music, sound effects).
• Written/Visual Media (e.g., Newspapers, Magazines): Employ paraverbal elements (punctuation) and nonverbal elements (pictures, photography, graphics).
• Audiovisual Media (e.g., Film, Television): Combine both auditory and visual elements.

Key Forms of Mass Media

The most important forms of Mass Communication Media include: print, radio, television, and film.

The Press: Print Media Journalism

The press is characterized by different journalistic genres that shape its various reports:

• Informative: Spreads events occurring in society through news reports or interviews.
• Opinion: Presents arguments from a personal and subjective approach, found in editorials, columns, criticism, letters to the editor, and opinion interviews.
• Interpretive: Analyzes news through features and stories, often with an entertaining, interpretive style.

Linguistic-Journalistic Elements in Print

The press utilizes various linguistic-journalistic elements:

• Literary Language: Employs metaphors, hyperbole, and other literary devices.
• Administrative and Political Language: Uses specific terminology, circumlocutions, and euphemisms.
• Colloquial Language: Incorporates popular words and expressions, giving the text an oral character.

Radio Broadcasting: Genres and Characteristics

Radio is characterized by distinct radio genres:

• Information: Aligns with the written press but with structures adapted for radio, such as spoken news, newsletters, and news flashes.
• Entertainment: Includes spaces for contests, humor, conversations with the audience, and music.

Television Broadcasting: Genres and Formats

Television is characterized by various genres:

• Entertainment: Programs designed for amusement.
• Educational/Instructional: Content focused on learning and development.
• Information: News and factual programming.

Television Drama: Soap Operas

Soap Operas: These develop a storyline, containing a conflict that progresses, maintaining suspense and intrigue.

Structure of Television News

Television news typically features four main parts:

1. The Opening: Aims to attract the viewer with an engaging opening sentence.
2. The Intro: Precedes the most important news segment.
3. The Body: Presents the extensive news information.
4. Closure: Concludes the story, summarizing the initial aspects.

Key Techniques in TV News Production

The techniques commonly used in television news production include:

• The Script: Outlines the news content according to structural duration.
• Lower Thirds/On-screen Text: Provides detailed information about a person or place.
• Stingers/Jingles: Sound effects or music that mark the end or beginning of thematic blocks.
• Graphics/Visuals: Graphic elements used to strengthen the content of the news.