What is Mass Media? And Characteristics of Radio, television and Film

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Name – Reena K. Khasatiya
Semester – 4
Roll no- 29
Batch – 2017-19
Paper- Mass Media and Communication
Submitted to- Dept. Of English MKBU

What is Mass Media? And Characteristics of Radio, television and Film
1. Introduction
My Assignment on paper Mass Media and communication. In contemporary time
latest technology provides us speedy communication. Everywhere we go we are
surrounded by Media. It was Marshall McLuhan who said that electronic
technology is reshaping and restructuring patterns of social interdependence and
every aspect of our personal life. Extraordinary information explosion have
dramatically shrunk time and distance and have converted our world into a Global
Village.
Here, I would like to analyze several points; In brief what are Mass Media and
Types of Mass Media. Apart from that my major consideration of this study is on
Characteristics of Radio, Television and Film. We are surrounded by Media and
Media communication is all about sharing our voice to the each corner of the
world.

1.1 What is Mass Media ?
Think about this for a second: whenever you want to hear your favorite song,
watch your favorite show, or see the latest current events, where do you go? You
more than likely turn on your television, radio, or computer. The source that the
majority of the general public uses to get their news and information from is
considered mass media.

Mass media means technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the
primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general

public. The most common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines,
radio, television, and the Internet. The general public typically relies on the mass
media to provide information regarding political issues, social issues,
entertainment, and news in pop culture.
(https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-mass-media-definition-types-influence-examples.html)
1.2 Types Of Mass Media
As we see first what is media and come to know that in our daily routine we are
surrounded by various types of Mass Media. So, we can define this various mass
communication platform like, Print Media, Television, Films, Radio, Video Games,
online communication platforms etc.,
Now in this Assignment I am going to discuss more about characteristics of Radio,
Television and Films.
1. Beginnings of Radio, Films and TV Media
Till the closer of the 19 th century, the stage provided the forum for mass contact.
The stage was a live medium, with live performers, speaker confronting live
audiences. There was instant feedback and communication between performers
and audiences but, it was limited the size of performers was small, at best, a few
thousand people. In late 1890 came the film, in which performance was caught by
the camera and preserved on the celluloid. It could be shown again and again,
without any variation. So, the film could reach vast masses. In beginning it was
silent film. In 1927 sound was added to the film and we got talking film or talkies.
In India, the first talkie was released in 1931. The 1920s witnessed the coming of
the radio broadcasting in many countries. The Silent Film had no ears, now the
new medium Radio had no Eyes! Though both the medium are excited the
people. Lack of ears was a limitation and a challenge for silent film and Lack of
eyes was a limitations and challenge for radio. But, both Film and Radio converted
challenge into opportunity. That was accomplished through creative imagination
of talented human.
Today, Television pervades the life of people in most nations. It has become a
very powerful medium of information, Education and Entertainment. Apart from

that many online social media platform like face book, Twitter, Wts app are the
supreme media of mass communication, leaving the other media far behind. No
other medium can reach hundreds of thousands of people with such speed.
World’s any information is now available within a few second with the few clicks
of fingers. It is not less than any miracle.
2. Characteristics of Radio
Unlike the live medium of the stage, where there are live performers and live
audience, radio is sightless or viewless medium. It is sometime called as blind
medium where performers and listeners both cannot see each other. The
Listeners and performers too have to imagine the performance creatively. To
understand a radio communication or broadcast you imagine two complete
strangers like talking on the phone. Here are some important characteristics of
radio.
2.1 A Medium of the Sound It is an exclusive medium of sound. It is an aural
and auditory medium of the ear. There are three elements of radio
broadcast. They are the spoken work, music and sound effect. They are all
sounds carried on the air waves to the listeners. To be acceptable, all these
sound must be pleasant and expressive for the ears of the listeners.
2.2 A medium of Voice Radio is the medium of the voice. The performers can
use only their voice in a broadcast. The producer mixes his/her voice with
music and sound effects. But it does not mean that a broadcaster has only
learned a few tricks of the voice. An actor, using only vocal tricks, would
soon start sounding fake or untruthful to the listener. A radio listener has a
highly developed ear or sound sense. It has been correctly said that an any
performer must broadcast with mind.
An Actor, for example must express all the emotions through their voice
only.- The torture of the soul, the pleasure, the laughter, sadness and so
on. They are not wearing any costume or make up; there is no scenery or
properties. So, they must imaginatively gives cues or intimations only

through their expressive voice. A truthful vocal expression will come only if
the whole person’s mind, imagination, psyche and body are all in tune with
one another. That explains the difference between a good and a bad
radiobroadcaster.
2.3 Microphone: The link between Speaker and Listeners Microphone is the
only instrument through which a radio broadcaster speaks to his listeners.
It exposes all the vocal lies or untruthful expressions. It amplifies even the
feeblest hiss or a sob. Microphone will tell all, the truth from a lie. So, only
truthful vocal expression can go well with the ear of the listeners.
2.4 An Intimate Medium Radio is an intimate medium. The broadcaster must
imagine as the listeners are sitting by their side, shoulder to shoulder. It is
as if the broadcaster is broadcasting for each listener individually. And
Intimate style of acting is especially relevant to the radio. As we see our
Prime minister Narendra Modi very well use this platform to communicate
with public of India.
2.5 A Mass Medium Radio is Medium of Mass Communication. Its broadcasts
reach hundreds of thousands in one go. On the one hand, as we said
above, it is as if the performer is communicating with a vast mass of people
collectively. Broadcaster’s task to find out the lowest common
denominator to communicate well with the largest number of listeners.
Because hundreds of thousands of listeners. Listening to the same
broadcast simultaneously, belong to different classes and groups of
society, they have different education, social, economic and cultural
background.
2.6 Simple language A very large number of people are semi literate in India
and other developing countries. So, the language of radio broadcast must
be simple, must contain the idiom of the common masses. It must be
closer to spoken language that the common people use than to the literary
language.
2.7 A Mobile Medium Radio is a Mobile medium. You can have it at home,
take it to the picnic resort, listen to it while driving, and have it on land or
under the sea, in public or in private. So, it is a most convenient medium
for anybody. It can accompany us and entertain us anywhere.

2.8 A Cheap and Quick Medium It is a much cheaper medium of mass
communication. Hence, it is very relevant to developing countries like
India, A Radio set or Transistor is far cheaper than TV set. It costs much less
to set up a radio station as compared to a TV station. Not only the capital
cost but recurring expenses to run a radio service are less. A large number
of people can afford a radio set but not a TV set.

3. Characteristics of Television
Television is an Audio visual medium. We have seen that radio is medium of
the sound only. TV has both sound and sight. But TV should not be taken as
radio with sight. Radio and TV are different media with different
vocabulary, different mechanics and dynamics.
3.1 An Audio Visual medium TV is audio-visual but predominantly visual,
proportionately much more visual than audio. A TV broadcast is conceived
and produced and received in audio- visual terms. A TV broadcast directly
affects two senses simultaneously, those of hearing and seeing. The
potential of TV to have greater effect or impact is because, according to
psychologist, the eye absorbs much more than the ear in the same time.
The eyes also retain the scene image much more than the ears can.
3.2 A Glamour medium TV is glamour medium. You watch on TV glittering
personalities and events, international conferences, sports meets and
festivals, fashion shows and banquets, travel shows and famous people.
The great convenience of watching all this, sitting back to home, adds to its
glamour. The facility of watching almost round the clock enhances the
glamour appeal still more.
Because of its glamour, TV has also been called the magic box. All sorts of
people, all sorts of times, almost magically, seem to be appearing on the
screen from within the box. It has also been called a toy, a toy with which
adults get fascinated, like the child’s toy which fascinates the child.
Incidentally, some critics have also called it an idiot box. Perhaps, TV

“Idiotically” churns out at all sorts of times all sorts of programmers, good,
bad and indifferent, watchable and unwatchable. Also, perhaps, because it
shows only those things which the programmers and men behind the
camera, in their wisdom think should be shown. Very few can resist the
glamour and magic of TV.
3.3 A living Room Medium TV is a medium for family. It is a medium of
entertainment and information at home. The whole family or some
members of it sit by the screen to which TV shows. TV watching brings
togetherness. There is like hood of increasing interaction between
members of the family, especially in developing countries like India where
people cannot afford a TV set in every room. TV brings theatre and cinema
auditorium to the living room. Stage drama has become drawing room
theatre.
Since TV is watched by the young and the old members of the family sitting
together, the tele-subjects have to be in tune with the culture of the
particular society.

3.4 A medium of immediacy
TV is a medium of immediacy. It captures the events even as they are
happening, much before the newspaper comes out with information on
events next morning. Yesterday’s news is no news on TV. It will make TV
look outdated. TV is a supreme reporter. In audio- visual terms, it reports
the events “Here and now”.
3.5 Advertisers’ Influence TV is the great salesman of the modern times. The
businessman sells his products and service through TV. This medium is
much more effective for him to reach out to a vast number of potential
and actual customers than the newspapers, hoardings etc., TV
advertisement or programmes sponsored by businessmen can reach tens
of millions of people. No newspaper can ever dream of reaching out to
such large numbers.

4. Characteristics of Film or cinema is a highly mechanical medium. It uses so
many mechanical devices like cameras, microphones, dubbing, machine,
editing or cutting machine , projectors , mixers, sound tracks etc., Film is
product of interaction between machines and artistic and technical people.
Autistics people are such as the director, costumers and make-up men.
4.1 A Mass medium Film is a medium of mass communication. Millions of
cine- goers watch the movie in a country. The same movie may be seen by
a very large number of people in several countries. At the same time
thousands people can watch a film at one time, if can be shown in many
cities, towns and villages at the same time. Any number of copies can be
made of the film for screening.
4.2 An Art medium Film, today has become an art medium. It is in the last
decade or two that cinema has come to be considered an art form. In
contemporary times, intellectuals and serious thinkers have associated
themselves with camera. In fact, today, cinema is considered the seventh
art like the earlier arts of painting, sculpture, architecture, drama, poetry
and music.

4.3 Government’s Role our Government must have to avoid taxes on cinema.
Important organizations in this respect are the film and Television institute
of India at Pune, The national film Archive, the national film development
corporation. It has also indirectly supported the film society movement.
4.4 A medium For Development A Film is effective medium for development.
In the broad sense, means the growth of individual and the growth of the
society in all aspects. These include political, economic, social and cultural
aspects. Film can contribute to modernizing the traditional society by
helping to change people’s attitude. For example, A change in attitude
relating to work, sex, religion, customs, communities, beliefs etc., can be
brought about film.

Film is very effective medium of communication. Film can be a medium of
education and development. It is particularly true because its impact on
people, good as well as bad, is substantial. What the impact will be
depends finally on how the medium has been used.
Thus, we can sum up all the points that each medium has its own significant value
at apt time and place.