paper 1 section b

what is a media conglomerate? (2 marks)

a media conglomerate is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises such as tv, radio, the internet etc.

how does ownership shape the content of newspapers? refer the mirror and the times. (8 marks)

The Mirror and The Times are owned by different companies. The Mirror being owned by Reach plc means it has a photo-rich tabloid format that has consistently stressed sensational, human-interest, and personal types of stories. Its politically independent stance has enabled it to adopt a 'common man versus bureaucracy' approach to many stories. It was originally intended to be a newspaper for women by Alfred Harmsworth in 1903, which reinforces a stereotype of women enjoying a gossip as this newspaper is a more gossipy type. The Times being owned wholly by News Corp means the newspaper remains a strong independent newspaper which is ruled by tradition. Overall, the type of newspaper company shapes the content of a newspaper. The more traditional broadsheet type or the slightly more scandalous tabloid type. 

what has been the impact of recent technologies on all elements of the newspaper industry and how has it responded to these challenges? (12 marks)

Digital newspapers/media or access to newspapers online has a big impact on the newspaper industry. It is a lot easier for people to read the news from their tech devices e.g tablet, phone, laptop than to actually go out to get a newspaper. The digital newspaper still earns revenue for the company through advertisements and social media sites. However, this cross platform journalism requires readers to possess multimedia skills which were not necessarily used before. Both The Mirror and The Times are newspapers that existed before the start of the digital revolution and had to go through a transition in order to establish an online presence. However, there are still differences between print and online news. Titles, style of writing and content were all important in print papers but it must now be adapted to the user interface of online websites, for example no excessive scrolling or clicking. The internet has opened new possibilities in terms of content for both the readers and writers. The potential to customise content means readers may select only the content that appeals to them. Also (in terms of content) it has given new ways to spread stories internationally and newspapers are now able to reach a bigger audience out of national borders. Traditional newspapers, such as The Mirror and The Times have realised the international potential of the internet, studies that compared hard copy and online editions of mainstream newspapers have discovered that more international news is carried by the online version. 

what is the importance of fandom in media products? refer to assassins creed franchise to support points (8 marks)

Fandom is important for a media product as the fandom will help to promote the product, keeping it popular and in circulation which will bring the utmost revenue possible for the company. Assassins Creed for example is part of an established franchise with a large fan-base. The producers of the game clearly attempted to harness the popularity of the franchise to encourage sales both of the game itself and the hand-held device the PS Vita. The Assassins Creed franchise has a strong well-developed fan base. Video games like Assassins Creed have evolved closely alongside the internet. Video games offer social experiences, online multiplayer options, as well as communities outside of the core game experience. Fans may be passionate exponents of a game or the harshest critic and can often impact the development of games directly.

how is the gaming industry regulated or what are the challenges in this particular industry (8 marks)

In the UK until July 2012 video games had been regulated by the BBFC. They are now largely regulated by the Video Standards Council (VSC) applying the PEGI system. One of the main challenges in this industry is a power vs performance issue. The new generation of consoles is expected to be incredibly powerful. However, what a system is capable of and what a game developer can actually achieve are often two completely different things. This is due to the fact that performance and power are often a difficult balancing act. Ultimately there is a chance that the full potential of the systems are rarely reached even with a triple-A title. This also leads to gamers having unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved.

how important is historical context to media products (7 marks)

Historical context is important as it does a number of things to help people understand a media product. These things are suggesting how genre conventions are historically relative and dynamic, giving the effect of historical representations, showing the relationship of recent technological change and media production, distribution and circulation and it shows the way in which different audience interpretations reflect historical circumstances.