Практические задания: "Television and Radio in the USA"
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку

TELEVISION AND RADIO IN THE USA

TELEVISION

1. Look at the words in the box and put them into categories of your choice

Commercial soap opera game show PBS sports documentary cable news satellite CNN sitcom announcer ABC talk show educational discussion high-definition presenter quiz conventional NBC host national master music anchorman serial current affairs commentator channel viewer station

2. In the box there are some words to describe different types of TV programs. Match them with their definitions.

1. A television comedy series in which the same characters appear in different stories each week.

2. A television program on which the presenter, or host, interviews well-known people.

3. A television program about the continuing daily life and troubles of a group of characters, broadcast every day, two or three times a week.

4. A television competition in which the players can win prizes if they answer questions correctly.

5. A program about important things that are happening in the world at the present time.

3. Read the text about television in the USA.

1)Find out what the following abbreviations stand for: ABC CBS NBC PBS CNN HBO FCC. 

Example: ABC - American Broadcasting Company

2)Write some words from the text about:

a) the sources of financial support of commercial and noncommercial television;

b) the major television networks;

c) the Federal Communications Commission;

d) television charges and licenses;

e) how much television a `typical American` watches;

f) prime time and family viewing time on TV.

TELEVISION IN THE USA

There are a lot of commercial and non-commercial stations. Most commercial stations are affiliated with one of the national commercial networks: ABC (American Broadcasting Company), NBC (National Broadcasting Company), CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System), or Fox Broadcasting Company. These networks are not television stations or channels or programs. They are not licensed to broadcast. Networks are essentially program distribution companies. They buy programs from independent television production companies and sell these programs to individual television stations. The network is paid by advertisers to insert commercial announcements on the program the network buys.

On the average, American viewers watch TV four hours a day, usually tuned to one of the national commercial networks: ABC, NBC, CBS, or Fox Broadcasting Company. These stations attract about 98 percent of TV audiences. During a sixty-minute TV program, you can expect to see about twelve minutes of commercials.

The commercial networks broadcast a variety of shows: news, drama, soap operas, comedy, sports, music, movies, children`s programs, game shows, and talk shows. There is a lot of competition for viewers, especially during prime time, from 7 to 11 p.m. Ratings, published in the newspapers, measure the audience for the top ten programs.

PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), supported by government and private funding, is the only noncommercial network. It broadcasts more serious drama, performing arts, science, public-affairs documentaries, and educational children`s programs. Sesame Street, the most popular children`s show on PBS, appears on TV stations all over the world. All five networks broadcast twenty-four hours a day.

Some viewers pay to receive a wider selection of programs on cable television. There are up to 500 cable stations. Two well-known ones are HBO (Home Box Office), which shows movies, and CNN (Cable News Network), which specializes in news.

All of the networks have nationwide news programs. All have regularly scheduled news series. Among the most popular are CBS`s Sixty Minutes and PBS`s The MacNeil\Lehrer Newshour. The world`s the most durable TV show is NBC`s Meet the Press. In this show, important political figures and leaders are interviewed by journalists.

All television stations in the US, public or private, must be licensed to broadcast by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent federal agency. Each license is given for a few years only.

There are no fees, charges, taxes or licenses in the USA foe owning television receivers or receiving anything that is broadcast through the air. There is no government censorship or `reviewing` of programs and content. But `family viewing time` from 7 to 9 o`clock in the evening has been introduced. During these hours programs containing violence and sexual suggestiveness are kept to a minimum.

RADIO

Among the great variety of local, private, non-commercial radio stations in America, there exists the National Public Radio Network (NPR). It is an association of public radio stations. NPR is known for its quality news and discussion pro-rams.

Listen to the National Public Radio Network https://www.npr.org/

Find 3 interesting broadcasts and fill in the table

Example:

1. https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/821593542/episode-984-food-and-farmworkers