Mass Media/Television



98% of US households have at least one television set.

The first presidential campaign orchestrated for television was John F. Kennedy's.

In the case of the 9/11 benefit, the media was used for national mourning. John F. Kennedy's funeral was a similar case.

Situation comedies (sitcoms) are a common genre of TV show. Like much television programming, they have been accused of appealing to the lowest common denominator. Sitcoms often follow a formula which has been successful for other sitcoms. Since plots are very spare, characterization is important.

Broadcast television is moderated by the FCC for content, so material which can be broadcast on cable may be unacceptable for broadcast. When the popular HBO show "The Sopranos" was put on broadcast, it was a "clean version" edited for content.

The grand debate for the 2003 Recall election in California was five-way: between Arianna Huffington, Peter Camejo, Cruz Bustamante, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Tom McClintock. This was the first electoral debate of its type in US history. Darrell Issa, who bankrolled the petition drive for the recall, was then encouraging people to vote against recall because there were two major Republicans (Schwarzenegger and McClintock), and he was afraid that the vote would be split and Bustamante would win.

In his film Dreamworlds II: Desire, Sex, and Power in Music Video, Sut Jhally makes an analysis of how music videos portray sexuality. The video was released by The Media Education Foundation.