Media are the primary communication channels or tools utilized to deliver and store data or information. The word “media” refers to different elements of this broad mass communications system, including print media, broadcasting, television, music, the web media, film, and the visual media. There are numerous forms of media: from printed media to the electronic world. Print media includes the print on paper, newsprint, magazine, book, and other similar publications. Some of these mediums include broadcast television, radio, and video.
Print media can be categorized further. For instance, a periodical is a publication that is distributed to a specific geographic region or geographic area and in particular subjects. This is often called a periodical. A daily newspaper, for instance, would be a type of print media while a weekly magazine would fall into the category of news or magazine. There are also news sources such as radio and television news.
Over the years, print media and television media have become less useful for transmitting data and information. The popularity of electronic media like the Internet has opened up many new possibilities in the form of data transmission. The use of television has declined considerably over the years as more efficient electronic equipment has replaced the old tube television set. But, as more people have come online to access television, radio, and movies, it is now possible to enjoy them without leaving the comforts of your home or office.
Print media and television news media have suffered some major setbacks due to changes in technology. Digital photography has greatly reduced the costs of taking images and increasing the availability of digital files for storage purposes. Another major change came with the development of the Internet. The rapid spread of the Internet across the world has increased the speed of the transfer of data from one computer to another. As a result, print media and broadcast media are no longer useful for transmitting data, but the expansion of electronic media has made it useful for transmitting live news and current events.
Media consolidation refers to the merging of various forms of media to form a single channel of communication or a single type of distribution system. A number of communication or news media entities have merged to form larger media organizations. Examples of mergers in print media include the Dow Chemical Company, Time Warner Inc., and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The mass media is characterized by a broadsheet and tabloids. The broadsheets are primarily available in daily newspapers, while the tabloids are distributed in a few regional papers. Newspapers are primarily targeted at informing the general public. The mass media is made up of several different types of news sources. They include radio, television, print, and online sources. While the printed news sources offer a very diverse range of information, they generally fall under two general categories, the printed entertainment news and the broadcast entertainment news.