Broadcast news business

Author: Wu Man / et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features:
Fragment: Broadcast Methods and Characteristics of Modern News Media—The communication systems of newspapers, magazines, radio, and television all consist of two subsystems: the transmission system and the symbolic system. The combination of these two subsystems forms their respective communication methods, thereby creating distinct communication characteristics. The relationships between all these aspects can be broadly summarized as the following equation: Transmission System × Symbolic System = Communication Method → Communication Characteristics < Communication Advantages (Note: "×" represents "combination," "=" represents "determination," "→" represents "derivation," "<" represents "inclusion.")
News broadcasting, as the dominant field within broadcasting, uses the electrical transmission system and the auditory symbolic system to disseminate information, possessing communication methods and characteristics different from those of print media. Moreover, its unique symbolic system distinguishes it from television, another electronic medium. Therefore, to understand and master the communication methods and characteristics of news broadcasting, it is essential to analyze its symbolic and transmission systems.
Section Symbolic System of News Broadcasting
News broadcasting does not have a unique symbolic system. Like educational broadcasting and cultural broadcasting, it employs auditory symbols transmitted electrically to convey content. If there are any differences among them, it lies in the selection and application of specific auditory symbols based on the needs of their respective content, as well as the combination of these symbols in their own ways. Here, it is certainly important to clarify these differences. However, just as individuality is difficult to grasp without understanding its commonality, to clarify the differences, it is first necessary to sequentially understand: what are natural auditory symbols? What are electrical transmission auditory symbols? (Because natural auditory symbols are the foundation of electrical transmission auditory symbols; or, the latter is an extension of the former) These are the two indispensable basic premises for accurately understanding the symbolic system of news broadcasting.
Postscript: How Chinese news broadcasting media can meet the challenges of cross-border broadcasting and how to face domestic media competition with high-quality news broadcasting programs, as well as cultivating and training a high-caliber news broadcasting team, are urgent tasks. To meet the demand for systematic learning of the communication principles and professional practices of news broadcasting, we hastily wrote this textbook, News Broadcasting Practices, during our busy teaching practice. The authors of this book are as follows: Chapters 1, 4, and 5 were written by Wu Man; Chapters 2 and 3 were written by Cao Lu and Luo Zheyu, with Cao Lu serving as the chief editor. This book is designed to connect with the practical reforms of news broadcasting and includes selected works of news broadcasting for analysis and reference. It is suitable for on-the-job training or professional advancement for journalists, editors, and news-oriented program hosts in the field of news broadcasting. It is also applicable for teaching or reference in radio news courses at colleges and universities. Due to the urgency of time and limited expertise, this book still has many shortcomings, and we welcome your criticism and corrections.
Author, October 1997