Broadcasting

Broadcasting generally refers to the distribution of video and/or audio signals and programming to a number of receivers and recipients that belong to a large group. The group of broadcast recipients may be the public in general, or it could be a large audience within the public.

Broadcasting to a very large section of the public is called mass media, while broadcasting to a narrow range of audience is referred to as narrowcasting. For example, an internet channel may distribute music or text world-wide and be considered mass media, while a public address system is a narrowcasting broadcast.

A schedule is what a broadcasting company calls the sequence of programming content. Radio and television programs are distributed via cable or radio broadcasting, sometimes both simultaneously. The different signals are coded and users must have a decoding device in order to hear or view the programs that are broadcasted.

Broadcasting companies can broadcast several different programs at he same time. This is accomplished by broadcasting the different programs on different frequencies or channels. Also, two or more broadcast organizations sometimes share one channel and each use the channel for only a certain portion of the day.

Internet broadcasting is often referred to as ‘webcasting’. Since 2004, this as well as the term ‘podcasting’ have become largely popular, as have these types of content. Currently, Adam Curry and his associates at Podshow are one of the main proponents of podcasting.

Broadcasting can also be broken into the categories of live or recorded broadcasts. With recorded broadcasts, errors can easily be corrected before broadcasting. Also superfluous and undesired material can be altered or removed. Additionally, with recorded broadcasts, material can be edited to include various special effects like fades in and out, as well as other editing techniques and effects such as slow motion or repetitions.

However, more recently many live broadcasts are able to incorporate many editing techniques and effects such as slow motion and replay in between the action intensive portions of the sports broadcast. These broadcasts are also often referred to as telecasts.

One of the disadvantages of recorded broadcasts is that the recipients of the information may have already heard the information from another source. For this reason, news programming and other live broadcasting companies must strive to stay abreast of current topics and issues as they occur.

Originally, American broadcasting companies were only allowed to broadcast live programs, and all prerecorded broadcasts were required to be played for Eastern and Central time zones and then repeated three hours later for the West Coast, the Pacific time zone.

This restriction of broadcasts was suspended for special occasions such as when the Hindenburg crashed at Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937. Also, American broadcasts of this time were routinely recorded for later broadcasting by Armed Forces Radio stations around the globe.

Broadcasts may be distributed through various physical means. Programming may come through a communications satellite that is either played live or later on. Programming may also come directly from a broadcast station via the airchain, which is then sent to the transmitter.

Now, many broadcasting stations are able to ‘simulcast’ the same program to different stations at the same time via either satellite or microwave link. Though microwave links were used for a period of time, simulcasts are primarily done via satellite now.

Aura Mirchandani is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory.