Lesson – VII

CLASSIFICATION OF MEDIA
In this chapter we discuss about the classification
of media. There are different types of mass media that we
are accustomed to in this day and age. Whether it's
children, young people, or adults, we've all had our share
of media-related exposure every day.

OBJECTIVE
• Define media, classification of media
• Differentiate between print media and electronic media
STRUCTURE
 Different ways to classify media
 Print Media – Size, Form, History
 Electronic Media – Types, Difference between
Print and Electronic Media

THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO CLASSIFY

MEDIA.
1. Print media, non-print media, and electronic media

 Print Media: books, journals, magazines, newspapers,

workbook, textbooks

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  Non-print Media: projected and non-projected media
 Electronic Media: Audio media, Visual media and
Audio-Visual

2. Projected media & non-projected media

 Projected media: They require light source for

projection. E.g. film projector slides etc.
 Non-projected media: They do not require light
source. They include 3dimensional objects,
2dimensional objects, prints, charts, models etc.

3. Audio media, Visual media & Audio-visual

 Audio media: This form of media carry sounds alone.

E.g. audio tapes, record player,
 Visual media: These are the ones that can be seen.
E.g. TV, computer, white board
 Audio-Visual: This term refers to those instructional
materials which provide students with audio and
visual experiences by appearing to the hearing and
seeing senses at the same time. E.g. TV, video tapes,
closed circuit television (CCTV).

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4. Hardware and software

 Hardware: This the classification of machines or

equipment used in the instructional process. It is upon
these gadgets that the software is transmitted. E.g.
Television set, tape recorder etc.
 Software: This classification consists of all materials
used with the machine. They are the real carrier of
knowledge or information. They include, films, tapes
transparencies.

Courtesy: [Link]

Print media encompasses mass communication through

printed material. It includes newspapers, magazines,

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booklets and brochures, house magazines, periodicals or
newsletters, direct mailers, handbills or flyers, billboards,
press releases, and books.
NEWSPAPERS: Newspapers enjoyed the position of the
most preferred medium to reach a wider audience until
electronic communication emerged on the media scene. In
the early days, newspapers were the only medium that
masses at large depended on, for daily news. A newspaper
carries all kinds of communication related to a variety of
topics like politics, current affairs, entertainment, finance,
stocks, etc.
Apart from this, it also includes topics which are
in lighter vein like cartoons, crosswords, Sudoku, movie
reviews, book reviews, puzzles, crosswords, etc. This
captivates the imagination and interests of readers from
all age groups. Newspapers are an important platform of
mass communication as they reach every nook and corner
of the world where electronic media fails to reach.
It plays a pivotal role in providing authentic
firsthand information, building opinions, updating the
knowledge of the reader, and serves as a good platform
for advertisers to promote their products. However, with

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the emergence of the Internet, which updates information
every second and is just a click away, the popularity of
newspapers has reduced.
SIZE OF NEWSPAPERS You may have noticed the
fact that all newspapers are not of the same size; some are
big, some small and some are very small. Newspapers are
classified into three categories according to their size.
They are broadsheets, tabloids and Berliners or Midis.

Morning newspapers are generally broadsheets.

They are big in size. In India, all major newspapers are
broadsheets. Examples include “The Times of India “and
“Hindustan Times”. Tabloids are only half the size of
broadsheets. In India most of the evening papers are
tabloids. Examples are “Mid-day” and “ Metro Now”.
Presently some of the new morning papers have also
adopted the tabloid format.

ORIGIN OF NEWSPAPERS:

The History of newspapers is arguably one of the most

dramatic episodes of human experience. The actual origin
of newspapers lies in the Renaissance Europe when local

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merchants used to distribute handwritten newsletters
amongst each other. However it was not until the late
1400’s when Germany introduced the precursors

Courtesy: [Link]

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of printed newspapers. Since then newspapers have
evolved dramatically and today there are more than 6580
daily newspapers in the World. A typical modern day

newspaper is filled with various materials like editor’s

columns, newspaper display ads, forecasts, comic strips,
entertainment section and much more. Unfortunately the
sudden economic downturn has also seen the rise of

Courtesy: Newspaper-classified-advertisement

electronic or web-based versions of newspaper journals

which automatically resulted in a decline in newspaper
advertising and circulation.

HISTORY OF PRINT MEDIA

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Indian print media is at a massive business in the media
world and its newspapers are said to offer majority of
national and international news.
The history of newspaper in India
began in 1780, with the
publication of the Bengal Gazette
from Kolkata. The advent of the
first newspaper in India occurred
in the capital city of West
Bengal, Calcutta (now Kolkata).
James Augustus Hickey is
considered the "father of Indian
press" as he started the first
Indian newspaper from Kolkata, the 'Bengal Gazette' or
'Calcutta General Advertise' in January, 1780. This first
printed newspaper was a weekly publication. In 1789, the
first newspaper from Bombay (now Mumbai), the
'Bombay Herald' appeared, followed by the 'Bombay
Courier' in the following year. Later, this newspaper
merged with the Times of India in 1861.
These newspapers carried news of the areas under
the British rule. The first newspaper published in an

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Indian language was the Samachar Darpan in Bengali.
The first issue of this daily was published from the
Serampore Mission Press on May 23, 1818. Samachar
Darpan, the first vernacular paper was started during the
period of Lord Hastings. In the same year, Ganga Kishore
Bhattacharya started publishing another newspaper in
Bengali, the 'Bengal Gazetti'. On July 1, 1822 the first
Gujarati newspaper, the Bombay Samachar, was
published from Bombay, which is still in existence. The
first Hindi newspaper, the Samachar Sudha Varshan
started its circulation in 1854. Since then, the prominent
Indian languages in which newspapers had been
published over the years are Hindi, Marathi, Tamil,
Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu and Bengali languages.
The Indian language newspapers eventually took
over the English newspapers according to the NRS survey
of newspapers. The main reason was the marketing
strategy that was followed by the regional papers,
commencing with Eenadu - a Telugu daily started by
Ramoji Rao. The second reason was the growing literacy
rate. Increase in the literacy rate had direct positive effect
on the rise of circulation of the regional papers. The

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people were first educated in their mother tongue
according to their state in which they live for and
eventually, the first thing a literate person would try to do
is read the vernacular papers and gain knowledge about
his own locality. Moreover, localization of news has also
contributed to the growth of regional newspapers in India.
Indian regional papers have several editions for a
particular state to offer a complete scenario of local news
for the reader to connect with the paper. Malayala
Manorama features about 10 editions in Kerala itself and
six others outside Kerala. Thus regional papers in India
aim at providing localized news for their readers.

Eventually, the advertisers also realized the huge

potential of the regional paper market, partly due to their
own research and more owing to the efforts of the regional
papers to make the advertisers aware of the huge market.
These advertisers paid revenues to the newspaper house
and in return publicized their products throughout the
locality. Thus,
newspapers in India
not only acted as

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news providers but also promoters of certain market
products. Some of the prominent newspapers in India in
the recent times are The Times of India, The Statesman,
The Telegraph, The Economic Times, and Indian Express
and so on. The Economic Times is one of the India's
leading business newspapers; carrying news about the
Economy, Companies, Infrastructure, Trends in the
Economy, Finance, Stocks, Forex and Commodities,
news from around the world and from the world of politics
besides editorial and various other features.

The Malayala Manorama releases daily, weekly,

monthly and annual publications from Kerala. Started in
1988 in Tamil and Telegu languages, it is now published
in other regional languages like Hindi, Bengali, as well as
in English. Among the various publications, the Malayala
Manorama Daily has the largest circulation, selling about
11 lakhs 50 thousand copies daily. The Times of India was
founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of
Commerce by Bennett, Coleman and Company, a colonial
enterprise now owned by an Indian conglomerate. The
Times Group publishes The Economic Times (launched

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in 1961), Navbharat Times (Hindi language), and the
Maharashtra Times (Marathi language).

The newspapers collected their news from the

news agencies. India has four news agencies namely, the
Press Trust of India (PTI), United News of India (UNI),
Samachar Bharti and Hindustan Smachar. Newspapers
and magazines in India are independent and usually
privately owned. About 5,000 newspapers, 150 of them
major publications, are published daily in nearly 100
languages. Over 40,000 periodicals are also published in
India.

The periodicals specialize in various subjects but

the majority of them deal with subjects of general interest.
During the 1950s, 214 daily newspapers were published
in the country. Out of these, 44 were English language
dailies while the rest were published in various regional
languages. This number rose to 2,856 dailies in 1990 with
209 English dailies. The total number of newspapers
published in the country reached 35,595 newspapers by
1993 (3,805 dailies). Newspaper sale in the country has

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increased by 11.22% in 2007. By 2007, 62 of the world's
best-selling newspaper dailies were published in countries
like China, Japan, and India. India consumed 99 million
newspaper copies as of 2007, making it the second largest
market in the world for newspapers.

Newspapers in India have almost created a huge

industry in the nation. It publishes the largest number of
'paid-for titles' in the world. In 1997, the total number of
newspapers and periodicals published in India was around
41705, which include 4720 dailies and 14743 weeklies.
However, in the last one decade the news media in India
has changed rapidly. All the major news media outlets
have an accompanying news website. A new class of
newspapers in India is entirely internet based.

OTHER FORMS OF PRINT MEDIA

MAGAZINES:

Filmfare, Champak, Grihasobha, Chandamama,

India Today, The Week, Outlook . Are these names
familiar to you ? They are also part of the print media. But
they are not newspapers. They are called magazines.

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Magazines are another type of popular culture print
media. They usually cater to a specific type of audience
who are looking for information based on a particular
subject. They are published at regular intervals. A weekly
is published once a week and a monthly once a month. A
fortnightly is published once in two weeks. A bi-weekly
is published twice every week. A tri-monthly is one
which is published every three months. These are also
known as quarterlies. Then there are certain publications
that come out only once a year which are called annuals.
“India Today” is a weekly, while “Champak” is a
fortnightly. “Grihasobha” and “Vanitha” are monthlies.

Magazines cover a plethora of topics like current

affairs, business, finance, consumers, gadgets, self-help,
luxury, lifestyle, beauty, fashion, entertainment, travel,
etc. Magazines like TIME and Reader's Digest include
information which is all-pervasive. These magazines are
the best forum for advertisers as they have a niche
readership.

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 Magazines can be classified as:

1. General interest magazines (e.g. Frontline, India Today,

The Week, The Sunday Times etc.)
2. Special interest magazines (women's, sports, business,
scuba diving, etc.)

INVENTION OF MAGAZINES

According to British philosopher Francis Bacon,

the printing press was one of three inventions that
“changed the whole face and state of things throughout
the world.” Prior to the invention of the printing press,
books had to be painstakingly copied by hand. When
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440,
he created a way for knowledge to be mass-produced for
the first time in human history. Within a century of its
advent, the printing press was being used to print
pamphlets, almanacs and newsletters in addition to Bibles
and religious materials.

In 1663, German theologian and poet Johann Rist

created a periodical called Erbauliche Monaths-Unter

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redungen (“Edifying Monthly Discussions”). Widely
considered to be one of the earliest examples of a modern
magazine, the gazette lasted for five years and spanned a
myriad of similar journals in England, France and Italy.
Cultured young intellectuals readily devoured the
periodicals, which summarized new books and welcomed
scholarly articles.

In 1672, the first “periodical of amusement” was

published. Le Mercure Galant (later called Mercure de
France), was created by French writer and playwright
Jean Donneau de Vizé. The publication contained news,
songs, short verses and gossip. Despite being disparaged
by other writers of the day for its amusing rather than
intellectual content, the periodical became very popular in
France.

The 1700s ushered in a time of increased literacy

and intellectual powers, especially among women.
Society’s hunger for knowledge enabled magazines to
become a popular cultural staple. English printers
produced three essay periodicals that set the stage for

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modern magazines: Daniel Defoe’s The Review
(published 1704-13); Sir Richard Steele’s The Tatler
(published 1709-11); and Addison and Steele’s The
Spectator (published 1711-12). Since the periodicals were
published several times a week, they resembled our
modern newspapers. However, their content was more
similar to that of modern magazines.

The Review published opinionated essays about

national and international events. The Tatler and The
Spectator sought to “enliven morality with wit, and to
temper wit with morality.” These two publications
influenced the manners and thoughts of the day. These
periodicals represented a middle ground between the in-
depth research found in books and the quick recaps found
in newspapers. They set the stage for our concept of the
modern magazine.

In 1731, an Englishman named Edward Cave

published a periodical called The Gentleman’s Magazine.
He invented the word “magazine” from the Arabic word
makhazin, which meant storehouse. Cave’s goal was to

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create a magazine that the general public would be
interested in. His publication contained everything from
essays and poems to stories and political musings. Cave
achieved two noteworthy accomplishments: he coined the
term “magazine,” and he was the first publisher to
successfully fashion a wide-ranging publication.

In 1842, British newsagent Herbert Ingram

created the first illustrated magazine. After realizing that
colorful sketches and illustrations contributed to
magazine sales, Ingram began publishing The Illustrated
London News. The weekly news and arts periodical was
filled with dozens of woodcut designs. The Illustrated
London News also earned the distinction of being the first
magazine to incorporate photos.

JOURNALS

A journal (through French from Latin diurnalis, daily)

has several related meanings:

 A daily record of events or business; a private

journal is usually referred to as a diary

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  A newspaper or other periodical, in the literal
sense of one published each day
 Many publications issued at stated intervals, such
as academic journals (including scientific
journals), or the record of the transactions of a
society, are often called journals.[1] In academic
use, a journal refers to a serious, scholarly
publication that is peer-reviewed. A non-scholarly
magazine written for an educated audience about
an industry or an area of professional activity is
usually called a trade magazine.

Public Journal

A public journal is a record of day-by-day events in a

parliament or congress. It is also called minutes or
records.

Business and Accounting

The term "journal" is also used in business:

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  A journal is a book or computer file in which
monetary transactions are entered the first time
they are processed. This journal lists transactions
in chronological sequence by date prior to a
transfer of the same transactions to a ledger in the
process of bookkeeping
 Narrations or equivalent to a ship's log, as a record
of the daily run, such as observations, weather
changes, or other events of daily importance

Booklets and Brochures: Booklets and brochures are

part of the promotional literature of a product, or an
organization. There are two types of booklets and
brochures.

Pre-buying promotion: Usually in malls and stores,

promotional literature is distributed free to all (with
discount offers, or other schemes which seem profitable).
For example, a free booklet about cosmetics will include
information about the products, latest trends, contents, the
benefits of using them, the available range, or colors,
discount coupons, etc. This, will most likely, have a
positive impact on your decision-making.
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Post-buying promotion: These booklets and brochures
are usually given with a product for better customer
experience and easy usage post purchasing. You must
have observed when you buy any new item that it is
usually accompanied with a small booklet giving details
about the benefits of using the product, usage directions,
cleaning and storage instructions. The guidelines are
usually followed by a series of 'how to' images which
facilitate easy information about the product. These
booklets may also include ‘Other offerings’ section.

Organizations also have their own profiles in the

form of brochures which they give to their stakeholders to
create a favorable image. It highlights the information
about the company, its capacity and capability, services
and solutions offered milestone achievements,
sustainability, innovation, awards, etc. In this case people
"do judge the book by its cover", and hence, these
booklets and brochures are designed in an attractive
format using colors and photos.

Billboards: Billboards are huge advertisements that are

put up at a height in strategic locations to draw more

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attention. They usually attract the target audience by their
bold colors, attention-grabbing headlines, creativity,
designs, special effects, etc. Initially, billboards started by
hand painting huge boards, and eventually graduated to
putting up printed sheets.

Later came a trend for incorporating neon signs,

videos, and cut-outs which extend out from the boards, 3D
rubber, or plastic balloon objects, etc. Such billboards are
called bulletins. They command the best customer
exposure. Communication in these types of billboards
should be in minimum words. The images should speak
louder than the words. They are a successful medium of
communication as they are good at captivating and
retaining customer’s attention.

Electronic media is the kind of media which requires the

user to utilize an electric connection to access it. It is also
known as 'Broadcast Media'. It includes television, radio,
and new-age media like the Internet, computers,
telephones, etc.
Broadcast or storage media that take advantage of
electronic technology. They may include television, radio,

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Internet, fax, CD-ROMs, DVD, and any other medium
that requires electricity or digital encoding of information.
The term 'electronic media' is often used in contrast with
printmedia.
The purpose of using electronic media can be for
many reasons, one of the reasons is that you can use it to
market yourself and anything else from businesses to
products and so on. Electronic media is an efficient way
to communicate to one another, either by the use of media
devices and networks or social media sources such as
Television or the Internet these are a few of the many
ways you can use Electronic media to your advantage.

Television: Television appeals to both the auditory and

visual senses, and hence is an important communication
device as it beholds the attention of the audience. For
many people, it is impossible to imagine a life without
their television sets, be it the daily news, or even the soap
operas. Television has become an advertising hub where
advertisers are ready to spend huge amounts of money for
an ad of a few seconds, especially for programmes with
high viewership. An apt example would be Super Bowl

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Season. It offers various programs to appeal to the masses
of different age groups. It is a popular means of
communication which provides both information and
entertainment. This category also includes electronic
media like movies, CDs and DVDs as well as the
electronic gadgets.

Radio: Radio has a significant reach. Advertising on the

radio with catchy jingles and phrases is a tried and tested
means of communication. Radio lost its popularity with
the boom of television. But till day, radio remains one of
the favorite means of electronic communication.
Moreover, it is an interactive means of communication
with all the dial-in programs which give the listeners an
opportunity to feature on radio.

New age Media: With the advent of the Internet, we are

now enjoying the benefits of high technology mass media,
which is not only faster than the old school mass media,
but also has a widespread range. Mobile phones,
computers, and the Internet are often referred to as the
new-age media. The Internet has opened up several new
opportunities for mass communication which include

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email, websites, podcasts, e-forums, e-books, blogging,
Internet TV and many others, which are booming today.
The Internet has also started social networking 4 sites
which have redefined mass communication all together.
Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made
communication to the masses all the more entertaining,
interesting, and easier.

Mobile Phones: Mobile phones have become a boon to

mankind. It has made communication possible at any
time, and from anywhere. Nowadays, a smart device like
a mobile phone is not only used for interaction, but also
for other technical utilities like operating pumps from
remote locations, etc. You can also get alerts of your
monetary transactions on a mobile phone. About a decade
ago, who would have thought of having the Internet on
mobiles? Today, we can stay in touch with the whole
world via the Internet on our mobile phones.

Computers: With the invention of computers the

impossible has become possible. We virtually get
information about everything from pin to piano with the
help of computers. It has added speed and multimedia to

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the information which was earlier available only in the
print format. Also, anyone can voice their opinions
through computers. Computers have added a new
breakthrough in the mass media by combining human
intelligence with the cutting edge technology.

The Internet: This is the most important device of the

new age media. The discovery of the Internet can be called
the biggest invention in mass media. In earlier days, news
used to reach people only with the morning newspaper.
But today, live updates reach us simultaneously as the
events unfold. For example, the royal wedding of Kate
Middleton and Prince William was watched live on the
Internet by millions of people around the world. The
Internet has inspired interaction and connectivity through
its social networking medium. It has become one of the
core means of mass communication. We cannot think of
leading our lives without it. Let us see how the Internet
impacts mass communication through the following
mediums.

▫E-mails: e-mails or electronic mails have drastically

reduced the time it took for drafting and sending letters,

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or mails. Electronic mails have also facilitated lesser
usage of paper.

▫Websites: the Internet has a plethora of websites

dedicated to various people, companies, brands, causes,
activities, etc. The most significant usefulness of these
websites is in providing information, search engines,
downloads through libraries, and interaction through the
social networking sites. Due to these websites carrying
out e-commerce transactions has also become easy.

▫Podcasts: Podcasts are mediums of mass

communication that include short video or audio files.
They can be seen and heard on mobiles, computers, and
portable media instruments. They are engaging devices of
communication. ▫ E-Forums: E-Forums are bulletin
boards on websites where people start threads on topics.
These are usually hosted on a website. These forums are
open platforms to discuss a range of topics. People give
their opinions and share their experiences on various
topics.

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▫ E-Books: There are a number of websites which have
hosted eBooks and online libraries. The main benefit of
having eBooks is that you don't have to carry bulky books.
You can read them on your eBook readers, mobiles,
computer screens, or other devices. You can even adjust
the font size to suit your requirements.

▫ Internet TV: It is also known as online TV. It usually

has an archive of programmes. You have to choose the
programme, you wish to view from the list. You can either
view the programs directly from the host server, or
download the content on your computer. It is an effective
means of communication.

▫ Blogging: A blog is a space on the Internet where a

single person or a group of people record their
information, opinions, photos, videos, etc. It is an
interesting and free platform to talk about any topic.
Interaction happens in the form of comments or feedback.

▫ Facebook: It is the most popular social networking

website. Facebook has several applications which people
utilize. It is the best platform to meet old friends, or make

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new ones. Advertisers also like this forum for
communicating about their products. ▫ Twitter: It is also
a famous social networking website. Twitter is a micro
blogging site which allows interaction and feedback of
different people. There was a time when it was very
popular among celebrities and individuals. Today, the
governments of various nations have understood the
importance of "tweeting" information to the public, and
regularly share information through Twitter.

▫ YouTube: It is a website which uploads content in a

video format. It houses a range of interesting videos that
appeal to people of all generations. From films to
educational videos, you will find everything on YouTube.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA VS. PRINT MEDIA

Print media typically includes newspapers, articles,

journals etc. on the other hand, electronic media could be
internet, television etc.

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 Print Media
o Choice of reading – Allows user to read anytime and can
be carried anywhere.
o A much affordable form of media when compared to
electronic.
o For an individual, it’s quite an easy proof for any sort of
information – People specially living in rural areas can
easily afford a newspaper as compared to TV’s etc.
o Relatively easier form of accessibility public for
campaigns etc.

Electronic media
o A more advanced form of media.
o Introduces more revenues and job opportunities.
o Relatively a more innovative form of media. Thanks to
motion pictures, animation etc.
o A variety of options available unlike print media. People
can surf through different channels, site etc.
o Very appropriate for instant POLLS reviews of public.
o Works better for people with hearing and seeing
disabilities.
o Can be reached faster and can be made LIVE.

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 The main intent of any media is to pass
information to pubic. Be it electronic or print media, the
public needs to be aware of the news. Most of the people
in daily lives start with print media and gradually, as the
day passes by, switch to electronic media.

SUMMARY

There are different ways to classify media. Print media,

non-print media, and electronic media. The print media is
composed of newspapers, community newsletters, wire
services, magazines, and other publications. Within these
publications, there are two main divisions of labor:
reporting and editing. Reporters are the newspaper writers
who investigate newsworthy events and interesting
stories. Editors assign stories to reporters, edit story
content, and decide which stories to print. It is the media
that one can share on any electronic device for the
audiences viewing, unlike static media (Printing)
electronic media is broadcasted to the wider community.
Examples of Electronic media are things such as the
television the radio, or the wide internet.

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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Discuss the advantage and disadvantages of print

media.
2. What is Mass Media? What is it used for?
3. Name several types of Mass Media. What kind is the
most popular now?
4. What are the main features of New Age Mass
Media?
5. What do you think about all the advantages and
disadvantages of every kind of Mass Media? Name
as many as possible.

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