Radio Industry - Ethical and Legal Constraints (Article)

Legal constraints are legal laws that control the media sector and it's extremely important that you follow these laws or you could be fined and investigated by the police. Legal Constraints are laws that absolutely have to be followed and took into consideration or you can have some harsh consequences.

Ethical Constraints aren't necessary things that you could get arrested for but they are just as important. These constraints mean that you are working within accepted norms of society and you have to behave what is considered in the right way without offending anyone. This is covered by self regulating industry codes and it's up to the producer of whatever media production you're doing to make a proper judgment call.

 

 The laws regarding Legal Constraints are listed below with descriptions and examples of what it's all about.

When talking about restrictions in Radio, the presenters of the show must refrain themselves from saying anything that may be offensive. This of course depends on the show, if it is in the daytime then it is more likely for younger listeners to be in the audience, however later at night when listeners are more adult-based they may be allowed to use language more loosely.

 

 

 

 

 

This is also in concern to the music the radio stations will play. Some songs will have offensive terms and/or strong language in certain parts, meaning they must be bleeped out or replaced with a clean version or in extreme cases not played at all.

 

Starting next year, the new age requirements will be 18+ to attend Ultra Music Festival. An official announcement hasn’t been made yet, but recent flyers have advertised presale tickets with the new restrictions. The text next to the 18+ stamp reads: “The safety and security of our attendees, artists/performers, and personnel are our utmost priority and concern.”

 

Pirate radio can also link into this with freely using explicit language and revolving around a crude and/or sexual nature. Furthering the point made before about Ultra, many music festivals also have age restrictions due to general safety issues or in regards to the artists performing.

 

Another case in point being individuals can sue for damage to their reputation caused by material broadcast by a third party – you, the reporter or news reader, are that third party. They can sue you or the company you work for, and If you lose the case, the organisation you work for will incur a big fine. Contempt of court is area of law designed to balance the right to a fair trial with freedom of speech. It is to prevent journalists from publishing/broadcasting things which will get in the way of a fair justice system.

 

If you are found guilty of contempt of court you’re looking at a big fine and possibly prison – though this is unlikely.

 

 

 

The privacy law also applies to radio production, when interviewing people the producers must keep professional and if they are interested in the celebrity they are interviewing they must remain professional and not make them uncomfortable. The same goes for radio journalists, meaning that they must not take pictures of acts in dressing rooms or backstage corridor, at least without their permission. The same in regards to asking for autographs.

 

This act permitted for the launch of three Independent National Radio Stations, two of them on medium wave using frequencies formally used by the BBC, and the other on FM using frequencies formerly used by the emergency services. This began ideas for several additional local and regional commercial radio stations, using parts of the FM band which was not beforehand used for broadcasting. The plans for increasing community radio were only established in the 2000's. In the Parliament it produced a series of opposition from the majority of the Labour Party and a few members from the Conservative Party who thought this was illustrative of a decline in standards.

 

The Official Secrets Act 1989 is a legislation that helps guarantee the defence of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security. This doesn't have a major result on television and radio but if you chat about stuff that you are under severe orders not to converse then police could be brought in to examine.

Film Industry - Ethical and Legal Constraints (Article)

Ethical and Legal Constraints make a major barrier on what is appropriate in the media industry. For example, due to the Race Relations Act (1976) in Films and Radio, the producers will have to be extremely delicate in regards to what is considered a 'racial slur' and what people will find offensive.

 Lawsuits against movies and filmmakers often stem from copyright infringement, plagiarism, or inaccurate details surrounding true events.

 A well-known permissible case was took to the high court concerning Jamie Theakston v Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd. Jamie Theakston tried to injunct the Sunday People from distributing a story about how he stayed in a brothel in Mayfair, London. Theakston claimed that the publication of the story broken his right to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. He said that the events had taken place privately and thus it ought to be treated as personal and that the article had no public interest. The Sunday People then debated that the publication of the story was in the public interest given the apprehension of the BBC, to be sure that presenters of programmes designed for younger people conduct themselves suitably in public. The court were sceptical of Theakston's statement that he only become conscious he was in a brothel when other prostitutes came into the room. Theakston was unsuccessful at his endeavour to injuct the Sunday People.

Another example is in October 2011, a Michigan woman called Sarah Deming filed a lawsuit (PDF) against the Emagine Novi movie theatre and FilmDistrict Distribution for production of a misleading trailer for Drive, a movie starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Albert Brooks.

Deming stated that the film provider “promoted Drive as very similar to the Fast and Furious, or similar, series of movies.” Deming was distressed that Drive was a systematic art film that “bore very little similarity to a chase or race action… having little driving in the motion picture.” Deming included the movie theatre where she viewed the film for the reason that it violated Michigan's Consumer Protection Act, claiming that the film was anti-Semitic for depicting members of the Jewish faith in an inauspicious and clichéd light.

The race relations act 1976 was established by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race. Items that are covered include discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic and national origins in the fields of employment, the provision of good and services, education and public functions. An example of a breach of this law would be if the BBC were to advertise a job and only accept applications from ethnic minority groups, this would discriminate against people not of an ethnic minority.

In regards to stereotypes and offensive terms, this will affect the age restrictions on the film. For example, if a film had extreme violence it would not be classed as a U film as it means it would not be suitable for young children.

The age restriction is decided by the BBFC insight. Independent, self-financing and not-for-profit media content regulator, the BBFC operates transparent, consistent and trusted co-regulatory and self-regulatory classification and labelling systems in the UK. They highlight the key issues in a film then expand on this giving examples of the sorts of things you will see or hear. This is mainly to protect the public and children from sensitive content. These may include, for example, violence, bad language, and sex references.

BBFCInsight also notes any other issues that might be important for parents, or those wishing to take younger viewers to see a film – for example themes of divorce or bereavement or use of discriminatory language or behaviour.

This will also affect the representation of the Media as a whole. Representation is where producers make ethical judgements on how aspects of the media are portrayed. For example, people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Things such as age and gender affect these decisions. An example of a negative representation is a place such as Moss side near Manchester. We see Moss side as dangerous place, we associate it with the black community and also with guns, crime and violence. We have this negative perspective on such a place because of how it is exampled in the media. On the news, it's likely to see gun crime that has took place in this certain area, although some things may not be true this is how it is perceived by us therefore, makes a negative representation of the people who live there and the area.

Assignment 2 - Legal Elements (Research)

Legal Elements - Research (Definition)

Broadcasting Act 1990 - Law of the British parliament, often regarded by both its supporters and its critics as a quintessential example of Thatcherism. The aim of the Act was to reform the entire structure of British broadcasting; British television, in particular, had earlier been described by Margaret Thatcher as "the last bastion of restrictive practices". The act came about after the finding from the Peacock Committee. (This may effect film in the way that the structure of films are produced and how time consuming the process may be, and it may effect radio in what the station were eligible to play and what is classed as inappropriate.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasting_Act_1990)

Official Secrets Act 1989 – The Official Secrets Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repeals and replaces section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, thereby removing the public interest defence created by that section. (This may affect the film industry in regards to what is eligible to sell or not depending on how much the content will interest the viewers, similar with radio and their listeners.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Secrets_Act_1989)

Obscene Publications Act 1959 and later amendments – The Obscene Publications Act 1959 applies to television and covers material which is obscene, whether it is in a person's possession or it is published or broadcast. The definition of obscene is "likely to deprave and corrupt" the audience for which it is intended and includes not only sexually explicit material but material relating to violence and drug taking. This offence is more likely to apply to research material than material actually transmitted because of the stricter tests relating to harm and offence under the Communications Act 2003 and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. (Majorly effect the target audience for films depending on what is classed as obscene and disturbing to viewers. Effects radio in what they are allowed to say on air dependent on whether it is offensive or not.) (Via http://www.channel4.com/producers-handbook/media-law/other-laws-affecting-broadcasting/obscene-publications-act-1959)

Films Act 1985 – An Act to repeal the Films Acts 1960 to 1980; to make further provision with respect to the financing of films; and for connected purposes. (Affecting film in the budget they have for produces films, effecting radio in budget on equipment and setup.) (Via http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/21)

Video Recordings Act 1984 – The Video Recordings Act 1984 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was passed in 1984. It states that commercial video recordings offered for sale or for hire within the UK must carry a classification that has been agreed upon by an authority designated by the Home Office. (May effect film the amount of sales but lower the possibility of pirated copies being produced. Does not seem to effect Radio.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Recordings_Act_1984)

Race Relations Act 1976 and later amendments – The Race Relations Act 1976 was established by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race. (Effects film in regards to historical based plots where racial slurs may be involved and promotes the message that everyone is equal. Effects radio in what is allowed to be said in regards to what is offensive to the listeners.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Relations_Act_1976) (Example: Jewish school breaks Race Relations Act // A leading Jewish school, JFS in Brent, broke the Race Relations Act by refusing admission to a boy because his mother was not officially recognised as a Jew, the Court of Appeal has ruled.)

Human Rights Act 1998 – The Human Rights Act 1998 (also known as the Act or the HRA) came into force in the United Kingdom in October 2000. It is composed of a series of sections that have the effect of codifying the protections in the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. (Affecting film in the messages they portray in plots and what is based as unfair and the range of people eligible to act in regards to all race, religions and ethnicities being equal, affecting radio in the messages sent out to the public based on the presenter’s opinions.) (Via http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/your-rights/human-rights/what-are-human-rights/human-rights-act) (Example: Burma committed ethnic cleansing against thousands of Rohingya Muslims; 28 children hacked to death and mass graves uncovered.)

Licensing Act and later amendments – The Licensing Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act establishes a single integrated scheme for licensing premises which are used for the sale or supply of alcohol, to provide regulated entertainment, or to provide late night refreshment. Permission to carry on some or all of these licensable activities will now be contained in a single licence — the premises licence — replacing several different and complex schemes. (Film effected by age range of people watching and if actor is act a certain age and has to purchase alcohol in a certain scene it is extremely important to keep the age restrictions correct. May possibly effect radio in regards to adverts mentioning alcohol.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licensing_Act_2003) (Example: A man who broke trademarks laws has had £75,967 confiscated by the courts, after Tower Hamlets Council took action against him.)

Privacy law – Privacy law refers to the laws which deal with the regulation of personal information about individuals which can be collected by governments and other public as well as private organizations and its storage and use. (Effects film in regards to what information is allowed on screen and in the title sequence/ end credits, effects radio in what information is allowed to pass through onto the air.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_law)

Copyright and intellectual property law – Under intellectual property laws, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. (Effects script and production on film in regards to what language and sources can be used, same with radio.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property)

Libel law - Libel is defined as defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures. The law of libel originated in the 17th century in England. With the growth of publication came the growth of libel and development of the tort of libel. (Effects film in script, in what kind of spoken word is allowed, similar to radio and what is allowed to be said.) (Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation)

Radio - Legal and Ethical Constraints (Research)

Ethical Issues

Stereotype - a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Influence - The themes in a game/movie/book that can inspire a person to act a certain way or a certain thing.
Taboos - Deliberately breaking existing norms to shock the audience without regards to moral rights.
Product placement - Blatant advertising in films or videogames.


Regarding some songs, they could be censored due to explicit language or themes. Ultra is the next festival to implement age restrictions for future editions of the festival, perhaps in response to the recent drug deaths at events around the country and the fact that it was almost kicked out of the city of Miami following an incident where a security guard was almost trampled to death by a crowd of gate-crashes.

Starting next year, the new age requirements will be 18+ to attend Ultra Music Festival. An official announcement hasn’t been made yet, but recent flyers have advertised presale tickets with the new restrictions.

The text next to the 18+ stamp reads: “The safety and security of our attendees, artists/performers, and personnel are our utmost priority and concern.”
Pirate radio can also link into this with freely using explicit language and revolving around a crude and/or sexual nature. Furthering the point made before about Ultra, many music festivals also have age restrictions due to general safety issues or in regards to the artists performing. (Via http://www.di.fm/umfradio)


Defamation is the thing that is most likely to get you into trouble with the law as a journalist. It is ‘the lowering of reputation’ in right-thinking people. If you say or broadcast or publish something that makes people think less of an individual or company or institution. The law covers people and companies, not goods. It is the making public (which is what the media does) of the statement or footage that is defamatory.
An individual can sue for damage to their reputation caused by material broadcast by a third party – you, the reporter or news reader, are that third party. They can sue you or the company you work for! If you lose the case, the organisation you work for will incur a big fine.


Contempt of court is area of law designed to balance the right to a fair trial with freedom of speech. It is to prevent journalists from publishing/broadcasting things which will get in the way of a fair justice system.
If you are found guilty of contempt of court you’re looking at a big fine and possibly prison – though this is unlikely.



(Photo taken by myself. Ed Sheeran, live performance. Does not sing any offensive words or curses during songs due to contentment purposes.

Film - Legal and Ethical Constraints (Research)

Legal – relating to the law or permitted by the law.

Ethical - relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.

 

(BBFC Film age restrictions)

Legal constraint – An action that is not permitted or allowed regarding to the law. (Example – Content, interpretation and application of laws relating to media. Broadcasting Act 1990 and later amendments, Official Secrets Act 1989, Obscene Publications Act 1959 and later amendments, Films Act 1985, Video Recordings Act 1984, Race Relations Act 1976 and later amendments, Human Rights Act 1998, Licensing Act and later amendments, privacy law, copyright and intellectual, property law, libel law.) *Look at copyright on original characters.

 

Ethical constraint – An action that acts against moral values, similar to trust or liability. (Example – Sensitive content in films. Social issues and sensitivities, e.g. Representation of gender, representation of religious beliefs, linguistic usages, accessibility, and professional body codes of practice, e.g. BBC producer guidelines, Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) accessibility standards.) *Look at how these are portrayed in regards to the UK in contrast to other countries.

 

Film Rating Classification System

U - The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.

PG - PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.

12/12A - Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child.

15 - No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a 15 rated video. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age.

18 - Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy / rent an 18 rated video. No 18 rated works are suitable for children.

R18 - The R18 category is a special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. R18 videos may not be supplied by mail order. (Depending on the date of the film ratings may change, for example a horror movie from the fifties is not as shocking as it would be then, therefore lowering the rating.)

BBFCinsight - Independent, self-financing and not-for-profit media content regulator, the BBFC operates transparent, consistent and trusted co-regulatory and self-regulatory classification and labelling systems in the UK. They highlight the key issues in a film then expand on this giving examples of the sorts of things you will see or hear. This is mainly to protect the public and children from sensitive content.These may include, for example, violence, bad language, and sex references. BBFCinsight also notes any other issues that might be important for parents, or those wishing to take younger viewers to see a film – for example themes of divorce or bereavement or use of discriminatory language or behaviour.

Assignment 2 - Ethical and Legal Constraints

Scenario: Your new media company has been asked to write a series of blog entries detailing the Ethical and Legal Constraints within 2 different media sectors. (Film & Radio.) This should have relevant information as well as a selection of clips, images and diagrams.


Again you will need to produce a series of blogs looking into these two industries, this time focusing on their Ethical and Legal Constraints. Each blog should feature information on both.


By the end you will have 4 more blog entries:


-Film Industry - Ethical and Legal Constraints Research
-Other (Radio) Industry - Ethical and Legal Constraints Research
-Film Industry - Ethical and Legal Constraints (Final & in your own words)
-Other (Radio) Industry - Ethical and Legal Constraints (Final & in your own words)

Radio & Film - Structure and Ownership

Radio

Being a media-based way of audio and general communication, Radio has been a major influence throughout the years. The industry itself is vastly expanding and now has approximately 22,000 local residents in the working field. These can range in size and structure from something as well-known as the BBC to not-for-profit radio stations, run mainly by volunteers. These operatives tumble into three vast classifications: publicly-funded radio, commercial radio and the community radio sector – from the deep-rooted student and hospital radio to community radio stations that have recently received their license. 


Within the structure of Radio, the production department of a radio station composed of the Production staff, Operations staff, also on air personalities such as hosts, co-host, anchors, disc jockeys (more commonly referred to as DJs) and/or radio jockeys.

The Production department makes sure that all contents and commercials are timed and lined up correctly for broadcast.

The on-air personalities deliver the voices that the public are listening to and are usually labelled as the main part of the radio development. The production department is also aided by the traffic managers, otherwise known as the people who plan the broadcast of these commercials on air. The Creative Department aids the production department with content support. The creative department is made up of copy writers who write the scripts for the commercials and for the programs.

The marketing and sales department holds the responsibility for producing direct revenue for the radio station by selling what is known as 'air time' to the advertisers. It consists of several people who accomplish different functions ranging from a 'Sales head' who supervises the performance of the entire department to make certain the revenue requirements are up to par.
The department has a rather large sum of sales men who will approach the advertisers and prospective advertisers to sell the 'air time' and also to discuss the terms and the payment details with said advertisers.
Defined as ‘the radiation wireless transmission of electromagnetic signals’, this means that information, being most commonly sound is carried by changing the properties that the radio waves possess, such as frequency, amplitude or pulse width.

Film

The film industry is a constantly evolving business and the way in which we view film has changed a large amount. The first film ever made went by the name ‘The Great Train Robbery’, in 1903. Typically in black and white with no audio, while we now see films like ‘The Lord of The Rings’ with spectacular effects and a wide spectrum of coloured visuals are used throughout. In the UK alone the film industry employed around 27,800 people in 2008. The most common business centres in regards to film are located in the US, India, Hong Kong and Nigeria. The industry is normally funded through private owned companies like Sony and Warner Brothers, due to the reason that these companies have earned their money due to turnover of films they have invested in from past events.

When talking about the structure of Film, it is usually broken down into 6 main categories. These being: Production, Development, Facilities, Distribution, Exhibition and Export. Apparently there are around 400 permanent, or in other words registered, companies in the industry.

Of course the number shall vary depending on the amount of productions being worked on at a certain time. In short, a movie is a selection of still images when put together look to be moving when shown on screen. Depending on the method, for example taking actual photographs with a motion picture camera, photographing drawings or clay figurines (Claymation) or other models using traditional animation techniques, by the means of CGI and computer animation, or a combination of all three along with other visual effects.

When talking about the structure of the film industry, Production in simple terms is the creative process of actually making the film. Mostly when creating films Production companies are there to create the motion picture, the nature of the industry means they are often set up just for specific projects and then are closed down again when the production is finished. However, before this department can do its job, Development has to find and finance the original film idea.

After production comes 'post production', the group who will edit the film. Following this, then comes distribution which is most of the time unfamiliar when brought up in explanation. It focuses on who to actually sell the film to, or also known as the 'target audience.' This involves making a license agreement with the studio of the film and then making the decision of how many copies of the film to make. Distribution will then show the film to 'buyers' representing the theatre and/or exhibition. The buyers then release the film to be watched in the theatre to gain money from the tickets and from the theatres facilities such as food and drink. When the lease ends the theatre will then pay the money back to the industry, which then will pay each sector.

 

 

 

Media Industries (Film and Radio) - Structure and Ownership Research

Radio

• Telecommunications act of 1996 - significant changes in market and performance
• Fundamental changes in market structure, especially regarding localism
• When President Obama signed the Local Community Radio Act in January 2011, it represented a culmination of public hearings, town hall meetings, public comments, and research into the issues of localism and how to address the loss of local radio voices. Part of the law is designed to stimulate the diversity of viewpoints in local radio markets by allowing more Low Power FM (LPFM) stations  (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19376529.2011.616468#.VEjREMtAS1s)
• Been on-going for 80 years
• Started originally from amateur telegraphs who were using new innovation
• The organisation of the first post-WWI broadcasting of America (RCA), provided the template for what is still one of the most influential media in global society. (http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_6196635_organizational-structure-radio-station.html)
• Earliest radio stations were knows as radiotelegraphy - (wireless radio telegraph communications techniques and practices) system and this did not carry audio.
• First claimed audio transmission on Christmas Eve 1906
• Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both. Audio broadcasting also can be done via cable radio, local wire television networks, satellite radio, and internet radio via streaming media on the Internet. The signal types can be either analogue audio or digital audioIn 2009, there were 3,494 radio broadcasting stations in the United States.
• John Ambrose Fleming created the "oscillation valve" (passes current in one direction) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_broadcasting)
• The industry has been growing steadily in recent years and now employs over 22,000 people (more than terrestrial TV) in a wide range of occupations. Employers range in size from the BBC and lager commercial radio groups to not-for-profit community radio stations run mainly by volunteers. These operators fall into three broad categories: publicly-funded radio, commercial radio and the community radio sector – from the well-established student and hospital radio to the most recently licensed community radio stations.
Television and Radio shows often ask people to participate in the show through the use of Twitter hash tags or Facebook. Shows like the million pound drop live also run interactive games alongside the actual show.

Film

• The film industry is a large industry on a larger scale towards Television. In the UK alone they employed around 27,800 people in 2008. The major business centers in the world are in the US, India, Hong Kong and Nigeria. The industry is usually funded through privately owned companies such as Sony and Warner Brothers, these companies have earned their money from the turnover of films they have invested in the past.
• However other people find different ways of funding their films rather then pitch their idea to gain a budget from a Big company which is usually the common way to gain funding. The Market Leaders are the Distributors of film, Warner Brothers are the top grossing distributor to date.
• With a Total Gross revenue from 1995 to 2011 of $27,147,331,454 and with an average gross of $54,078,350. Its main contender is Walt Disney Pictures who is only $1 billion behind Warners.
• This sector can be broken down into so many different departments and other sectors but really the three main parts are; Production, Distribution and Exhibition. These three are the most common parts of the industry but there others including Development, Facilities and Export. (http://twood95.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/structure-and-ownership-in-the-media-industries/)
• Production - Process of actually making the film, Distribution - who the movie is being sold to, license agreements, how many copies to make, Exhibition- additional funds from theatre previews and facilities 
•  'The great train robbery' - made in 1903, first full length movie to be made, black and white with no sound
• Film making involves a lot of steps, in completing a film a lot of things need to be done. It starts with an idea which then develops into a script. Then the financing takes place alongside the casting, crew, prep, shoot and even after the film is produced advertisements and other things post-film production need to be carried out. Editing of the film is then also necessary. The film industry is a big business, giving so many people different jobs that wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the film industry.
• Film making has hugely improved from when it first started, from 1931 to 1956; film was only image storage and playback system for TV programming. Then the videotape recorders were introduced. (http://eedonh.blogspot.co.uk/p/lo1-understand-structure-and-ownership.html)
• There are different types of ownership such as: Private ownerships, they are Companies which are owned by a group of people who own shares, Shares cannot be owned by the general public because private companies such as Google, YouTube, Facebook, etc., are able to operate with only limited information being available in their business in a commercial market.  Public ownership has also shares widely traded on the stock of the market place.
• Public limited companies also have to report on their business operations to their shareholders and companies’ house, organization that oversees the business of limited companies; it examines and stores company information’s. This ownership is located in one country but there are also companies that are multinational companies that work across a number of countries. Examples of this would be Corporation and Viacom, they work all around the countries, and you can find them everywhere.(http://asrafaris93.blogspot.co.uk/p/1-understand-structure-and-ownership-of.htm)
• Film – When we talk about the film industry we’re referring to its six different component parts: Development, Production, Facilities, Distribution, Exhibition and Export. Current research shows there are around 400 ‘permanent’ (i.e. registered) companies in the film industry, this figure varies depending on the number of productions being worked on at any one time.
• The television sector and the film sector are connected by the fact that TV channels often play films. There are also many TV channels that are purely dedicated to showing films, such as Sky Movies. Films are also mainly advertised on TV, both in cinema and DVD releases.

The BBC - Public company, funded by the TV license. ITV - Private Company, 60% owned by ITV PLC, Also owned by STV Group PLC (Scotland) and UTV (Northern Ireland). Channel 4 - Private Company, funded by advertising. Channel 5 - Private Company - Owned by Northern & Shell ( Which is Owned by Richard Desmond) Radio is one of the oldest forms of mass media. Radio transmits sound-based media to the likes of car radios and TV. Radios themselves are dying out as radio can now be listened to on TV and online thanks to it becoming digital. Also most people listen to radio in their cars. There are three sections of radio: Publicly funded Radio - Taxpayer Funded (EG BBC Radio 1) Commercial Radio - Advert Funded (EG Metro Radio) (http://prezi.com/zhetcguu5ujl/undersanding-the-structure-and-ownership-of-the-media-sector/)