A. Radio and television

Read these extracts from TV listings.

• ¹ usually has a host and famous people who answer questions about themselves
• ² film where the characters are drawn rather than real
• ³ show where people compete to win prizes
• ⁴ short for soap opera – a series of TV/radio programmes about the lives of a particular group of characters, continuing over a long period
• ⁵ broadcast (several times) every week
• ⁶ trying to find out the facts/truth about something
• ⁷ funny TV/radio show where the same characters appear in a different story each week
• ⁸ news about political events happening now
• ⁹ person who introduces the show

B. Other expressions connected with TV and radio

The mass media refers to TV, radio, newspapers and the Internet, i.e. means of communication which reach very large numbers of people.

Subtitles enable people to read what the characters are saying (maybe in translation).

If a film is dubbed, you hear the speech in your own language.

To receive a lot of TV channels, you may need a satellite dish on the roof or wall of your house. Many channels depend on (TV) commercials to make money. You may be able to stream radio and TV via the Internet or watch catch-up TV, or TV on demand, which allow you to watch programmes whenever you like. A lot of radio and TV stations offer free podcasts which you can download.

C. Newspapers

A popular or tabloid newspaper usually focuses on¹ sensational² rather than real news, whereas a quality newspaper is usually more interested in serious news. A tabloid often has stories about celebrities, sport, scandals³ and crime, while a quality paper focuses more on serious journalism⁴ with in-depth⁵ articles. To read newspapers on the Internet, you may have to subscribe / pay a subscription⁶.

• ¹ emphasises / pays attention to
• ² very exciting or interesting events
• ³ events which shock people in a moral way
• ⁴ the work of collecting, writing and publishing or broadcasting news and articles
• ⁵ done carefully and in great detail, explaining the reasons for events
• ⁶ pay a sum of money regularly (e.g. once a year)

D. Verbs connected with the media

• The BBC World Service broadcasts throughout the world. [transmits TV/radio programmes]
• They’re televising the opening of Parliament tomorrow. (or, less formal: showing)
• The film was shot / made on location in Australia. [filmed in a real place, not in a studio]
• The series is set in London in the 1980s. [place/time where the drama happens]
• Within minutes of the event, people were tweeting about it. [posting very short messages on the Internet]