TYPES OF MASS MEDIA

LECTURE 4
There are 6 main types of Mass Media:

1. Traditional Media
2. Print Media
3. Electronic/Broadcasting Media
4. Outdoor Media or Out of Home Media (OOH)
5. Transit Media
6. Digital Media/New Media/Internet
Traditional Media
• People have developed different ways of communication depending upon their
local language and culture. Traditional media is one of the oldest types of mass
media to transfer traditions and culture over generations. The tools of
communication have been developed from beliefs, customs, rituals, and
practices of society.
• Traditional media imparts indigenous ways of communication for ages.
Further, this type of mass media varied as per each culture and society as every
culture has their own mediums to communicate to their mass audience.
• Thus, the traditional media can be folk songs, dances, folktales and folklore as
well as paintings, sculptures, stupas, statues and fairs, festivals, rural or
community radio and announcement mediums like nagada, etc.
Forms of Traditional Media
• Folk Dances • Storytelling
• Folk Songs and Music • Nautanki
• Theatre, Drama, and Folktales • Fairs and Festivals
• Painting, Sculptures, Inscriptions, • Rural Radio
Statues, and Stupas
• Motifs and Symbols

• Announcements made by beating

drums or ‘nagada’
• Shadow and String Puppetry
Print Media
• In simple words, Print Media is all about the printed form of information
and news. Before the invention of the printing press, printed materials had
to be hand-written that made mass distribution almost impossible. Print
media is one of the basic types of mass media tools making it very popular
and convenient to reach a wider audience.
• Newspapers are considered as the oldest forms of mass media after the
traditional mass media as for a long period of time, the general public relied
on newspapers to know the latest happenings in their local areas as well as
from around the world. Thus, print media originally refers to newspapers
and then expanded towards magazines, tabloids, promotional brochures,
journals, books, novels and comics.
Forms of Print Media

• Newspapers (broadsheet and tabloid)

• Periodicals, Newsletters, and Magazines (general or specific
interest)
• Brochures, Leaflets and Pamphlets
• Journals
• Books, Novels and Comics
• Newspapers are the most popular form of print media. They are generally
delivered at home, or are available at newsstands, and it is the most inexpensive
way to reach a huge mass of people quickly. A newspaper is divided into various
segments containing current events, sports, food, entertainment, fashion, finances,
politics, advertisements, informative articles, and so on. The advertiser, in this case,
can choose from a daily newspaper to a weekly tabloid. Advertisers design press
advertisements, wherein the size is decided as per the budget of the client.
• A newsletter is a publication that mostly covers one main topic. Sometimes,
people have to subscribe for the newsletters, or many a time, they are even free.
Newsletters are generally used as information sources for neighborhood,
communities, and groups having an interest about that particular topic, or event.
They are also used for promotional purpose, political campaigns, or for causes.
Newsletters are also used in many schools as a communication tool for parents,
which give them information about what is new in the school. Many companies
make use of newsletters as a marketing strategy to provide all the information to
customers and employees.
•
• Magazines provide detailed articles on various topics, like food, fashion, sports,
finance, lifestyle, and so on. Magazines are published weekly, monthly, quarterly,
or annually, and many of them are sold all over the world. Advertising in magazines
costs a bit more, but it is a great way to target some market segments. The ads in
the magazines need to be eye-catching, yet simple and elegant. Make sure you do
not put too much information to herd the page; in that case, you can provide web
details for more information. The advertisements and magazine subscription fees
are the fund providers for the magazines.
• Banners at many places are made of cloth, or paper and are used to show slogans,
logos, or some messages. It is also used for advertising brands in exhibitions, giving
out the names of products, or services that are being provided. Like banners,
posters also come under the same category for the same purpose. Communication
details are also an important part of these banners. Posters are mostly hung at a
height and are made attractive so as to catch the attention of the passersby. The
primary use of posters can be seen in political campaigns. Both banners and
posters are customized and include text as well as graphics―that too in a huge size
so that the message is seen from far. It is a self-made form of advertising.
• Billboards have mostly become digital, but they qualify under the category of
print media after all, the advertisements are printed on the billboard. These
include text and graphics mostly as a combination so as to make it more
appealing. Billboards have fixed locations and are huge in size so that it can be
seen and read from a long distance. Billboard advertisements are the most costly
in the print media category. The price depends on the size, location of the
billboard, and mostly on the duration of the advertisement. Apart from
advertisements, a lot of promotional activities are also done by making use of
billboards. Even though it costs a lot, it helps in targeting all the market segments.
• Books are the oldest form of print media that are used as a way of communication
and information piece. They give an opportunity to writers to spread their
knowledge about a particular subject to the whole world. They are a diverse
platform comprising varied topics that include literature, history, fiction stories,
and many more, that not only increase our knowledge but also entertain us. After
printing was invented, books were printed giving knowledge of various sectors to
the world.
• A brochure, also known as pamphlet, is a kind of booklet that contains the details
of the company, or organization. Generally, brochures are for takeaway, so as to
keep the brand in the mind of the audience. They are distributed in exhibitions, or
shops in which particulars of the product, or service of the company are provided
along with communication details. It is very necessary that the brochure contains
all the required details of the product or service with terms and conditions along
with the charges. Brochures generally consist of two or three folds of glossy and
colorful sheets with some nice presentation. They are mostly distributed by hand,
sent by mails, or you may find them at brochure racks as well.
• A normal flyer is also a part of print media. Some of the big companies may not use
this type for advertising of targeting the market, but for small organizations, it can
be very useful and can help in generating business. A flyer should always be crisp
and eye-catching so that it attracts people's attention. Flyers can be distributed in
exhibitions, or can be put on walls of colleges and schools, depending on what kind
of audience an organization is looking for. Printing of flyers is also inexpensive, and
so, a stack can be distributed in the neighborhood, or at signals. They are
commonly used for advertisements, or at local events and parties.
Electronic /Broadcasting Media
• Broadcasting is simply a distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed
audience using the electronic broadcasting medium. Originally the term
‘broadcasting’ referred to the sowing of seeds on farms by scattering them over
the large field. Broadcast media allows ease of news dissemination to even an
illiterate person because it appeals to both the auditory and visual senses making
it one of the most lucrative types of mass media.
• Centuries later after the newspapers were used as the original mass media, the
advent of radio and television happened. Radio was the primary medium of news
for the general public during wars as well as for sports and entertainment.
• When television was invented, it became the most effective type of mass media as
it was primarily used for news dissemination and then for TV shows, live events
and other entertainment purposes.
Forms of Broadcasting Media

• Television
• Radio (AM, FM, Pirate Radio, Terrestrial Radio, and Satellite)
• Traditional Telephone
• Film/Movie/Motion Picture
• Video Games
• Audio Recording and Reproduction
Outdoor Media
This is also known as OOH or Out-of-Home Media and is focussed on
transmitting information and news when the public is outside their home.
Outdoor media gives importance to display advertising and attracting
individuals towards new products, some social cause or any development or
change in the society. These are prominent in brand promotion seen on
buildings, streets, electric polls, roadside, vehicles, screens, kiosks, etc. This
is one of the most prominent types of mass media used for commercial as
well as public welfare advertising and mainly includes billboards, banners,
posters, and brochure distribution
Forms of Outdoor Media
• Billboards or Bulletins • Blimps, Skywriting
• Inflatable Billboards • Brochure distribution
• Mobile Billboards
• Banner
• Lamppost Banners
• Posters
• Signs and Placards
Transit Media

• Transit Media revolves around the concept of advertising and information

dissemination when consumers are “on the go” in public places or in transit. These
include display advertising on vehicles and transportation. With the aim “driving
home a message” transit media is significantly used for massive brand promotion
to millions of people who travel the country’s streets and highways every day.
• Some people might think that this type of mass media is outdated or ineffective,
yet it is widely visible on the sides of buses, in subway cars, at transit stations
where passengers enter or disembark from public transportation.
Forms of Transit Media

• Bus Advertising
• Railway Advertising
• Taxi Advertising
• Transit Shelter Advertising
New Media or Digital Media

• Since the invention of the World Wide Web by English scientist

Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, the Internet has drastically taken over
all the types of mass media because of faster dissemination
speed and higher digital technology.
• New Media is an interactive two-way communication with users
being the active producers of content and information.
• TheInternet is considered as a highly interactive mass medium
and can be simply defined as the “network of networks”.
Forms of Digital Media

• Websites • E-forums and E-books

• Emails • E-commerce and M-commerce
• Social Media and Social • Digital Videos
Networking Sites (SNS) • Computer Animation
• Webcast and Podcast
• Digital Video Games
• Blogging and Vlogging
• Human-Computer Interface
• IPTV (Internet Protocol
• Virtual World & Virtual Reality
Television)