Jobs in Television
There are hundreds of different jobs in the TV world.
Announcers link one programme to the next. They provide viewers with vital information and help to create a TV station's identity. To do this, they need to know a lot about every possible kind of programme. Most announcers write their own scripts.
Costume designers plan and create clothes for TV actors. This can involve any style from an eighteenth century dress to a twenty-first century spacesuit. For historical dramas, designers do a lot of research to make sure that every costume is accurate.
The director has creative control of a programme. He or she plans it, directs the actors and technicians during filming, works with the editor after filming. Most directors have done several other jobs in TV before they start to actually make programmes.
After a programme is filmed it has to be edited or 'cut'. The editor's job is to take out what isn't needed and put all the best scenes in order.
These technical experts look after the quality of TV's sound and pictures. They control all the complex equipment used to make and broadcast programmes. Plus, if there's a technical fault, they're the people who find and repair it.
There are more graphics in television today than ever before. These are all the maps, cartoons, diagrams which appear on our screens. They're created by graphic designers who use computers to bring their ideas to life.
TV journalists not only collect and write the news, many also present it, too. Working with a camera crew, correspondents like these always have to prepare their reports under great pressure. But then, when the story is ready, they must look calm,-cool and professional as they broadcast it on the air - live.
Modern TV companies have huge collections of old programmes, videotapes, films, records, scripts, photos, sound effects. The librarians who look after these collections are in charge of television's history.
Lighting is an important part of any TV programme. How a show looks, and its atmosphere, both depend on the right lights being in the right place. To achieve this, lighting directors work closely with the production team and camera crew.
The producer's job is (a) to suggest ideas for programmes (b) to make sure that programmes are made on time and within budget. Many producers work in one particular part of the TV world - for example, drama or current affairs.
It takes a lot of work to find all the information and interviewee which TV programmes depend on. The people who do that work are researchers. They check facts, locate old photos and pieces of film, contact people who are going to appear in programmes.
Every organisation needs secretaries and TV companies are no exception. It's possible for a secretary in TV to work for just one person... a director or producer, for example, or else for a department, e.g. finance, public relations or contracts.
'Sets' are the furniture, walls, windows, floors, etc., made for TV shows. There are lots of different kinds. In a soap opera, for example, the sets usually include modern, realistic lounges and offices. On the other hand, for a news bulletin the set is often just a table and two or three chairs. But whether it's simple or complex, every set has to be designed.
'Sound technicians' are responsible for all the microphones and recording equipment in a studio. The voices and music which this equipment receives are then balanced by 'sound mixers' who work in a special control room.
Transmission controllers make sure that programmes and the links between them are all broadcast at exactly the right time. This is a very important job. If the transmission controller makes a mistake, the result is millions of blank TV screens.
TV journalists and programme-makers face difficult decisions every day.
Here are seven of the key issues involved in news reporting…
1 Which are the most important stories?
What matters more... an earthquake or an election? A plane crash or a politician's speech? A new royal baby or a foreign country's economic crisis?
2 What can and can't be shown?
If people have died in a disaster, do you show pictures of the bodies? Do you interview the relatives? What questions do you ask them? And how about groups with extreme political views...
3 Does the presence of TV cameras sometimes create news?
Can demonstrations become riots because the demonstrators know they're being filmed? Do politicians only make major speeches when they can guarantee a TV audience?
4 Is every report in the bulletin fair?
Which are they - 'terrorists' or 'freedom fighters'? What are they fighting - a 'regime' or a 'government'? In other word; are both sides of every story fairly, equally and accurately represented?
5 How independent is TV news?
When there's a war, should governments have the right to censor news to protect national security? And what if the police ask for a piece of film which shows people in a demonstration -should the broadcasters give it to them?
6 Does 'news' always have to mean 'bad news'?
Where do you draw the line between informing people and depressing them? What's the alternative? Is it a good idea, for example, to end bulletins with happy stories (e.g. the birth of a zoo's new baby gorilla)?
3. Translate into English:
1. Стаття непогана, але, на мою думку, в ній не вистачає прикладів. 2. Читачі журналу ознайомляться з останніми досягненнями вчених у цій галузі. 3. Журналістам повідомили про зміни у складі команд за день до початку чемпіонату. 4. Засоби масової інформації широко коментують зустріч президентів обох країн. 5. У Франції та США телебачення розглядається як могутній засіб підтримки президентської системи. 6. ЗМІ відіграють важливу роль у популяризації та поширенні інформації про діяльність уряду. 7. Щоб привабити широке коло читачів, журнал публікує різноманітні статті від останніх наукових досягнень до кулінарних рецептів та гороскопів. 8. Багато людей передплачують газети та журнали, які їм доставляються додому. 9. Газетам стає все важче виживати в умовах жорсткої конкуренції. 10. Телебачення стає все більш популярним, і люди все частіше віддають перевагу серіалам, ніж книгам.
Radio
There are lots of international radio stations - four of the best-known names are Voice of America, Radio Moscow, Deutsche Welle and Radio Free Europe.
But none is more famous or has a bigger global audience than The BBC World Service. The 'Fascinating Facts' below reveal what it does and how it works.
The World Service broadcasts nearly 800 hours of programmes in 37 languages every week. Its headquarters are at Bush House, a large building in central London.
The World Service broadcasts programmes in English twenty-four hours a day and has 25 million listeners every week. The total weekly audience for all its programmes (in the 36 other languages as well as English) is 120 million.
Every international radio station broadcasts news and current affairs. But the BBC World Service also offers programmes on music, science, the arts, comedy, business, drama, sport, religion. Plus, from time to time, it presents live interviews with world leaders.
The World Service has been nominated" for the Nobel Peace Prize because of its fair, balanced reporting of international events.