- What is implied under the term "mass media"?

- What do you know about the Internet?

- What can you say about the press?

- When did the first newspapers appear in England?

- What was the first English daily?

- The first English daily was "The Daily Courant" (1702-35). It was in 1771 that Parliament allowed journalists the right to report its proceedings. The "Times" was founded by John Walter in 1785, and "The Observer" was founded in 1791.

- What role do newspapers play today?

- Are British newspapers homogeneous?

- Quality newspapers are serious daily issues. They appeal mainly to the upper and middle classes. Popular, tabloid newspapers are smaller in size and contain many photographs. Unlike quality newspapers popular newspapers are not so serious and their stories tend to be sensational.

- What quality newspapers can you name?

- Quality newspapers are: "Financial Times", "The Times", "The Guardian", "The Daily Telegraph".

- What are popular newspapers?

- Popular newspapers are: "The Daily Express", "The Daily Mirror", "The Daily Mail", "The Daily Star", "The Sun". They have a national daily circulation and appeal mainly to the working and middle classes.

- When did the first newspapers appear in America?

- In the 17th century newspapers, magazines, almanacs were published in America. The oldest printing press in America was set up as early as 1639 at Cambridge, and its activity was never interrupted. The first newspaper in the United States came out in Boston in 1690. But it was suppressed by the colonial governor after one issue. The weekly "Boston News-letter" began publication in 1704. Independent newspaper publishing started with the "New- England Courant" in 1721. In 1776 on the eve of the Revolution Boston had five newspapers, and Philadelphia three. Freedom of the press was achieved the United States in 1791 by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

- Does a national press exist in the USA?

- What can you say about Russian newspapers?

- Are there a lot of magazines in Russia today?

- As for the magazines, today they are numerous. They cover all topics and interests, from painting and architecture to tennis, from aviation and gardening to computers and literary criticism.

- When did radio appear?

- Radio appeared earlier then TV.

- Did it take radio long to be a reality?

- Has radio lost its importance with the appearance of TV and the Internet?

- When was TV invented?

- What British and American radio and TV networks do you know?

- In the USA the National Public Radio network (NPR) is known for its quality news and discussion programmes. Another public radio network, American Public Radio (APR), with its commentary and entertainment programmes is very popular too. In the USA PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) with its 280 stations is the largest network. The cable networks such as CNN carries news and news stories, SPN covers all sports events, and MTV is famous for its music videos.

- What do you know about the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)?