Questioning the media ch. 7

Q2:  Do you remember seeing a movie that you were not allowed to see?  Discuss the experience.

A:  I remember seeing a movie I was not allowed to see when I was pretty young.  I was probably about 8 and my mom strictly forbade me to see rated-R movies.  One day I was at a friends house and the movie Anaconda was on.  I new I was supposed to see the violence and cussing that was involved, but for some reason my rebellious nature drew me to the screen.  I had a conscience telling me not to watch it though all the while I loved the thrill of breaking the rules.  This movie opened a tolerance in me that my mother would not have approved of at such a young age.  I no longer thought it was such a big deal to see the movie because I could easily tell that it was fake.  However I obeyed the rule for a while until I got to be old enough to make my movie watching decisions on my own.

Q3:  How often do you go to the movie theater today?  How often do you rent movies on video or DVD?  Which experience do you prefer and why?

A:  I only go to the movies now a days when a movie comes out that looks really good.  With the price of gas to get to the movies and the cost of admission I find that I can only afford to go sparingly.  I would say I go to the movies about once every two months.  The same goes for renting movies.  Usually when I do this it is with a friend and we can all watch it.  But I often borrow movies that my friends have purchased when I want to watch one.  When it come to my preference of the movie theater or renting a movie I would have to go with the movie theater.  Even though television are becoming clearer and bigger with improved sound from the comfort of the home, the experience in a movie theater with the big screen and the loud surround sound is much more powerful.

Q4:  If you were a Hollywood film producer or executive, what kind of films would you like to see made?  What changes would you make in what we see at the movies?

A:  Being a film producer is a career that I would consider pursuing as a communications major.  Therefore I would have big ideas for the big screen.  I would want my films to be meaningful on many different levels.  I would strive to balance the art and the business behind movie making.  I feel that in order to be successful in the business aspect, I would have to excel in the art aspect as well.  I would like to eliminate all the junk movies that use cliche story lines and techniques and create something truly innovative.  Being big on sports I would like to make movies involving sports with unseen twists.  I would want to develop camera angles and shooting techniques that have not been explored in this genre and possibly create story lines based on true stories.  Documentaries and comedic documentaries would also be a field of interest.

Questioning the media ch. 6

Q2:  If you controlled a cable public access channel in your community, what would be your channels goal?  What could we do to make public-, government-,or educational-access programming more appealing?  Should we?

A:  If i control a public access channel, my first and foremost goal would be to bring something to the audience that they could benefit from.  For example, instead of just taking up air time with mindless shows, a many stations do, I would provide educational or historical documents for my viewers.  When I watch TV I like to be entertained as well as educated by getting my mind to think about things or to be informed about different events.  I would strive to put on quality shows of this nature for both kids and adults.  In order to make other channels more appealing, especially government, I feel we should definitely dress up the current programming.  Much of the information in it is valuable but it is often conveyed in too boring a way to attract viewers.  Updated technology and clever plot lines to the existing shows would be a good way to get the message across to viewers.

Q4:  CNN and MTV have changed our society as well as the global culture.  Have these changes been positive or negative?  Explain.

A:  With the development of CNN and MTV I feel that many new things have been brought into our culture.  This is why I feel that these developments have been both good and bad for our culture.  CNN brings news and updates from the world right into the living room.  However, sometimes this information is biased.  Faithful viewers get no other perspective as to what is occurring.  Though they get to be informed about what is happening, it is hard for them not to develop their own opinions about the event.  MTV on the other hand has allowed hundreds of musicians to get their big breaks by advertising thier music and at the same time brought a variety of new music into the viewers playlists.  However, this type of media determines what pop culture is and as a result brings a lot of garbage into the culture.  MTV to an extent, constructs the mind set of much of America's youth as to how they should act, dress, and what their values could be.  Both of these changes has a plus side but also create danger to a society of naive viewers.

Q5:  Do you think DBS will eventually overtake cable in popularity? Why or Why not?

A:  DBS, or Direct Broadcasting Satellites, have been around for a while and can transmit hundreds of different channels for viewers.  Many argue that they can do more than cable.  However, cable has been around much longer than satellite and it will not just fold over right away.  I don't think DBS will overtake cable because cable will come up with advancements in technology such as digital cable.  PLus with the development of such technology as fiber optics, one day both methods of viewing will be obsolete.  Popularity will come to the most affordable, highest quality, and most featuring system of the time.  It is likely to be a battle for decades for the most popular form of television new improvements are constantly made.

Questioning the media ch. 5

Q2:  How much television do you watch today?  Which programs do you try to watch regularly?  What attracts you to your favorite program(s)?

A:  Being a college student of today, I do not find myself watching too much television.  I simply do not have time to watch much and when I do I often find myself doing something more constructive.  However, there are a few shows that I really do enjoy watching.  Shows such as The Office, and Baseball Tonight are programs I will tune into if I happen to be sitting at the TV during the times they are aired.  I am drawn to this type of programming because I like to unwind watching comedy on TV or the baseball scores from the day.  Being a baseball player myself I find much of the news on Baseball Tonight very interesting.

Q3:  If you were a network television executive, what changes would you make in the programs that America watches?

A:  If I had the power to dictate the type of programming that America watches I would make a few minor changes.  I would mostly keep much of the programming the same but focus on cleaning up TV as I feel much of it these days are cultural garbage.  I would mainly put an end to most reality shows as these often depict unrealistic scenarios in which home viewers think they should relate with.  Also, much of this is setting people up to be made fun of on national television and I feel isn't necessary for the growth of our culture.

Q5:  How could television be used to improve social and political life in the US?

A:  I believe television could definitely serve as a key means of improving different aspects of life.  Because it is so widely viewed, television serves as a gateway to most homes and citizens.  Much of the programming on television is designed to entertain but often conveying wrong or no messages.  If this entertaining programming had stronger social messages and solid political values, a wide range of people who tune in regularly would be affected for the better.  People could make better decisions at the polls and be better off in social settings with this stronger foundation.  Instead of seeing the negatives in culture and trying to emulate them, people seeing the right messages could become stronger US citizens.

Questioning the media ch. 4

Q1:  Describe your earliest memories of listening to radio.  Do you remember your favorite song?  How old were you?  Do you remember the stations call letters?  Why did you listen?

A:  My earliest memories of listening to the radio came when I used to ride with my dad on my way to pre school when I was about four.  He always used to have on smooth jazz from WSJT 94.1.  I remember I was not particularly fond of it as I frequently told him it was elevator music.  Not that I had a favorite song, but one I can remember often coming on was Smooth Operator.  Now, when I hear smooth jazz it brings a sort of comfort to me with the memories from when I was young.

Q3:  If you could own and manage a commercial radio station, what formats would you choose and why?  

A:  If I were to have my own radio station, I would probably play music that a listener could just chill out to.  I like acoustic music as well some reggae and I feel these would make an excellent combination on the air.  I currently do not know of any stations that play this type of music, so the station competition would be virtually non existent.  I think that I could make good money advertising products to help people relax because this would be a primary target audience.

Q5:  How might radio be used to improve social and political discussions in the United States?  

A:  I think radio could be very beneficial in helping improve social and political discussions in the US.  The different viewpoints from all opposing sides could be heard by the masses when broadcasted.  This would allow listeners to open up their minds by hearing all about different issues.  Also listeners would be able to call in and defend their positions, and let the voice be heard from the common people.