Questioning the media ch. 11

Q2:  Why are so many people critical of advertising?

A:  Advertising in today's society has had many affects on the way people look at themselves.  It has a tendency to control peoples actions and motives when looking for particular products.  It also exposes the vulnerabilities that lie inside people.  Children are among the most influenced by advertisements.  People tend to be so critical of advertising because it has such a controling affect.  Many people feel that something unavoidable shouldn't have such an influence on society.  It gives people ideas of how people should look, what they should eat, and what their motives in life should be.  Many people feel that these values at stake should not be compromised by for the sake of others greed.

Q4:  Should advertising aimed at children be regulated?  Why or why not?

A:  I think that advertising aimed at children should be regulated.  At a young age, people are unable to distinguish fact from reality.  Children perceive everything they see or are told as real and have trouble using good judgment.  If an advertisement on television is appealing to a child, they will do whatever they can to get their parents to get whatever is being marketed.  Without regulation, children may be convinced to partake in questionable activities, or have superficial thoughts engrained into their heads.  As long as products marketed towards children are in their best interest there should be no problem.  However, when things such as alcohol, tobacco, or sex are involved in anything that may be deemed as appealing to children, it is not right.  Children should only be exposed to harmless and monitored media.

Q6:  Would you be in favor of regular advertising on public television and radio as a means of financial support for these media?  Explain your answer.

A:  I do feel that advertising in public media is necessary.  In order for media to receive adequate funding, they must sell their empty space.  Television and radio rely heavily on this kind of income.  Money from advertising goes towards quality production of programs, which draws viewers, and in turn causes companies to compete for space.  This benefits everyone.  The audiences get what they tune in for, the producers profit, and the advertisers draw customers.  This circle of production, self perpetuates itself.  Personally, I feel that this proves to be very healthy for the economy.  It gets people spending money, and satisfied with entertainment at the same time.

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.