Questioning the media ch. 9

Q1:What are you earliest recollections of magazines?  Which magazines do you read regularly today?

A:  My earliest recollections of magazines is probably when I read Sports Illustrated for Kids. From about the time I was 6 or 7, sports in general captivated my interest.  Being too young totally understand the full context of professional organizations, SI for Kids abbreviated some of the top stories and made them more interesting for a younger audience.  I also remember many of the advertisements being for games or sugary cereal.  Today, I read the normal version of Sports Illustrated as it covers the major events in sports with great detail.  However, the ads are not so innocent as they tend to focus on an older audience and promote alcohol and sex.

Q2:  Imagine that you are the marketing director of your favorite magazine.  What would you do to increase circulation?

A:  If I was the marketing director for my favorite magazine, which in this case is Sports Illustrated, I would do whatever I could to sell the most copies.  I would advertise on  major sports networks such as ESPN and during major sporting events on other networks.  This way I could reach out to the largest target audience possible.  One way I could increase circulation is to provide incentive for current customers to recommend people.  This way I could create a large network of customers.  I feel that once sports fans would get a copy of my magazine, they would be hooked.

Q3:  Do you think cable, the internet, and other specialized computer technology will eventually displace magazines?  Why or why not?

A:  I do not think any new technologies will displace current magazines.  The whole idea of a magazine is to have a portable form of literature in a specialized subject, and be able take it anywhere.  With technology and computers you can't necessarily do that.  Sure you can look something up on the internet, but you cant have hundreds of articles to flip through on an airplane.  Plus magazines offer graphics, cut outs and posters that likewise cannot be produced with technology.

Questioning the Media Ch. 8

Q1: What kinds of stories, topics, or issues are not being covered well by mainstream papers?


A: Mainstream papers today are only focused on whatever will sell. That is why information or news that certain groups would find interesting are not published to the mass media. Publishers are looking for whatever the most people will find interesting so that they will buy the papers. Topics like this include, foreign sports, small town oddities, and historical documents. Foreign sports would not sell because people are only concerned with what is in their culture. Whats going on across seas may be a sport not even known about in the US, therefore has no effect on Americans. Small town oddities are great for local newspapers, but people would not be able to relate to them through huge mainstream papers. Finally, people are only concerned about what is happening in the present, hence the term news paper, and would seek other sources of historical information.


Q2: Why do you think people aren't reading newspapers as frequently as they once did? What can newspapers do to increase circulation?

A: With all of the modern forms of news today, people do not need only to resort to newspapers. Back in the day, newspapers were the only form of communication that could get information out to the public. Sporting events could not be watched on TV, they had to be read about in the papers, unless one could actually attend. The same goes for any breaking news, whether it be politics, sports, business, or just big events. Today's technology not only allows us to bring a live news feed in to our living rooms with TV and radio, but with a click of a button in the office we can see the latest world updates. Newspapers can serve as a portable news device, but other means of communication are cheaper and require virtually no material. In order to increase circulation, I feel that newspapers could just broadcast certain stories in their articles rather than allowing them to be told via other means of communication. This would allow for people to have to buy newspapers to hear about certain events.


Q3: Discuss whether newspaper chains are ultimately good or bad for the future of journalism.

A: Newspapers tend to be biased and to not always tell the full story. In order to sell, they must contain credible information but it must be interesting for an audience. This type of information tends to become talked up by writers in order to make it sound more dramatic to readers. Also, sometimes a writer's opinion comes into play, depending on his or her views, and the general views of the newspaper. Newspaper chains could all carry similar values with them bringing readers a one sided story across the board. Though some people may find that a certain paper has validity, it story may differ from another. If an oligopoly emerges in newspapers, they could virtually control the news being reported. The small time news papers can sometimes be most reliable as they are not always just trying to sell papers, but relay news in a reliable form.

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.

Questioning the media ch. 3

Q1:  What was your first favorite group or singer?  How old were you at the time?  What was important to you about this music?

A:  When I was in third grade, I got my very first portable CD player and a CD for Christmas.  On this CD was the song All Star by Smash Mouth.  Almost instantly, this became my favorite band due to that song.  I would listen to the same song over and over again.  I quickly learned all of the words.  I grew fond of all of the band's other songs as well.  Their sound seemed to have struck a chord in me and it ended up turning on my appreciation of music.  As a young and innocent eight year old, I appreciated their clean lyrics and I enjoyed jamming out to their poppy beat.  For the next few years they were to remain my favorite band and I even sang All Star in my fifth grade talent show.

Q3:  Think about the role of the 1960's drug culture in rock's history.  How are Drugs and alcohol treated in contemporary and alternative forms of rock and hip hop?

A:  The drug culture combined with the development of rock and roll in the 1960's and 70's created a counterculture of the baby booming youth.  Working together, these two evolved around each other leading to the rise of groups such as Jimi Hendricks, Pink Floyd and even Bob Marley.  They had a following of young people looking branch away from the conventional and experimenting with things that were totally against the mainstream.  In the rock and hip hop culture of today, these ideas have almost done the opposite- evolved into the mainstream.  Most hip hop songs today are about sex money and/or drugs.  Rock follows a familiar lifestyle pattern as many groups and individuals support the cause of often thought ill natured morals.  The youth of today has been brought up on more a a premise that these things are normal, leading to a large cultural loss of traditional morals and values.

Q5:  Do you think the Internet as a technology helps or hurts musical artists?  Why do so many contemporary musical performers differ in their opinions about the internet?

A:  In order to truly understand the differing opinions of musical artists about the Internet, one must look at both sides of the issue before drawing their own conclusion.  The internet, with sites such as YouTube and Myspace and Itunes can do a great job of promoting an artist's work and even selling it.  With these methods, even the little independent guy can get his music out there and make some money on it.  However, music is also easily stolen and shared by means of programs such as Limewire, and with torrents that can be downloaded directly off the internet.  With this,  it is understandable why musicians would be upset, as they are not getting paid for their work.  Personally, I feel that though this goes on, customers are much more likley to go out and buy an album than steal it if they really want to support heir artist.  A much wider range and variety of music can be much more easily discovered with genres only a Google or an Itunes search away, making it easier for bands to become well known and prosper.