Bill Maher recently spoke with guest journalist Dan Rather about many pertinent issues of journalism we have previously spoken of in class. Common topics Rather discussed were elite journalism, the roles of journalists, and the fusion of entertainment and news.
This article from the Mueseum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Radio discusses what LPFM or microradio benefits. The article covers everything from the origin to how it has developed. The article discusses how LPFM was a great political movement and has been used for minority, women, and religious groups to discuss issues and topics inside of small communities. Overall this is a good article that discusses the legality and the issues LPFM has faced over the years.
After the $12.5 million settlement, between the FCC and four of the nation’s largest radio conglomerates, the radio industry is trying to avoid payola relapse. The settlement was the easy part, but the challenge will be to make sure the industry does not relapse into it’s old habits. Large record labels give gifts and money to radio stations in order for them to play their artists’ songs. Therefore, payola keeps a lot of local artists off the air. The article predicts that once the spotlight moves away, something like payola will emerge again. Click here to read more about the major payola settlement and the future of the radio industry.
This new
Avon ad says it’s goal is to show how they understand and want to empower women. It is seeking for new employees and is to help the women of the company who were recently laid off feel better. This is showing Avon going for a more fresh, contemporary look. It seems like all products like this are going for this look, is this representative of what women are going for?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/business/media/15adco.html
This article in the New York Times talks about a recent issue of suicide in marketing. Washington Mutual, General Motors and Cramer-Krasselt of
Chicago have all had ads with suicide as the main theme recently removed from the media. You can watch the commercial here and the GM one is sad. They say this is shockvertising, deliberately provocative to draw attention. Personally this sounds awful to me. The corporations say they are not provoking controversy by choosing suicide but from the commercials it seems pretty obvious that’s what they were going for.
I noticed there hadn’t been a lot of discussion about the government in relation to fake news. This article from Freepress discusses the Bush administrations use of tax dollars to promote government and “sway public opinion”. It gives a wide range of approaches the PR firms have taken with the government such as VNRs and news articles. Freepress also filed a complaint to the FCC documenting the allegations agains the administration. For further info you can search Armstrong Williams or Karen Ryan, PR reps who specialize in government and educational relations.
A recent surge of product placement in video games has left consumers with mixed emotions. Some gamers are enjoying this new phenomenon due to the fact that with these strategically placed ads comes “cheats”- a phrase used to describe the helpful clues given to gamers when the enter special codes. Others feel that the use of “cheats” and the new roles that product placement are playing are exploiting gamers that already pay about $60 to purchase the game in the first place. To see the full story, click here.
Here’s a helpful essay, from Information Week, on the various players, interests and arguments in the net neutrality debate.
Video on the significance of “media access” and “media literacy”–broadly defined–especially for young people. This video, and the programs it describes, demonstrates the potential media education holds for popular participation in civic discourse and public culture.