Final Term Paper Draft Due (3-4 pages) â due now – please send this to me as soon as possible if you haven’t. The submission of your final paper draft is mandatory and 100% necessary – you can not bypass the draft process and only send the final paper submission. Send via e-mail to rseslow@york.cuny.edu – I will e-mail you back upon receipt. Please include the assignment name in the e-mail subject and sign the e-mail with your real name – Thank you!
2. Final Term Paper â(6 pages â NOT including the bibliography page) preferably due between 12/7 â 12/18 â (send via e-mail) the absolute last date to submit the final term paper is 12/20 -> Send via e-mail to rseslow@york.cuny.edu – I will e-mail you back upon receipt. Please include the assignment name in the e-mail subject and sign the e-mail with your real name – Thank you!
3. Weekly Discussion Reactions / Comments – Please complete all discussion responses and commenting preferably by 12/15 and no later than 12/18
4. Final Course Assessment / Reflection â 1-2 pages â (full assignment details are below) due between 12/15 – 12/20 – 12/20 is the absolute deadline for this paper.
The Final-Semester Assessment Reflection Paper Details:
Send via e-mail to rseslow@york.cuny.edu – I will e-mail you back upon receipt. Please include the assignment name in the e-mail subject and sign the e-mail with your real name – Thank you!
Please assess and reflect upon your semester here in CT 201. Please answer and address the following questions below, as well as add anything that you would like to include. This should be in a fluid essay format of several paragraphs (1-2 pages or more if needed).
What have I learned, discovered and retained the most in CT-201?
What new skills have I developed, cultivated and or displayed regularly?
How did the course information contribute to my perception of the world at large?
What do I know now that I did not know before taking this class?
What final grade do I deserve in CT-201?
My final grade is based upon a variety responsibilities listed in the course syllabus. Including class attendance, class participation during the class-time and outside of class on the class blog’s discussion space.Â
Are there any assignments that you are missing? If so, list them.
This is the time to be honest, accountable and transparent about your completed semester as a whole.
Assignment: Respond in the comments section below ->
What did you think about the video? Do you agree or disagree with the Patriot Act?
How has the patriot act held up over time since its 2001 inclusion? The Internet plays a big role, what have you noticed?
Based on meeting LOAB and getting a feel for Ai – how might Ai intervene and or cause bigger problems in the near future? What connections do you see with things like the USA Patriot Act? Is there a connection between the two?
Please write a 200 â 350-word response and post it into the comments section below, preferably by our next class time. You will also need to comment on one of your classmatesâ responses by the following week as well. Engage!
(***I strongly suggest that you generate your response(s) using a word processing application like ms word, pages or notes first, make the necessary spelling and grammatical corrections and then copy and paste your work into the comments section below***)
CHAPTER 14 – ( Excerpts )
MEDIA USES AND IMPACTS
MEDIA THEN AND NOW
1898: Hearst starts a war
1933: Nazi propaganda
1954: TV violence hearings
1972: Surgeon generalâs report
1990: Childrenâs Television Act
2011: Video games protected free speech
BASHING THE MEDIA
Recurring ritual
What does research say?
Industry self-regulation is the norm
Video games and school violence
Research can indicate national trends
Media effects and media impacts
STUDYING MEDIA IMPACTS
Four methods
Content analyses
Experiments
Surveys
Ethnographies
Deductive vs. inductive
Qualitative vs. quantitative
Cause and effect
Independent variables
Dependent variables
Ethnographers and Lazarsfeld
Administrative and critical research
CONTENT ANALYSES
Detailed profile of content
Identify trends over time
Canât draw conclusions
Time-consuming, expensive task
Major study: TV violence
More than six incidents per hour
Two hours of TV/day = 10,000 acts per year
By time of high school graduation: 200,000 violent acts, 20,000 handgun murders
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Controlled conditions
Randomly assigned groups
Banduraâs Bobo study
Exposure to TV violence may spur aggression in children
Generalizability and validity
May be unrealistic: reliable?
SURVEY RESEARCH
Ask people about their media exposure and behavior
Are they correlated?
More generalizable; larger samples
Often ambiguous evidence about cause and effect
Longitudinal studies most valid
ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
Similar techniques as anthropology
Observation (over time) and interviewing
Focus groups: âin their own wordsâ
Participants donât represent the general public
Problem of group dynamics
Big Data
Used by Netflix, Pandora to recommend movies, songs
THEORIES OF MEDIA USAGE
Uses and gratifications
Users seek out media to meet differing needs
Need for Internet interaction
Behavior changes as media in constant flux
TV & movies: entertainment
Internet: information
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
Expected outcomes alter media behavior
We learn from others and ourselves
Self-regulation: often explains why we avoid media
Self-efficacy: confidence in our ability to consume media
MEDIA ADDICTION
Interactive media especially enticing
Flow: time seems to disappear
Game developers promise âbetter high than drugsâ
Gaming disorder = mental disease
COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION
Includes media not immediately associated with computer networks
Teleconferencing
Presence
High and low social presence
Lean vs. rich media
Facebook: richer than real life?
THEORIES OF MEDIA IMPACT
Bullet or hypodermic theory: media as powerful
Hearstâs stories about battleship Maine
Multistep flow: influence through opinion leaders rather than media
Influence radiates outward
Selective processes
Exposure, retention
Social learning theory
TV encourages/discourages imitation
Cultivation theory
Mainstreaming: real-world experience + TV worldview
Resonance: intensifies real-world experiences
Priming: one thought triggers others
Agenda setting: shapes media content
Catharsis: positive effects of media?
CRITICAL THEORIES
Focus on media interpretation
Readers of media texts
âGroup mediationâ
âInterpretive communitiesâ
âMultistep flowâ
SMCR âlinear model or transmission paradigmâ
MEDIA AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Does TV cause violence?
Many studies say yes
Critics: studies were under âunrealistic conditionsâ
Other causes: family, peers, socioeconomics, substance abuse
Need for parental oversight
Video game violence
More dangerous than TV?
Prejudice
Media stereotyping
Sex-role stereotypes on TV, video games
Also in childrenâs TV (Barney, Teletubbies)
Racial stereotypes still in place on TV
Few seniors, gays, blue-collars, homeless, mentally ill, etc. on TV
Stereotypes: âpictures in our headsâ
SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
1920s sex scandals led to self-censorship
Dramatic increase in pornographic material
Children exposed to sex online
Adult porn viewing leads to cheating, sex for hire
Relationship between porn, sex crimes?
Does this affect malesâ attitudes toward women?
DRUG ABUSE
No cigarette ads on TV
Beer, wine ads provide much TV revenue
Hard liquor new to TV advertising
Antismoking ads actually increase smoking
Do ads affect kidsâ behavior?
Critics target Joe Camel, Captain Morgan
Are fatty foods next target?
PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Flip side of âmedia bashingâ
Encourages media to produce âwholesome and educationalâ programs
Childrenâs TV Act of 1990
Information campaigns
Spotty record of success
Use social marketing
Informal education
Combines education, entertainment: Sesame Street
Incidental learning
IMPACTS OF ADVERTISING
Advertisers are happy to achieve limited impacts
Goal: strengthen brand awareness, loyalty
Repeated exposures may slowly change behavior
But many campaigns flop
Hierarchy of effect
Impact of online advertising
POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
Political campaign = advertising campaign
Candidate is the âproductâ
Impact may be minimal
Newspaper â not TV â leads to political activity
Media coverage trumps ads
Gatekeeping, framing, agenda setting
Ads have most impact in low-profile elections
Spiral of silence
SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Disparities in capital â monetary and cultural â perpetuate inequalities
Digital divide: income, race
Knowledge gap hypothesis
Equal access wonât guarantee social equality
Must change inequalities in society
Community networking
MEDIA AND COMMUNITY
TV usage may lower community involvement
Internet may displace face-to-face relationships
Internet paradox
Positive effects of social networks
Can online communication strengthen real-world relationships?
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Physical and mental health
Maybe obesity, ADD in children
Adults affected, too
Less TV = less depression
VLF radiation and cancer?
Driving and mobile phones/texting
Repetitive stress injuries
MEDIA AND THE ECONOMY
Information tech improves productivity
Job displacement: âoffshoringâ
New trend: âin-sourcingâ
Flattened pyramid
Core and ring
Virtual corporation
Productivity paradox: Many investments donât work out
WORK GETS WORSE
No more lifelong employment with one employer
De-skilling: reduce skills
Taylorism: work faster
Fordism: learn one task
These make upward mobility impossible
Post-Fordism: lower pay
Up-skilling: upgrading of skill requirements
WORK GETS BETTER
Work decentralization
Telecommuting
Work from home
Work-family conflicts
More salaried employees; less overtime
Re-skilling
Technology can give workers more control
 Final Term Paper Draft due (3-4 pages) â preferably due now – 11/30 (send via e-mail)
Final Term Paper â(6 pages â NOT including the bibliography page) preferably due between 12/7 â 12/15 â (send via e-mail)
Final Course Assessment / Reflection â 1-2 pages â due 12/15 (send via e-mail)
Class Discussion:
Let’s have some fun – > Last week we took a dive into the history of the Internet. But, the Internet, as we well know, is a very deep place and a space.. it is the birthplace of many underground sub-cultural aesthetics and micro-genres. VaporWave has crossed through and been recycled by cultures all of the world through the power of the Internet.
This week’s class assignment is optional. No discussion board response is necessary unless you would like to share your thoughts, reflections and comments, you can view this as an extra credit response with a rolling deadline.
Mid-Semester Assessment / Reflection â due now (please send asap via e-mail)
 Final Term Paper Draft due (3-4 pages) â preferably due between 11/16 â 11/30 (send via e-mail)
Final Term Paper –(6 pages – NOT including the bibliography page) preferably due between 12/7 – 12/15 – (send via e-mail)
Final Course Assessment / Reflection – 1-2 pages – due 12/15 (send via e-mail)
Class Discussion:
How many hours a week do you think that you spend online? What do you mainly do online? How much time do you spend reading e-mail, surfing the web or using instant messaging or other chat programs? What are your top 3 favorite websites?
How many e-mail messages do you receive on a typical week day? How many of those messages are spam? How do these numbers affect you?
How many of us, since the pandemic evolved, have and continue to purchase most of their needed products over the Internet? How many of us do our banking / pay bills online? Do have security concerns about online transactions?
Letâs watch the videos below:
A Brief History of the Internet” – First Website, First Meme.. via @coldfusion“
(The second video can be watched outside of class and included in the reaction)
Assignment: Respond in the comments section below ->
What did you think of the 2 videos above? Not only based on the information and content but on a technical and presentation based level?
What do you know now that you did not know before watching both of the videos on Internet history? What stands out the most?
Do the videos induce and alter / reshape the way that you will think about the Internet moving forward? What changes might you make as a result?
Additional reflections – what else comes to mind? What might the “Internet” look like in 25 years from now?
Please write a 200 â 350-word response and post it into the comments section below, preferably by our next class time. You will also need to comment on one of your classmatesâ responses by the following week as well. Engage!
(***I strongly suggest that you generate your response(s) using a word processing application like ms word, pages or notes first, make the necessary spelling and grammatical corrections and then copy and paste your work into the comments section below***)
Final Term Paper Bibliography / Sources â due ASAPâ if you need more time please be in touch and let me know when I can expect to receive it. (send via e-mail)
Mid-Semester Assessment Reflection â due between 10/26 â 11/11 (send via e-mail)
 Final Term Paper Draft due (3-4 pages) â preferably due between 11/16 â 11/23 (send via e-mail)
There is no doubt that entertainment and entertainment culture is a huge part of both popular and world culture. The birth of the Internet and the immediacy of instant publishing has forever changed the way that we create, share and consume entertainment content.
What is your favorite form of “moving image” based content / entertainment? Movies? Documentaries? TV / TV Series? Home Video? You Tube? Other?
Search engines like Giphy allow for Internet users to both discover and resonate with “snippets and clips” of our favorite motion based content in the form of loops – AKA GIFs. Can you find an animated GIF of one of your favorite movies and add the URL directly into the Zoom Chat box?
Let’s watch the video below:
“Banksy: How Art’s Bad Boy Became An Icon” – (discovered via YouTube)
Assignment: Respond in the comments section below ->
1.Were you familiar with the Artist “Banksy” before seeing this short documentary?
2.What do you think about the Documentary? Is this a documentary or something else? What do you think of the film-makers approach and delivery of showcasing the artist’s work?
3.What role does public art play in how exposing and shaping an opinion or mindset on a various issues?
4. Other reflections or connections? Is this peice “journalism”?
Please write a 200 â 350-word response and post it into the comments section below, preferably by our next class time. You will also need to comment on one of your classmatesâ responses by the following week as well. Engage!
(***I strongly suggest that you generate your response(s) using a word processing application like ms word, pages or notes first, make the necessary spelling and grammatical corrections and then copy and paste your work into the comments section below***)
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FILM AND VIDEO
CHAPTER 7
HISTORY: GOLDEN MOMENTS
Edisonâs camera (1888)
The Birth of Cinema (1895): The Lumiere brothers
Great Train Robbery (1903)
Industry moved to Hollywood for better weather and space (1915)
âThe Birth of a Nationâ directed by D.W. Griffith â first feature-length film (1915)
The first golden age: The silent film era (1903-1927)
HOW TO USE IMAGES
Silent films: 1903-27
Established todayâs genres
Westerns â The Great Train Robbery
War movies â Napoleon
Horror â Dracula
Romance â The Sheik
Comedies â Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton
Dramas â Intolerance
Documentaries â Nanook of the North
Action/adventure â Thief of Bagdad
Film HISTORY: GOLDEN MOMENTS
Hollywood star system (1910s, â20s): Charlie Chaplin
MPPDA: Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, aka The Hays Office (1922)
Motion Picture Code: self-censorship
The Jazz Singer : The first talkie (1927)
HOW TO USE SOUND
Warner Brothers: Jazz Singer
Dialogue; âblackfaceâ
âTalkiesâ end golden age of silent films
Singinâ in the Rain
Influx of new talent
New genres
screwball comedies: It happened one night (1934)
historical epics: Gone with the Wind (1939)
film noir: dark, moody American films
âSunset Boulevardâ
Mysteries: âThe 39 Stepsâ by Alfred Hitchcock (1935)
PEAK OF MOVIE IMPACT?
Moviesâ cultural impact on U.S. and world, 1930s & â40s
Theater could be an all-day affair
Newsreel, serials, double features
70 million tickets a week
Escapism during Depression
âThe Wizard of Ozâ (1939)
Studios form MPEAA (Motion Picture Export Association of America); U.S. movies go international
VERTICAL INTEGRATION
Studio system
Five major studios (Paramount, MGM/Loews, Warner Bros., Fox and RKO)
Owned production and distribution (movie theaters)
Quality films and B movies
Federal regulators worried
Studios had distinctive styles
BEST FILM EVER?
âCitizen Kaneâ directed, produced and starred by Orson Welles (1941)
FILM FACES TV, 1948-60
TV hurt box office receipts
Government limits concentration of ownership in film system – Studios sell off theaters
Movies shift to suburbs: drive-ins, shopping centers
Studios produce series, movies for TV (1950s-60s)
FILM FACES TV, 1948-1960S
Color, wide-screen film
Studios respond with lavish spectacles
Ben Hur (1959)
Added controversial material->
Sex: âDr. Noâ (1962)
Social issues: âGuess Whoâs Coming for Dinnerâ (1967)
STUDIOS IN DECLINE
Studios struggled (but survived with a few hits), thrived (by going into TV)
Audiences change
Younger, cosmopolitan, wanted sensation/social observation
Independent producers gain power
Francis Ford-Coppola âThe Godfatherâ
Woody Allen âAnnie Hallâ
Political and topical films
M*A*S*H, Taxi Driver, The Graduate
Pushing censorship limits (Hays Office closed)
MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) self-regulated ratings
Exports boost U.S. profits in 1950s, â60s
Return to blockbusters with Jaws in 1975, Star Wars in 1977
Special effects, sound systems: raising costs
First-run distribution aims at 15- to 24-year-olds
HOLLYWOOD MEETS HBO
Cable TV (HBO in 1975)
Video rentals: VCRs, DVDs
Began with independent shops, taken over by chains (Blockbuster-only one left in Oregon))
Blockbuster phenomenon
Audience segmentation (Japanese anime)
Movies made for TV (and now for cable)
Hallmark, Lifetime
Movies turned into TV, cable series and vice versa
Film-to-TV: Minority Report, Fargo
TV-to-film: Sex and the City, Charlieâs Angels
MOVIES GO DIGITAL
Technology, market forces transform movie industry
Home video revenue more than box office
Rentals; video and DVD (1997) sales
Revenue dropped with digital distribution
Production costs skyrocket
Revival of independent (indie) films
Competition from video games
Internet downloads/DVD release
Netflix: fewer movies, more original programming
Franchise films: Iron Man, Spider-man
Digital projectors and 3-D
MOVIE VIEWING
Digital light processors
Increase in digital screens, 3-D and IMAX theaters
Blu-Ray DVDs
BitTorrent: illegal downloads
Netflix, Amazon, iTunes
Video on demand
THE FILM INDUSTRY
Players: Eight major producers, a few conglomerates (Columbia, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bro., Buena Vista/Disney, TriStar/Sony)
Each produces 15-25 movies a year (1/6 of 500 annual releases in the U.S.),. In 1946, the average per studio is 40-60.
Average cost: More than $100 million each
Independent filmmakers
Most films made are independent (72 % in 2009); very few are ever distributed (500 out of 900 in 2009)
Film festivals
The guilds: writers (Writers Guild of America) and actors (Screen Actors Guild)
Film finance: Hollywood controls financing
Distribution âwindowsâ
Releasing everything simultaneously or at similar times to counter piracy
Growth in movie industry
Theaters (18000 screens in 1980 and 40000 in 2009)
Box office (10 billion in US/Canada, 30 billion worldwide)
Home video: 34 billion in rental and sales in the US
GLOBAL FILM INDUSTRY
India: (Bollywood) More than 800 films per year
Nigeria (Nollywood): 50 films per year
USA (Hollywood): About 600 films per years
TELLING STORIES: FILM CONTENT
Team effort: Not just the actors!
Director plays central role
Development, content, performance, innovation, promotion
Financing: why Hollywood studios still dominate
Finding audience segments
Comedy, drama, action, horror, sci-fi, classics, family, western, animation, documentary, foreign
Blockbusters: Action/Adventure, horror, sci-fi, drama
More diverse audiences means more diverse content
Social media needed to create buzz
FILM AND YOUR SOCIETY
Violence, sex and profanity
MPAAâs rating system began in 1968
G: general audience
PG: Parental guidance
PG-13: Parental guidance for 13 and up
R: Restricted, 17 and up
NC-17: No one under 17
Industryâs piracy concerns
MPAA opposed VCRs, until it realized money could be made
Now, illegal downloading
Crackdown on piracy abroad (Berne Copyright Convention)
Taping first-run movies: flashing dots, night vision goggles on premiere night, video fingerprinting
The Public Broadcasting Service [www.pbs.org] has come under attack in Washington, especially from conservative politicians. They want to reduce or eliminate the subsidies that PBS gets from the federal government. Do you believe the government should continue to fund PBS. What does PBS offer that commercial television does not?
Let’s compare programming on a broadcast television station, a cable network, and a “pay-per-view” platform in a comparable time period. How does the programming of these “channels / stations” differ? What may account for these differences?
On May 9, 1961 â then Head of the FCC, Newton Minow, gave his first major speech, declaring U.S. television programming a “vast wasteland,” because he saw the missed opportunities of what TV could offer. The phrase helped lead to the genesis of PBS.
Minow speaks to PBS News Hour’s Judy Woodruff to discuss the legacy of that speech.
Assignment: Respond in the comments section below ->
What do you think about Minow’s “wasteland” comment? Do you still think it holds true?
Broadcast television is created to serve the public interests? Do you think our television industry is too profit-driven? How do we balance television’s public mission and commercial interest? Is PBS the answer?
If you can change the television landscape, what would you do? What would you like to change? Will public TV survive?
Please write a 200 â 350-word response and post it into the comments section below, preferably by our next class time. You will also need to comment on one of your classmatesâ responses by the following week as well. Engage!
(***I strongly suggest that you generate your response(s) using a word processing application like ms word, pages or notes first, make the necessary spelling and grammatical corrections and then copy and paste your work into the comments section below***)
TELEVISION
(derived from CHAPTER 8)
TELEVISION IS BORN
âRadio with picturesâ: 1920s and â30s
TV flourishes after World War II
Milton Berle was first big TV star (Texaco Star Theater on NBC)
FCC freeze on new channels: 1948-52
Cable TV systems emerge (for small towns and cities without stations)
1952 FCC rules
Expand VHF band (Very high frequency)
Open UHF band (Ultra-high frequency)
Set aside channels for educational broadcasting
Most cities: Three VHF channels (thus three networks: ABC, CBS, NBC)
Radio pioneers, advertising shift to TV
Movie attendance dropped ⌠a lot
THE GOLDEN AGE
Late 1940s and early â50s
Drama anthologies
Rod Serlingâs Twilight Zone
News and public affairs
Meet the Press (1947 to present on NBC, more than 17000 episodes)
INTO THE WASTELAND
By 1956: TVs were in 2/3 of American homes and 95% were affiliates of the Big Three.
Broader audience didnât appreciate highbrow drama anthologies as well-educated East Coast early adopters
Sit-Coms: âI Love Lucyâ became a big hit in 1951
Quiz shows
More focus on ratings than quality
TV turns to Hollywood for production (Disney)
Concerns about impact on culture, children FCCâs Newton Minow calls TV âvast wastelandâ at NAB
Still, some golden moments
Kennedy-Nixon debates
JFK funeral
Vietnam
Moon landing
âAll in the Familyâ
âThe Mary Tyler Moore Showâ
âRootsâ
TV GOES TO WASHINGTON
Big Three oligopoly broken
FCCâs Financial Interest in Syndication Rules (Fin-Syn): no network content from 7-8pm
Prime Time Access Rule (1970-1996)
Limits on in-house entertainment programming (1975)
Rise of UHF independent stations (rely on re-runs, sports and old movies)
FCCâs Sixth Report and Order (1952)
Noncommercial alternatives
KUHT in Houston (1953)
Public Broadcasting Act (1967) â established CPB
PBS created in 1969
Concerns about violence
Family Viewing Hour (8-9pm)
Ruled unconstitutional (The First Amendment)
RISE OF CABLE
Cable operators relay distant broadcasts to small towns ->> Threat to UHF stations
FCC bans cable from100 largest markets in 1966 and the âmust carryâ rule
FCC reverses ban in 1972
HBO: first pay TV network (1972)
Muhammad Ali- Joe Frazier boxing (1975)
Basic cable channels featured local channels, distant signals (WTBS)
Multiple cable system operators contended for top 100 cities
Critics: âFifty channels and nothing onâ
Cable expands âwastelandâ with formulaic programming
Free of indecency rules, cable programming featured nudity, profanity
BIG THREE IN DECLINE
VCRs appear in 1975
New owners slashed staff in 1980s
Cable TV expands
Ownership limits relaxed (up from 7 to 12)
Debut of Fox TV, WB, UPN/CW, Univision
Fin-Syn rules lifted
1992 Cable Act & satellite TV
Direct TV and Dish Network
TV IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Telecommunication Act of 1996: Further relaxed media ownership rules and triggered a merger binge (Media conglomeration)
TV radically transformed from I Love Lucy days
Technology, audience behavior, economics
DVRs
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu
Internet-connected TVs
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
(National Television System Committee (NTSC): Technical standards for analog television in the U.S.
Digital TV: June 2009
HDTV (16:9 aspect ratio)
Streaming video â YouTube, Google ChromeCast
VIDEO RECORDING
VCR: Video Cassette Recorder
DVDs: compressed digitized video
2008: Blu-ray vs. HD DVD format
Winner: Blu-ray
TiVo and other DVRs (Digital Video Recorder)
Next for home recording:
Its demise?
Video on demand
WHO RUNS THE SHOW?
Ownership of conglomerates â Viacom, Time Warner, Disney, News Corp, NBC Universal âshifted
Comcast bought NBCUniversal (2011)
Viacom, News Corp. split media holdings
Most local stations under group ownership
Entertainment, network news, local news, sports
National TV distributors
CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, CW, MyNetworkTV, Ion, Univision, etc.
Local TV distributors
About 1,400 stations in U.S., many under group owners
Affiliates and independents
Noncommercial stations â more than 250, many affiliated with PBS
Advertisers
GENRES: WHATâS ON TV?
Broadcast network shows
Most appeal to 18- to 49-year-olds
Cable TV
Narrowcasting
PBS
âHighbrowâ programming
Programming strategies
Disrupted by new viewing methods
Is TV programming diverse? (Hint: not really)
THE NEW TV HEGEMONY
Horizontal integration
Capitalist system promotes âbigness,â âsamenessâ
How to diversify TV?
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
Media Research Center
Fairness Doctrine (struck down in 2000 because it is unconstitutional)
Equal time rule (still in force): A station which sells or gives one minute to Candidate A must sell or give the same amount of time with the same audience potential to all other candidates. However, a candidate who can not afford time does not receive free time unless his or her opponent is also given free time.
AND FINALLYâŚ
Time to cut the cord?
Cable companies: high prices, bad service
Is TV decent?
FCC complaints languish for years
Help from the ACLU?
Children and TV
Childrenâs TV Act of 1990 requires three hours of childrenâs programming a week between 7am to 10pm. It has to be regularly scheduled and at least 30 minutes.
Here we are at the midpoint of our CT-201 semester! Time… goes by fast! (unless you have watched the movie “Intersteller” then time whilst in space turns hours in years! A great movie to see if you need a mid-term break đ
Final Term Paper Bibliography / Sources – due 10/19 â 10/26 – if you need more time, that is OK, this can be a work in progress, you can always add more sources as you go – please be in touch and let me know when I can expect to receive it.
Mid-Semester Assessment Reflection – due between 10/26 – 11/4 (details are below)
 Final Term Paper Draft due (3-4 pages) – due between 11/16 – 11/23
********************************
Let’s take this week to reflect, regroup, and induce the assessment of our learning time.
Let us ask ourselves the following questions, and reflect together:
What have I learned, discovered and retained the most thus far?
What new skills have I developed, cultivated and or displayed regularly?
How does this new information / skill sets contribute to my weekly progress?
How can I assess my performance through a self-reflection in this class?”
“How am I doing in CT201”? What grade am I maintaining / producing through the quality of my work / participation in the class as a whole?
The assessment part is very tangible and clear as we have been producing results over the last 7 weeks in the form of written discussions, commenting, comment responses, class participation in the chat during the class-time, attending class, handing in required assignments, being in communication about our work / progress. Lets take stock, follow me below,
The CT 201 Course Schedule page is the CT 201 HUB – this is the space where all the weekly assignments and learning details take form in chronological order each week (a jump-pad to our class lesson plans published as blog posts) – this is where you can recap and catch up on all assignments. The Course Syllabus Page share assignments deadlines and also updates deadlines as needed đ
In fact, before we move into the next phase of our course, I want to take a week and reflect upon what has already been accomplished, as well as take accountability for what might be missing and in need of improvement. Let’s
Assignment Details:
The Mid-Semester Assessment Reflection Paper
Please submit this assignment to me via e-mail -> rseslow@york.cuny.edu by our next class-time (if you need more time please be in touch)
Please assess and reflect upon your last 7 weeks here in CT 201. Please answer and address the following questions below, as well as add anything that you would like to include. This should be in a fluid essay format of 3-4 paragraphs (1-2 pages or more if needed)
What have I learned, discovered and retained the most thus far in CT-201?
What new skills have I become aware of, developed, cultivated and or displayed regularly?
How does the new course information contribute to my weekly progress?
“How am I doing in CT201”? What grade am I maintaining / producing through the quality of my work . participation in the class as a whole?
What do I know now that I did not know before taking this class?
Do I see my weekly writing work expanding? If so, please explain –Â or am I stuck in a loop where my responses seem to look the same most of the time, how will or can I change that?
Are there any assignments that you are missing? If so, list them. Are you commenting regularly on your classmates posts? Are you responding back to comments given to you by the professor & your classmates? Are you participating during the class time? If not, explain why. This is the time to be accountable. How will you make needed improvements?
Please submit this assignment to me via e-mail -> rseslow@york.cuny.edu
Extra Credit Project!!Â
Yes, there will be a creative extra-credit project!
*Reviewing the Final Term Paper Topic Proposal Format – Does your proposal formatting need a revision or visual example? Here are 2 useful examples to examine example 1 – example 2
**Final Term Paper Topic Proposal is now Overdue – Please submit it this week if you haven’t. Thank you**
**Final Term Paper Bibliography due by – 10/19 – 10/26
*A .PDF resource for how to Cite your Electronic Sources – PDF Example Here
Napster Documentary: Culture of Free | Retro Report | via – The New York Times – (from 2014)
“Radio, Cinema, and Television – A crash course in 12 minutes..”
Assignment: Watch the short videos above and share your interpretations and reflections.
Questions to Answer:
What do you think of Napster and the Napster Story?
How does Napster’s story play a role in the way that people access, stream and share music today (or audio based content in general?)
What did you learn from the Radio, Cinema & Television crash course video?
What other insights, opinions or feelings do you have about how audio based content will evolve?
Please write a 150 â 300-word response and post it into the comments section below, preferably by our next class time. You will also need to comment on one of your classmatesâ responses by the following week as well. Engage!
(***I strongly suggest that you generate your response(s) using a word processing application like ms word, pages or notes first, make the necessary spelling and grammatical corrections and then copy and paste your work into the comments section below***)
CHAPTER 6 RADIO
Radio HISTORY:
HOW RADIO BEGAN:
Marconiâs invention (1896)-wireless telegraph using electromagnetic waves
Titanic disaster (1912)
Radio Act of 1912 â began regulation of the airwaves
Navyâs dispute with Marconi in World War I
Marconi sells U.S. assets to GE
GE, RCA and AT&T created a patent pool
BROADCASTING BEGINS
Frank Conrad, a Westinghouse engineer, starts first regular radio broadcasts (1920)
Westinghouse opens station KDKA in Pittsburgh
Stores, school and churches see potential
Commerce Department issues hundreds of licenses (1923)
TWO VISIONS OF RADIO
David Sarnoff, manager at American Marconi: radio as âhousehold utilityâ to bring music into the house (1916). Sarnoff later became head of RCA
WEAF (New Jersey, 1922) owned by AT & T: entertainment supported by advertising
Early U.S. model: music supported by advertising (still in place today)
BBC alternative (Founded in 1922; license fee; overseen by board; independent)
AT&T sells network to RCA to keep phone monopoly in 1926
RISE OF RADIO NETWORKS
RCAâs network: NBC (1926)
CBS creates rival network in 1927
O&Os (owned and operated), affiliate stations
Live music, news, comedy, drama, sports, suspense
FCC vs. chain broadcasting (1941)
NBC forced to sell second network (which became ABC)
GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION
Radio Act of 1927: Federal Radio Commission
Communications Act of 1934: Federal Communications Commission
Telecommunications Act of 1996
TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996
De-regulation
Increase the cap on how many radio and TV stations a company can own
De-regulate cable rates
Gave broadcast operators free cable licenses
EDWARD R. MURROW
Broadcast live reports for CBS from London during World War II
Famous sign-off: Goodnight, and good luck.â
COMPETITION FROM TV
After 1948, TV explodes
Radio networks focus on TV
Audiences and ads shift to TV
Radio: more localized format; recorded music, news, talk
Rise of playlists, DJs, Top 40
THE FM REVOLUTION
Growth of FM revived radio in the 1960s
High-fidelity, but short range
Pop music, stereo, longer songs
1970s: Rock radio split into genres
New wave, heavy metal, punk, soul, funk, disco
1980s: More genres:
Alternative, techno, new age, reggae, rap, hip-hop
RADIO IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Satellite radio (XM, Sirius merged)
Internet radio â advertising is growing
Pandora, Spotify, IHeartRadio, Internet-only stations
Apps for smartphones
Cloud music services
Challenges for conventional radio: declining advertising, competition, shifting tastes
RADIO STATIONS AND GROUPS
Contradictory trends
More new entrants (technology)
Fewer major players (economic and regulatory)
Telecommunications Act of 1996
Large groups with many stations across country
Cross-ownership (Disney owns radio stations)
INSIDE RADIO STATIONS
Administrative, technical, programming and sales
Centralized group staff covers a state, region or nation
Syndication important in radio
Non-commercial radio: low-power FM, public radio
GENRES AROUND THE DIAL
Format clocks
Very narrow playlists
Role of radio ratings
Music genres evolving
Talk radio (especially AM)
Public radio (NPR, PRI)
RADIO SHOWS
Morning Edition
1010 WINS
Howard Stern
Wendy Williams
TOP RADIO FORMATS
Country
News, news/talk
Pop
Adult contemporary
Top 40
Classic rock
*Reviewing the Final Term Paper Topic Proposal Format – Does your proposal formatting need a revision or visual example? Here are 2 useful examples to examine example 1 – example 2
*A .PDF resource for how to Cite your Electronic Sources – PDF Example Here
**Final Term Paper Topic Proposal due by – 10/12 – 10/14
**Final Term Paper Bibliography due by – 10/19 – 10/26
The History of Music – Various places and spaces from the Internet:
Issues include making sure that artists get reimbursed for radio and Internet play and trying to forestall piracy of digital recordings over the Internet.
What is the career outlook for the music industry?
The music business is one of constant change. This hyper-competitive industry always has openings for musicians and those in creative fields. The field has changed due to the increasingly user-friendly and cheaper recording options available both at home and in the studio. The key to breaking into the music industry is networking and making connections among the professionals already in the field.
How has the music industry responded to illegal file-sharing services?
The Radio Industry Association of America sued services such as LimeWire to shut them down. The RIAA also has sued individuals for breaking copyright laws by sharing music files but no longer emphasizes that strategy. The industry has tried to protect CDs and music files so that songs canât be copied and shared. The industry also has moved, belatedly, to offer online music stores that provide legal file-sharing.
Assignment: Watch the short documentary below produced by the Financial Times on how to make money in the music industry.
Questions to Answer:
Are record labels too powerful and stifling the industry?
As a music fan, would you like to see a more diverse music scene?
What does the future of the Music Industry look like in 5 years?
What does the future of the Music Industry look like in 20 years?
Please write a 150 â 300-word response and post it into the comments section below, preferably by our next class time. You will also need to comment on one of your classmatesâ responses by the following week as well. Engage!
(***I strongly suggest that you generate your response(s) using a word processing application like ms word, pages or notes first, make the necessary spelling and grammatical corrections and then copy and paste your work into the comments section below***)
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CHAPTER 5
RECORDED MUSIC
EARLY RECORDED MUSIC
Nickelodeons (Late 1800s)
Phono-graph â Edison (1877)
The Victrola â (1906)
Dixieland, show tunes
âBig bandâ and the radio days
Live broadcasts
World War II generation
Band leaders (Miller, Dorsey)
Frank Sinatra
New musical genres: gospel, blues, bluegrass
Western music, singing cowboys led to country and western
Followed Southern migrants north
Blues
Followed African-American migrants to Chicago, New York
HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL
Roots were in blues, but also influenced by country, swing, rockabilly
Bill Haley (âRock Around the Clockâ), Elvis Presley (âThatâs All Right, Mamaâ)
By late â60s: Motown, English groups, heavy rock ⌠all still known as ârockâ
DJs and payola
RECORD BOOM AND POP MUSIC
1947: magnetic tape
33â rpm(revolutions per minute)long-playing (LP) record for albums
45 rpm records for hit singles
Concept albums and long cuts (The Beatles)
Singer-songwriters (like Dylan) go electric
Elvis, Beatles, Rolling Stones
Lacks authenticity?
Cultural hybridization
ROCK REVOLUTION WILL BE SEGMENTED
After 1970, distinct genres:
Album-oriented rock, Top 40, oldies, heavy metal,
adult contemporary, R&B/urban, disco, country and western
Smaller labels = musical sub-genres
Musicians evolved into producers, owners
In 1982, CDs introduced
DIGITAL RECORDING
Artists, consumers recording in digital
Low-cost digital equipment
Industryâs diminished role as gatekeepers
Bands tour and sell online
Line between consumer, producer blurring
Emergence of truly local music markets
MUSIC ON THE INTERNET
In 1999, Napster let people exchange songs via Internet
Stolen or shared?
RIAA (Recording Industry Asso. of America) filed lawsuits
Industry sued to stop copyright violations
Today, music still shared through sites like BitTorrent
iTunes created in 2003
$1.29 a song
Apple passes Walmart in record sales (2008)
iPod & MP3 music players
Subscription and cloud services
Spotify, Pandora
CD sales grew until 2013
Growth in digital track sales
Industry hasnât recouped lost revenue from CDs
Record sales donât tell whole story
Revenue growth in concerts, mobile services, global markets, publishing
NEW DIGITAL FORMATS
Music recording and computer media have converged
Laptop, phone also used as stereo
âNearâ CD quality
Earbuds emphasize volume over fidelity (the louder, the better)
SINKING THE PIRATES
Music âsharingâ led to digital music initiative
Encrypted music
Appleâs FairPlay limited number of copies of downloaded song
Consumers: âNo!â
CLOUD MUSIC SERVICES AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Music can be stored in a cloud locker
Played anywhere on any device
Thanks to high-speed wireless
Social music media
Then: Bands used MySpace to upload streaming music
Now: MySpace? Whatâs that?
Musicians now use other social media channels to promote music
Facebook, YouTube, Bandcamp, Twitter, SoundCloud
INDUSTRY: THE SUITS
Elements of the recording industry
Talent
Start out local, move to regional, (very few) make it big
Recording studios and record companies
Act as gatekeepers
Three big companies dominate the industry (down from four)
International industry
INDUSTRY: THE SUITS
Promotion
Expensive
First-week sales determine a hit
Indie labels and self-promotion
Radio, MTV not as important in promotion
YouTube, soundtracks, competition TV shows now more important
MUSIC DISTRIBUTION
Retail store sales (Walmart, Best Buy) declining
Online purchases now dominant
Apple makes just a few cents off every iTunes purchase
Labels counting on streaming services for revenue
WHO CONTROLS THE MUSIC?
Three companies: Sony, Universal, Warner
Live Nation dominates concert ticket sales, promotions
Sharing or stealing?
Mash-ups, sampling
Music distribution over Internet
SOPA, PIPA
âPoor, starving artistsâ?
Some bands signing with independent labels, or starting their own labels
Internet revolutionizes music promotion, marketing
Creative distribution
Radiohead
Some traditional labels experimenting with online distribution
Music censorship
Warning labels on CDs; artists self-censoring
GLOBAL IMPACT OF POP MUSIC GENRES
Spread of rap and hip-hop
Rap as protest genre
Fear of rap as new form of imperialism, Americanization
Hip-hop becoming localized in other countries
How many of us in our class subscribe to (or at least read) a daily newspaper? How many read a daily paper online? How does that compare with the general adult population â and with young Americans as a group? What do these demographic trends say about the future of newspapers?
How many of us are news âjunkiesâ? Meaning, one who checks the news several times a day. What are the most popular sources for getting news (such as the newspaper, television, radio and the Internet). Are news junkies really better informed than people who read a newspaper once a day?
How do you get your news? Who are your favorite news bloggers, columnists, or reporters? How does the source (either the reporter or medium) affect the credibility of the story being reported?
Let us watch the first 31 minutes of the documentary“Page One”below.
Think about the following questions: (then add your response to the comments section below as our discussion board assignment for tis week)
Many believe that journalism is an important part of our society. Without good journalism, our democracy will be in jeopardy. Do you believe in this viewpoint?
Many newspapers are struggling. Are you willing to pay for a paper or digital subscription to support the newspaper industry? Explain why or why not.
Many people get their news from television and the Internet. Do you think newspapers provide a different kind of journalism?
Please write a 150 â 300-word response and post it into the comments section below, preferably by our next class time. You will also need to comment on one of your classmatesâ responses by the following week as well. Engage!
(***I strongly suggest that you generate your response(s) using a word processing application like ms word, pages or notes first, make the necessary spelling and grammatical corrections and then copy and paste your work into the comments section below***)
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CHAPTER 4
PRINT TO DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS
Excerpts from CHAPTER 4
**Although the textbook is not mandatory for our class, I will reference it and share excerpts and info from it â I do find that you may find it helpful as a companion, as well as a resource for your final term paper. (The bookâs info is on the course syllabus page.)
KEY ISSUES OF JOURNALISM
Wrestling with commercial interests & political powers (Media conglomeration)
Social responsibility and journalism ethics (Food Lion)
TIMELINE
1690 First American newspaper, Public Occurrences, published.
1773 John Peter Zenger trial establishes truth as a defense for press against libel charges.
1783 First daily newspaper published in America, Pennsylvania Evening Post, and Daily Advertiser.
1833 First penny press, The New York Sun, begins publication.
1878 New Journalism movement originated by Joseph Pulitzer.
1972 Watergate scandal inspires new era of investigative journalism
USA Today national daily launched.
1994 The World Wide Web signals a change in the newspaper industry.
2004 Political blogs rival newspaper columns.
2009 Detroit Free Press and Detroit News begin hybrid model of three-day home delivery supplemented by online delivery.
NEWSPAPERS EMERGE
Early newsletters read aloud to the public
Daily Courant (1702) â Englandâs first daily newspaper
First colonial newspaper – Publick Occurrences (1690)
American publishers criticize British rule
Zenger case (1733) â Libel defined
âTrue statements are not libelousâ
Editorial cartoon â Ben Franklin (1754)
FIRST AMENDMENT
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
DIVERSITY IN THE PRESS
Newspapers reflected diverse political views
Native American press
Cherokee Phoenix
African-American press
Freedomâs Journal (1827 in NYC)
North Star (1847 by Frederick Douglass)
THE PENNY PRESS
1800s: better printing technology
Growing literacy, higher wages
The New York Sun: First low-cost daily mass newspaper (1833)
Had to rely on advertising and paper boys
Modern journalism started to evolve
Rise of telegraph (Morse) and Associated Press (AP)
Lowered costs
More general-interest news
Wider appeal
More objective
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Started in in 1892
operates 243 bureaus in 120 countries
Published by more than 1700 newspapers and 5000 broadcasters
âInverted pyramidâ style
FOLLOWING THE FRONTIER
Newspapers expanded westward
Mark Twain began career as a newspaper journalist
Coverage of Civil War
âNew journalismâ
Lively, sensational; crusaded against corruption
First newspaper photos by Matthew Brady
YELLOW JOURNALISM
Late 1800s; rivalry between Pulitzer (NY World) and Hearst (NY Journal)
âThe Yellow Kidâ
Fierce competition
Decline in journalistsâ ethics
Over-the-top stories and fake interviews
JOSEPH PULITZER
1847-1911
Elected Congressman from New Yorkâs 9th District
The money he bequeathed to found Columbia Journalism School in 1912
The money he bequeathed to Columbia University founded the Pulitzer Prize in 1917
RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM
Journalism grew as respectable profession
By-lines, higher salaries
Focus on social conditions
New York Times, Chicago Tribune emerged as serious newspapers
Progressive era (early 1900s), muckraking reflected societyâs desire for reform
NEWSPAPERS REACH PEAK
Peaked as a mass medium between 1890 and 1920
1900: 1,967 U.S. dailies, 562 cities with competing papers
Mergers, consolidation cut number of papers
Hurt papersâ quality, diversity
PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISM
World Wars I and II (CPI & OWI)
Censorship
Propaganda
Social responsibility model
Rise of journalism schools (Columbia, CUNY, NYU, Syracuse, Stony Brook)
Professional associations
Codes of ethics (Society of Professional Journalists)
Competition from radio, TV
Chains own dailies, weeklies, TV stations
Rise in community papers
Citizen journalism growing
Professional, amateur journalists
THE WATCHDOGS
Journalists watching for government mistakes, public deception
Vietnam War – Pentagon Papers
Watergate coverage led to Nixonâs resignation (Deep Throat)
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
News-gathering, Computer-assisted Reporting, big data
Convergence (integration of media) â get it out and fix it later
Backpack journalism â more interactive
Online and mobile news
Focus on community news
Tablets = reading more news
Digital means lower costs for publishers
âDaily Meâ â customization
Twitter and blogs
THE NEWS LANDSCAPE
Mass audiences still exist for news; combination of traditional, digital outlets
National dailies: Wall Street Journal and USA Today
Suburban/metro dailies
Hybrid system
Local, alternative weeklies
News wire services, syndicates
TURNING THE PAGES
Newspaper sections
International, national, local
Editorial and commentary
Sports, business, lifestyles, entertainment, comics
Classified advertising
Online sections even narrower
APPS AND WEBSITES
Most adults get news from a mobile device
They also get their news from a variety of outlets
Circulation = print and digital audienceâŚin most cases
MEDIA LITERACY
Monopoly paper may reflect single editorial perspective
Government has relaxed media ownership restrictions
Joint operating agreements (JOA) may preserve newspapers- DFF & DN share facilities
but keep writers separate; publishes separate weekday editions but combined weekend editions
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Newspapers more protected than radio or TV in U.S.
Can take unpopular stands (McCarthyism)
Other countries: Journalists censored, fired, even killed (Daniel Pearl of WSJ 2002)
ETHICS
Accuracy, objectivity
Ethics linked to credibility, economic success
Possible trouble areas:
Plagiarism
Fabrication
Anonymous sources
RIGHT TO KNOW VS. PRIVACY
Treatment of public figures
Malice
Libel (print) v.s. Slander (say): false and defamatory
Private citizens protected
Tabloid journalism
Sensational coverage (Perez Hilton)
Pay sources for information
BEING A GOOD WATCHDOG
Investigative reporting
1960s and â70s: Watergate, Vietnam
Blogsâ watchdog role
Often partisan
Driven by political passion
Objective?
DEFINING NEWS
News elements help determine what is ânewsâ-Timeliness, significance,
proximity, prominence, human interest, relevance, conflict, controversy
Watchdog journalism sells news
Our perception of news is changing
Editors and âgatekeepingâ
