OK, so this will be a followup to our question regarding the future of books, only in this case we consider newspapers. I would like each of you to weigh in on weather you think they will survive. If so, for how long? If not, when do you expect the end will come?
But yes or no and for how long won't be enough for this answer. I also want to to speculate about what role the Internet will play in either the longevity of the newspaper, or in its downfall. If you think newspapers have a future then explain how this legacy product will incorporate the Internet in a way that enhances, rather than diminishes its money-making capacity.
However, if you believe the Internet will slay the newsprint beast, tell me why you think this is so.
Answer by Friday please. I'll have more for us to consider on this topic as the week progresses.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
I goofed (but no one said anything)
Over the weekend I received an e-mail from one of you. The student wrote that she hadn't been able to complete the Media Economics chapter quiz. I didn't get a chance to respond until today, and soon realized I'd never opened the quiz and no one has taken it yet. None of you were apparently eager to take a stab at the quiz and so I didn't get an earlier heads up.
In light of my faux pas, this is how we will proceed. The Media Econ quiz is now open, and will remain so until midnight Friday. I will also post a discussion thread tomorrow which you will all need to respond to by Friday. That discussion will be based on our supplemental readings from last week on media econ.
The Unit 5 for this week and next is Chapter 4, Ink on Paper (also known as dead-tree media). You will notice that there are three PowerPoints for this chapter. The reason is that books, newspapers and magazines once all warranted their own chapters in earlier versions of our textbook. But that was then, and this is the digital age.
The quiz for Chapter 4 will be available at the end of the week and you will have until the following Friday (Oct. 7) to complete it. I will not assign any additional readings this week as the stuff we covered last week segues nicely with Chapter 4. There will be some new material next week in which I hope to build on our discussions regarding the fate of Ink on Paper.
Again, sorry about any confusion this may have caused.
In light of my faux pas, this is how we will proceed. The Media Econ quiz is now open, and will remain so until midnight Friday. I will also post a discussion thread tomorrow which you will all need to respond to by Friday. That discussion will be based on our supplemental readings from last week on media econ.
The Unit 5 for this week and next is Chapter 4, Ink on Paper (also known as dead-tree media). You will notice that there are three PowerPoints for this chapter. The reason is that books, newspapers and magazines once all warranted their own chapters in earlier versions of our textbook. But that was then, and this is the digital age.
The quiz for Chapter 4 will be available at the end of the week and you will have until the following Friday (Oct. 7) to complete it. I will not assign any additional readings this week as the stuff we covered last week segues nicely with Chapter 4. There will be some new material next week in which I hope to build on our discussions regarding the fate of Ink on Paper.
Again, sorry about any confusion this may have caused.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Profs frown on digital business model
A professor from the Columbia University's J school, along with a colleague from the Columbia Business school, took a look at the way the media is trying to create success in the digital age. Their findings suggest we have a long way to go.
This is just a summary page. I haven't had a chance to read the full report yet (that will have to wait for my next bout with insomnia), and don't expect you to either.
Look for some further direction from me on these latest readings in the next few days. There will be a assignment or quiz that evolves from it. I'm just not sure what that will be just yet.
Cheers,
Rob
This is just a summary page. I haven't had a chance to read the full report yet (that will have to wait for my next bout with insomnia), and don't expect you to either.
Look for some further direction from me on these latest readings in the next few days. There will be a assignment or quiz that evolves from it. I'm just not sure what that will be just yet.
Cheers,
Rob
Driving readers back to print
A small community daily in Rhode Island made the decision a few years back to create an expensive paywall to its Web site to deliberately drive readers back to its print product.
Two years later, how's that working out?
Two years later, how's that working out?
Paywalls work for some
Some newspapers are making paywalls pay.
The New York Times and the Missoulian both went to similar metered paywall models this year, meaning they allow a certain number of free views, and once you hit the limit you have to start paying.
The New York Times and the Missoulian both went to similar metered paywall models this year, meaning they allow a certain number of free views, and once you hit the limit you have to start paying.
Daily drops three print editions
A move like this at the Daily Inter Lake wouldn't surprise me a bit.
Netflix shift a harbinger of doom for print?
What does this story about Netflix and the company's shift away from its legacy product (renting actual DVDs) to a digital product (downloading movies) have to say about the newspaper industry? Newspaper's have their own legacy product (ink on paper) and digital versions (Web sites). Unlike Netflix, however, newspapers still generate most of their revenue from legacy rather than digital products.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Chapter Three
This week we embark on a fairly important chapter, media economics. While there was a bit of economic discussion in chapter 1, the rubber meets the road in chapter three. Read the chapter and then take a look at the PowerPoint I prepared. Be forewarned, the PowerPoint for this chapter is only loosely linked to the text, and represents the kind of get-on-my-soapbox rant I occasionally unload on my face-to-face classrooms.
I'd apologize, but I actually think this stuff is really important. Good newspapers (or TV or radio or online) that do real journalism are really a key part of maintaining a healthy, thriving nation. But there isn't much good journalism left. Instead we're left with a lot of nonsense such as this:
Media ignores the news to focus on manufactured conflict.
Another sad commentary on the state of American media. The Washington press corps, the elite of the journalistic elite, lobbing 23 questions about a faux controversy about when the president would speak, and only nine about what he intended to speak about. Whether you love the president, or hate him, or if you fall somewhere in between, I think you'd all agree that since he wanted to talk about his proposal to create jobs, while we are in the midst of the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression, that the substance of his speech should matter to these knuckleheads.
I suspect contemporary media economics has something to do with this dumbing down of our discourse (to the degree that we allow it to continue, we share some blame). That's my theory at least. You may agree, or disagree. If you are so moved to share, I'd like to hear about. Do worry about offending me with contrary opinions. I love the debate.
Look for more from me on chapter three tomorrow. I have the day off (thank God I'm not counting on a government to get it right and actually pass something that will boost employment) so I will share some additional readings with you then.
I'd apologize, but I actually think this stuff is really important. Good newspapers (or TV or radio or online) that do real journalism are really a key part of maintaining a healthy, thriving nation. But there isn't much good journalism left. Instead we're left with a lot of nonsense such as this:
Media ignores the news to focus on manufactured conflict.
Another sad commentary on the state of American media. The Washington press corps, the elite of the journalistic elite, lobbing 23 questions about a faux controversy about when the president would speak, and only nine about what he intended to speak about. Whether you love the president, or hate him, or if you fall somewhere in between, I think you'd all agree that since he wanted to talk about his proposal to create jobs, while we are in the midst of the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression, that the substance of his speech should matter to these knuckleheads.
I suspect contemporary media economics has something to do with this dumbing down of our discourse (to the degree that we allow it to continue, we share some blame). That's my theory at least. You may agree, or disagree. If you are so moved to share, I'd like to hear about. Do worry about offending me with contrary opinions. I love the debate.
Look for more from me on chapter three tomorrow. I have the day off (thank God I'm not counting on a government to get it right and actually pass something that will boost employment) so I will share some additional readings with you then.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Chapter 2 preview
I made some minor changes to the Chapter 2 PowerPoint this evening, primarily deleting material that is no longer covered in the chapter along with reorganizing a few slides. If you've already reviewed the PowerPoint don't fret, the changes are not too drastic.
We're really taking a look back in Chapter 2 at the technology that allowed Mass Comm to exist and flourish. It's a bit of a history lesson, which isn't such a bad thing.
The quiz will be open from 6 p.m. Wednesday until Midnight Friday.
Now this week's discussion topic. In May Amazon announced that sales of ebooks had outpaced paper books for the first time. With news increasingly moving from print to online, can you know envision a future in which print technology no longer exists, and the written word is entirely a digital medium?
Ironically the link is to the New York Times, a bastion of the print world which is trying to keep its print product alive by charging readers on its Web site. However, you get 20 free stories online a month. If you've already exceeded your total shoot me an email and we'll work something out.
Please post a response by Thursday evening. I will try to interject comments when possible, but I work during the day so I don't always have the opportunity.
We're really taking a look back in Chapter 2 at the technology that allowed Mass Comm to exist and flourish. It's a bit of a history lesson, which isn't such a bad thing.
The quiz will be open from 6 p.m. Wednesday until Midnight Friday.
Now this week's discussion topic. In May Amazon announced that sales of ebooks had outpaced paper books for the first time. With news increasingly moving from print to online, can you know envision a future in which print technology no longer exists, and the written word is entirely a digital medium?
Ironically the link is to the New York Times, a bastion of the print world which is trying to keep its print product alive by charging readers on its Web site. However, you get 20 free stories online a month. If you've already exceeded your total shoot me an email and we'll work something out.
Please post a response by Thursday evening. I will try to interject comments when possible, but I work during the day so I don't always have the opportunity.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Look for Chapter 2 Tuesday evening
If you're looking for a post on Chapter 2, its not ready yet. I will have a review for you Tuesday evening.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Mass Media messages
Here's an example of Mass Communication that I encountered this morning while I was in the FVCC campus - an electronic message board in the Arts and Technology Building. Chapter 1 discusses Mass Media ubiquity, meaning we are surrounded by mass media messages in all aspects of our life. Here's a relatively simple assignment: post a response describing an example of when you encountered a mass media message in the last 24 hours, the more unexpected the better. I'd like everyone to post their response by 6 p.m. Thursday. Thoughtful replies to posts by other students will earn extra credit.
Also, the Chapter 1 quiz will become available today at 6 p.m. and remain available until midnight Friday. In a previous post I mentioned that we will deal with the economic issues addressed in your text book when we discuss chapter 3, but there is one question on the quiz regarding advertising revenue, so make sure you've read those pages before you take the quiz. Good luck.
Monday, September 5, 2011
OT: Can your instructor write?
BTW, OT is an abbreviation for "Off Topic," just as BTW is online shorthand for "By the way" and LMAO is short for, well, you know what it stands for.
Anyway, I have a column in the current edition of the Flathead Beacon, which you can find here.
Maybe this isn't entirely OT after all. We should start compiling a list of all text/online short hand. It might be useful in class. OTOH, doing so would take a lot of time.
Anyway, I have a column in the current edition of the Flathead Beacon, which you can find here.
Maybe this isn't entirely OT after all. We should start compiling a list of all text/online short hand. It might be useful in class. OTOH, doing so would take a lot of time.
Chapter 1
Here are some things to consider this week as you read Chapter 1 and review the Powerpoint. You do not need to respond to this post. However, if you have a questions about the material please post a question and I will do my best to answer. There will be a post from me requiring a response from you later in the week.
Think about the distinctions between personal, group and mass communication. Understand that Mass Comm, the focus of this class, is a relatively recent development in human history. What is the human invention, or inventions, that was required to allow Mass Comm to occur? Answer: technology. All forms of Mass Comm involve the use of technology.
Keep in mind the kind audience that content producers attract, and how that is changing over time. In the past everyone watched one of the three network nightly newscasts. Today news producers can target smaller audiences, with say Fox attracting a conservative audience and MSNBC going after a more liberal crowd. This change in the kind of audience targeted is an important concept we will touch on time and time again this semester, and it will be central to your Long Tail paper.
Will old models for Mass Comm providers remain viable in the future? Is there a place for USA Today in the 21st century?
What’s the difference between Mass Comm and Mass Media?
Media Literacy is critical if you are going to interact intelligently and understand the messages provided by the Mass Media? Do you have to understand the messenger to understand the message?
The chapter ends with a discussion about media finances. This is a recent change to the latest edition of the textbook, but is really out of place here (Text book publishers make these pointless changes so students and bookstores have toss all the old editions and make everyone buy the new ones). Read through these pages but I will wait to focus on them in chapter three.
Think about the distinctions between personal, group and mass communication. Understand that Mass Comm, the focus of this class, is a relatively recent development in human history. What is the human invention, or inventions, that was required to allow Mass Comm to occur? Answer: technology. All forms of Mass Comm involve the use of technology.
Keep in mind the kind audience that content producers attract, and how that is changing over time. In the past everyone watched one of the three network nightly newscasts. Today news producers can target smaller audiences, with say Fox attracting a conservative audience and MSNBC going after a more liberal crowd. This change in the kind of audience targeted is an important concept we will touch on time and time again this semester, and it will be central to your Long Tail paper.
Will old models for Mass Comm providers remain viable in the future? Is there a place for USA Today in the 21st century?
What’s the difference between Mass Comm and Mass Media?
Media Literacy is critical if you are going to interact intelligently and understand the messages provided by the Mass Media? Do you have to understand the messenger to understand the message?
The chapter ends with a discussion about media finances. This is a recent change to the latest edition of the textbook, but is really out of place here (Text book publishers make these pointless changes so students and bookstores have toss all the old editions and make everyone buy the new ones). Read through these pages but I will wait to focus on them in chapter three.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The way forward
OK, hopefully by now you've had a chance to review the syllabus and other course material. You may still be wondering how the course will proceed. Here's what you can expect each week.
On Monday I will post on the chapter we are reviewing that week, with some guidance on what I consider the most important elements of the chapter. That post may or may not include a prompt requiring a response. It may also lead you to some supplemental sources to help you better understand the material covered. Your job will be to respond to the post (if required), read the chapter, review the chapter PowerPoint, and, at the end of the week, take a quiz on the chapter.
During the week I may add posts to supplement the material in the chapter. Again, they may or may not request a response from you. It's your responsibility to read my posts and understand if you need to respond.
A word of warning about the PowerPoints. I once taught this course face-to-face, and I used the PowerPoints for class lectures. I am reviewing them over time and hope to improve them so that they are more user friendly as a student study guide. But I can't say for sure that I will update all of them this semester (It's a big project and I have a couple other jobs that take up some of my time). So bear with me and I will get to as many as I can. If I can't get to one before the week that chapter is assigned, I will leave it as is until the spring semester.
I still haven't heard from some of you. Please post a reply so I know you are out there. If you have any questions, please post them on the blog so that the other students can learn from the discussion. Or, if you just need to clear something up with me, sent me an e-mail.
I hope all is well and you have a safe holiday weekend.
On Monday I will post on the chapter we are reviewing that week, with some guidance on what I consider the most important elements of the chapter. That post may or may not include a prompt requiring a response. It may also lead you to some supplemental sources to help you better understand the material covered. Your job will be to respond to the post (if required), read the chapter, review the chapter PowerPoint, and, at the end of the week, take a quiz on the chapter.
During the week I may add posts to supplement the material in the chapter. Again, they may or may not request a response from you. It's your responsibility to read my posts and understand if you need to respond.
A word of warning about the PowerPoints. I once taught this course face-to-face, and I used the PowerPoints for class lectures. I am reviewing them over time and hope to improve them so that they are more user friendly as a student study guide. But I can't say for sure that I will update all of them this semester (It's a big project and I have a couple other jobs that take up some of my time). So bear with me and I will get to as many as I can. If I can't get to one before the week that chapter is assigned, I will leave it as is until the spring semester.
I still haven't heard from some of you. Please post a reply so I know you are out there. If you have any questions, please post them on the blog so that the other students can learn from the discussion. Or, if you just need to clear something up with me, sent me an e-mail.
I hope all is well and you have a safe holiday weekend.
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