Stranded on an Island

Hello all,
I once saw a news piece where a journalist asked the presidential candidates what book they would take with them to the White House. That's a neat question and it reminded me of that old question, "If you were stranded on an island........"

So here's my media related question to you this week. Write a short paragraph on each:

1. If you were stranded on an island, what magazine would you like to wash up onshore every week? And why?

2. If you were stranded on an island, what one movie would you like to take with you (in a portable dvd player, of course)? And why?

3. If you were stranded on an island, what one album/song would you like to be loaded on the mp3 player you took with you? And why?

Good Luck

Superbowl Advertising

Concerning the SuperBowl, people tend to pay just as much attention to the commercials as the actual game. Two potential commercials are causing quite a stir this year. One ad, promoting a gay dating site was rejected by CBS, citing that the network didn't feel it was appropriate for family viewing. Here's the ad that was rejected.








Given the racy "Go Daddy" commercials and other commercials in the past that have seemed racy, do you think CBS made the right decision in rejecting this ad?



Secondly, CBS is reversing its own past policy of rejecting advocacy commercials, ads paid for by organizations not selling a product but rather promoting a view on a particular issue. Focus on the Family created an anti-abortion commercial, starring Tim Tebow and his mother. My question is the following: if the Superbowl will now have advocacy ads, should all groups have an equal shot at getting airtime? For example, The United Church of Christ was turned down by CBS in 2004 when it wanted to air a Super Bowl ad that celebrated diversity and welcomed gay and lesbian Christians to the denomination. If the church tried to re-air the commercial now, given CBS's recent decision, should it be given air-time?

The Politics of Talk

So this week a media experiment officially failed. Air America, a liberal-oriented national talk radio station, filed for bankruptcy and went off-air. This is especially interesting in a time when liberals control the White House as well as Congress. Some of the most profitable talk radio shows (Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity) are conservative oriented. So here's my question to you. Why do you think conservative based shows are more successful than liberal based shows? I don't necessarily want you to discuss why one political ideology is better than the other. I want you to frame your discussion in terms of media success. If another liberal based talk show were to emerge what do you think it would have to do to be as successful as a Limbaugh or O'Reilly show?

Also, please sign the blog with your full name if it is different than your user id. I can't tell who a person is sometimes when their user id doesn't match my role. For example, someone named Hartman posted last week but i'm not sure who to award the points to.

One Hell of a Week

There are a lot of stories to talk about this week. A lot is going on in the news. Some of it seems humorous such as the Leno-Conan-NBC debacle. But the biggest story is definitely the insufferable Hell that the victims of Haiti have been put through. I hope you've seen some of the coverage. If not, I wish you would. It takes really big events to change how news is covered. The first war in Iraq gave us constant access to the front lines of a War in real time. Katrina gave us real time constant coverage of our own national disaster. I'm left wondering what Haiti will do to news coverage. One thing i've noticed is that the actual journalists are actively engaging with the disaster. Katie Couric held a child while his broken leg was being reset. Both of his parents were killed in the earthquake. She has vowed to do whatever's necessary to care for the boy. CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta worked at a field hospital while reporting and was later called to perform a brain surgery. Anderson Cooper rescued a boy who had been injured in a looting. The newest form of philanthropy evolved when record amounts of money were raised for Haiti simply by people texting the red cross to donate via their cell phone bill. I'm not even sure what to ask but i know that Haiti is THE STORY. Perhaps the biggest story we've had since Katrina. I think i'm a bit biased however. I am a former journalist, who now teaches media studies, so i have an interest in paying attention to this stuff. What about yourself? Have you been watching the coverage? What has interested you? What have you liked or disliked about the story? What are some of the high points and some of the low points? Now that we are a week into this story, do you think interest has lessened? Are journalists becoming too active in their stories? What will you remember?

Welcome to the Semester

So here's the first blog of the new semester. Let's get started by finding out everyone's general view of the media. So answer the following questions for me.
1. What is your favorite news source? Newspaper, television, radio, online?
2. What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of each of the aforementioned news sources?
3. What do you think about bias in the media? Do you notice it, what do you notice, and who do you believe is the most biased?

Here's to hoping we have a productive and informative semester.

The Blog is Closed

The Blogging requirements are now complete for the class. Thanks to all those participating and especially to the 5 students who replied to all messages.

Holiday Media

With the holidays approaching, i'd like you to share with the group any media related traditions you have. Does your family all get together to watch something on TV. Is there any particular show you love to watch every Christmas/Thanksgiving? Why is that show/s so important to you. I know i have some favorites dating back to when i was a kid but i wonder if there are any new shows that have come on recently that will one day be a favorite for my children?