Chapter summaries

Chapter 1 “Mass communication”

• Mass media consist of cultural industries “channels of communication,” that are distributed trough different ways. The ways of distributing information today is the same as historical ways; the underlying difference is, today we have such advancement in technology, information can be distributed to mass amounts of people much faster.

• The media has the power to alter society perception of events and attitudes. Media is in the storytelling business. This has a great impact on everyday life.

• Critiquing media and culture requires a working knowledge of the particular information and way it is being presented. It is important to understand how where the information is coming from and who is it being presented to.

Chapter 8 “Newspapers”

• Historically news and stories have been passed down from generation to generation orally. The first written news was by Julius Caesar, it informed his people what was going on in and around his area.

• “Objectivity,” The more a newspaper didn’t take sides, the more readers is had. This is true today in a sense, the newspaper that covers a wide variety, is most likely to have more readers.

• There is newspapers that cover a wide Varity of ethnic groups, most of them are weekly or monthly. They are usually published outside the public mainstream and contain viewpoints that are not targeted towards the white upper-class.

Chapter 12 “Public Relations”

• At the beginning of the chapter, there is a really good example about blue jeans PR. In the early 50’s denim jeans sales dropped drastically because it was thought it represented delinquency in kids. The biggest denim maker hired a PR firm to change the image of jeans. The PR firm got denim sales to skyrocket in the early 60’s. There is a big difference between advertising and public relations.

• These days, there are a lot of PR firms, most in the United States. Their job is to help an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.

• PR has made reporters jobs easier, they can just wait for a PR handout or a tip instead of going out and getting the story to an extent

Chapter 14: Culture of Journalism

1. A large part of journalism is attempting to balance a story. The difficulty comes in when it becomes impossible to represent all sides or opinions of a story. The other difficulty is trying to eliminate personal bias in journalistic writing, which (if done correctly) can create an authoritative, neutral voice that the reader can depend on.

2. Another common trait in journalism is an adversarial attitude towards the authority figures or large institutions that a reporter is covering. This can lead to the classic reporter persona most of us carry around with us; a hard questioning, tenacious, and often rude reporter that never seems satisfied with the information they're getting. When a reporter uses hard questioning all the time, they often ignore the fact that the quality of their political stories can take a hit.

3. Among news anchors, it has become the norm to be young, attractive and read off scripted witty banter between stories. Anchors that have not adhered to these requirements have often been let go. The reason for this "happy-talk" was to distract from all the bad news being hurled at t.v. watchers.

Chapter 10: Books

1.) The first books were produced in Ancient Egypt on papyrus, which was derived from a species of river reed. Eventually, parchment (treated animal skin) replaced papyrus because of its strength and durability. The Roman codex was the first book that was cut into sheets and sewn together down the side in a format that closely resembles the books of today. In the Middle Ages, manuscripts were meticulously lettered, decorated and bound by hand. Some of these manuscripts were illuminated (i.e., illustrated and beautifully decorated on each page.)

2.) The Gutenberg printing press totally revolutionized book production. They first printed Bibles but then moved on to other works. This process was the forerunner to mass production. The availability of books also increased education across the board. By the 1830's, paperbacks and dime novels were introduced.

3.) There are seven categories of books today: Trade books, professional books, text books, mass market paper backs, religious books, reference books and university press books.

Chapter 4: Sounds and Images

1.) The radio originally began as Morse code via the telegraph. Later, radio waves were discovered and utilized to create the earliest forms of the radio we have today. The wireless versions of the early telegraph were designed to help ships at sea communicate with each other and with the people on land. By 1910 via the Wireless Ship Act, many vessels were required to be equipped with wireless telegraphs for safety reasons.

2.) The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) monopolized radio by 1919 in order to make sure that America had control over transmitter and receiver manufacturing. Pretty soon, RCA was able to give the U.S. almost complete control over the new medium of broadcasting. Eventually, the RCA/NBC monopoly was disbanded by the Federal Trade Commission in 1932.

3.) The radio gained popularity in the average American home and was the source for news and entertainment. News shows, speeches, music, and evening programs. One evening program caused a brief bout of hysteria; Orson Wells' reading of War of the Worlds. Unfortunately, many listeners tuned in after the disclaimer had been aired and thought that the news of an alien invasion was the real deal.

Chapter 7 Main Points

Movies

• Starting back in the late 1800's, American films had a huge social and cultural impact on society.
• Throughout the 20th century films helped moviegoers sort through experiences that either affirmed or deviated from their own values. These movies outlined the boundaries between the "permitted and forbidden."
• Although the production of a fim can take a year or two, the movie industry reacts quickly to social events and cultural shifts (for example: The September 11th attacks).
• In the late 1910's the movie industry had three basic economic divisions: production, distribution and exhibition.
• Starting in 1946 and for the next seven years the movie industry had a hard time. Over fifty theaters shut down in New York City alone. The 90 million people that went to see movies weekly in 1946 came to less than 25million by 1963.
• The mid 1950's had some large cultural and social changes with the wide availability of television.

Chapter 5 Main Points

Television

Early development of TV- In 1948 only 1% of American households had TV's in their homes. This went to more than 50% in 1953 to 90% by the early 1960's. This came about from Americans moving away from radio and TV establishing its own identity. This happened for two reasons: a major change in the advertising and sponsorship structure of television, and more significantly, a major cultural scandal.

Major programming trends in the TV age- From 1955 through 1957, three major networks moved their entertainment divisions to Los Angeles because of its proximity to Hollywood production studios. News stations, however, remained to be located in New York. These cities came to represent the two major branches of TV programming: entertainment and information.

The Decline of the Network Era- The Network era is what most historians consider to be from the late 1950's to the end of the 1970's. This is when networks gained control over the TV's content. TV networks made up 95% of all prime time viewing during this time. By 2005, this figure has dropped bellow 45%. The decline of the network era was basically because of three factors: technological changes, government regulations, and the development of new networks.

The Economics of Television- Although these network's audiences have declined, they continue to attract larger audiences than their cable or online competitors. The key to the television's industry is its ability to offer programs that Americans will watch on a weekly basis.

The Public, Television, and Democracy- Television has undergone massive changes here in the 20th century. There new idea is to recycle "reality" TV. Public television is also perceived as "less attractive" to commercial networks and advertisers.

Chapter 6, 11, 16

Chaper 6

1. Cable was one of the most influential inventions for television and changed our modern culture.

2.Sattellites changed the cable industry to expand to evey type of consumer imaginable.

3. CNN and MTV influenced culture world wide by providing 24 hour entertainment and News which proved to be a huge market.

Chapter 11

1.Advertising changed dramatically in the 20th century and became and influential part of American culture.

2. Advertising helped influence visual culture by setting the standard of "cool"

3. Political advertising influenced people to see what democracy wanted them to see and kept a veneer of good precendece over elections.

Chapter 16

1. Under the first ammendment, Americans have the right to free speech, and free press.

2. Without the ammendment, our government would control the media and every form of entertainment.

3. The sixth amendment is clashing with rights of our free speech, concedeing that only certain things can be considered free.

Week Four Stories

1.) Exit polls show sharp divide among Democrats by CNN
Some voters would pick McCain if their Democratic candidate didn't win. Cities report strong but not record-breaking turnout at polls. Clinton is still ahead in many polls, but Obama has cut away at her lead. 54 percent of voters said the economy was the top issue for them.
-Ashley Trbovich

2.) Sen. Hillary Clinton is arguing that she is ahead of rival Sen. Barack Obama when it comes to the popular vote. "I'm very proud that as of today, I have received more votes by the people who have voted than anyone else," Clinton said Wednesday, one day after her decisive win in Pennsylvania.
-James Cole

3.) "Ron Paul supporters for John McCain"
Texas congressman Ron Paul is still officially in the presidential race, despite Arizona Republican John McCain winning enough delegates to become the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
-Jeff Kieburtz

4.) Seattle Times
It’ finally in! It was reported that it was final on Tuesday night that Hillary Clinton has won over Pennsylvania. She won with 53% of the votes to Obama only receiving 47%. She celebrated by knocking down a shot of whiskey.
-Jessica Edmisten

5.) Time Magazine: Obama is Flush, Clinton in Debt.

Because of Barack Obama's superior fund-raising, he is now ahead of Hillary Clinton by around 30 million dollars as of the beginning of April. Even John McCain is ahead of Clinton by a solid million dollars. Although Obama has been a heavier spender, even in the states that he lost super delegates in, he still is better off monetarily than debt-striken Clinton, who still has loans to pay off.
-Carrie Potter

Week Three Stories

1. Barack + GOP = 'Obamacans'
This article discussed the endorsement of Barack Obama by former president Eisenhower's granddaughter- a Republican. It talked about the trend of crossover voters, those who do not necessarily denounce their party, they simply vote for the other guy based on a variety of issues.
-James Cole

2.)"2008 through a European lens"
Some Europeans have traveled to the U.S. to support the three candidates and find out what American politics is all about. The biggest difference, the young Europeans said, is that American politics is much more open and flexible than politics at home, and has been thoroughly transformed and dynamized by the Internet.
-Jeff Kieburtz

3.) The gap between Clinton and Obama is slowly shrinking in Pennsylvania. Obama has 40% of voters while Clinton is at 46%. Clinton might be taking Pennsylvania in the primary.
-Jessica Edmisten

4.) MSNBC.com

McCain: It's a Recession

McCain agrees with many economists in that America is indeed in a recession. He says that the American people are "hurting." In the same talk, he also discussed the matter of confidential news sources remaining confidential.
-Carrie Potter

5.) Blacks in Philadelphia Split over Democratic Race by NPR.com
In Philadelphia, prominent African-Americans are split over the two Democratic presidential candidates. The division reflects both the differences between the two contenders for the nomination and the changing priorities within the city's black power structure.
-Ashley Trbovich