In this chapter, I found a lot of things to be similar to what I am learning in my COM 130 class. In chapter four, they examined the scientific, cultural, political, and economic factors surrounding radio's development and perseverance. They explore the origins of broadcasting, from the early theories about radio waves to the critical formation of RCA as a national radio monopoly. They then discuss the evolution of commercial radio, including the rise of NBC as the first network, the development of CBS, and the establishment of the first federal radio legislation. Reviewing the fascinating ways in which radio reinvented itself in the 1950's, they examine television's impact on radio programming, the invention of FM radio, radio's convergence with sound recording, and the influence of various formats. Lastly, they survey the economic health, increasing conglomeration, and cultural impact of commercial and noncommercial radio today, including the emergence of noncommercial low power FM service.
On page 116, the evolution of radio was an important yet useful piece of information. When Westinghouse engineered Frank Conrad to set up a crude radio studio above his Pittsburgh garage in 1916, placing a microphone right in front or a phonograph to broadcast music and news to his friends (whom Conrad supplied with receivers) two evenings a week on some experimental station 8XK, he unofficially became one of the medium's first disc jockeys. In 1920, a Westinghouse executive, intrigued by Conrad's curious hobby, realized the potential of radio as a mass medium. Westinghouse then established the station KDKA, which is generally regarded as the first commercial broadcast station. KDKA is most noted for airing national returns from the Cox Harding presidential election on November 2, 1920, an event most historians consider the first professional broadcast.
Older media forms do not generally disappear when confronted by newer forms. Instead, they adapt. Although radio threatened sound recordings in the 1920's, the recording industry adjusted to the economic and social challenges posed by radio's arrival. Remarkably, the arrival of television on the 1950's marked the only time in media history in which a new medium stole virtually every national programming and advertising strategy from an older medium. Television snatched radio's advertisers, program genres, major celebrities, and large evening audiences. The TV set even physically displaced the radio as the living room centerpiece across America. Nevertheless, radio adapted and continued to reach an audience. While reading this chapter, I was bored because I had basically already talked about this stuff in my other class. Nevertheless, I now know this information like the back of my hand.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 brought a long some very interesting topics. Music for one, is something that I enjoy and is a hobby of mine. To place the impact of popular music in context, this chapter begins by investigating the origins of recording's technological "hardware," from Thomas Edison's early phonograph to Emilie Berliner's invention of the flat disk record and the development of audiotape, compact discs, and MP3's. In addition, we study radio's early threat to sound recording and and the subsequent alliance between the two media when television arrived in the 1950's. We also examine the content and culture of the music industry, focusing on the predominant role of rock music and its extraordinary impact on mass media forms and a diverse array of cultures, both American and international. Finally, we explore the economic and democratic issues facing the recording industry.
On page 80 they discussed U.S. popular music and the formation of rock. Popular or pop music is music that appeals either to a wide cross section of the public or to sizable subdivisions within the larger public based on age, region, or ethnic background. For example, teenagers, Southerners, and Mexican Americans. U.S. pop music today encompasses styles as diverse as blues, country, Tejano, salsa, jazz, rock, reggae, punk, hip-hop, and dance. The word pop has also been used to distinguish popular music from classical music, which is written primarily for ballet, opera, ensemble, or symphony. As various subcultures have intersected, U.S. popular music has developed organically, constantly creating new forms and reinvigorating older musical styles.
This chapter discusses a changing industry, referring to the music industry and it also speaks about popular music and the reformations about that music. Page 88 talks about these things in depth and it really got me thinking, what categorizes music to become popular? As the 1960's began, rock and roll was tamer and "safer," as reflected in the surf and road music of the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean, but it was also beginning to branch out. For instance, the success of producer Phil Spector's "girl groups," such as the Crystals ("He's a Rebel") and the Ronettes ("Be My Baby"), and other all female groups, such as the Shangri-Las ("Leader of the Pack") and the Angels ("My Boyfriend's Back"), challenged the male dominated world of early rock and roll. In addition, rock and roll music and other popular styles went through cultural reformations that significantly changed the industry, including the international appeal of the "British invasion"; the development of soul and Motown; the political impact of folk-rock; the experimentalism of psychedelic music; the rejection of music's mainstream by punk, grunge, and alternative rock movements; and the reassertion of black urban style in hip-hop.
On page 80 they discussed U.S. popular music and the formation of rock. Popular or pop music is music that appeals either to a wide cross section of the public or to sizable subdivisions within the larger public based on age, region, or ethnic background. For example, teenagers, Southerners, and Mexican Americans. U.S. pop music today encompasses styles as diverse as blues, country, Tejano, salsa, jazz, rock, reggae, punk, hip-hop, and dance. The word pop has also been used to distinguish popular music from classical music, which is written primarily for ballet, opera, ensemble, or symphony. As various subcultures have intersected, U.S. popular music has developed organically, constantly creating new forms and reinvigorating older musical styles.
This chapter discusses a changing industry, referring to the music industry and it also speaks about popular music and the reformations about that music. Page 88 talks about these things in depth and it really got me thinking, what categorizes music to become popular? As the 1960's began, rock and roll was tamer and "safer," as reflected in the surf and road music of the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean, but it was also beginning to branch out. For instance, the success of producer Phil Spector's "girl groups," such as the Crystals ("He's a Rebel") and the Ronettes ("Be My Baby"), and other all female groups, such as the Shangri-Las ("Leader of the Pack") and the Angels ("My Boyfriend's Back"), challenged the male dominated world of early rock and roll. In addition, rock and roll music and other popular styles went through cultural reformations that significantly changed the industry, including the international appeal of the "British invasion"; the development of soul and Motown; the political impact of folk-rock; the experimentalism of psychedelic music; the rejection of music's mainstream by punk, grunge, and alternative rock movements; and the reassertion of black urban style in hip-hop.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Chapter 2
In chapter two, they discuss the internet more thoroughly and the new technologies coming about. This chapter did not really appeal to me as others because of the similarity I have with the internet and the technology these days. But on page 45 there was something that interested me, the evolution of the internet. From its humble origins as an attack proof military communications network in the 1960's, the internet became increasingly interactive by the 1990's, allowing immediate two-way communication and one to many communications. By the 2000s, the internet was a multimedia source for both information and entertainment as it quickly became an integral part of our daily lives. For example, in 2000, about 50 percent of American adults were connected to the Internet; by 2008, 75 percent of American adults used the Internet.
On page 55 they discussed the ownership issues on the internet and that is something that kind of caught my interest. One of the unique things about the Internet is that no one owns it. But that hasn't stopped some corporation from trying to control it. Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which overhauled the nation's communication regulations, most regional and long distance phone companies and cable operators have competed against each other on the Internet access business. However, there is more to controlling the Internet than being the service provider for it. In addition, companies have realized the potential of dominating the Internet business through search engines, software, and, perhaps most importantly, advertising.
Security, appropriateness, and access on page 59 jumped out for me as well too. In recent years, three Internet issues have commanded attention. For example, the security of personal and private information, the appropriateness of online materials, and the accessibility of the Internet. Important questions have been raised for example, should personal or sensitive government information be private, or should the Internet be an enormous public records? Should the Internet be a completely open forum, or should certain types of communications be limited or prohibited? Should all people have equal access to the Internet, or should it be available only to those who can afford it? With each of these issues there have been heated debates, but no easy resolutions.
On page 55 they discussed the ownership issues on the internet and that is something that kind of caught my interest. One of the unique things about the Internet is that no one owns it. But that hasn't stopped some corporation from trying to control it. Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which overhauled the nation's communication regulations, most regional and long distance phone companies and cable operators have competed against each other on the Internet access business. However, there is more to controlling the Internet than being the service provider for it. In addition, companies have realized the potential of dominating the Internet business through search engines, software, and, perhaps most importantly, advertising.
Security, appropriateness, and access on page 59 jumped out for me as well too. In recent years, three Internet issues have commanded attention. For example, the security of personal and private information, the appropriateness of online materials, and the accessibility of the Internet. Important questions have been raised for example, should personal or sensitive government information be private, or should the Internet be an enormous public records? Should the Internet be a completely open forum, or should certain types of communications be limited or prohibited? Should all people have equal access to the Internet, or should it be available only to those who can afford it? With each of these issues there have been heated debates, but no easy resolutions.
Chapter 1
After reading this chapter, I began to grasp what mass communication really is. I always knew the basics of mass communication, but never the full detailed part. Chapter one was really helped me to understand the true concepts of mass communication and gave me the knowledge I needed to further understand my major, which is communications. This chapter examines key concepts and introduces critical processes for investigating media industries and issues. The goal is for us, the readers, to become media literate, more critical as consumers of mass media institutions and more engaged as participants who accept part of the responsibility for the shape and direction of media culture.
On page 5 there was some interesting and useful information, that I felt really helped me obtain what mass communication really was and did. One way to understand the impact of the media on our lives is to explore the cultural context in which the media operate. Often, culture is narrowly associated with art, the unique forms of creative expression that give pleasure and set standards about what is true, good, and beautiful. Culture, however, can be viewed more broadly as the ways in which people live and represent themselves at particular historical times. This idea of culture encompasses fashion, sports, architecture, education, religion, and science, as well as mass media. Although we can study come cultural products, such as novels or songs from various historical periods, culture itself is always changing. It includes a society's art, beliefs, customs, games, technologies, traditions, and institutions. It also holds a society's modes of communication, which is the creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning. For example, languages, morse code, motion pictures, and computer codes.
Another thing that caught my eye and made me think was on page 11. A second model for understanding media takes a cultural approach to mass communication. This concept recognizes that individuals bring diverse meanings to messages, given factors such as gender, age, educational level, ethnicity, and occupation. In this model of mass communication, audiences actively affirm, interpret, refashion, or reject the message and stories that flow through various media channels. For example, when controversial filmmaker Michael Moore released the 2007 documentary Sicko, which calls for a universal nonprofit health-care system, regular filmgoers and health insurance company executives often had a very different interpretations or the story that the movie told. Some executives saw the documentary's support for universal health care as an indictment of capitalism and as the "American way," while many ordinary people read the film as advocating a commonsense solution for providing health care to uninsured individuals and lowering soaring health-care costs. I really never thought of this aspect to be related with mass communication and now this only further expands my knowledge of this topic.
On page 5 there was some interesting and useful information, that I felt really helped me obtain what mass communication really was and did. One way to understand the impact of the media on our lives is to explore the cultural context in which the media operate. Often, culture is narrowly associated with art, the unique forms of creative expression that give pleasure and set standards about what is true, good, and beautiful. Culture, however, can be viewed more broadly as the ways in which people live and represent themselves at particular historical times. This idea of culture encompasses fashion, sports, architecture, education, religion, and science, as well as mass media. Although we can study come cultural products, such as novels or songs from various historical periods, culture itself is always changing. It includes a society's art, beliefs, customs, games, technologies, traditions, and institutions. It also holds a society's modes of communication, which is the creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning. For example, languages, morse code, motion pictures, and computer codes.
Another thing that caught my eye and made me think was on page 11. A second model for understanding media takes a cultural approach to mass communication. This concept recognizes that individuals bring diverse meanings to messages, given factors such as gender, age, educational level, ethnicity, and occupation. In this model of mass communication, audiences actively affirm, interpret, refashion, or reject the message and stories that flow through various media channels. For example, when controversial filmmaker Michael Moore released the 2007 documentary Sicko, which calls for a universal nonprofit health-care system, regular filmgoers and health insurance company executives often had a very different interpretations or the story that the movie told. Some executives saw the documentary's support for universal health care as an indictment of capitalism and as the "American way," while many ordinary people read the film as advocating a commonsense solution for providing health care to uninsured individuals and lowering soaring health-care costs. I really never thought of this aspect to be related with mass communication and now this only further expands my knowledge of this topic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)