Essay Questions Flashcards
Discuss the study that established the original “magic bullet” theory of media effects. Assess the validity of its methods and findings. Contrast its findings with the Cantril study that examined the effect of Orson Welles’ 1939 “War of the Worlds” broadcast.
The Payne Fund studies were the source of the magic bullet theory which says that media messages directly and measurably affect people’s behavior. Blumer asked teenagers what they remembered about the movies that had seen as children. They said that they had been influenced, so that’s what he reported. His findings were accepted without question. The Cantril study contradicted the Payne Fund studies and found that educated people knew the broadcast was fake. He also concluded that different personalities interpreted the broadcast differently.
How is the Internet transforming media consumption on political campaigns?
Campaigns use email, web sites, blogs, and text messaging to raise money, organize events, and assemble crowds for rallies. It is cost effective and easier. Supporters pass along videos. Alternative sources of media are becoming popular (YouTube, video clips, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart). Most people spread their own opinions but the Internet doesn’t change their minds.
Identify and briefly describe three specializations in the practice of public relations. Clarify how they differ from one another.
Financial- providing info to business reporters. Need transparency.
Product- to sell products and services. Less expensive than advertising. Works better.
Crisis- crisis communication
Describe the business and technological challenges that face public relations practitioners in the next decade.
The industry will need to deal with content overload. Brands will get increasingly visual. Real-time marketing will take off. Business-to-business will move to embrace social media. As the social media space matures, consumer and marketer behavior will change. Shifting demographic patterns mean growing potential markets for public relations services.
Discuss how the federal government regulates advertising. What agencies are involved in this effort?
The Federal Communications Commission enforces rules about misleading advertising and makes sure that people know where advertising is coming from. Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Association also regulate advertising.
Define the term “demographics” and explain how advertisers target specific groups of consumers using audience demographics.
Data about a consumers’ characteristics, such as age, gender, income level, marital status, geographic location, and income level. Makes the marketing effective and efficient.
Discuss the role the U.S. government has played over the past two decades in coordinating and controlling the Internet.
Telecommunications Act of 1996, Communications Decency Act which said what content would be forbidden on the Internet, and the Supreme Court upheld that they couldn’t control Internet content. Prohibiting violent game sales to minors ,which was unconstitutional. Net neutrality means that telecommunications companies must maintain an open network. They must disclose info regarding their services, cannot block lawful content, and cannot unreasonably discriminate.
Explain how video streaming could affect consumers and the television industry.
.
Discuss the relationship between organized sports, television programming, television viewers, and advertisers.
.
Explain how ancillary rights and ancillary products help support a film industry being squeezed by entertainment competition, dwindling audiences, changing audience demographics, piracy, and other drains on revenue.
Ancillary rights: marketing opportunities related to a movie, in addition to direct income from the movie itself. Adds to investors’ return on investment.
How has the Telecommunications Act of 1996 affected the radio industry? What changes has it brought about?
Removed the limit on the number of radio stations a company can own nationwide. Allowed for cross-ownership which means companies can own radio and TV stations. Radio station sales soared. Led to lots of power for big companies.
Explain what the recent term “file sharing” means and how it has affected the economy of the music industry.
.
Discuss the three categories of today’s magazines described in Chapter 4, explaining the specialization, strengths, and financial structure of each category. What are the editorial pressures that each type of magazine faces?
Consumer: Make the most money because they have the most readers and carry the most advertising.
Trade: Carry advertising for the professions they serve.
Company: For employees. No advertising.
Briefly describe the struggle of the colonial and early U.S. press to establish its independence from government control, naming and briefly describing at least four key events in the progress of that struggle.
- Benjamin Franklin proved that a printer could make money without the government’s help.
- The Zenger trials happened when John Peter Zenger went to jail for seditious writing. His trials established that truth is the best defense against libel.
- Stamp Act taxed each issue of a newspaper and advertisements. They rebelled by threatening to stop publication and mocking the tax in their issues.
- Alien and Sedition Laws punished anyone who wrote maliciously about the government
Discuss the beginnings and development of paperback books and their role in the democratization of reading in America.
Robert de Graff introduced a series of paperback books called Pocket Books. These books reached people who hadn’t owned books before. This concept led to other people creating paperback books.
