WHAS 10/16, 10/19, 10/21

  My data from these three nights reflects great differences. The WHAS website was modeled differently, and contained an average of 58 stories each day. This is about 3 times as many stories as the following week. My group did not know the cause of this drastic change, but we still analyzed the types of stories given. There was an average of 14 fluff stories online per night, which is equal to yhe average number of crime stories per night. 

  To cover the television portion of WHAS, all three headlines were local. Two were crime and one was politics. There were no international stories reported on TV. Unlike the website, crime was not a main focus for other regular block stories. My group decided that WHAS reports more on crime stories as headlines because they are easy to follow. They require a voice over played with some B-roll, and not much else. The fluff stories are shareable, and they bring viewers to the website. What we also found was the perpetuation of tosses, or when an anchor or reporter introduces another one with a new story. WHAS reporters typically stall with cheap conversation that literally regards the weather. Because of tosses, the weather and sports segments, and the long breaks, WHAS hardly fits news into a 30 minute show. 

WHAS 10/23, 10/27, 10/29

  For these nights on the 6 o'clock WHAS show, 2 out of 3 nights featured crime stories as the headlines. The other night used a traffic situation. Louisville's crime is also highlighted in my data count for the other stories during the typical blocks. The average number of crime stories on a typical show is 5, while the number of stories in all other categories combined averages to 6 every night. This is overwhelming, but it is pleasant that the other stories have not been categorized as "fluff," but rather more newsworthy topics.

  WHAS usually has 18-20 stories online, which seems reasonable. On average, there are 2 fluff stories online. This is understandable because these stories are shared most often. One online headline was national and one was international, while all of the TV headlines were local. I think that WHAS could cover national and international stories more heavily on the TV show. Perhaps this could replace the prolonged sports and weather blocks. But, this does have me wondering why exactly WHAS focuses on weather and sports so much at 6. Is it because that's when most people are coming home from work, and recounting the day (or planning ahead for the next day) is most important?

Radio

  This lecture highlighted the rise and fall of radio, which we can notice today. Tesla made the first radio in 1892, though it was upgraded by Marconi's 1895 wireless radio. This led to the transatlantic spread of radio. By 1924, following World War I, there were 1500 stations to play on 3 million radios! This popularity only grew with the golden age of radio (1930-1939). Radio was important because it was the first truly live medium to give breaking news. This gave radio its own special brand of emotional impact that was truly raw.

  No medium can dominate forever, as we have seen. Radio was challenged by the invention of affordable televisions. As the American economy strengthened, a middle class was able to afford TVs, making it less common for people to listen to the radio for news. This demassification happened rapidly, and I can still see the effects of it today. When my friends, family, or I want straight news or entertainment, we use the TV. Also, there are fewer radio stations available today. What is available is often niche-based. What keeps radio on is its live quality. You can't watch TV while driving a car, either. I found this lecture particularly important because it explained why our older relatives tend to cling to radio in general. They remember it as a truly live medium.

Movies

  Our class discussion on movies was perhaps the most interesting because it did engage the whole class. All of us could relate to what Mr. Miller talked about, such as the overwhelming experience of a movie theater. You know, when you wait in line on premiere night of the latest blockbuster and get a front row seat in a leather movie theater chair. The high quality sound and social outing with friends  make for a great time. These reasons (and more) are why movies are still a multibillion-dollar industry.

  It was riveting to realize the impact of movies on our every day culture. How do your favorite movies or movie franchises impact your daily life? It's more than an obsession. Our reception of everything from vulgarity to homosexuals has been broadened by cinematic works. Although the movie industry may be challenged by Netflix, it will continue to prevail due to the flexibility of itself. Conglomeration affects companies by bonding them into mass movie producers. Oftentimes, a production may be too taboo for a television company to pick up, but movie companies are ecstatic to take risks and make money. This is why it was so interesting to me to learn about the business behind something so important in our everyday lives.

Classmate review: Skyler

 I really enjoyed reading Skyler's blog for many reasons. Her posts went into great detail and depth explaining her ideas from the lectures. Also, she didn't forget to clarify topics that may be confusing to a reader who hasn't heard the lecture. She keeps the summary of the lecture brief, and focuses primarily on the impact of the medium. This is a great writing technique because she emphasizes what is most important. I also like her word choice in her descriptions.

  All of these advanced skills were present in her post about our class lecture on movies. I liked her personal flair added to the explanation of how movies killed magazines. The personal connection she made to her movie experience was also appealing. This makes the piece better to read. In addition to the great post on movies, Skyler wrote a meaningful post about records. I liked the way she described the emotional impact of radio. This emphasized how unique the medium is. She did exactly what was required of her, and even stretched beyond the basic criteria. I am impressed.

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