The second edition of Mass Communication: Living in a Media World is now available at the very student-friendly price of $45. (Yes, the new edition sells for less than used copies often do of the first edition.) It features a newly strengthened media literacy focus, greater depth on a number of topics, extensive coverage of "long-tail" media, and new chapters on media effects and global media. For more information, visit the CQ Press website.
Friday - December 21, 2007
Year In Review Dept. Part I - The Best, Worst and Most Bizarre of the 2007 Media World
It's officially late December (i.e. it's past December 15th), so it's time for everyone to get started on their Year in Review articles and blog posts. Keep an eye out here for links to lists about the best, worst and most bizarre in the 2007 Media World.
Time's Top 10 Magazine Covers for 2007 A provocative collection including a number of covers you may not have seen. Also a reminder of how many great magazine covers Esquire has had over the years. Time has a whole host of ten best lists, including top viral videos, top TV ads, topmovies, top albums, even top graphic novels. (Actually, they have 50 of these suckers if you're interested.) BTW, I was just reading through the graphic novel list, and saw that Alan Moore's third installment of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is now out. Shiny.
Why Is Rudolph Better Than Posh? Well, there's any number of reasons.... But the one I'm thinking about is that Christmas chestnut Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer drew a 40 percent bigger audience than did the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The VSFS did get better rating this year than last year, perhaps because it featured a Spice Girls reunion. But basically it's an hour-long infomercial for underwear. Get your VSFS post-game analysis over at the Huffington Post. (TV Watch)
Cancer Sucks Dept. - Dan Fogelberg Dies At Age 56 Prostate cancer claimed the life of 70s singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg on Sunday. He was 56. While he was best known for songs such as Leader of the Band and Same Old Lang Syne (which was playing last week on the Sirius Christmas channel), I remember him most for his jazz-crossover album Twin Sons of Different Mothersrecorded with flautist Tim Weisberg.
No Early Settlement For Writers Guild Strike As this report from USA Today notes, it's going to be a long winter without scripted television this year. The writers' strike that started last month shows no sign of reaching a settlement. Writers are looking for an agreement about income from online broadcasts and DVD sales. Getting through the Writers Guild strike will not solve the entertainment industry's problems, however. The Directors Guild has a strike that's likely to begin after the first of the year, and the Actors Guild has one pending for the summer. All are dealing with many of the same issues. So what are we facing for entertainment this winter? American Gladiators,Oprah's Big Give, and a show about lie detectors called The Moment of Truth. Yikes! Me, I'm just waiting for the Dakar Rally to start!
Advertising News - And Who Is Surprised Dept. Just because smart people work in the ad industry doesn't mean they always do smart thing!
Advocacy Groups Oppose MickyDee Advertising on Report Cards The ads cover the cost of the jackets the report cards come in. This isn't as big of news as it might be. The previous sponsor had been Pizza Hut. HINT TO TEACHERS - There's a great image of the ad on the report card cover to use in your lectures here. (Ad Age)
"Dick Cheney is still a war criminal.... Hillary Clinton is still Satan. And I'm going on the radio."
So far, he has many of his old sponsors back, including Subaru, NetJets, Bigelow Tea, and Optimum internet service. There has also been a lot of talk about who will come back on his show as guests. Politicians seem to be back in force, whether the journalists will be back is a matter of some debate according to the WP's Marc Fisher.
"I think what happened is about what should have happened.... You don't get to decide, nor should you, how the news media is going to treat a remark you make. You don't get to decide if they will put it in context, and you can't whine and complain if you pick up the New York Times and an essay rates what you said as a racist tirade. Every time I would get pissed off, I'd remind myself that if I hadn't said what I said, I wouldn't have to deal with it, the women at Rutgers would have to deal with it. I always remembered that it began with that remark."
CNN/WP Media Reporter Howard Kurtz on Imus's Return
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recorded with flautist Tim Weisberg.