MeDia IsSuEs AnD DeBaTeS

2007-03-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

VirGiN MeDiA To BaCk BiG BroThEr...

Virgin Media has been confirmed as the sponsor of Big Brother 8 with the company's mobile arm to be the main service promoted.

Virgin Media has signed on for the main summer series - as revealed by MediaGuardian.co.uk - but not next year's Celebrity Big Brother version.

Channel 4 has not yet announced if there will be a Celebrity Big Brother in 2008. However, it is understood that Virgin Media will be given first refusal on extending the sponsorship if the trouble-laden show runs without a hitch this summer.

"Of course we had worries [about this year's Celebrity Big Brother], we would have been foolhardy if we didn't," said James Kydd, the managing director of marketing at Virgin Media.

"We spent a lot of time talking to Channel 4 about how they were sorting out their internal processes to make sure there wouldn't be any sort of escalation again. But Big Brother is always controversial, it is the nature of the beast. We just wanted to be reassured that there wouldn't be a situation that got out of control again."

Carphone Warehouse pulled out of its £2.5m a year sponsorship of Big Brother following the Shilpa Shetty racism row in January.

The Big Brother sponsorship package includes branding and advertising opportunities across TV, video-on-demand, online, radio and mobile.

"The sponsorship will be split between our mobile and media services," added Mr Kydd. "What Big Brother does is give a fantastic opportunity to bring to life quadplay in action and the core 16-34 demographic BB reaches is a bullseye for mobile. Virgin Mobile will be the lead sponsor but we will absolutely push Virgin Media messaging."

My ComMentS...
I think that its really conterversial for virgin to support big brother since carphone warehouse dropped out as they felt that them sponsoring Big brother would ruin their reputation, since they adgree with the public that Jade Goody was being racist. It will bring a great deal of profit to the company.. but how will the public respond to this?

2007-03-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

RTL VoWs To TuRn ArouNd FiVe..

The RTL Group chief executive, Gerhard Zeiler, has admitted he was disappointed with UK subsidiary Channel Five's falling audience share but pledged to turn the broadcaster's fortunes round with its multichannel strategy.

Five's audience share fell to 5.9% in 2006, down 0.7 percentage points, proportionately the worst performance of the five main UK terrestrial channels.

Mr Zeiler said the launch of digital services Five Life and Five US in October would drive growth in 2007, and pointed to the recent management shake-up that saw Lisa Opie made head of content.

"Am I happy the audience share went down? No - otherwise we wouldn't have changed the programme team," Mr Zeiler said.

"The change is more radical, exactly what we expected. We have a new director of content, Lisa Opie, and we fully trust in her, that she will turn it around in terms of audience share. Our main goal is to grow our position

http://media.guardian.co.uk/city/story/0,,2029395,00.html?

My ViEw...

Channel Five was the last edition to the terrestrial channels. When channel five was launched in 1997 it was new to the world as SKY TV was expensive and not many people had it. Now that SKy is in demand terrestrial channels like Channel 5 are losing their viewers. Most people watch channel 4 for documentaries, ITV and BBC1 for their regular shows such as Eastenders. Since SKy is so developed, each channel caters for their audience which allows the viewers to chose what they want to watch, instead of waiting for a ceratin programme to come on.

2007-03-08T01:42:00.000-08:00

EsSay QuEsTion…

UsInG ThE ComPaRiSioN Of TheSe TeXts As YouR StaRtiNg PoiNt, ExPloRe ThE MeDiA IsSues AnD DeBaTes WhIcH ThEy RaiSe…

‘The Revolution will not be televised’ by Gil Scott-Heron and ‘Your revolution’ by Sarah Jones are two texts that covey serious issues and debates about society during their time. Due to inequality and racial abuse, society was forced to repress their personal views and live in a democratic state where the government decided on what was seen the right and formal thing to do. Both artists express their views on society and how it affects them and the people with similar problems.

Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The revolution will not be televised’ critiques the status quo and challenges the establishment. The beat to the song is slow but catchy as it is repetitive throughout. Since this song discusses serious issues having a repetitive beat is vital, as it allows the audience to remember it along with the words. Heron raps slowly and clearly with a deep masculine voice. This again reinforces the sincerity tone of the song and informs the audience on how important the issue is. ‘There will be no pictures of you and Willie May pushing that shopping cart…’ Heron here is stating that black people are only seen as criminals and insignificant to society. He makes close references to the Marxist theory as he believes that society is easily influenced. The song was written in 1972 which means that a capitalist society did exist and black people were not as much considered.

Sarah Jones ‘Your revolution’ takes a similar approach by using the same methods but by projecting a feminist voice. In her song she discusses females in the rapping industry and how unequal it is. It is a track about female empowerment and women’s rights. The beat is slow, and regular like Heron’s. By doing this it reinforces the point she makes. Like Heron, Jones is critiquing the black people in the media and telling the world how the music industry is patriarchal. She mentions the issue about women in the music industry with close references to Foxy Brown about how they sell their body to get higher status. Throughout the song, Jones uses parody to portray how she feels about men in the music industry by mocking the strong males in the industry such as LL Cool J. She uses intertextuality to emphasies her point by singing his song. She mocks him as he undermines women. She feels somewhat hatred towards artists like him as in his lyrics he has strong references to sex and has the power to influence the people who listen to his music. It’s down to males like him that women are still objectified today.

A key theorist, Laura Mulvey argues there is a the active male hero and the passive female characters who's mere purpose is their quality to be looked at ness and they are objectified as sexual objects and become objects of the male gaze. This is key to rap music as it is a typical convention used in rap videos for women to be inferior to men. ‘Your revolution’ is a song that rejects all the typical conventions and stands for its own. We see it in the majority of rap videos, with big famous artist such as ‘Snoop Dogg’ and ‘Dr Dre’ have semi naked females dancing in the backgrounds of their videos. They objectify the woman as they refer them to ‘bitches’ and ‘hoes’ and state that their only use is for pleasuring a male. Jones goes against all these acts and shows that she can be in the music industry like every other woman however does not need to show or sell her body to be successful.

In conclusion both texts are similar in there ways as they both do not conform to the typical conventions that occur in rap videos. They are both projecting there voices in what they believe in. they are similar as they are dealing with real life issues which are considered as important to them as well as to society. Even though Heron’s song was released at an early date in comparison to Jones it shows that ways have not really changed and that society and still remains to be the same to a certain extent. The purpose of the songs was to create awareness and inform people about the contemporary issues.

2007-03-01T04:34:00.000-08:00

NeWs ViewS...

How Would You PrioriTise TheSe NeWs VaLueS?
I would priortise the news values in which the readers impact on the article. It would depend on how the audience intrepretate the news and what they gain from it. In my opinion composition would be the most important since it balances the news.

What Is GateKeEpinG?
The Gatekeepers are usually the editors, who are responsible for selecting the and ordering the news broadcasts or selecting and planning the newspaper layout.

What do We Mean By Bias?
Bias would mean when a story is one side viwed and influenced by the attitudes and background of its interviewers, writers, photographers and editors. People could be biased through selection and omission or bias through placement for example.

Galtung and Ruge's NeWs Values...
Frequency- The time span of an event and the extent to which it fits the frequency of the newspaper.

Threshold- How big is an event? 'Celebrity Big Brother' JADE OUT'

Unambiguity- how clear is the meaning of the event?

Meaningfulness- How meaningful will the event apper to the receivers? 'Sucide bombings in IrAQ'

Consonance- Does the event match the audience's expectations?

Unexpectedness- Father’s hug 40 years ago turned out to be death sentence for his daughter” the event is highly unpredictable.

Continuity- 'Big Brother Jade and racism story' This story has been featured sevreal times in the news and will continue to remain in the news untill things are resolved.

Composition- This is a matter of the balance of the news.

Reference to elite nations- This relates again to 'cultural proximity'. Those nations which are culturally closest to our own will receive most of the coverage.

Reference to elite persons- The media pay attention to important people. "Cameron declares his faith in a state education for his children”

Personalisation- This connects with umambiguity and meaningfulness.

Negativity- Bad news is good news in term of what is reported.

CuLt OF The CeLebrIty...
How much celebrity driven media do you consume? Do you consume these texts in spite of the celebrity focus or because of it?

I dont really purchase many magazines but recently i did buy Heat, Ok and HEllo which featured the Big brother gossip about Shilpa, Jade and Daniella. I was bored so thats why i bought it but i dont go out of my way to buy these magazines weekly.

2007-02-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Jade Goody, at the centre of an alleged race row on Celebrity Big Brother, has been evicted from the Channel 4 show.

Goody, 25, was up against Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, who had been the target of the alleged abuse from Goody and others in the reality TV show.

Almost nine million people watched Goody being interviewed by host Davina McCall, according to overnight ratings.

Goody said her behaviour was "nasty" adding: "I'm not racist, but I can see why it has had the impact it's had."

On seeing clips from the show, she said: "I look like one of those people I don't like."

She looked shocked when McCall showed her TV news headlines - revealing that Goody's comments and behaviour had become the subject of questions in the House of Commons and public debate in India.

She was silent for a few seconds before saying: "That's intense."

Goody, who received 82% of the total votes cast, added: "I apologise to anyone I offended."

Goody, who rose to fame in the non-celebrity version of Big Brother in 2002, already had an inkling there had been a furore around her alleged racist comments before leaving the house.

She made up with Shetty before the eviction, with Shetty saying she did not believe Goody was racist.

Earlier, Shetty was asked by Big Brother whether she felt her argument with Jade was racially motivated.

But Shetty said: "I think it's a sequence of events that created that misunderstanding and made me believe for maybe a fraction of a second that I thought she was being racist.

"But I don't think so today, in hindsight, that she was being racist."

My View:

I think that big brother was totally blown out of proporation. Big brother was the talk of the year and it was internatioanlly broadcasted on order for everyone to see. Not many poeople were interested in it but as soon as they heard that a so called racist comment was said, everyone switched to watch what was going on. Jade reacted the way she would when she was angry, but she should have calmed down since she was on TV as so many people were watching the inccident. It was more of a bully scene that a racist one. It was uncomfortable to watch when danielle and Jo sat their laughing in a middle of an argument between shilpa and jade. They should have known better... they not even celebrities anyway..

2007-01-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Module One PrePReRaTion...

Migrain Analysis

M- Long shot of the woman in a blue background. She is wearing a bight orange dress which allows her to stand out. The woman is the only image on the front cover, which means she is dependant on catching the readers’ attention. None of her body parts her fetishsized, which gives us an idea that the audience is primarily young women like the woman featured on the cover. It has a sophisticated approach which links back to the name of the magazine.

She is standing upright with her hands on her hips. Her body language expresses how she feels, young, modern and confident. The magazine could possibly connoting independent ideology across all women who purchase the magazine. She is also smiling, which gives a positive vibe to the magazine; she is proud of the way she looks and feels. The magazine is also using celebrity endorsement to sell their magazine. This leads consumers to aspire to be like ‘Mandy Moore’ as she is a young beautiful woman who is happy and confident.

Bright colours such as yellow, orange and blues are used. These colours all represent and connote summer. This links well with the magazine as it’s a summer feature. ‘Get summer and Sexy in just one week’. The loud colours used could reflect how women should be feeling as summer is a happy season.

High key lighting is used on the woman, to allow her to stand out from the bright blue back ground. A great deal of lighting is used on her face, to show her features and emphasis on her smile and reinforce on there idea of being sexy in summer.

I- Cosmopolitan magazine

G- Print advert

R- The cover is representing young women in society today. There are allowed to feel sexy and young, not for the male gaze but for themselves. The cover shows a young white female, on her own, independent and free. The magazine is not specifically targeting young white woman, but woman all over the world.

A- Primarily the magazine is targeting young woman possibly the age of 24 to 34, middle class. It could also attract women who have interests in sex, fashion, men and beauty.

I- the front cover is there to attract females attention. It is there to prove that a patriarchal society no longer exists and that women are now equivalent to men. Articles such as ‘8 new places to have sex’ and ‘orgasms unlimited’ convey the message that women are no longer inferior to men and that they are allowed to enjoy activities that men would take pleasure in such as sex. The magazine is also a source of knowledge as its there to inform, and educate women about life it self.

N- Front cover magazine for women.

Film posters

M- The image is of a rollercoaster, long shot in order for the viewers to see who is in the film and possibly how many characters there will be in the storyline. The image isn’t pleasant, as it illustrates people suffering and frightened. This here creates an enigma as it allows questions to build in the viewers mind about how did the characters get into this dilemma in the first place? Is the main storyline based on the rollercoaster?

Three main colours are used to highlight the image, white, black and blue. White connotes purity and calmness along with blue which is a soothing colour. These colors are then juxtaposed with black which has strong connations of death. These colours could symbolize the storyline, equilibrium, disequilibrium and conclusion. It could also imply that someone will die. The dark colours could also signify that it is a serious film.

I -Hollywood mainstream, directed by James Wong

G- Horror, Hollywood film

R- Final destination 3 stereotypically represents a group of teenagers who go out to a theme park and sit on a rollercoaster which is built to kill them all one by one. It represents teenagers.

A- The audience of this film will be people over the age of 18 as this film was rated 18 due to the strong references to sex and bad language. Ideally the film will be aimed at teenagers and young adults. The poster has been made attractive to these people as it features teenagers on the poster.

I- this film doesn’t really promote any specific ideologies or values. It’s a film constructed simply for entertainment. It’s a route to escapism for the audience. It follows the typically conventions of a horror film, however in this case, the narrative is driven by a woman than a man. This gives a idea that woman are no longer inferior to men as in this case men are killed of as all as woman. The girl theory can be applied here.

N- A clairvoyant high school senior (Winstead) has a premonition of a fatal roller coaster accident at an amusement park that involves her and her friends. Her vision prevents her and her friends deaths, but the unseen forces of darkness once again set out to kill the survivors that were supposed to die in the freak accident.

The anchorage is has a significant purpose since it has a listing of who stars in the film. This is vital, as some people just go to the cinema to watch certain actors. The catch line ‘the ride will be the death of you’ also creates an enigma. The unique selling point in this film would probably the rollercoaster that features in the film usually in horror films, the typical convention would be a bad omen or a evil person would be the killer, however it is different in this case.

The Sun

Technical Code:

The page lay out is simple and to the point. The main headline is at the top of the page which allows people to see it straight away. Two other stories are displayed on the front page.

Son serif font is used. This is usually associated with being informal and laid back. The head line is bold and big, which again catches the readers’ attention. The headlines have images as well as word creating a pictionary affect. This goes well with the informal ness of the paper.

The image of the plane is big and in the center with HIJACK written along side it.

Other images of people who might be responsible for this crime are printed on the front of the paper as well as pictures of footballers that are included in the other articles displayed.

The photographs relate to the story as the story is about the plane being hijacked. However the pictionary words are there to mock the whole idea of the Afghan terrorist not getting what they want, and they believe by hijacking the plane will resolve everything.

Written code:

The headlines are much bigger than the rest if the test on the page as the main title must stand out as it’s the many story.

The other images such ‘ Sponge bob’ and the picture of the ‘gun’ signify informal ness and show portray comedy through the stories which makes the readers seem if they take the news seriously.

The typical conventions used are, the masthead, captions and puns. Also the way bits of the story are previewed on the front page influencing the reader to read on and purchase the newspaper.

Symbolic Codes:

The masthead and the title signify importance of the newspaper. It’s a red top newspaper and that is reinforced by the usage of the colour red in the masthead.

Specific colours are used to create an impact. For example, the colour blue is there to represent the sky, as the plane was hijacked while it was in the air. The colour used can also be ironic as blue has connations of calmness. Here they have juxtaposed a chaotic situation against the colour, creating emphasis on the story.

Front page overall:

The overall layout of the front page is good as it coveys the right message. It’s satirical, however, it allows the consumers to think and release that what the Afghan terrorist did was pointless and cruel as many innocent people died. The masthead and headlines are brought out bold and at a reasonable size in order for the readers to see and read it. The font suits the tabloid and poisoning of the articles are comfortable as its more easier to read. Not much text is seen in the front page, this is seen as good as it keeps the reader intrigued and to read on. The quality of the images are excellent and at a good size as it topics the whole newspaper and gives an idea if what the actual paper consists of. The images are polysemic.

2006-12-13T10:18:00.000-08:00

CoKe FiNdS 'PeRfeCt CouPle'

Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin are to appear together in a commercial for the first time to promote Coca-Cola.

A 30-second ad, called "The perfect couple", will run on the giant digital sign in London's Piccadilly Circus throughout December.

Rooney, sporting a black and white suit, is promoting male-targeted Coke Zero, dubbed "Bloke Coke"; McLoughlin, dressed in silver, is promoting Diet Coke.

But Coca-Cola said that McLoughlin is not set to be the new "face" of Diet Coke. The company is planning to bring back its "Diet Coke break hunk" in the new year.

Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, wife of Ashley Cole, helped launch Coke Zero in July with a one-off press ad.

Diet Coke had previously used a unisex advertising positioning. However, with the arrival of Coke Zero in the summer, the soft drinks company decided to return to marketing the brand at its core female audience.

McLoughlin is currently on TV as the face of Asda's "Pretty woman" ads for its Must Haves clothing range.

Rooney was dropped as the face of Asda just three months into a £3m deal in July.

My opinion

Wayne Rooney advertising Coke is a really good way of promoting the drink. Even though coke has a well known reputation, by a famous footballer advertising it it will boost the sales of coke. Football has became a very popular event by being the most acknowledged sport in the world today. Businesses and big fims take days off to watch the footballer as society see it as a nationalistic approach.

As Rooney plays for one of the most supported aand well knpwn teams in the world, Man united, many youths would aspire to be like him and therefore by the drink. Coke have done well by taking advatage of celebrity endorsement to advertise their product.

2006-11-29T08:55:00.001-08:00

UsEs AnD GraTiFiCaTiOns TheOrY...

Blulmer and KaTz

DiVerSion... This doesnt apply to me, as i dont watch soaps and dramas to escape from everyday problems. I have my own problems to worry about lol. I simply eatch Eastenders and other programmes on Trouble for pure entertainment. Its like a routine for me.

PerSonal ReLationShips... Nowadays many TV programmes are based upon the family life and what teenagers and parents have to deal with. Many programaes deal with contemporay issues such as drugs, alcohol and violence. This doesnt really aplly to me as such things dont occur in my household. Agian, i just watch this programmes for entertainment.

PeRsoNal IDenTity... When i watch films and other media texts, i can identitfy with the character and see where they are coming from. Like, i would put myself in their situation, or sometimes the characters do things that can reflect my own life. However, i would create my own identity as its all fiction and nothing is real in the cinema world.

SuRVeiLlaNce... Surveillance is probelry the only reason of why i might consume a media text from Blulmer and Kats list. I watch the news and sometimes watch the weather forecast to keep up with whats going on in the world. I also watch football results with my Dad and brother.

DeNnIS McQuail...

InFoRmaTion...
I watch the news to find out about relevant events or condiotions. However, i dont rely on the Tv as much. I use the internet as a primary resource to find out information more as its more effiiencent. With Television, it tends to be time consuming as you have to wait for particular things to come on.
I dont seek advice from the TV but specific progammes broaden my knowledge about partuclar things.
If there is anything particular i want to know about i just usually tend to watch the news or find out from the internet. That genreally satisfies my curiosity.

LeaRning...
I watch TV sometimes to gain knowledge about things, such as what is going on in the world from the news. However, i simply watch TV to be entertained. You can learn new things everyday, even from soaps and dramas.

PeRsoNal IdeNtiTy...
This media consumption does not apply to me, as i dont find personal values from TV. As everything on TV is constructed in a specific way. The producers and makers of shows want particular idelogies and values to be believed in society. I got my own persoanl values that i have been taught to believe in my family and freinds and of course myself bruv. I dont really care about celebrities, to me they are just objects to be looked at. I dont identify with them because i beleive they dont live in the real world as consumers do. We watch them, they dont watch us so there is no need. But i would love to be one of them just to see how it feels :D

InTeGRaTion AnD SoCiAl InTeRaCtIon...
Gaining insight into circumstances of others is important. On channel for they tend to broadcast documentaries of unpriveleged people with illnesses. Its important to be aware of such things. I might not watch the entire show, but enought for me to know what it talks about.
Sense of belonging- like i mentioned previolsly i do not rely on the TV as i dont use television programmes as a route of escapism.
Finding a basis of conversation and social intereaction. This media consumption does apply to me, as i would talk about something that i watched on TV the night before. For example, Eastenders, big brother or a film.
Having a substitue for real life conpanionship. This does not apply to me, how can you substitute people on Tv as for real life? I find myself watching TV when i am bored.
Media texts do not help me carry out social roles and does not connect me with my family or friends.

EnTerTainMent...
I dont watch TV to divert myself from my problems or to escape. I only watch it to create problems when my brother wants to watch TV and i intrude by changing the channel.
I watch TV to relax sometimes on the sofa and eat :D
Like mentioned before i would watch TV to pass time if i have nothing else to do.

2006-11-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

EffeCts ThEoRy... Media Manipulates The Audience
ThE FrAnkFuRt ScHoOl.. The Frabkfurt school was concerned with the impact of the rise of the media industires on society. Their arguement was that the rise of the culture industry, resulted in increased standardisation within society. So basically, a culture produced by the media with its own ideoligies and values which are being accpeted by the passive audiences.

ThE hyPoDeRMic NeEdle MoDel This model ownes much to the supoosed power of the mass media. In particluar film- to Inject the passive audience with ideologies. This was coonly seen in Nazi propangana fils such as Triuph of the will. So whatever is seen on Tv, the passive audience will not question and believe it.

Viloence in the Media... Effects theory is most often cited as eveidence of the dangers of violence in the media. 'Morral Morality' argue that all violent scences, sex and anything offensive should be censored as it may infleunce the audience to act in a similar way.
CulTivation Theory... According to this, while a single text does not have much effect, repeated exposure will make the audience less sensitive. Critics call it becoming DeSEnSitISed..

Two StEp FloW... Two Step Flow assumes a more active audience, who will discuss media texts with each other. If the text is discussed with someone we respect then people are more likely to accept it.
WHat DO i Think..? I think that this theory of people believing whatver saying in the meida is true to an extent. Since more and more people study media and are more media literate they know whats going on around them and are more likey to turn an blind eye towards it. However, young naive children are often infleunced by what they see in the media.

2006-11-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

WoMen AdVeRTs...

(ThiS adVeRt is Jokeee!) Anyways.. this advert promotes the idea of women being independant as they have their own car insurance comapany to rely on. Only women can be insured by them which shows that a partrichal society no longer exists. However, having the women singing and entertaining the audience can be seen as stereotypical as they are dressed in pin, wearing make up and dressed in provocative way.

2006-11-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

WoMen AdVeRts...

This loreal advert uses a well known, attractive celebrity to sell theire product. (celebrity endorsement)

This advert flaunts the idea of all women being attractive and having straight, healthy hair. It promotes the idea that all women shoukd be attrative like Beyonce. Her body is fetished, they have a long shot of her at the start fo the advert to have the focus on her body, her legs and what she is wearing. This allows her to be an object of the male gaze.

By havig particular adverts like this, it promotes certain ideologies into women;s mind, that they sould be a certain way, or look a certain way to be accepted in society.

2006-11-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

WoMen AdVeRTs..

Few seconds into the advert, the audience get the impression that the advert is aimed at men, as it has a women has been displayed in the first shot. We are forced to be constucted as a male audience. However, even though a women has been shown she is not shown in the stereotypical manner. She is rejected the stereotype of being in the kichen or doing any form of housework. Instead she seen riding a motor bike which is usually associated with strong, masculine men. The main purpose of the advert is there to advertise 'Herbal Essences' a shampoo for women. The audience of this advert would primarily be women, nevertheless the women is in the shower and then passes the shampoo to the man, which coukd possibly mean that the shampoo could be used by them.

2006-11-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

MarXiSm

Karl Marx argued that capiltalism based on the profit motive and that under capitalism, profits are generated by expliting workers.

Marx believed that capitalist society is divided into two two social classes

The working class, or proletariat, who sell their labour and do not own the means of production
The bourgeoisie, who own the means of production and employ the proletariat. The bourgeoisie may be further subdivided:
Wealthy bourgeoisie who dont need to work themselves
Petty bourgeoisie who emply other, but also work themselves.

Why i Am a Marxist?

The reason why i think i am a marxist is because i beleive in the capitalist society, as other people must work under more powerful people tom live their lives in society today. Someone has to be in charge in order for the society to remain civil or everything will be out of control and no rules or norms would be followed or obeyed. The rulling class have somewhat power over the media and control what people beleive in. However, its up to the public, shows how easily maipulated some audiences can be.

2006-11-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

PluRaLiSm

Pluralists view soicery as a sysytem of competing groups and interests, none of them predominant.

They beleive that audiences are percieved as capaable of manipulating then meda and having acess to what Halloran calls 'the plural values of soceity', enabling then to 'conform, accommodate or reject'.
The pluralist tradition starts from the opposite belief to the Marcists and rejects the concept of a mass culture.
The individual has the freedom to make choices about what texts to consume based on their perosnal preference.
Media is seen as a fouth estate - their role is to make sure that the public are kept informed about what is going on in the other estates - (church, goverment and legal system)
No hegomonic message

Why I am a Pluralist?
I agree with the fact that the media is seen as the fourth estate. It allows everyone to aware of what everyone else is up to. This allows the society to be safe however, it seen as invasion of the people's privacy. Its true, the audience is active, as everyone is being taught that individuality is important within a person. I would say that i am a bit of both since i agree with the marist theory that everything in the media is controlled by the bourgeoisie. Everything we do is controlled by people, we work for a reason to get somwhere in life. Everyone follows the same set of rules that are just expceted by powerful, authoratative people. They have the power and control to force particular ideoligies and values on the audiences. Therefore everyone is controlled by the rulling class.

2006-11-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

WhAt Do You ThInK OF My BloG...

Hey people :) Leave your comments here.. x

2006-11-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

GoOglE TaKEs OvEr ChAnNeL FouR In Ad ReVeNuE...

Google will make more money from UK advertising this year than Channel 4 according to Andy Duncan, the broadcaster's chief executive.

Mr Duncan told FT.com that Google UK's ad revenues for 2006 would be around £900m, overtaking Channel 4 for the first time. The broadcaster's ad revenue for the year will be around £800m, he added.

He made the eye-opening prediction while warning that current shifts in which media advertisers were putting their money into were structural, not cyclical.

"People need to wake up and realise that this is not just a cyclical issue. There is deep structural change taking place," Mr Duncan said.

"If we want to protect the fantastic legacy of UK broadcasting, we need to wake up to this sooner rather than later."

Comparing the shift of ad revenues from traditional to digital media to global warming, Mr Duncan said broadcasters could not afford to be "in denial" about the "fundamental change" to their industry.

My COmMents...
By google taking over the channel four revenue shows that google is a growing industry and will be soon taking over other companies. Its become big and more and more people aorund the world are starting to use it. Its a good sign for google. However, big companies like channel four are at an disadvantage as they are losing out on money.

2006-11-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

TV JuNk FoOd EsCaPe CrAckDoWn...

Campaigners say the failure to ban commercials before 9pm will harm the fight against obesity

Health campaigners claim new rules to be published restricting the advertising of junk food to children on television will be too weak to halt the soaring levels of obesity.

Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, is finalising a series of recommendations, which it will present to the government, on how to limit the number of adverts seen by children for products that contain unhealthy high levels of fat, salt and sugar.

But campaign groups such as the National Heart Forum, National Children's Bureau and food lobby group Sustain hit out yesterday at Ofcom's expected decision to reject widespread calls for all junk food commercials to be banned before the 9pm children's viewing 'watershed'.

'We are expecting a set of proposals that don't go far enough to tackle the crisis that we have in children's diet and reduce diet-related ill-health, such as obesity,' said Richard Watts of Sustain. 'We expect their advice to ministers to be disappointing and too weak to help play a part in solving these problems.'

Campaigners said implementing a ban on ads before 9pm, a move Ofcom has previously described as 'disproportionate', would be the single most meaningful route to help cut consumption of sweets, fast-food and fizzy drinks by the under-10s. Ofcom found that a ban would cost ITV, Channel 4 and Five about £100m a year in lost advertising and did not command widespread public support.

The regulator has already announced plans to stop celebrities being used to advertise junk food during shows that are likely to attract younger viewers, a move that would prevent ads showing Beyonce promoting Pepsi and Gary Lineker doing the same for Walkers Crisps for example.

The Food and Drink Federation, which represents food manufacturers, has proposed a series of voluntary restrictions in an attempt to head off more stringent action, including an end to cartoon characters, celebrities and movie characters, or collectable gifts such as small toys, being used in adverts aimed at children. Food and drink commercials would be cut back to 30 seconds an hour all day on specialist children's channels such as GMTV Kids, the FDF added.

Government sources say Ofcom's proposals are one element of a wider strategy to limit the promotion of junk food and that a new voluntary code of conduct covering packaging, billboards and in-store advertisements will soon be forthcoming to complement efforts across Whitehall to end the increase in childhood obesity.

My CoMmEnTs...
I believe that there is no reason for the off com to introduce this banning. Fast food has been on televison adverts for so many years. Children are aware of these foods existing. So even if you advertise them or not.. they still will crave for burgers, chips and other fatty foods that arent good for them. Maybe it will stop encouraging them to eat them but iniatially its the parents who purchase the food for them and not them. ITs up to the parents and not the advertisers.

2006-10-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

JournaLists DeaTh RaTe Highest EvEr in 2006

This year is the deadliest on record for journalists and media workers, with 75 deaths to date, the World Association of Newspapers said today.

This was already three more than the 72 journalists killed during the whold of 2004, WAN said.

Journalists continue to be targeted and murdered in Iraq, with 26 dying in the conflict there.

"Journalists in Iraq are not only facing the danger that comes with working in a war zone, they are being hunted down and assassinated simply because they are suspected of cooperating with western news agencies, because of their religious or political affiliation, or because their murderers believe that killing journalists will advance their aims," said the WAN chief executive, Timothy Balding.

"Journalism today is more dangerous than ever," he said. "More than 500 journalists have been killed in the past decade, often for simply doing their jobs.

"These murders are a direct attack not only on individuals, but also on society as a whole. Yet few of the killers are ever brought to justice."

Eight journalists died in the Philippines - where criminal gangs and corrupt politicians target investigative journalists without fear of prosecution - while six died in Guyana.

Paris-based WAN, the global newspaper industry organisation, began keeping records of journalist murders in 1997 and bases figures on all media workers killed in the line of duty or targeted because of their work.

MY CoMmEnTs... If the number of Journalists been killed is increasing.. i dnt understand why the news company send them out their in the first place. Having a live cam linked to the place would be easier than to have a actual person standing there and reporting back. They are becoming targets and countries like Iraq are making examples of these innocent people. The big news companies such as Sky news need to consider whether they should send their reporters there. Journalism is becoming dangerous.

2006-10-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

LiNks To MeDia InStiStuTioNS..

http://harveen-media.blogspot.com/

I researched deeply into Disney and i found out by looking at Harveen's blog that the instistution she focused on, Sky, was some how linked to Disney. Sky caters to many different people around the world. It has over 400 channels and Disney channel is one of them. SKy broadcasts four disney channels. Disney Channel it self, Disney Channel+1 and Disney Cinemagic. These channels are for all the disney fans. IT shows, cartoons, family sitcoms and films for everyone at 7pm.

http://dinni001.blogspot.com/
I took a look at Dinni's blog and linked my institution to the one she did. Dinni researched on Dreamworks. Dreamsworks is a somewhat competition to Disney as they produced Shrek in 2002.Disney is well knownm for their animations and when Dreamwords produced this it was a big outcome as it was a guhe sucess. It started in 2000 when dreamwords created a new business division Dreamworks Animation that will regurarly produce both types of animationfeature films. The traditionally animated feature films were produced by the division's Southern California branch. DreamWorks SKG acquired majority interest (90%) in PDI, reforming it into PDI/DreamWorks, the Northern California branch of its new business division

2006-10-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

GloBaLiSaTiOn...

MeDia Organations aree growing rapidly and are able to reach more and more people around the world. This means that they can reach people internationally then just nationally like they could before. Advanced telecommunications are expanding the market which allows them to merge into global culture and new media and genres are developing as part of this global culture.

New Technologies are brought out into the market which allows people to interact and communicate with people more efficently. For exaple text messenging, e-mailing and telephone. These new media is reshaping people's lives and their expectations.

As the technology continues to evolve and media organisations continie to converage, we are moving towards environment in which all our meua will be accessed via a single device, creating new froms of interactions.

Our cultural perceptions are primarily constucted by the medua, So we receive the values and ideolgies they establish. This is called Cultural Homogenisation.

Critics Argue that the current Us media domination amounts cultural imperialism because it forces Us culture on the audience. This can be seen damaging as not everything in the media is true. It all depends on how an individual peceives it.

Marshall Mcluhan, a media critic stated in the 60's that the world had become a global village. Other crtitics argue that the medias reflect and create the social and cultural world we live in because media prducers construct our views of all these global events and therefore construct our values and ideologies. Media is now an essential part of many people's everyday life.

2006-10-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

A TV STAR IS BORN. BUT NOT EVERYBODY IS HAPPY...

The first televised natural birth is to be screened live next weekend from a British hospital, prompting concerns about patient safety as reality TV moves into medically uncharted territory.

A group of expectant mothers have agreed with Endemol, the makers of Big Brother, to be filmed giving birth naturally, without pain relief. The programme will be shown next Sunday evening on Channel 5 in a two-hour special that the makers say 'celebrates the miracle of childbirth'. It will be extended until midnight if the woman giving birth spends a long time in labour.

But staff within the hospital, as well as the Royal College of Midwives, have raised objections, warning that having a TV crew there for a live 'performance' makes the birth inherently less safe and will raise the mother's own stress levels, affecting the baby. It is understood that the college is considering launching a formal complaint about the programme. However, the broadcasting watchdog, Ofcom, says it cannot act until after the programme has been transmitted.

The show will raise fresh concerns about how far broadcasters are willing to go to capture large audiences via the drama and excitement of live events. Medical stories, particularly those involving surgery, have proved popular in recent years but some have caused outrage, with critics calling them voyeuristic and ghoulish.

The programme will also feature other items, including the latest techniques for saving babies while they are still in the womb. It will also feature actress Meera Syal and model Nancy Sorrell, who is married to comedian Vic Reeves - both women have recently had children - and will be hosted by the sports presenter Gabby Logan, who gave birth to twins over a year ago. 'I'm thrilled to be presenting the show,' she said. 'I had the most amazing experience when I gave birth to my twins.... That was an emotional roller-coaster and I imagine that's a little what this programme is going to be like.'

Some parent groups were also unhappy about the move. Belinda Phipps, chair of the National Childbirth Trust, said: 'There is absolutely no need to film this live, other than pushing up the TV ratings of course. The one thing you don't want when you're in labour is someone there with a camera and lights. And what on earth are they going to do if there is any kind of complication?

Executive producer Elaine Hackett said: 'We don't know yet if there will be someone who starts going into labour next Sunday evening, but we hope to be able to show the joys of natural childbirth. We will film as much as possible and we will certainly show the mother and her baby coming out of her. Our teams are very experienced and they know if there was the slightest problem, they would stop filming immediately.

My CoMmenTs...
I think that there is no need to film a live child birth. Children and Adults are aware of how a child is conceived. So what is the actual need of this programme. I believe that they are only doing this to boost up their ratings and dont really care about the child. There can be complications as they said..

2006-09-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

W a l t D i s n e y

Since its founding in 1923, The Walt Disney Company has remained faithful in its commitment to producing unparalleled entertainment experiences based on its rich legacy of quality creative content and exceptional storytelling. Today, Disney is divided into four major business segments: Studio Entertainment Parks and Resorts, Consumer Products, and Media Networks. Each segment consists of integrated, well-connected businesses that operate in concert to maximize exposure and growth worldwide

'One of the greatest dreamers of our time was Walt Disney. Did you know he created the first sound cartoon, the first all-color cartoon, and the first animated feature length motion picture? Not only was he not afraid to dream, he was not afraid to walk those dreams into reality

Born December 5, 1901
Chicago, Illinoia, USA

Died D ecember 15, 1966
Los Angeles, California, USA

As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Walt became one of the most well-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately US $30 billion.

Walt Disney is particularly noted for being a successful storyteller, a hands-on film producer, and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. His brother Roy helped him tremendously with his work.

The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. Founded on October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as a small animation studio, today it is one of the largest Hollywood studios and also owns eleven theme parks and two water parks and several television networks, including the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).

Disney's corporate headquarters and primary production facilities are located at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California,

USA

. The company is a part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It had revenues of $31.9 billion in 2005.

DiSNeY ChAnNeL

The channel's first programming day began on April 18, 1983 at 7:00 a.m. Eastern, with an episode of Good Morning, Mickey!, which featured classic Disney short cartoons. Early programs shown on the network included Good Morning, Mickey!, Donald Duck Presents, Contraption, Dumbo's Circus, You and Me Kid and Welcome to Pooh Corner. The late night had The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and other programming. Disney also published a complementary magazine, The Disney Channel Magazine, which featured program information. The Disney Channel programmed from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. (18 hours) from its inception until December 1986, at which time it began 24 hour a day programming.

DisNey AnD PiXaR CoLLaBoRaTiOns...
Disney and Pixar's first major collaboration, 1995's "Toy Story," earned $192 million, just at the U.S. box office, and led to a sequel that earned nearly a quarter of a billion dollars.

Walt Disney has announced that it is buying Pixar, the animated studio led by Apple head Steve Jobs, in a deal worth $7.4 billion.
Disney and Pixar can now collaborate without the barriers that come from two different companies with two different sets of shareholders," said Jobs in a statement. "Now, everyone can focus on what is most important, creating innovative stories, characters and films that delight millions of people around the world

2006-09-21T03:53:00.000-07:00

Pope 'deeply sorry' for hurt

Italian police were ordered this week to tighten security at potential Catholic targets across the country as the leaders of the Roman Catholic church anxiously waited to see if a personal expression of regret by Pope Benedict would assuage Muslim fury over his remarks on Islam.
The Pope's speech in Germany last week, in which he quoted a medieval ruler who said the Prophet Muhammad's innovations were "evil and inhuman", has led to widespread condemnation in the Muslim world. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the Pope of committing the world's biggest Christian church to what he claimed was a "crusade" launched by President George Bush against Islam.

The response by Iran's supreme leader represented a setback to more than 25 years of Vatican diplomacy aimed at distancing Roman Catholicism from the West, which many Muslims regard as hostile and decadent. The ayatollah said the Pope's remarks formed "the latest link in the chain of a crusade against Islam started by America's Bush/

My CoMmEnTs...
I peronally think that the Pope was out of order and shouldnt have said such things abit Islam in a negative way. He obtains authority and power and should know better not to pass comments as such as he has a religious status himself.