Michael Jackson, you will be missed ... by some

Let me start by saying that today’s class was very interesting, mostly because the first hour was filled with suspense and confusion as to whether or not Michael Jackson was indeed, dead. Eventually, after stalking the CNN news updates by the minute, the wonderful Internet was able to answer all of our questions. Michael Jackson has in fact died of a heart attack at the age of 50. Click here to read the article on CNN. Personally, I am un-phased by his death. I acknowledge the accomplishments Michael made as a pioneer for pop music, which is clearly undeniable. He was a brilliant innovator in his own time and will forever be remember for his signature crotch-grabbing, high-pitched voice, and of course, the moonwalk (no one does it better). While reading more about MJ online (I wanted to know about his personal life, not just his music career), I came across this website: http://www.mj-covers.com/. Believe it or not, this website is dedicated to recording down every magazine cover MJ has ever been on (including when he was a member of the Jackson 5). I personally find that to be a little excessive, and definitely creepy, but at the same time I am not the least bit surprised. Michael, and celebrities in general, usually have a way of becoming pivotal aspects of fans’ lives. Some become incredibly obsessed, to the point where it would be considered unhealthy. So while I personally feel the way I feel, I understand how crazy people can get over celebrities (look at the way people reacted to the Beatles; women would faint when they saw them). Do not get me wrong; I am not HAPPY in any way that Michael died. I do not believe that anyone deserves to die young; I just think people are blowing this out of proportion. Acknowledging his death and honoring his contributions to music is one thing, but acting like his death is a national tragedy takes it too far for me.

Public Relations? Scary? Yeah right.

I thought this class’s paper was very interesting and caught myself enjoying writing it. It gave me a chance to write about something I love (sports, and more specifically, the New York Jets), and a career I have always had an interest in (public relations). I had seen press releases before on ESPN.com and other random websites but I did not know anything about them other than that they relayed the information to me. I did not understand that there is a system that goes into creating press releases, and a format that is generally followed. Simply out of curiosity, I strayed slightly from the assignment while writing my paper and researched numerous aspects of press releases and public relations managers.

It has always been a dream of mine to work in the public relations and/or marketing firm for a major NFL sports team (preferably the Jets). Aside from the fact that football has always been a passion of mine, and I am being completely honest, a major reason why I would like to become incorporated into the NFL more than any other professional sport is because they have the largest salary cap, thus, increasing my chances of making more money. But seriously, another dream of mine is to possibly become a sports agent for top stars in the NFL, which would force me to delve into the world of public relations, as I would need to market my clients.

But like I said, this is not a scary prospect for me, as it might be to some people. In fact, I think being in that field is not just hard, but very difficult, because you are either really good at what you do or really terrible at it. There is a very fine line, with little room for in between, unless one can settle for only being “ok.”

Advertisements are a spell. And no one can break it

Having not had class on Thursday, and not being able to discuss this assignment with the class, I was unsure of what talk about in my blog. Then I began thinking about how I decide what clothes I consistently buy and how I come to that decision. My first thought was simply, “I buy the clothes I want.” But that raises another question, how do I know and decide what clothes I want? Although I may not realize it or it may not be blatantly obvious, I am, along with 99 percent of the US population, subliminal influenced by advertisers. I like to think of myself as independent, and tend not to care what other people think about me. I do not have a definitive answer as to why I buy the clothes I do. In some cases, it is easier to figure out. For instance, I know exactly why I bought my favorite Jets hat: I am a diehard New York Jets fan. I know that has nothing to do with them being the most popular or the best, because in both cases they are not. When talking about clothing items such as t-shirts and jeans, the reasoning behind the purchase becomes a little more difficult to figure out. I know I like Hollister and Abercrombie because of their style, but it also runs deeper than that (believe it or not, the quality of their clothing, and more specifically Abercrombie’s, is exceptional and their clothes last me years). But again, all of this can come full circle and lead us back to the question of whether or not I am being influenced subconsciously. Does there HAVE to be a reason I like their clothing other than that I just simply like it, or is that never the case with anybody. I suspect this question can be discussed for hours, and without ever finding an answer. My belief is that advertising influences everyone, including myself, whether they are aware of it or not. If that is not the case, why would companies still spend millions of dollars to advertise?

One man's journey around the world

Being completely honest, when it comes to most things regarding newspapers, I am not afraid to say that I am extremely ignorant. I have the most basic understanding of newspapers that one person could have. That is, until Robert Montemayor entered into my life via our Media Systems class. While he did not talk specifically about what happens behind the scenes that makes the paper function, he provided amazing insight into the life of a write, although I have a feeling not everyone’s journey is as adventurous. It was captivating to listen to Montemayor’s account of leaving his hometown in Texas to start his new job in the big city. I was amazed at how many different places he has travelled to: Australia, Europe, South America, and many more that I am not giving him credit for. I also began to think how fortunate Montemayor is for being able to say he has had all of those experiences in all of those different countries. Because to the best of my knowledge (keep in mind I already admitted to my ignorance on the subject, so this statement may be wrong), but most writers do not get the privilege to travel to even one of the many countries Montemayor has visited. While I never considering entering into the field of writing or journalism, Montemayor’s stories have definitely grabbed my attention and allowed myself to consider the possibilities. Even though I am majoring in sports management, there is no reason why I cannot double major and try to start a career in sports journalism or sports writing. Being that SportsCenter is my favorite show, I have long dreamed of being an NFL analyst that writes articles and blogs on a daily basis. Montemayor helped me to realize that this dream is not unrealistic and may in fact be easier than I initially thought.

Video didn't kill the radio star ...

Moving to the other side of the spectrum from last week, this paper, as well as this blog, have been and are currently giving me the most problems thus far. First, I was not completely confident I knew exactly what the assignment was asking (which was proven correct when I received my first score lower than a 50). That was a huge disappointment, but it also a bit of a reality check. I had not covered all of the aspects of the assignment requested and received a lower score because of it, that is how it works. Now came the part of thinking about what to write for my blog. I listened to all of the other students’ presentations, but I was unable to find any fact or aspect of the other radio stations that I felt I could successfully delve into and construct, at the very least, a decent and intellectual blog about. Normally I would discuss bits and pieces of the documentary, but unfortunately, the sub (along with the rest of the class) was not able to get it to turn on. All of this left me considering what to write about.

Today while at work (I am a lifeguard, and work nine and a half hour days, so I have a lot of time on my hands to think) I thought about how with all of the technological advances of our time, such as HDTV and iPods, how is radio still able to survive, especially with technological advances in that field like XM and Sirius? How are FM and AM stations managing to stay afloat? The answer lays with the listeners, the devoted and loyal listeners, who day in and day out listen to their favorite radio stations. I thought deeper into this and asked myself, “When do I really have time, every day, to listen to the radio?” The answer: in the car.

In my opinion, that is when the most radio listening is done. People drive almost everywhere, and some people have to commute long distances just to get to and from work every day. This is their chance to, every day, listen to the radio (the same station if they have a favorite) and keep the radio industry alive. With so many stations to choose from that play all different types of music, report the weather and traffic, broadcast sports games, or have debates about politics, people never run out of options to listen to. My guess is that as long as cars have radios in them, even with car-iPod adapters and CDs slowly taking over, radio will remain alive and thriving and a large part of American culture

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/technology/23digi.html

A Different Kind of War in the Middle East

Of the 4 papers we have written so far this year, this paper appealed the most to me. It gave me a chance to write about my favorite television program (SportsCenter) on my favorite television network (ESPN). I feel like I did really well on this paper, as everything I wrote came naturally and flowed seamlessly, creating what I feel is my best paper thus far. The group discussion activity we did in class I found interesting. It gave me new and deeper insight into the multiple topics we discussed. I particularly liked my group’s topic on how cable poses a threat to broadcasting. I was unaware of all of the ways that cable was negatively affecting modern broadcasting and the changes it is forcing the agencies to make. What I found most intriguing about today’s class, however, was the documentary we watched. The Control Room was all about the media overseas, documenting and reporting on the US’s current war situation. What I did not know was the battle that is going on between foreign media agencies and US media agencies. The documentary made it clear to me the ways in which the media can twist and manipulate what is actually going on. One of the techniques they use is called sensationalism. Sensationalism is when someone or something is being controversial or very over the top. It is more commonly associated with adding emphasis on things that normally would not be emphasized; something the media loves to do. It is not even so much the exaggeration or sensationalism that has the biggest effect on me; it’s the way the Al Jazeera (a news network in the Middle East) is depicting the war from their side of things. They edit and cut clips of the war to portray them in ways that are inconsistent with the reality of the situation. I think this false interpretation is a large reason why the war is still raging on and why so many people living in the war countries despise America as much as they do.

Lee Harvey Oswald, the media thanks you

From the moment class ended on Thursday, I knew what I wanted to talk about in my blog. At first, I was going to touch on the different broadcasting companies that my classmates talked about but realized I might not be able to get three hundred words from that so I began thinking of something else to write about (I’m kidding, well, sort of). All of that seemed like an interesting topic to discuss until we began watching the documentary, "JFK: Breaking the News," on the assassination of President Kennedy. I had already seen videos similar to this one, and in fact, had written a paper my freshman year of high school on this assassination that I unfortunately do not still have. I did not think I would find the documentary interested, but found myself to be proved wrong by the end of class.

This documentary allowed me to focus on different aspects of the assassination that my paper freshman year had not: the media side of the story. Following the reporters around all day and getting an inside, first-hand look at everything that happens behind the scenes really made it easy for me to grasp the chaos and pandemonium from that historic day. What it also did was make it easy for me to see how far the world of media has come. It went from having unorganized flocks of reporters in the holding room of the police station with the key witness to a president’s murder, to orderly (for the most part) questioning with rules and restrictions to access of certain areas.

Unofficially, President Kennedy’s assassination was the first day in this country’s history when television played a monumental role in our society. Today, life would be drastically different if it were not for that beloved box that everyone (or almost everyone) has in his or her home. Television is the portal that connects everyday people to the events happening all around our cities, states, countries, and even the world.