History of Electronic Media Essay Example for Free

History of Electronic Media Essay The history of providing information has been shaped by innovations and innovators. This paper attempts to chronicle the different factors and events that led to the media landscape of today. 1) Congress and the FCC began deregulating broadcast and cable television in the late 1970s. Describe the ideologies which motivated these deregulations. What changes in the television industry occurred as a result of these deregulations? Include two of the following in your discussion: Financial Interest and Syndication Rules, Telecommunications Act of 1996, media ownership debates in the 2000s and intellectual property regulations in the 2000s. The Financial and Syndication Rules, or more popularly known as Fib-Syn, were implemented by the Federal Communications Commission in 1970 with the objective of increasing programming diversity thus breaking the monopoly of the three major TV networks in the United States: CBS, ABC and NBC. Its rationale was to democratize UHF airwaves making it easier for independent television producers to penetrate the television market. The rules primarily targeted two areas to disempower the big networks: freeing television programs from the ownership of the networks after its first run and the introduction of in-house syndication arms in the major networks. The idea was to discourage the networks monopoly on tv programs and restricting the networks part in syndication. These steps would substantially reduce production incentive and lead to the separation of production and distribution practices in the big networks. The FCC justified the implementation of Fin-Syn as beneficial for independent television producers since it gave them the larger part of production profits and allowing them a foothold in the business of syndication. The democratization of syndication would lead to a wider distribution of shows and prevented the networks from its exclusive use in their affiliated stations. Supporters of the rule envisioned a television industry where innovative and   much more diverse programs would be available to the viewers ( McAllister , www.museum.tv). The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was promulgated by the FCC to address issues regarding the rapid development of telecommunication technologies in the United States. It contained new rules and regulations regarding TV, Radio, Cable, Telephone and Internet services. President Clinton, when he signed it into legislation, proclaimed that the act would â€Å"stimulate investment, promote competition, provide open access for all citizens to the Information Superhighway† (Clinton, White House press release 1996). Upon closer inspection, the Telecommunication Act of 1996 was the final step in disassembling the provisions of Fin-Syn Rule. The act loosened rules on media ownership in traditional media forms such as TV and radio, thus empowering them to compete with emerging media technologies such as cable and the Internet allowing for the development of new and innovative services. However, the implementation of both the Financial and Syndication Rules of the FCC and the telecommunications Act of 1996 met harsh criticisms once they were fully implemented. The introduction of Fin-Syn bred more problems than solutions. Most critics pointed out that instead of empowering independent TV producers, it just shifted the competition from one Goliath to another. Instead of   competing with the big networks, the independent TV producers where now pitted against large production organization such as Disney/ABC and   Warner. In the end, it was these larger TV production companies that benefited financially from producing television shows with independent companies opting to produce cheaper productions such as talk shows and game shows. Thus, it produced more conventional shows rather than innovating the television industry. Eventually, television groups especially television distributors called for a change in the implementation of Fin-Syn which eventually led to FCC totally removing the rule in 1995. Studies showed that although there were periods of diversity on TV programs from 1970s to the 1990s, the general conclusion was that there was no significant changes in the programs in the implementation of the FCC rule (Einstein, p. 5). With the disappearance of the rule, productions and distribution companies started to merge especially in the big three networks. This culminated in the emergence of FOX Network and its merger with Paramount and Warner Bros., a step followed by Disney when they bought and merged with ABC Network. The deregulation that resulted from the implementation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act fueled much debate on media ownership and responsibility. Questions arose on whether the the Act did deliver its promise of innovative media services from increased competition and serve the public interest with increased diversity in media programs and information. Critics cite that the only ones who benefited from the Act were media moguls who were able to merge with other media corporations and in essence creating media monopolies that could have the power to control information. William Melody reveals that media entrepreneurs will always look for profit and economic efficiency leading to media monopolies which threaten freedom of speech (Melody, p. 32). Concerned groups have also reasoned that public interest have always been the core value of media regulation and not profit, and to diminish government control on ownership would mean violating public inters. Deregulating media ownership can only lead to a monopoly of information resulting in less diversity, Neumann noted that the creation of media conglomerates have led to the mass media having similar â€Å"content and world-view† (Neumann, p.130). On the other hand, those who were in favor of the Act identified it as a much needed move in revolutionizing media. By allowing media corporations to merge, it has led to a more comprehensive and cohesive delivery of information. Supporters also point out that instead of eliminating diversity, viewers have had much more program options with th emergence of 24 hours news channels such as CNN and FOX News and specialized channels such as Discovery and History (Compaine, www.reason.com). In fact, Adam Thierer revealed that instead of the lack of diversity of programs, audiences are actually experiencing â€Å"information overload† due to explosion of media options. He pointed out that todays media environment is â€Å"diverse and characterized by information abundance† (Thierer, p.2). The issue, as FCC concluded in revising the Telecommunication Act, â€Å"was whether media companies will be able to dominate the distribution of news and information in any market, but whet her they will be able to be heard at all among the cacophony of voices vying for the attention of the Americans (FCC proceedings, p.149) 2) The three broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC did not face a broadcast network competitor until Fox emerged in the 1980s and the WB, UPN and Univision grew in the 1990s. Why did these networks emerge when they did? What regulatory changes aided their growth? How did they differ from the other networks in terms of their relationships with their affiliates? What audiences did they target and what types of programs did they use to do so? How did they change as they grew? You may choose one or more network(s) to illustrate your points. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the big three networks dominated the American airwaves. Independent and local television networks would occasionally penetrate the national airwaves but most of these did not survive due to financial constraints. It was in 1986 however that the first rival to the big three emerged with the establishment of   FOX Network.It started out dabbling in TV business by producing and distributing shows for the three big networks. In 1985, Rupert Murdoch bought 50% shares in the 20th Century Fox   movie and television studios. When Murdoch finally achieved full ownership of the studios, he proceeded to buy television stations owned by Metromedia which gave Murdoch a foothold in the major U.S. cities such as New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and Chicago (www.teletronic.co.uk). This move would spur Murdoch to create a â€Å"fourth network†. In a brilliant move, the new Fox network labeled their new venture as a â€Å"satellite-delivered programming service†(www.teletronic.co.uk). This enabled Murdoch, who was not a citizen, to bypass FCC rules such as foreign-ownership and the definition of FCC of a â€Å"network† as â€Å"airing more than 20 hours of programming per week†. These enabled Fox to operate unhindered by the FCC rules on networks, thus being able to still distribute its TV productions to other networks but only airing 2 hours of primetime shows as opposed to the 3 hours of the big Networks. When it was launched in October 1986, almost 96 stations were connected to Fox enabling it to reach 80% of American audiences. Before making it big, Fox had to start from scratch in expanding its audience share. The network first major release was the â€Å"Late Show† with Joan Rivers. They hoped to capture the 11:30pm late-night slot and targeting young audiences. This strategy however failed as ratings fell with viewers switching back to their previous stations. Despite these failures, Fox continued to lure the younger to middle -aged viewers with shows such as â€Å"Tracy Ulman† which won the station its first Emmy, â€Å"Marriedwith   Children† which would be its first biggest hit and â€Å"21 Jump Street† which was its first drama. These shows were some of the first forays of the network into the Sunday prime-time slot. Although they were received lukewarmly at first, these shows would gain momentum in the coming years. The success of Fox would lead to FCC relaxing the Fin-Syn rule and redefining their concept of â€Å"network†, which would finally result in the elim ination of the Fin-Syn Rule in 1995. (www.museum.tv) The success of its first primetime shows would lead to Fox introducing documentary-style shows such as â€Å"Americas Most Wanted† and â€Å"Cops†. But their biggest success would come in when Fox reintroduced animation to the primetime slot with â€Å"The Simpsons†. The animated show would penetrate the top 30 primetime ratings and would then become the longest running comedy show on television (www.teletronic.co.uk). Soon, Fox found its niche by veering away from conventional shows, like game shows and   talk shows, by introducing reality-based shows and shows that targeted the young viewers. Fox owner Rupert Murdoch would change the media landscape when it snatched exclusive rights to air the National Football League in 1993 (Kimmel, p.162). This move would cement Foxs role in the ratings game. As of today, Foxs main draw is its reality-based shows such as American Idol that have dominated airwaves since its release in 2002, capturing much of the 18-49 viewer demographic (tvbythenumbers.com). With success comes controversy. Such was the case of the Fox news network as critics accused it of being biased towards the U.S. Republican Party (Greenwald, p.4). Despite these, Fox shows and its affiliated cable channels still rake in much of the ratings with Fox News attracting 2.4 million viewers in the first quarter of 2009 (Gold, www.latimesblogs.latimes.com)

The Dungeon :: essays research papers

When the game starts, you will be caged and tortured by â€Å"The Master†. After the short intro sequence, Imoen will enter the room. She broke out of her cage and has come to free you. At this point, you need to try to escape this dungeon. Alone the way, the story unfolds... (1) In the room with the Cages, Speak with Minsc. You will want to insult him and his Hamster friend a few times. He will become so mad that he will break himself out of his cage. After he has done this, you need to sooth him by being friendly (no more insults). If you are mean to him after he frees himself, he may not join your group. You can try to free Jaheira from her cage, but the door is locked solid. Do not try to anger her. She will not find any hidden strength to break herself out. Instead she will â€Å"snob† you and not join the group. In fact, do not even make hints about leaving her behind. (2) You will need to find a key to get Jaheira out of her cage. Locate the Jailkeep Golem in the room near the cell that you were in . In the chest in this room you will find armor for your guys (or girls) to wear. Behind the picture in the room, you will find a dagger+1 and some health potions. You will need to have Imoen disarm the trap and pick the lock on the picture. On the table in the center of this room you will find some weapons for your guys and the key to Jaheira’s cage. (3) Once you have your group free, enter the hallway to the south of your old cage. You will find a room with a lightning machine that is producing lightning Mephits. On the side of the room you will find a shutoff switch. Shutdown the lightning machine and then continue ahead. (4) You will come to a room with large scattered around. In the center of this room, Aataquh the Djinni will be waiting to meet you. He will want to ask you a question. You can refuse to answer it, but there is no fun in that. If you answer â€Å"I would push the button†, then Aataquh will summon an ogre mage to fight you, and you will gain a positive (good) appearance to your group. If you select â€Å"I would not push it†, you will fight a goblin and gain a negative (evil) appearance to your group.

No Cheating

When taking an exam it shows how much you have or have not improved during a semester. When people have worked so hard to and studied so hard on an exam they should get the grade that they deserve . So when someone else has the same answers as the on who have been doing what they need to do to the one who lacks in their work red lights should be going off. When someone cheats off another that person should get disciplined. It would not be fair to keep those in school that cheat they would need to be expelled from college. Any student caught cheating on an exam or paper should be dismissed from the college.In today’s generation some students want to get better grades without doing any work. Better grades could possibly mean better jobs and eventually more money. Student these days are cheating more than ever and that’s because getting a good education is basically a matter of economic life or death. Even some students with straight A’s cheat because they do not ha ve the time to do the work carefully. That's right, some students are just plain lazy and rather than study and work hard, they find it easier to cheat. These types of students do not want to read the chapters required for a test or they do not feel like typing a ten-page paper.Lazy students do not want to take the time to study and actually learn. They would rather sail through college on somebody else’s dime. Another reason students cheat is because of the pressure to succeed. Transitioning from high school to college is hard. The workload is overwhelming and more difficult, and some students often feel helpless and are afraid they will not do well. In college, the pressure to do well is even higher than in high school. It’s even harder for the nontraditional students to start back school when not being in school for so long to get it

Racism The Help By Kathryn Stockett - 1302 Words

Racism, a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race (â€Å"Racism†). Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred. Throughout history, mankind has treated others with contempt and committed atrocities upon them just because of the color of their skin or the culture which they come from. The 2011 American drama film, The Help, adapted from Kathryn Stockett’s novel, exposes how African Americans were faced with racism in their work for white families. Built on the intricacies of the characters, the superiority of race, atrocities performed, angles the camera captures, and setting, the movie The Help illustrates and displays a theme of racism. First of all, the movie The Help tells a story of African American maids working in white southern homes in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. The maids work with a 22 year old white woman, Skeeter Phelan, a returning college student with dreams of being a writer, to create a book portraying their lives. Skeeter interviews African American women who have spent the majority of their lives taking care of prominent white families. Aibileen Clark is one such servant, who works for Skeeters friend, Mrs. Leefolt. Skeeter begins by asking Aibileen questions about cleaning for her newspaper column on household cleaning. However, once Skeeter receives news about her absent elderly servant whoShow MoreRelatedThe Help : A Timeless Timepiece1473 Words   |  6 Pages The Help: a Timeless Timepiece The Help by Kathryn Stockett is one of the most marvelous novels capturing the zeitgeist of the 1960’s written in recent times: being published February 10, 2009. 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They burn up her car cause she went down to the voting station.’† (Stockett 120) During the 1960’s racism and violence is prominent in southern states due to the Jim Crow laws. In the novel, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, it depicts what life was like Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960’s. The novel is told through a group of maids telling their stories to a young writer, Skeeter Phelan. TheseRead MoreSummary Of The Help 1012 Words   |  5 Pages09/15/2015 ENG142 â€Å"The Help† Annotated Bibliography Tiffin University Pulg, Claudia. â€Å"‘The Help’: It’s Fine Work All Around.† USA Today. Web. 9 Aug (2011) . In her review, Claudia was basically focused on how the movie was based on racism and that in this time in the 1960’s that the movie would not be a great movie to see. 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The story is mainly about a black woman Aibileen whose main job is to take care of children as well as to handle household duties. Along the way they meet a woman Skeeters whose lifelong dream is to become a writer however the only job she can find, is with the Jackson Journal writing a housekeeping advice column which