Government regulation and intervention impacted the radio industry by requiring licensed stations, controlling the content of the airwaves for military use and forms of gatekeeping.
Government regulation and intervention in the radio industry function to control its content. Licensing stations was necessary for helping ensure that frequencies would not cross but also made it more difficult for local stations to maintain their status. The Navy during WWI wanted the government to control the radio so that it could be used for military purposes and not be under foreign control. Gatekeeping comes into play as content is monitored to an extent. There is censorship with public radio which raises the issue of freedom of speech. Because of government interaction there is little diversity within radio except for differing genres of music or talk shows.
Radio in the 1920s was affected by government regulation and intervention as exemplified by the Radio Act of 1927. This was important for creating the FRC and structuring broadcasting, especially at night. This was also an important time for the government to step in when AT&T appeared to be monopolizing radio. The government intervened to keep radio regulated and not allow for any one company to dominate the airwaves.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Blog Assignment #2: Cultivation Theory
Cultivation theory helps in my understanding of how damaging ads, like Victoria's secret, can be to young women. Beautiful women in lingerie are seen everywhere in the media which can give girls who do not look like that insecurity.
Cultivation theory suggests that media exposure over time leads to a distortion in the perception of reality by its viewers. Through active engagement with media, like watching television or playing video games, there is the chance that pervasive, and not necessarily true, scenarios/images will become accepted as common. This would explain the concern around children playing violent video games and stereotypical behavior, for example by minorities, accepted as normal. The standards of beauty revolve around what is shown in advertising, where women who make up only a small percentage of the average body types are held as models.
One word to describe the Victoria's Secret ads and stores is "sexy." With my experience of their commercials they show women who are thin, yet curvy, that push out their chests and pose in lacy bras and panties. I do not dislike Victoria's Secret, but I can relate to other girls that have seen the commercials, tried on their clothes and seen to our dismay that we look nothing like the models. Their commercials are glamourous and flashy and they portray the models as literal angels sometimes. This to a young girl may be intimidating because it gives the impression that looking like Heidi Klum or Tyra Banks is what is attractive to men. At first, the commercials seemed too exposing when I first saw them but now they are not such a big deal. Cultivation theory supports why Victoria's Secret ads make girls want to look like and be their models after getting over the initial shock of their lack of modesty.
Cultivation theory shows how influential a brand like Victoria's Secret can be. By watching their commercials for years as a young girl, it makes sense why so many teenage girls feel the need to lose weight or get breast implants to try and conform to their seductive look.
Cultivation theory suggests that media exposure over time leads to a distortion in the perception of reality by its viewers. Through active engagement with media, like watching television or playing video games, there is the chance that pervasive, and not necessarily true, scenarios/images will become accepted as common. This would explain the concern around children playing violent video games and stereotypical behavior, for example by minorities, accepted as normal. The standards of beauty revolve around what is shown in advertising, where women who make up only a small percentage of the average body types are held as models.
Source: Google images "Victoria's Secret"
One word to describe the Victoria's Secret ads and stores is "sexy." With my experience of their commercials they show women who are thin, yet curvy, that push out their chests and pose in lacy bras and panties. I do not dislike Victoria's Secret, but I can relate to other girls that have seen the commercials, tried on their clothes and seen to our dismay that we look nothing like the models. Their commercials are glamourous and flashy and they portray the models as literal angels sometimes. This to a young girl may be intimidating because it gives the impression that looking like Heidi Klum or Tyra Banks is what is attractive to men. At first, the commercials seemed too exposing when I first saw them but now they are not such a big deal. Cultivation theory supports why Victoria's Secret ads make girls want to look like and be their models after getting over the initial shock of their lack of modesty.
Cultivation theory shows how influential a brand like Victoria's Secret can be. By watching their commercials for years as a young girl, it makes sense why so many teenage girls feel the need to lose weight or get breast implants to try and conform to their seductive look.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Media Framing: Pop star gone crazy
Source of photo:
Erupting images of disgrace and scandal, media framing easily takes the cake for getting away with unceasing bias. Framing is something that I have encountered an innumerable amount of times, and it is something I have thought about before I took this class. Framing seems to be used primarily for dismantling celebrity and political reputations: this is more prominent in media in terms of what is popular and what stays buzzing on the internet and in the news. Brittany Spears is a fitting representation of how a celebrity can be framed in a negative light through the use of images and gossip.
Framing is a routine practice used by different media sources to influence and skew the opinions of the public. As a result of attempts to maintain hegemony, according to Professor Straubhaar, it is used along with gate-keeping and agenda setting to keep the ideologies of society more consistent. Whether agreed with or not, norms are exercised and, for the most part, accepted virtually everywhere within a culture. Therefore, framing may be used by showing an image and taking the scene out of context with an opinionated headline or story tagged along with it. Such as the example in class with the woman and boy who either "found" a source of food or "stole" it, framing is under the discretion of those who have authority to publish what they choose. It is important to consider who decides what is published and shown, and why they chose what they chose. There is a great power behind the selection of what is considered newsworthy. If left unchallenged, it is evident that the state of race relations, politics and equality will remain unflinchingly unstable and unchanging.
Rising to stardom at a young, impressionable age, Brittany Spears seized the world with her commercialized pop music and sexy schoolgirl look. Her image was thought to be innocent until her music videos came out, and she became increasingly famous. Through her portrayal in the media, particularly magazines, she is an apparent example of media framing. As one of the world's most recognizable celebrities, it is no surprise that her actions are chronicled. I remember seeing the images, that I posted above, when they began to spread like wildfire of Spears shaving her hair. These magazine covers help my understanding of media framing, because they are representing her as "crazy" for a simple, yet symbolic act. While it may have been a publicity stunt and I certainly have no way of knowing the truth, the lingo the editor's chose to surround her image is reflective of their supposed contempt for her. It is considerably taboo in American culture for a woman to have a bald head, but it is important to see that it is automatically assumed that she is having a mental breakdown. Instead of perhaps hailing her for being rebellious or resisting the standards of beauty, she was instead labeled as falling apart and uncontrollable. Through this framing, she is consistently characterized as volatile while there is no way of knowing her true intentions.
Media framing is habitually used to further an idea in a diverting way. Editors, presumably, will decide on what they want to expose and how they want it to be interpreted. Though more effortless to see as a negative concept, framing is an essential part of marketing and advertising. For example, Spears shaving her head would have been less significant if her status surrounding the event was held in a better light or if pictures of her had never gone mainstream in the first place. Media framing is important and the more it is exposed for being prejudiced the less ignorant the public will remain.
Media framing is habitually used to further an idea in a diverting way. Editors, presumably, will decide on what they want to expose and how they want it to be interpreted. Though more effortless to see as a negative concept, framing is an essential part of marketing and advertising. For example, Spears shaving her head would have been less significant if her status surrounding the event was held in a better light or if pictures of her had never gone mainstream in the first place. Media framing is important and the more it is exposed for being prejudiced the less ignorant the public will remain.
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