On a Radio Long Ago and Far Away

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in January 2016.

Radio dramas and comedies were commonplace American entertainment from the 1930s through the 1950s. In the decades since there have been sporadic attempts to revive the genre, including an NPR-created version of "Star Wars" in 1981.

Could podcasts--which are done on nearly every imaginable non-fiction topic--possibly find a place for a new crop of radio dramas. Would people listen?

Questions...

•How do we listen to the radio, or radio-like programming such as podcasts? Where does it fit in in our lives?

•How is writing a radio drama different than writing a movie or TV show?

•Is it easier to turn a book into a movie or is it easier to turn a book into a radio drama?

•Who has listened to an audio book? Would a radio drama version be more satisfying or less satisfying? Why?

•Does the Long Tail Theory suggest that radio dramas are due for a revival? Why or why not?

Fake News (Thank Goodness!)

This is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in January 2019.

On the night of Feb. 25, 1942, the Los Angeles Area was under attack from enemy aircraft. Or was it? A little more than 10 weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and several days after a Japanese submarine shelled an oil field just north of Santa Barbara, an unidentified object floated over Los Angeles. Citizens panicked. Civil defense mobilized. Anti-aircraft guns were fired. And CBS radio reported on a possible attack. In the years since, it has become clear that if there was anything in the skies over Los Angeles that night, it was perhaps an errant weather balloon or small blimp.

Questions...

•How well or badly did CBS radio do in reporting this story?

•Why did radio news have a more difficult time covering this story accurately than the newspapers?

•Would today's social media make sure the story was reported accurately, or would it have added to the hysteria?

Bow to Your Computer Overlords!

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in Summer 2015.

Most of us have been exposed to the idea that if machines keep getting smarter and smarter, they will eventually take over and if we're kept around at all it will be as pets. Your Humble Blogger isn't quite that paranoid (or cynical), but he must admit that artificial intelligence is doing more and more of what humans used to do. Writing news stories, for example. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Why does news matter? How does it contribute to our ability to make sense of the world?

•"Disintermediation" will be described. How are computer-written news stories an example of disintermediation?

•Does it matter to you if computers write a growing number of news stories for us? Why or why not?

•Is there any human influence in the computer-written news stories?

•Do computer-written news stories leave us more susceptible or less susceptible to news monopolies? Why should news monopolies be avoided?

Let Me Be Brief

White House press briefings are a longstanding tradition. Reporters shout out questions to the press secretary. The press secretary answers, always carefully. The administration always complains about the aggressiveness of the news media, and the news media always complain that not enough information has been disclosed.

Is this a tradition that has outlived its usefulness? NPR reports.

Questions...

•What responsibility does the president's administration have to share information with the media and the public?

•What does the news media get out of the press briefings?

•What does the administration get out of the press briefings?

•Why not just Tweet directly to the public what the President or the press secretary want to say?

Will They Call It SmartRadio?

Your Humble Blogger is one of a dying breed who still owns a handheld radio... but he is using it less and less. It turns out, he may have an FM radio on him at all times without knowing it. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What is "device convergence"? How does it apply here?

•Is radio a dying mass medium? Why or why not?

•What are the practical uses for local broadcast radio?

•How much would you pay to turn on the FM radio in your phone?

•Would you listen to more radio if the chip in your phone was turned on?

•Should government order phone makers to turn on their FM radio chips, or should the free market decide? Why?

Driven to Distraction

It has to be scary to be a car company executive watching Google take the lead in driverless car technology. So it makes sense that Ford and Toyota are responding with car navigation and entertainment systems that bypass the rapidly-evolving tech giants. Reuters reports.

Questions...

•If a car self-drives, what communications could potentially be in the car?

•What information could be gathered from people out in their cars? How might advertisers use it?

•Are car radios obsolete?

Apple's Digital DJs

It has been a long time since live radio was considered trendy or cool. But maybe that is about to change. Apple has entered the streamed audio business with an old-fashioned idea: a live, DJ-driven music station, Beats 1. The Los Angeles Times reports.

Questions...

•What is radio? Define it.

•In what ways you listen to the radio? How often?

•Do you listen to radio more on your phone than on a radio?

•Does Beats 1 sound appealing to you? Why?

•Are car radios obsolete? Why or why not?

They should Call It "NeighborNet"

The Internet is famous for shrinking distances. You can text Morocco as easily as Montrose. But what about the opposite? Can the Internet shrink the distances between neighbors? NPR reports.

This post was discussed by the MW 10:45 and TTh 9:10 classes.

Questions...

•What other things exist that are like the Front Page Forum...online places that bring people from the same community together?

•How could you replace the community newspaper with an online site that employs no reporters or photographers?

•How could you replace a local TV station with almost no station personnel?

•How does the Internet create localism at GCC? How could it be used to create a greater sense of community?

Shifting Out of Neutral

"Net Neutrality" is a complex legal, philosophical, technological and economic issue that a some people (including a very smart JPL engineer friend of Your Humble Blogger) are deeply interested in. In brief, Net Neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) must offer equal access to web sites. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would have the job of enforcing net neutrality. The counterargument is that ISPs have the right to restrict internet access as they see fit. A recent federal appeals court decision ruled in favor of the ISPs and against the FCC. National Public Radio reports.

Questions...

•Was the FCC regulating for the public good, or was it wrongly inhibiting the free market?

•Phone companies are common carriers, meaning they must allow equal access to all phone numbers. Should the ISPs be treated the same way?

•How does the federal appeals court decision affect freedom of information in the U.S.?

•What does this decision mean for streamed entertainment?

•What are the arguments against net neutrality?

Peace, One Broadcast at a Time

As the United States plans its military exit from Afghanistan, one question has been how to get messages across that nation's famously rugged landscape. One answer is radio. It is relatively simple and cheap, and it is a practical choice in nations where literacy is not widespread. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Why is radio a great medium for Afghanistan?

•What messages would you want to send out over the radio to Afghans?

•How do you keep the Taliban from using the airwaves?

Are We All Reporters Now?

"Citizen Journalism" has become increasingly prevalent as the Internet has enhanced the communication capabilities of the individual while major media outlets have had to cut their budgets. But is citizen journalism competent journalism? NPR reports from Greece, where there are many citizen journalists.

Questions...

•What is "Citizen Journalism"?

•Why is there more citizen journalism now than there used to be?

•What is good about citizen journalism? What is bad about it?

•What types of stories are citizen journalists good at? What stories are better reported by professionals?

Welcome Spring 2011 Students!

This is Club MediaNote, where you will find links to each day's MediaNotes. MediaNotes are typically presented at the beginning of class, and are represented on each quiz and test.

The first MediaNote of the semester is from last Sunday's Los Angeles Times. Film Critic Neil Gabler wrote an article about a new male stereotype in the movies: The Lout. Gabler says The Lout is insensitive, something of a slacker, and fairly indifferent toward women. They are, Gabler speculates, a media-created backlash to feminism and the changing role of men in American society.

My Radio is My Co-Pilot

Parrot, a French company, is introducing a wi-fi based car radio that can pull in any station that is on the Internet, and will help the driver find free parking or cheap gas, and warn about police radar.

The device is being introduced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to this Yahoo! News report.

George Carlin Would Be Proud

The late comedian and social commentator did a famous routine called "The Seven Dirty Words." These were words that the Federal Communication Commission, which regulates the airwaves for the public good, deemed too vulgar for broadcasters to use under any circumstances. Why these words, Carlin wondered. Laughter and thought followed.

Since 2004, television and radio broadcasters have been fined for letting "fleeting expletives" onto their broadcasts. A fleeting expletive is generally unscripted and unexpected by the broadcaster. Awards shows, sporting events, or news stories covered live may occasionally have fleeting expletives uttered by a losing pitcher, a flood victim, or a potty-mouthed celebrity.

A federal appeals court said broadcasters shouldn't have to be responsible for fleeting expletives. For now, the Seven Dirty Words remain off limits in broadcasters' scripts, but perhaps that will face serious challenge in the near future. NPR reports.

Recession Radio

The Federal Communications Commission asks that broadcasters use the airwaves for the public good. And, if only to make sure their broadcast license is renewed, most stations run PSAs (Public Service Messages), cover news, and publicize events (like free health screenings) that benefit members of the community.

But what about producing and airing radio resumes for people who are looking for work? That's what Clear Channel, the very large owner of radio stations, is doing (NPR report).