Mass Communications – 8.26.

09

Chapter 1:

Culture:

 The social science definition of culture: “… the common value, beliefs, social practices, rules,
and assumptions that bind a group of people together.” – Joseph R. Dominick
 Examples: music, clothes, food, cuisine, language, religion, ethnicity, etc. KSU purple on campus
vs. Mizzou yellow. We’re more proud to rep our colors.
 Impact on culture: Patriotism, sports, etc.
 Example: How “wraslin’” impacted western Kansas and how other sports are everything in small
towns.
 Example: How athletics effects our culture on the K-State campus! KSU has everything else
that’s great but football is a big part of our culture.
 The definition as it applies to mass media: “… the products that a society fashions and… the
processes that forge those products.

Media Reflects Culture or Vice Versa:

 Media reflects the values and symbols of society and is a purveyor of social culture.

Looking at Media & Culture:

 1. Elitist (High) vs. Populist (Low) culture

 2. Culture as a map to set milestones and help us chart our lives.
 3. Modern culture vs. Postmodern culture.

Elitist – Populist (High – Low) Culture

 Should media advance social interests (Elitists) or appeal to broad segments of the population
(Populist)?
 Example: Bach (Elitist) vs. Britney Spears (Populist)
 Example: All-American Rejects: When they started out, there were Elitists because they play
what they wanted, but transformed to into Populists to sell. (The cheapened themselves morally
and creatively to appeal to the population).
 So the question becomes is there anything wrong with watering down Shakespeare for the
masses or copying the Mona Lisa for the masses?
 It’s the entrepreneur that comes between the artist and the audience that waters down the
value and appreciation.
 When it becomes popular there’s usually a dollar sign associated with it.
 Making money requires making mass quantities.

Culture as a Map:
  Oldies take us back to another, “happier” time in our lives.
 Lots of times we use mediated products to chart our lives.

Review:

 Our culture is defined by several factors, including home life, school, religion, leisure activities,
and media.
 We have always had a social concern about making art available for the masses (High/Elitist vs.
Low/Populist).
 Art becomes mass culture once the entrepreneur is brought onto the scene. Art for profit
depends on its mass distribution.
 The assumption is: mass media audiences = lower art form.
 Culture can be a “road map”. Revisit our “secure” past.

Mass Communications – 8.28.09

Chapter 1 (Cont.):

Elitist vs. Populist:

 Example: Image of Madonna:

o Did a role in Evita – didn’t get nominated because of her predispositioned image. Point
is: She couldn’t rebrand herself from her cultural image.

Culture as a Map:

 People simultaneously appreciate familiar landmarks and unexpected territories.

 As humans, we like both the familiar and the complex. This explains our erratic consumption
habits.

Modernism & Media:

 Modernism: Period from industrial revolution (late 1800’s) to the present where culture
becomes more industrial, commercial, and technologically advanced. Manufacturing and
progress are social themes. Human being have the power to create, improve, and reshape their
environment with the aid of scientific knowledge, technical or practical experimentation.
 Modernism & Media:
o Mass production for mass audience:
 Mass marketing
 Audience segmentation
o Film & Electronic Communication thrives
 Programs & Movies dedicated to work ethic
 Enemy: greed, alienation, bureaucracy

Modernism & Post-Modernism:

  Post-Modernism: A term describing contemporary society. Technology, consumerism, &
reaction to modernism fuel a society where there is opposition to hierarchy, questioning of
scientific reasoning, paradox, & the diversification and recycling of culture. AKA: Retro,
paradoxical, incomprehensible.
 Examples:
o The Sear’s Tower in Chicago, 1973 & AT&T Building in NYC, 1984: Architecture as a
precursor in post-modern culture.
o Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup can as artwork.
o Tuxedos as formalwear vs. tuxedo shirts.
 Examples of opposition to hierarchy: Blurring high and low culture, fact and fiction.
o There’s CNN vs. John Stewart (Voted the most trusted reporter) and Steven Colbert.
 Challenging traditional storytelling (Plots & Production):
o Pulp Fiction, Moulin Rouge, Mamma Mia, Planet Terror, Paula Dean on the Food
Channel.
 Opposition to hierarchy: Blurring art and commerce (infomercials and product placement). Used
to be illegal, FCC changed rule 1985.
 Recycling Culture:
o Taking the old and doing remakes to appeal to current times.
o Questioning technology and scientific reasoning i.e. “The Fly”.
o British History i.e. Elizabeth, The Tutors

Mass Communications – 8.30.09

Chapter 2:

The Computer & the Internet:

 “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” Game Show Questions:

o When was the first computer made? – 1822 by Charles Babbage
o Who coined the term “Global Village”? – Marshall McLuhan in 1968. He said “the
medium IS the message”.
o What basic invention lead to the development of the desktop computer? – The
transistor radio.
o Fiber optic cable that makes internet transmission possible was developed by? –
Alexander Graham Bell. (He and Edison were the most prolific inventors of all time)

Building a Mass Medium:

 Every technology goes through the point of novelty/development stage.

 Then there’s entrepreneurial stage
 Mass Medium stage

The Web: A New Mass Medium?

  Emerged 1990’s
 233 Million users in the U.S.
 1,244,000,000 users worldwide.
 The number of users worldwide make the internet an acceptable means of communication.
 Internet Reaches 69.5% of the U.S. population.
 67.5% of population uses the internet.
 115% growth since the year 2000.

The Wonders of Broadband:

 47% of all Americans have high speed connections, 30% growth from 2005.
 70% of home users have high speed.
 23% still use dial up.
 The U.S. makes up 17% of all internet users worldwide.

The World:

 Top 5 Internet Users:

o 1. U.S. (233 Million)
o 2. China (162 Million)
o 3. Japan (86.3 Million)
o 4. Germany (50.4 Million)
o 5. India (42 Million)

Mass Communications – 9.2.09

Chapter 2 (Cont.):

The Web: Watch Your English!:

 36.2% of internet users speak English, 63.8% of users speak a different language on the web.
 Since the majority of users are not English cultures, it’s important to understand other
languages and cultures.

Web Demographics:

 Fastest growing: 55+

 74.9% Homes are connected.
 81.7% Women 35-54 are online.
 80.2% Men 35-54 are online.
 77% Women 25-34 are online.
 75.6% Men 25-34 are online.
 77.6% Children 2-17 are online.
 75% Young adults are online.
  63.4% Senior citizens 55+ are online.

The News Media:

 Users devote 13 hrs/wk cruising the web.

 Half of all users visit web at least once daily.
 8/10 users email daily.
 40% of users think the web is a “necessity”.
 3/4 of users think the web “makes life easier”.

The Web: Making a Buck:

 3 Ways to make a profit over the internet:

o Creating content and charging for access: newspapers, ESPN, etc.
o Selling merchandise online: cars, clothes, etc.
o Advertising: because it reaches so many people!

The Web: Tracking Internet Use:

 Click meters & “cookies” reveal site usage.

 A.C. Nielson’s worldwide “web tracking”.
 Arbitron/Edison – Used to be only radio now internet too.

Internet: Live without it?

 35%: Net 1 Week

 65%: NO!
 Women – 18+ No TV for 2 weeks or no internet for weeks:
o 38%: Net 1 Week
o 62%: TV 2 Weeks
 All Adults – 18+ Has internet made life better?
o 8%: No
o 91%: Yes

The Web: Social Implications:

 Lack of gate keepers (children’s access)

 Copyright problems
 Privacy concern
 Obscene material
 First Amendment & Free speech
 Access issues
 Cyber-slacking: huge problem in the workforce
 E-Democracy
  Spam

Mass Communications – 9.9.09

Chapter 2 (Cont.):

If only everyone had a printing press… :

 John Milton: Aeropagitica in 1644 – argued for press freedom, only then would we know the
absolute truth.
 Freedom of expression is a divine human right.

The Wisdom of Marshall McLuhan:

 “electronic technology is reshaping & restructuring patterns of social interdependence & every
aspects of our personal life.”
 “The medium is the message” – It’s the technology itself - - Not the content of the media - - that
shapes society.
 Maybe not entirely true, but technology has changed A LOT, and McLuhan & Milton predicted
this would come!

Social Media: Publishing with Ease:

 “Social media essentially is a category of online media where people are talking, participating,
sharing, networking, and bookmarking online.” – Ron Jones.
 Encourages discussion, feedback, comments, voting, & sharing information.
 Popular among consumers: instant access, ease of use, and free publishing platform.

The Types of Social Media:

 Social News: Consumers rate news stories. Higher rated articles get prominent placement.
Example: Digg, Sphinn, Newsvine.
 Social Sharing: sites let consumers share videos, audio, photos, or other content with others.
Example: YouTube, FlickR. ( – Check out Clemente’s scoreboard clock shot.)
 Social Networking: users can link to people with similar interest or social contact. Example:
Twitter, LinkIn, Facebook, MySpace, etc.
 Social Bookmarking: Like-minded users can share marked pages of interest. Example: Faves,
StumpleUpon, Delicious, the groups on Facebook.

Blogging: My Real Printing Press:

 Blog (Weblog): A site that contains opinion & commentary, news, artwork, video, or other
content developed by the person or entity producing the site. Example: Huffington Post, Etc.
Social Media Timeline:

 MySpace: 2003
 Facebook: 2006 (Harvard in 2004)
 March 2009: Broadband connections strengthen.

How Social & Conventional Media Differ:

 Reach: # of people viewing what you post.

 Accessibility: Means of Production is limited in conventional media but with social media
anyplace is production point.
 Usability: Conventional media require some training; social media is much quicker learning
curve.
 Immediacy: Conventional media requires more production time. Social media can produce on
the spot – Radio is fastest.
 Performance: Conventional printed media cannot be altered; social media can be corrected
immediately.
 *Today, conventional media is using social media in a technological convergence that is
changing our industry.

Tweet Louder, Tweeple!:

 Twitter is a micro-messaging/blogging service that uses short messaging service (SMS) to create
social groups. Began March 26, 2006. Limited to 140 characteristics.

Where’d Ya Get That Face(book)?:

 A social networking site founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg.

 Developed prototype for father’s office and it transformed from there.
 At Harvard, Zuckerberg and his roommate started the school version.
 Sold to Google in 2008 for $25 Billion.

Mass Communication – 9.14.09

Chapter 3:

Music Trivia Contest:

 ?: The basic technology of recording voice and music was discovered by which inventor? –
Thomas Edison.
 ?: Thomas Edison’s recording were first made on what type of substance? – Tinfoil.
 ?: Following WW2, recording industry adopted while German invention? – The audiotape.
 ?: Which 1970’s invention revolutionized the music industry? – digital recording.
 ?: Which media type was once considered a great threat to the music industry? – Radio, TV,
streaming, all were considered a threat.
A Land Before Time: Pre-Recording Era:

 “Tin Pan Alley” a nickname for America’s giant music publishing business.
 Sheet sales were aimed at instrument-playing consumers.
 Popular songs were really only spread through live performances.
 Primitive recordings available in the 1920’s.

Radio & Records:

 Radio aired live music until after WW2. (Poor audio quality, live musicians in studio).
 People thought radio would destroy music industry, and original government concerns about
recordings powerful musicians unions.

Radio & Records: Post WW2:

 Radio loses objections to playing records:

o Electromagnetic recordings produce superior sound.
o FCC relaxes restrictions.
o Musicians realize radio airplay as an advantage for consumer.
o 45 r.p.m. singles dominate record sales.
o Stations can increase profits with DJ system.

The Culture of Music: 1950’s:

 Youth culture: cars and teens and denim and leather. Dawn of social unrest in American.
 Popular music: Black rhythm and blues, white popular music (Frank Sinatra, Doris, Bing Crosby),
Country and western and jazz.
 Disc jockey Alan Freed: calls it “Rock and Roll”.

The Culture of Music: Rock & Roll:

 Les Paul – Jazz guitarist and inventor, 1915-2009

o “Father” of electric guitar
o Adds electronic amplification to his guitar.
o Experiments w/ various sound effects: overdubbing, delay, phasing, & multi-track
recording.
 Rock & Roll
o Based the text of song more than a particular format.
o A blend of standard and eclectic instruments, conventional harmonies, electric amp.
o Text -> younger social themes.

Mass Communications – 9.16.09

Social Assumptions vs. The Rock & Roll Era

  Open racism & segregation in the 1950’s
 “Cold War” with Soviet Union was fall swing.
 Spending money was in the home.
 There was open gender discrimination in the job field.
 Conservatism was an American value.

Rock & Roll: Cover Artists:

 Biggest cover artists: Elvis Presley

o He had a profound impact on American music.
o Created the sound of Rock & Roll.

The Brill Building: 50’s & 60’s Teen Ballads:

 Omaha, NE: KOWH became a teen ballad station (Top 40).

o Went from #10 to #1 in one month.
 It made stations realize there was a demand among young people.
 Brill Building: NYC: Mother church of Rock & Roll
o Had a bunch of recording studios.
o Produced songs within 24hrs.
o Songs like “Leader of the Pack”, “Happy Birthday, Sweet 16”, “Locomotion”, etc.

Phil Spector and the “Wall of Sound”

 “Wall of Sound”: Overdubbing voice and instrumental tracks to make a fuller sound.
 Producer who is now in jail for killing his wife.

Televised Rock & Youth Culture:

 A New Look:
o Annette: Mickey Mouse Club
o Ricky Nelson: teen idol
o Brenda Lee: Sings “rockin’ round the Christmas tree”

Television’s Impact on Music Recording

 Movie Alert: Hairspray. Example: Dick Clark American Bandstand, etc.

The British Invasion – 1964:

 The Beatles:
o Innovate vocal harmony.
o Harmonica as a rock instrument.
o And others followed. (Dusty Springfield, Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits.)
Exporting American Pop Culture:

 Radio, TV, and film enhance international distribution.

o Connie Francis: 13 languages.
o Created huge market.

Transition: 1960’s:

 Sgt. Pepper’s.
 The Who & “Rock Opera”
 The Band & “Country Rock”
 The Archies & “Bubble Gum”
 Heavy Rock.. Etc.

The Nashville Sound:

 Country Music’s “twang” could not survive British invasion.

 Chet Atkins & Own Bradley: Add strings, percussion, background singers, less “twang” vocals.
 Own Bradley found..
o Patsy Cline: Mellow and soft, she changed the sound of country music.

Women’s Liberation Hits Country music:

 Loretta Lynn tells ‘em exactly where to go. She followed in the footsteps of Patsy Cline, rags to
riches, Coal Miner’s Daughter movie based on her.
o Betty Friedan publishes Feminine Mystique in 1963.
 (Women, country music, and society change.)
 Tammy Wynette: Stand By Your Man. Opposed the liberation.

The Wisdom of Loretta Lynn:

 One’s on the Way

 Leave the Bottle or Me Behind
 The Pill
 All were very controversial but got the message across that women were standing up to society
through music.

Finding Her Voice: Women in Rock:

 Nancy Sinatra: “boots are made for walking” – 1968

 Helen Reddy: “I am Woman” – 1972
 Rise in all-females bands

Transitions: 1960’s & Motown Sound:

  Barry Gordy, JR. : Hitsville, U.S.A. – Label/Recording Studio:
o Marvin Gaye
o Stevie Wonder
o Gladys Knight
o The Four Tops
o The Supremes ( = Dreamgirls: That’s the Supremes and & Barry Gordy, Jr.’s stories)

Mass Communications – 9.23.2009

Announcements:

Test Info:

Arrive on time! No exams will be given out after the first person has completed his/her exam.
No caps, visors, etc. No iPods or other types of listening or home entertainment devices allowed. Can’t
leave the room until you’ve finished your test. Quiet room. NO TALKING. No make-up tests after the
exam date. Bring a #2 lead pencil. 50 questions on scantron. (Check KSOL for reviews. )

Today’s lecture:

Broadcasting and the First Amendment:

 First Amendment to the US Constitution: It was added after it was written (13ish years later). It
does not apply in the sense that writing an Editor will mean your letter gets printed.
o Ex. Pres Shultz kissing his wife: CAN be printed since it’s on state/public property. NOT if
it’s on private property.
 Radio and the first amendment:
o Congress hall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.
 Government Takes Control of Broadcasting:
o Government takes control of Radio.
 Excessive interference from too many stations
 Broadcasters ask government for controls
 Commerce Secretary Hoover believes radio is pervasive, that the airwaves
belong to the public and the frequencies are a scarce commodity.
 Persons who operate a station must thus broadcast in the public interest.
 The Radio Act of 1927:
o Establishes a five-member Federal Radio Commission (forerunner to today’s FCC).
o FRC can grant, renew, revoke broadcast licenses.
o FRC has authority to establish channels on which stations operate and to control
interference.
o Establishes basic regulatory philosophies.
 Frequency spectrum belongs to the public
 Broadcasters do not own the frequency upon which they operate.
  (The state of Kansas owns the frequency for the Wildcat radio)
 People seeking to operate stations must show how they will serve the public
interest.
 Government will not censor programming.
 The U.S. Criminal Code:
o But the Radio Act of 1927 does say broadcasters shall uphold a provision of the U.S.
Criminal Code:
 “Whosoever utters any obscene, indecent, or profane language by means of
radio (or television) communication shall be fined not more than $10,000 or
imprisoned up to two years, or both.”
 1927 Acts gets its First Test:
o Dr. John R. Brinkley; KFKB, Milford, KS.
 Degree at Eclectic School of Medicine, Chief Medical Surgeon at Chief Packing
Company in KC.
 Establishes medical practice in Milford in 1917
 Becomes famous for his “goat gland” operation.. In other words: Viagra? Better:
Transplants goat testicles to a male’s.
 “Arnold Stitsworth” – Documented in Kansas history as the first “transplant
surgery”. 9 months later the Stitsworth had a baby boy and named it “Billy”. Ha.
 Idk if Brinkley actually made an incision, but all the men sure thought he did
psychological.
 Applies for a broadcast license in 1923. (Kansas First Kansas Best = KFKB)
 KFKB goes on the air. Daily medical “talks” about Levitra and Viagra
commercials.. LOL.
o Brinkley promotes operation.
o Launches his “Medical Question Box”.
o KFKB broadcasts community oriented programming including college classes.
o 1929 Reader’s Digest popularity poll winner.
o Applies for power increase in 1927; KFKB favored over WDAF in Kansas City. – Brinkley
got the frequency. The KC Star guy was real mad and went out to “shut down” the
Brinkley corporation.
o Brinkley was in BIG trouble.
o AMA and Kansas Board of Medical Examiners begin investigation.
o Brinkley loses medical license in 1931, but worse, it was time for KFKB to renew license.
 FRC v Brinkley: KFKB license not renewed
o Advertising goat gland operation was “obscene”.
o Worse: Brinkley used broadcast facility as a personal mouthpiece.
o Character of licensee brought into question.
o Brinkley says: FRC action prior to restraint (Censorship); challenges FRC in the U.S. Court
of Appeal.
o First judicial affirmation of government right to use past programming performance as
criteria in license renewal.
o Established need for FRC to review programming and character of licensee.
o Denial of license renewal is not prior constraint.
 In Milford, KS, was where the First Amendment and Broadcasting came to a
head, and the Government won.
 o The newspaper is different than radio broadcasting. Because: radio is pervasive whereas
people subscribe to newspaper.
 THUS: these rules apply ONLY to radio.
 Cable, Newspaper, HBO, etc. are all subscribed, so they don’t have to worry
about indecency.
 The Legacy of Dr. Brinkley
o Brinkley established a model for good community service programming (aside from his
quackery).
o Launched the idea of using radio as an educational tool by offering college classes on the
air.
o KSU (Agricultural College) was experimenting with Brinkley’s station in Milford with this.
o Kansas State Agricultural College realizes the value of radio and launches radio station
KSAC (Later known as KKSU 580 AM) in 1924.
o Wefald administration sells KKSU to WIBW-AM in Topeka in November 2002, promising
a new station for K-State (.. we’re still waiting).