The Internet is a major form of Mass. Communications. People use it every day, all around the world. But about 50 years ago, the Internet did not exist.
In 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite. A year later, the US lauched the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). In 1962, Dr. Licklider was chosen to improve the military's use of computer technology. He wanted to make the use of computers more interactive. He then estableshed the ARPANET.
In 1969, the first sign of evolution had been made. UCLA and Stanford were both with a computer, and they tried to send text to eachother. They wanted to type in "LOGIN", but after they typed the "G", the computer had crashed.
E-mail was first adapted in 1972. Ethernet, a protocol for many local networks, appeared in 1974, an outgrowth of Harvard student Bob Metcalfe's dissertation on "Packet Networks." The dissertation was initially rejected by the University for not being analytical enough. It later won acceptance when he added some more equations to it.
In 1993, Microsoft developed MicroSoft Internet Explorer. At first, the internet was only used for research, education, and government uses.
In 1998, Bill Gates lauched Windows 98 for desktop. Soon after, wireless Internet was launched.
Because of the economic downturn that started in 2008, many schools (and students) are finding it difficult to afford textbooks. This has meant that more and more are turning to free Internet cybertexts, such as the one you are now reading.
According to several sources, Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungenis the world's first magazine (published in Germany). It was started in 1663 by Johann Rist, a poet of Hamburg. The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731 in England, is considered to have been the first modern magazine. Later in 1741, Benjamin Franklin hoped to publish America's first magazine called General Magazine, but was beaten to the finish line when American Magazine came out three days earlier.
The magazines today are so much different from back then. They have bigger texts the covers look very interesting that is why there are so many people who read magazines. also the reason why people read magazines today because they are short, they are something people what to hear or learn about.
Television is a major form of mass communication. Millions of people tune in every day to watch the news, reality shows, or their favorite scripted drama. Television helps provide people with a larger understanding of the outside world. It can provide educational material and news about world events for those who want it, and for those that do not, it provides hours of mind numbing escapism. Watching TV can be a social or solitary event. It can help promote great causes like Hope for Haiti and it can be used to further a political career. As a form of mass communication, television has a great impact (both positive and negative) on many people's lives.
History of Television:
Ever since the introduction of radio, TV had been the stuff of science fiction novels. Many dreamed of idea of being able to transmit moving images via radio waves. "The first application of this concept was wirephotos (using telephone lines to send still photos to newspapers)" (source). Many early attempts to create the television used mechanical devices to transmit the images. They usually involved spinning disks that focused light reflected from a scene on a photocell. In addition to producing low quality picture, these devices were quite large and made a great deal of noise.
Philo T. Farnsworth, an American engineer, is most associated with the invention of TV. "He rejected the mechanical approach and decided that the only thing fast enough to scan a moving image was a stream of electrons. Farnsworth developed the basic element of a TV camera: a dissector tube that used a moving stream of electrons to "read out" brightness information on a line-by-line basis from the backside of an image focused on a light-sensitive area of a tube." (source). Similar processes to Farnsworth's scanning is still used today except with today's color systems the scanning process results in a massive number of illuminated colored dots. In the United States, three other people are given credit for major inventions leading to TV: Allen B. DuMont, Charles Jenkins, and Vladimir K. Zworykin. Thanks to these men and many others, the problem of how to dissect images and sequentially transmit them through the air by means of radio waves was solved. For more information on the engineering behind the invention of television, click here.
"The first all-electronic TV programming was launched by the BBC from Alexandra Palace in London in 1936... The RCA corporation "officially" debuted the thing called television in the United States by telecasting parts of 1939 New York World’s Fair. This included a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt... The first TV receivers had 13 cm (5 inch) screens and black and white pictures. They cost about half the price of an automobile." (same source as above). Soon, six TV stations were on the air in the U.S., and many more were in development. As TV became more popular new TV sets were made that were less expensive and with larger screens. "July 1st, 1942, CBS launched 15 hours of weekly programming, including two 15-minute, Monday through Friday newscasts... Also on July 1st, an NBC station broadcast the Dodger-Phillie baseball game -- complete with a Bulova watch commercial (TV's first commercial)." (source).
When World War II ended, TV boomed with many stations immediately going on the air. Television began its rapid expansion that would bring its golden age (50s and 60s). The expansion was so great that the FCC saw that the number of available TV channels wasn't going to meet the demand for new stations. "In 1952, they launched UHF television (ultra high frequency, channels 14–83)... Their plan provided for 2,053 stations in 1,291 communities in the U.S. and its territories. Channel assignments in 242 communities were set aside for noncommercial and educational purposes." (source). This is when TV truly became a form of mass communication. Unfortunately UHF channels had a lot of trouble because people had difficulty tuning into them. Today, many of the UHF problems have been solved with new types of TV sets and the wide use of cable. (Cable television makes all TV stations equal, regardless of frequency or power.)
As the percentage of people around the globe that owned a television increased, TV went into its golden age and firmly replaced the radio as America's most beloved form of entertainment. During the golden age, Westerns, situational comedies, and variety shows were quite popular. Variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, created many celebrities that were beloved by the American public. Films also began to be shown on TV as well as "made for TV" movies. Eventually many networks found it necessary to begin censorship of material that they felt might offend some of their conservative viewers.
"Before 1956, all TV programming had to be done "live."... Consequently, the period from about 1948 to 1955 is referred to as the "live" decade of television... In the late 50s videotaping productions meant that mistakes could be corrected by either stopping the tape and redoing segments or fixing problems in editing." (source). This meant the quality of shows went up but so did production costs because production took longer.
Color TV:
In the 40s, CBS created a mechanical device to display color TV. Unfortunately there were many problems with this device and the Korean War delayed its widespread use. During the war engineers at RCA came up with an all electronic approach. Rather than require new TV receivers and transmitters, the all-electronic process interleaved all the color information into the existing black and white TV signal. "The fact that this system incorporated a compatible color approach was critical to its success. Compatible color means that one basic signal can be transmitted and the black and white sets can ignore the color information. FCC approved the RCA system in 1953." (source)
Types of Television:
There are many different genres of TV. Recently reality shows, such as the powerhouse American Idol, and procedurals (shows that follow the same basic plotline or formula each episode), such as Law and Order, have dominating ratings. Serialized shows (shows with long ongoing stories) have therefore been cut back on in recent years. Only in rare cases such as ABC's LOST does a serialized drama become a mainstream hit as opposed to a cult classic (like FOX's Firefly). Other forms of television include educational TV (from sources like PBS and the History Channel), game shows, news shows, situational comedies, cartoons, and public broadcasting. Many new channels now exclusively show films or radio.
Modern Forms of Television:
Since the 90s, TV has expanded far beyond what it once was. There are now many new ways to watch television. Whether it be through DirectTV, on an HD Plasma screen, or not even on a television set at all, TV is now more accessible than ever. "When digital/high-definition (HDTV) television was in the planning stage in the 1990s, the FCC decided to take over a large (and mostly unused) chunk of the UHF spectrum for this new technology. Today, there are more than 1,000 digital/high-definition stations on the air in the United States." (source)
Today, TV can be viewed using a projector or computer screen. We can watch shows whenever we feel like through the use of the internet and DVR. We can stream episodes of our favorite show through sites like (hulu)and (netflix), and we can download them either legally through services like iTunes or through an illegal torrent. In addition, many television programs have been put on DVD which means that if we want to catch up on a serialized show we have heard about, we can just buy the old seasons. The rise of these new forms of television distribution has created almost as many problems for the industry as it has made life easier for the viewer. Due to people not watching shows when they actually air, it is very difficult for networks to get accurate ratings for their shows. These new forms of distribution were also the cause of the 2007 Writers Guild Strike which halted TV production for several months. The writers of television felt that they weren't being paid enough for things like iTunes downloads and DVD sales (all this info is my own knowledge so there is no source).
Impact and Importance of TV as a Form of Mass Communication:
Many have debated about the negative effects of television. One major problem is that many people take what they see on TV and think that what they are seeing is what real life is like. One major example of this is the "CSI Syndrome". Investigators and prosecutors have coined the term “the CSI Syndrome” while complaining that, "because of the popularity and considerable viewership of CSI and its spin-offs, juries today expect to be “dazzled,” and will acquit criminals of charges unless presented with impressive physical evidence, even when motive, testimony, and lack of alibi are presented by the prosecution." (wikipedia).
Other people see TV as a waste of time that could be used doing something more productive. Television can have an addictive nature to it especially with children and many parents worry that their child is not physically active enough due to the TV. In general, TV has a huge impact on children today. They grow up being highly stimulated by TV and learn many things from it about social interaction. Some see this as a bad thing because it can give children an unhealthy tolerance for things like violence.
TV does have it's positive side too though. It communicates information to many people and can actually stimulate the brain if one watches educational programming or even serialized shows with complex plotlines. Television has brought news, sports, and hours of entertainment to people. It can bring a family together and it can provide an escape from reality that is a lot more healthy than most other ways. Television is a true form of mass communication.
In 2014, the Winter Olympics are going to be held in Sochi, Russia, which is a neighboring city from my hometown. There has been a huge controversy over the issue including the fact that Russia might not be able to build in time. However, it was approved by the International Olympics Committee. After the approval, Times published an article titled The Sochi Olympics: A win for Putin (the former president of Russia).
Here is the budget that is planned on spending for the Olympics:
The country is now divided into the supporters and opposers of the Olympics. The supporters, who consist mainly of wealthy businessmen, believe that the Games will bring success and tourism to the region. The opposers consist of many different groups of people, each having their own goals. Some are the people who live in Sochi, but were forced to move because their houses were destroyed and hotels were built in their place. Now many of them are homeless and do not have a place to go.
Others, like the Circassians oppose the Olympics because the main place, called the Red Valley was where the CIrcassian Genocide took place in 1864 and 97% of the Circassians were killed and deported to the Ottoman Empire, Syria, Jordan and other countries. The graves of dead soldiers that were buried near the place are bulldozed and dug out to be replaced by amusement parks. Officially, Russia did not recognize the Circassian Genocide, thus the issue does not receive enough attention.
As a Circassian, the issue has a huge meaning to me and I have participated in protests in New York City and Boston. Recently Stephen D. Shenfield wrote the book "The Massacre in History" and urged for the recognition of the Circassian Genocide. The authorities will not do it because it will prevent the Games from taking place and as a result in Circassian independence. Here is a video of one of the protests that was held in NYC
Blood, sweat and beer is typically what you smell when you go to a show in Boston. It doesn't gross me out though, I actually think that it's pretty enticing. When you go to a punk, oi!, hardcore or ska show, the bodily fluids of yourself and others are just a part of the unity you feel when you're at an event like this.
Let me give you a breakdown of all the genres.
Punk: Punk has a very fast paced tempo and is typically very simple in terms of
the instrumental difficulty and the intricacy of the music. It usually consists of a few ch
ords is loud and sometimes anarchical lyrics. Some popular punk bands are: Dead Kennedys, Toxic Narcotic, The Casualties and Black Flag.
Oi!: Oi! is a sub-genre of punk that was made popular by skinheads in England in the late 1970s and early 80s. NO, skinheads are NOT nazis. They are a working class group of people who listened to Oi! and were frustrated by the rule of Margaret Thatcher in England. Anyway, Oi! is more agressive and more passionate form of punk, that has two types. There were the earlier artists like Cock Sparrer, and Sham 69, and then came artists like the 4 Skins and Condemned 84.
Hardcore: Hardcore is another sub-genre of punk that has a heavier sound and is a lot louder, and typically has breakdowns. A breakdown is when the tempo slows down toward the middle of the song and the bass and guitar sound really heavy and slow, this really gets people in the mood to mosh. Some hardcore bands are Blood for Blood, Bad Brains, and
Ska: Originated in Jamaica in the 1950s, and became popular amongst rudeboys, and later skinheads. Actually coming before reggae and rocksteady, it was the basis of both of those genres. It is a very upbeat type of music consisting of horns, drums, guitars, bass, and vocals. It's fun and happy, and enjoyed by many. There's the original and older stuff called 2-Tone, and from 2-Tone came Third Wave. Artists that would be considered 2- Tone are Toots and the Maytals and The Specials. Third Wave artists are the Toasters and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
At a show people don't just stand there, they DANCE! Now, when I say dance, I'm not saying we grind on each other, or slow dance, its just a whole bunch of bodies moving at the same time. There's moshing, skanking, the hardcore walk, and crowd s
urfing. At all punk and punk sub-genre shows the audience is expected to mosh till they can't anymore, moshing is just a punch of pushing in the "pit" the pit is the part of the venue that the audience dedicates to dancing specifically. Moshing can either be done in a circle or just pushing each other around. Skanking is very different from moshing, other than the fact that its done in a circle. Its almost like skipping with the rhythm of the song, and striking out your arm. Hardcore walking is basically an angry mixture of skanking and moshing. Crowd surfing is exactly what it sounds like. It's when a member of the audience is held up by the audience on top of them.
In Boston the shows are very awesome, and go on all of the time. Also, the local bands that we have are actually good, even though other bands come to venues here, its still cool to see a local band. I love Boston punk!
In the beginning of time for humans, we did not know how to read or write. But when groups of people started to live in towns and cities, which was controlled by some sort of a government, the government officials needed some way to keep record of important information. Before writing there was no way for the humans to be able to keep track of who owned what
land and who owed who money. The earliest form of writing was created by pictures that the humans would draw because anyone could look at a simple picture and know what it is of. This form of writing by using pictures is called pictographs. This
writing system was developed around 3500B.C. in the ancient Near East. But pictographs had too many symbols to represent different things, which can be confusing to use. So the early humans used a different system of writing called cuneiform. Cuneiform is a type of writing that is made from marks that has wedge shape to them that represent sounds. These markings can be put together to have the sounds create words. After a while, Cuneiform used more than 1800 different signs.
The earliest forms of books were Sumerian clay tablets that had markings carved into them and papyrus scrolls. These were used around 2,500 B.C.! Then there was Papyrus Egyptian scrolls which were created and used in 600 B.C. by the Egyptians. The oldest book that is entirely complete is called Republic by Plato and was written in 400B.C. while the most remarkable scrolls that were found from the past is known to be the Dead Sea Scrolls because they provide insights about religious writings.
The first system of printmaking was xylography which is when a piece of wood is engraved and used like a stamp. Johannes Gutenberg was the person who invented the first actual printing press in 4155, other than the Chinese technique called xylography. Johannes Gutenberg was a European metal worker. The first book that Gutenberg printed using his press was the Bible and is known as the Gutenberg Bible.If Gutenberg wanted to add multiple colors to his papers he would have to put the paper back into the press multiple times perfectly lined up. was too much of a perfectionist and he was not able to sell enough of his expensive but amazing novels to keep from having to shut down his business. Sadly, Gutenberg had to shut down and he died with no more money. Although, Gutenberg did not sell much his ideas spread throughout the world and there were many printers who used his process and concept.
Not everyone liked the new idea of these printing presses. King Henry VIII of England required all printers had to be approved by the government before they could start printing and nothing was allowed to be written that might hurt the king's power or position. But this did not stop people.There were still those people who wrote against the king secretly. Priests of Catholic churches were afraid that that this invention was going to hurt them because until printing presses were invented, Catholic priests were able to limit the amount of scriptures and priests basically controlled everything about the scriptures. But once the printing press was invented p
resits started to lose some of their control.
Although there were some people who did not like the idea of these printing presses, there were also a few people who thought that printing presses were great and this new invention actually helped them! Martin Luther was one of these people who were helped by printing presses. Although he was a Catholic he had some different ideas than some of the other Catholics. the pieces of writings that he wrote were a very big part of the reason why the Protestant Reformation happened! Thousands of Catholics decided to leave the Catholic churches after reading Martin Luther's pieces of work.
Once America became its own nation,printing presses became very popular and moved from Europe to America. One of the most remarkable novels printed in America is The Bay Psalm Book by the Puritans in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640. The Puritans used the printing press technique to support their ideas of religion. but a very important man who used the printing press a lot is Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin published books, newspapers and pamphlets. One of the most historic books that he wrote as well as published is Poor Richard's Almanack. Even though Benjamin Franklin got in trouble for printing information
that he judged other people who were not used to being so strongly judged in print.But it was one of the many things that he was known for.
Since there was so many books being published during this time period by the mid-1800s the price on books dropped a lot. Paperback books usually sold for between five and fifteen cents each. The information or stories in these paperbacks were usually pirated. American books publishers did not like the idea of paying authors for their ideas, so instead the publishers would instead just steal from European writers as well as publishers. Since the writers and publishers did not enjoy having their work being copied, they would complain and then finally in 1891 there was a law passed called the copyright law.
In the 1900s the whole idea of book publishing became commercialized and book clubs were formed. Books that were being published shared ideas and beliefs that were
knew and not always wanted.A lot of books were baned or people at least tried to ban them.
Books give us enjoyment as well as new ideas and information.TV shows and movies are similar to books except that when you read a book your mind is free to use its imagination to make the characters look like what you want once they follow the description given. Books are also handy to have for a form of entertainment because they a small size so they are portable.
From between the 1970s to present day today, book publishing has had its problems and challenges. In present day books are usually published by media conglomerates who may also own a film studio, magazines, newspapers and even broadcast outlets. This is usually how there is a movie based on a book because the company can make a movie on the same book it publishes. DaVinci Code was one of the most successful combinations of both a book and a movie so far as well as being one of the most successful movies of the era.
A new invention that is out is called a electronic book which was introduced in 2006 and it displays pages from certain books on its screen. It can hold thousands of books inside its memory and it can remember if you were reading a certain book and what page you stopped reading on. To save the page you are reading on you can put a "bookmark". There is no Internet access needed either. The question is whether or not these new electronic books are going to replace hard and paper back books in the future. The main problem with this new invention is that they are so expensive.
Books have evolved so much in the past centuries. The started out as pictures carved into rocks or wood now the are becoming electronic. Books are a part of Mass Media because they educated people on different topics. Books can persuade people and bring out their poinions or it can spread children's imagination. By reading a book you let your mind expand and leaqrn something new. Books have not stopped advancing yet and they are getting more and more advanced everyday!
Fun Facts:
Printing presses were modified wine presses!
One third of the American population has not read a novel in the past year.
About one-third of books were paperbacks by 1880.
Each year the estimated total amount of money made from book sales is thirty-billion dollars.
The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731, inLondon, is considered to have been the first general-interest magazine. When magazines first came out, they looked more like books then the magazines seen today. In 1741, the idea of the magazine was brought to America, and Benjamin Franklin was involved.
Today magazines are still very popular. Magazines can be distributed through the mail or through sales by news stands, bookstores, or other vendors. U.S. magazine production uses more than 2.2 million tons of paper per year, and this number is increasing as some sectors of the industry experience tremendous growth. Magazines are printed almost exclusively on papers made from virgin fiber, resulting in more than 35 million trees being cut down each year.
Media:
Magazines affect mass media in many ways. Celebrity gossip, current world issues, everything is reported on in articles in magazines. Fashion magazines play a huge role in mass media because of their international popularity.
The history of film is an epic journey that spans hundreds of years. These motion picture films have had a major impact on popular culture, technology, and entertainment.
Precursors of Film:
Modern film is influenced by its precursors; dance, theatre, and drama. Many of the lighting, staging, and storytelling techniques are lifted from these earlier forms of entertainment. Much of film terminology; director, choreographer, scripts, props, etc were around for hundreds of years before film was developed. Mise en scene (which is a fancy term for things relating to producing and is key in film) is one of the defining characteristics of film and theatre and is similar in idea, while obviously different in execution.
The Birth of Film:
1878 is the first instance of a device akin to a modern "video camera,". Eadweard Muybridge successfully photographed a horse named "Sallie Gardner" in fast motion using a series of 24 stereoscopic cameras. This was then quickly followed by William Kennedy Laurie who invented a practicable form of a celluloid strip containing a sequence of images, the basis of a method of photographing and projecting moving images. There was no editing to any early videos and many of them looked highly stagey and had little to no plot. There was a novelty to film that audiences enjoyed and no need to alter the film after shooting.
The Silent Era of Film:
After the birth of film came an time when it was impossible to record sound and have it play with the movie. Silent films developed due to this inability. An important thing to realize is that "silent films" were not all silent. Many silent films had a pianist that would play an accompanying score with the film when it was shown. Films have developed to the point where audiences wanted a plot and action. Text was introduced to show what the characters were "saying" and were also used to advance the plot. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company was the first successful film company and was fundamental in advancing the film industry. During this time, many modern filming techniques and styles developed. Coloured film was one of the first, where people would colour the film by hand to "fake" the colouring of certain segments of film. At this time continuity developed, as well as advanced staging and props. Many of the camera angles we enjoy in modern films today did not exist until about the 1900's.
The Evolving Film Industry, Early 1900's:
The film industry really started kicking it into high gear in the 1900's with the development of sound being recorded and incorporated into films. Serious theaters for films were developed and these were called nickelodeons. There were about 4,000 of these in the United States alone. Films became a primary form of entertainment in many countries, not only the classic film making powerhouses of Britain, the US, and France. Films also started to get longer and could not be limited to just one reel of film. Thus, multi-reel films were developed and intermissions were added so the projectionist could change reels. Directors started pushing the boundaries of film by using subtile techniques to make their movies have more striking and meaningful sense. Low-key lighting was developed around this time. Cross cutting, reverse framing, and point-of-view shots were also developed around this time.
The State of the Modern Film Nation:
1990 is the time when the film industry really kicked it into high gear, the addition of special effects, the release of the first DVDs and the rise of independent and documentary films marked a new age in cinema. Special effects have become more and more powerful and realistic, making post production the new status quo in an ever changing, dynamic industry. Many people feel that the movie industry has hit its peak, that it is hard to get more realistic, have better plots, or stronger acting. But many prestigious directors state that they are just getting started, where visuals end, the true story begins as many directors push the limits of storytelling and dynamic characters and plots. However, with all this creativity, comes the downsides of the movie industry. Being a competitive business, there are shareholders, and they don't care if you making a touching or deep movie if nobody watches it. It all comes down to the money and we often see movies ruined in the best interest of maximizing profit. Fortunately, anyone can make a movie these days. Buying a video camera and some editing software will only set someone back a few hundred dollars and creativity costs nothing. Where big producers make cuts to save money, your average amateur relies on raw talent and ideas. But the death of the movie industry has been rumored to be in sight. Pirating, or stealing movies is now a common place. Every year the movie industry loses billions of dollars from pirating which is very hard to control and stop. This could indeed lead to the death of one of the biggest industries in the entire world.
In Conclusion, the film industry has undergone many, many changes in its short life. It is important to keep in mind simply how dynamic the industry is. It is hard to believe that special effects really were not around 20 years ago. And we are now just getting into the age of IMAX and 3D effects. While many critics lament the advancements of the movie industry, it is hard to judge something that really hasn't been around for that long. By the way, go see Avatar.
How is radio a form of mass communications? Simple. It's a tool that people communicate through. And even though the Internet and iPods dominate our lives, the radio is still prevalent in our everyday use.
The History of Radio The potential for radio came when radio waves were first discovered. Radio waves can transmit music and speech through the air, similar to other wave-using devices, like your microwave or cellphone. Discoveries were made, and the first breakthrough in radio was in 1895, when Guglielmo Marconi sent and received the first radio wave signal in Italy. He also sent the first wireless signal across the English Channel, and radiotelegraphed the letter "S" from England to Newfoundland in 1902. Another important man in the history of radio was Lee DeForest - he provided a detector for electromagnetic radiation, making it possible to "amplify the radio frequency signal picked up by the antenna before application to the receiver detector." The result of DeForest's work was AM (amplitude-modulated) Radio, something we still listen to today. The first speech transmitted by radio was in 1915, and five years later, the Harding-Cox election returns were broadcast over the radio. In 1933, FM (frequency-modulated) Radio was invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong. The static in the noise from the earth's atmosphere was improved, which is why FM has better quality sounds than AM radio. (Note: Information comes from this website)
Radio Today All of the playing around with radio waves in the early 1900s made it possible to communicate through the radio today. Radio plays a large part in mass communications, even in the 21st century. But what exactly does radio communicate?
Music. Every time you get in someone's car, the radio is probably on. Music is a form of entertainment, and the music industry dominates FM Radio. Some music stations on the radio today include 92.9 FM and Kiss 108.
Entertainment/Talk Shows. While not as popular, there are plenty of talk shows on the radio. A good example is The Sports Hub, Boston's main sports radio station (98.5 FM).
News. Most news stations are on AM Radio, but they are just as easy to access as the FM stations. While you won't be able to hear AM stations in a tunnel, they provide useful information, like traffic and weather reports. A helpful AM station is 1030 AM, owned by WBZ.
Radio can be very helpful for us. While driving to work, someone can hear a piece of news on the radio, get updated traffic reports on how to get to work on time, and listen to his or her favorite music to make the morning commute pleasant. Radio may fly under the radar (pun intended), but it is an important part of mass communications, and has been for a long time.
Modern Radio There are many other forms of radio that have sprouted in the last 20-30 years. There are three main advancements in radio - Internet radio, satellite radio, and HD radio.
Around since the 1990s, Internet radio is simply that - radio that you can listen to on the Internet. There is no geographical limit for internet radio, according to this article. So those radio stations in California that you can't get in your car? You can hear them on the Internet! There are also micro-communities of listeners focused on specific genres of music, making Internet radio all that more convenient. One example of Internet Radio is the well-known Pandora Radio, an audio streamer that plays genre-specific music to your liking.
Satellite radio is similar to Internet radio. While the range is not as unlimited, and the stability of the main satellite radio company, Sirius XM Radio, has been in jeopardy for over a year now, satellite radio is promising. Think of it like Cable TV. With the standard hookup, you can get your basic stations - ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. Same goes with radio - you have your Kiss 108 and your Jam'n 94.5, the stations you most frequently listen to. But with cable, you get more channels with better TV shows. Similarly, with satellite radio, you get genre-specific channels, with CD quality sound! It's like radio on steroids!
The third form of advanced, modern radio is HD radio. HD is the simplest to understand - it's better quality radio, just like your TV! FM stations have CD-quality sounds, and AM stations have FM-quality sounds - it's quite an improvement! There are new genres and new artists, and more of what you're already listening to. This website lists all the perks of HD radio. Boston stations like 93.7 Mike FM, 100.7 WZLX, and Oldies 103.3 are all HD stations, just to name a few.
So, there you have it. Radio old and new, historical and modern. But how is it a form of mass communications? Anyone can be a part of radio - callers voicing their opinion during a talk show, teenagers wanting to listen to their favorite songs on a Sunday afternoon, the elderly couple looking to get back to the music of the past, or the single mom falling asleep to bedtime music. Listening to the radio can spread - over half of people surveyed said that they buy CDs because they heard a song by that artist on the radio (Source: This website). Whether it be news, traffic or weather reports, talk shows, or musical entertainment, radio is perpetually communicating with the rest of the world.
1) Finish smoking video by Friday Jan 22nd for end of term grade
2) Assigned a topic related to mass communications to be research, blogged, and turned into a short video for final.
Videos and blogs must answer the question how these topics are a form of mass communications: new and old forms.
You might want to discuss the history and evolution of your mass communications topic.
Laura: Telephones
Camilla: Internet
Dan: TV
Joe: Film
Matt: Radio
Margy: TV
Melissa: Newspapers
Vanessa: Magazines
Oliva: Books
Jamie: Magazines
In class: Make video based on your subject and research posted in blog.
Videos will be made in 1.5 hours so keep them simple.
A videos will have: text, transitions, pictures, audio narration and music
The blog MUST be made before you show up for the final. If you don't have a blog, you don't have research!
Blog: 50%--blogs must include pics, links, and eventually your video (posted on last day of class).
Video: 50%---Videos will include all skills learned in Final Cut Pro & Garage Band throughout the semester.
Today internet giant, Google announced that it may be shutting down its operations in China. China has long been known for its censorship of both the internet and the news and Google has finally become fed up with the unjust system. Google, "linked its decision to sophisticated cyberattacks on its computer systems that it suspected originated in China and that were aimed, at least in part, at the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists." In China itself the news of Google's possible departure was mostly quieted by further government censorship. In the few news outlets in which the story was released Google’s references to “free speech” and “surveillance” were omitted. The few people in China who have heard the news are quite upset about the decision but are mostly afraid to voice their opinion. For more information click here
Yesterday at 4:53pm Haiti had a earth quake, in Port-Au-Prince the capital of Haiti, There has been almost three millon people who have been affected by the earth quake. Also the The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port-Au-Prince Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot also died. His body was found in the ruins of the archdiocese office,two thousands others have died from the earth quake. I think this is very sad this had happened to Haiti because out of those two thousand people their were children and the National Palace is in ruins and a major hospital also destroyed, The earth quake the most powerful in the region for 200
On January 12,2010 there was an earthquake that effected Haiti dramatically.It basically ruined the island many people were hurt and now immigrants who came here from Haiti are trying to get in touch with family members but since things got destroyed its really hard. So many people got hurt. There are already so many issues in Haiti that the earthquake just made everything worse.How are people supposed to live there now?heres a video of the results of the earthquake
Definition of Earthquake; shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity.
In Port au Prince, Haiti on January 12th,2010 an estimated 6,000 Canadians living in Haiti witnessed injuries and deaths from a major hitting Earthquake. The outcome of the earthquake led towards collapsed Hospitals,airports,stores, the presidential palace and hotels. Many people are already beginning to help Haiti make a recovery back from all the damage and destruction.
-The beginning of helping Haiti out is sending up to 72 people, six search and rescue dogs and up to 48 tons of rescue equipment to help the victims of the quake.
-The American Red Cross has also pledged $200,000 as an initial investment to assist communities impacted by the quake.
Tracy Reines, director of International Disaster Response for the American Red Cross, told reporters, "As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support."
-Even Australia has begun to prepare assistance packages. The government of Queensland has ordered emergency crews to standby, and offered their services should they be required.
It may take quite a while to get Haiti back on track but with all the help from others it makes helping much easier.
Almost everyone that uses a computer knows a Google, the multi-billion dollar website and company that is the default when it comes to search engines. Information is simply a "google" away for most people.
Google operates in most countries including China. Google's history in China has involved censorship of what can be searched and what could be seen by the people. Surely this seems unfair, the internet should be a free place, right? If you owned Google, you would surely not stand for this evil injustice? Actually you probably would, China has a staggering 1/5th of the world's population. Could Google stand losing that big a user base? Until now the answer has been no, but due to recent events, Google is seriously considering pulling out of China for good. What recent events you may ask? Well hackers attacked the Google mainframe located in Silicon Valley. The attacks originated within China and are suspiciously directed at gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. No way the Chinese government, infamous for taking radical measures against human rights activists, would do that?
Google's vice president defends Google's censoring in China by explaining how they'll go along with the Chinese government's plan, but let the Chinese government know that they do not like it.
On Tuesday January 12, 2010, massive earthquake hit Haiti and was a 7.0 on the Richter Scale. The death toll is still unknown, but thousands are feared to be dead. Many bodies lay on the streets in the capital Port-au-Prince. A major hotel there collapsed claiming at least 200 lives. Eyewitnesses say that there were people stuck in rubble crying out for doctors throughout the night. "The National Palace is in ruins, a major hospital crumbled and tens of thousands of people homeless" (from an article on dailymail.com). The Red Cross fears up to three million people will be affected by this.
I read both a Chinese newspaper as well as an American newspaper about this topic and they both have different opinions. The Hindu, the newspaper in China, says that Google was breaking China's laws by not allowing he Chinese people to use the website. For a few weeks now, Google has supposed to have been criticized by the authorities of China, because these authorities accused Google for having links that are being provided along with the search results. These links led to unnecessary material such as pornographic pictures. The China government decided to stop using some of Google's services and they are asking the representatives of the Chinese version of Google to take off the material that was not appropriate to have on the website. There were some Gmail accounts that were attacked Gmail, a e-mail service that is part of Google was blocked all across China. China had a lot of hacking and Google had enough. On Thursday, the website was being accessed by a few people. According to Google, there were many large Chinese companies that were attacked financially , on Internet, media, technology, and chemical businesses. Google is not sure if it is going to shut down the Chinese access to Google. They don't know because even though there are people in China who are creating problems for Google, such as people who are hacking other peoples e-mails, China is about 5% of the worlds population, So any buisness would want to increase their profit and China is makes a big difference. Plus, the Vice President of Google claims that they do not want to not allow anyone from being able to get access to the same information as everyone else. So, they don't know yet if they are going to shut down entirely in China yet because there are many Google users in China but Google does not want to deal with any more trouble. They should try and figure this whole situation out soon though!
So Google doesn't really care about China anymore, I guess. This NY Times article talks about Google's pullout from China, mentioning the "sophisticated cyberattacks on its computer systems that it suspected originated in China and that were aimed, at least in part, at the Gmail user accounts of Chinese human rights activists." Google had been coveting China's 300 million Web users for years, and this is a very important move by Google, seeing how China is the most populated country in the world. There would also be a lot of money lost - the Google offices in China report $300 million dollars annually.
I had absolutely no idea of this development, and, like many current events in the world, I don't really care what happens. I can still use Google on my computer, and seeing how I don't think I'll be Googling anything in China any time soon, I can live with whatever this turns out.
