Radio Television Journalism 2007 Abstracts
Radio Television Journalism Division
Pictures From the Air: The Untold Story of the First TV News Helicopter • Terry Anzur • This paper documents the invention and early use of the first live TV news helicopter in the United States. The author interviews the chief engineer on the top-secret project at KTLA in Los Angeles and draws on contemporary press accounts as well as memoirs of others involved in early helicopter coverage. Early footage is available for presentation.
Structuring Journalism: Economic Influences on Journalistic Practice in Newspapers, Radio, and Television • Thomas Baggerman, Capital University • The development of journalistic practice in the United States was strongly influenced by social and economic concerns. Economic decisions made in the newspaper industry resulted in journalistic practices which flowed virtually unchanged into radio, and then into television. This flow was largely a result of cross-media ownership, which itself led to further economic efficiency efforts which again changed journalistic practice. The paper traces these structures and practices from the penny press to the present day.
Conventional Wisdom: Putting National Party Convention Ratings in Context • Jill Edy and Miglena Daradanova, University of Oklahoma • This paper places broadcast major party convention ratings in the broader context of the changing media environment from 1976 until 2004 in order to present a more nuanced view of the decline in audience for the convention. Broadcast convention ratings are considered in the context of: convention ratings for cable news networks, ratings for broadcast entertainment programming, and ratings for “event” programming.
On Second Thought: A Longitudinal Analysis of How Embeds Assess Influences and Performance in Reporting the Iraq War • Shahira Fahmy, Southern Illinois University and Tom Johnson, Texas Tech University • This study aimed to determine how well embedded reporters perceived they covered the Iraq War and whether those attitudes have changed over time. While findings suggested embeds continue to judge their overall performance as positively in 2005/06 as 2004, respondents largely recognized problems with the embedding process.
YouTube Uses Watching and Sharing the News: A Uses and Gratifications Approach • Gary Hanson and Paul Haridakis, Kent State University • This study is an exploratory effort to identify motives young adults have for viewing and sharing news content on YouTube. Viewing and sharing through social networks represent a technology phenomenon that gives people an opportunity to select and disseminate news of interest to them. The study found that information-seeking and leisurely entertainment motives predicted the viewing of different types of news-related content. Interpersonal communication motives predicted sharing of news videos on YouTube.
Political News Use and Democratic Support: A Study of Uganda’s Radio Impact • Yusuf Kalyango, Jr., University of Missouri-Columbia • This study examines the relationship between radio use and support for democracy in Uganda. It tests whether political interest has a direct influence, or is a moderating variable to democratic support. Radio is the most accessed and used medium for current affairs in Africa, and remarkably so in Uganda. Public opinion survey data signify a considerable use of radio for political information, but no direct influence between radio use and support for democracy.
Going Live: News Innovation and Constraints in the Chinese Coverage of the Iraq War • Limin Liang, Northwestern University • This paper looks at the innovation in news-making practices during the coverage of the major phase of Iraq War at China Central Television’s English Service, CCTV International. Forces leading to the change and its impact on news routine and content were examined. The essence of innovation, the introduction of live studio interviews, was found to be accompanied with various uncertainty reduction measures on the one hand and to open up room for greater diversity of opinions.
Do Racial Descriptors Work for Crimes Stoppers? The Utility of Suspect Race in Broadcast Descriptions • Ginger Loggins, University of Alabama • Thanks to the prevalence of Crime Stoppers, suspect descriptions are used in news broadcasts across the country. In this study, Black and White university students watched a news story that described a suspect wanted in an armed robbery. The explicitness of the robber’s race (stated or implied) and his race (White/Black) was manipulated. Findings support the use of racially implicit descriptions. Those and related findings are discussed as they relate to newsroom policies concerning suspect descriptions.
All Things Cultured: Analysis of Popular culture Coverage on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” • Sara Magee, Ohio University • National Public Radio’s flagship news program “All Things Considered” has long been known for its sophisticated style of political and cultural news coverage. In recent years, the program has attempted to increase the amount of popular culture stories covered in an effort to reflect the growing and changing interests of listeners.
A Comparative Analysis of Web Newspapers, Radio Stations and Television Stations Design and Content of Websites • Michelle Seelig, University of Miami • For many years, the visual distinction between print and broadcast media was clear, however the Internet and multimedia have almost completely dissolved the boundaries of traditional media on the web. The purpose of this research is to examine the content and design that contribute to the evolving visual convergence format of web newspapers, radio stations and television station websites.
EARwitness Testimony: Applying Listened Perspectives to Developing a Working Concept of “Localism” in Broadcast Radio • Gayane Torosyan, SUNY at Oneonta and Charles Munro, University of Iowa • Ever since the introduction of new technologies such as satellite, Internet and cable radio, the concept of “local” has been at the center of a debate on radio. Consolidation of ownership has led to concerns about the loss of “local” identity. The trend toward “outsourcing” – importing news, weather, sports, traffic, and other content – is raising questions about the nature and definition of “local” radio and its role in defining or re-defining listener communities.
The Impact of Market Research on Enterprise Stories: A Survey of Television Journalists • Kate West, University of Texas • Television stations across the country hire news consultants to conduct market research on the local demographic. Using the social control in the newsroom theory, this study investigates the role market research plays in journalists’ ability to tell stories they feel are important for viewers. The study finds journalists are opposed to the way market research is implemented by managers, which limits the journalists’ ability to enterprise and report stories they feel are important for viewers.
Hard News vs. Soft News: A Content Analysis of Breaking News Coverage on Network Television 1995-2005 • Yan Yang, University of Florida • This content analysis examined the composition of hard news and soft news in television network newscasts during four breaking events—the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the Columbine School shooting in 1999, the Columbia shuttle tragedy in 2003, and the London subway bombing in 2005. This study found that hard news increased dramatically when breaking news happened.
Partisan Balance and Bias in Network Coverage of the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections • Geri Alumit Zeldes, Michigan State University, Frederick Fico and Arvind Diddi, SUNY Oswego and Serena Carpenter • This study adds to the conceptual understanding of measurable bias in national TV news coverage. Using content analysis to compare the television networks’ coverage of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, this study first assessed the Partisan Balance of individual stories and daily news segments consisting of multiple stories. Partisan Bias then was assessed by identifying politically consistent patterns of imbalance favoring a candidate in stories and segments in both elections.
Facial Prominence and Perception of News Sources • Shuhua Zhou, Jie Xu, Lu Zheng and Po-lin Pan • Past research demonstrated that visual displays portrayed men with higher facial prominence than women, a phenomenon known as face-ism. This paper moved beyond the descriptive nature of most face-ism research by investigating face-ism effects of television news sources. The experiment manipulated the face-ism index of news sources and measured participants’ perception of source credibility, competence, attractiveness, warmth and dynamics.
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