WAMU, our Public Radio Station in DC

     

    Looking at the website for the public radio station, WAMU 88.5, I found that the main interest is the community.  News, Support, Programs, Community, and Events are just some of the sections on the website.  More importantly, the latest news stories are being covered.  For instance, the fate of the 11 year old boy from Maryland, William McQuain was covered.  Also, information on murdered 11 year old, Jessica Nguyen who was murdered last May is covered; but new evidence has implicated her step-father.  Major news stories such as these are the tip of the iceberg for public radio stations such as WAMU 88.5.  We care about what is going on in our neighborhoods, and we want the news as it happens.  Public radio provides that for us.   

         Public radio provides public service to the community.  News stories and programs are a part of the initiative of public radio stations for community outreach and providing news coverage that matters to the area.  Washington, D.C.’s only full-time National Public Radio news station is WAMU, which is licensed to American University.  WAMU 88.5 has its studio near the campus.  There is a sub-channel, WAMU­-2, that broadcasts Bluegrass Country.  It is interesting that WAMU would choose to have a sub-channel of country music given that the area is urban.  But, since country music is the most popular radio format, this makes sense.  WAMU-3 includes content from WTMD, the radio station licensed to Towson University in Maryland.  WAMU airs information from the National Public Radio, American Public Media, Public Radio International, and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

        The main studio for WAMU is in Northwest Washington, DC.  The average WAMU salary is $56,161.  The IT Director’s average salary is $97,452.  Some of the positions are managers of special giving, broadcast engineers, phone room managers, membership marketing managers, and communication managers.  Interestingly enough, public radio uses other sources as their news.  For example, the NPR, APM, and PRI are used to provide news.  It makes perfect sense that other news sources are used because it gives a greater range to the selection of our news.  Instead of just receiving news from our area, we are exposed to International news. 

         Some people can get immersed into news radio.  WAMU definitely provides a menu of different news.  For instance, today’s air schedule includes World News, the German International Broadcasting Service, a daily interview, business news, eyewitness accounts of people who experienced history, and current affairs.  WAMU is well-rounded.  Listening to the news program, I became even more aware of how up to the minute they were.  Major news about Libya's Muammar Gaddafi being killed was covered as it happened, and calls were taken from listeners who may want to express their knowledge or opinions.  Genuinely, WAMU wants to be the go-to radio news source.  I even recall hearing the news host, Diane Rehm mention that she wanted comments to “expand” the audience’s news experience.  “It may change in the next moment, but we’re right here to tell you what is going on,” Ms. Rehm stated.  One can appreciate a news program that believes in interactivity with their audience and is continuously working to provide news.

Ebooks Vs. Books

          I have to admit it—I dislike the idea of the popular ebook, and the effects its popularity may have on those who still enjoy actual books.  I can still remember the excitement of visiting the library as a child or the memory of my mother reading me books.  The colorful book covers, the smell—even the texture of a book had me hooked. 

          So, why is it that the ebook experience is so different?  I read an article where it explores the difference one gets from the digital screen and the actual page. http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/10/reading_e-books_and_the_brain.php  Jonah Lehrer writes, “new reading formats (such as computer screens on ebooks) might initially require a bit more dorsal processing.”  Lehrer discusses that there are two processes that one has when they read letters.  One of the processes allows someone to read quickly, while the second occurs when we read something unfamiliar.  With this second pathway process reading was slower, and more difficult to understand.  It is believed that one uses their first pathway process naturally when reading things that are familiar to them.  You may ask, what is the point?  Well, for the many people that are unfamiliar with the ebook, reading on the digital screen would take more time than reading the traditional book.  In another article, ebooks and printed books are compared.  http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/07/05/kindle.ipad.reading.mashable/index.html The Nielsen Group conducted a study where it was found that “ebooks take longer to read than print.”  This corroborates Lehrer’s findings that because the ebook is new to us, it requires more dorsal processing. 

         At any rate, let’s get back to the idea of an actual book—its color, its smell, and its texture.  What draws us to the traditional book may be nostalgia.   Since I learned to read from an actual paper page, I am more comfortable with it.  I can still remember what it felt like to touch the glossy page, and smell the paper.  To this day, I am still conscious of the smell of a book.  After all, “smell is the strongest and most vivid [of] long-term memories.”  http://www.agewiseliving.com/remember-more.htm On the other hand, sight is the strongest of short term memory.  So, it makes sense (no pun intended) that many avid book readers are still infatuated with the experience of an actual book.  Our senses make a virtual memory book in our brains.  For some, the pleasant memories of reading an actual book are difficult to erase.

         So, what is this “feeling” of reading an actual book?  It is our memory that attaches us to it. We still associate the book with the pleasantries and innocence of our childhood.  Thus, the book is a symbol of simpler times; or an escape from the complexities of the real world.  Depending on how the newer generations of parents teach their children how to read, determines if the actual book can be preserved.  Exposing children to an actual book first will make reading the book possible with less dorsal processing.  However, if children are exposed to the ebook first, the newer generations will start to process letters on the digital screen faster than the letters on a paper page.  Hopefully, we can find a happy medium (pun intended).

What Blogging Should Be…

A blog should be a creative representation of one’s beliefs, interests, or postings of current events.  After all, let’s not forget the boring websites that many of us have accidentally visited at least once in our lifetimes.  You know the one—the website that has a dull layout, typos galore, and nothing interesting to say.  While it is true the 1990s was an age of internet publishing, and many “code jockeys” created elaborate websites that were aesthetically pleasing, the beautiful website layout will not keep the readers coming back for more.  Substance is the key.  Click here for a bad blog.

While, the author has a lot to say, it seems that the blog entries are very long and do not focus on one specific topic.  Instead, the entries seem insightful, but ramble.  Also, the blog is not personable; it reads as a newspaper article or awkward book review.  Think about it: blogs can be very important.  Especially in the medical field, a blog can present an otherwise “foreign concept” as something that is relatable in layman’s terms.  Honestly, most medical related websites are difficult to read.  Shouldn’t medical websites target people who need to be educated about the medical topics—not just people who are already science buffs who understand the lingo in the average science journal?  This is where the blog can be effective.  Using an effective, personable blog to convey medical subjects would serve as an excellent educational source for the average person.

Spotlight on The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global media and information company that leads the world in marketing information, media information, and television ratings.  The Company was founded by Arthur Nielsen, a market analyst, in 1923.  Nielsen went on to dabble in radio market analysis in the 1930s, providing ratings statistics for radio shows.  In 1932, the company had monitored food and drug purchases, and measured one’s “share” of the market; Arthur Nielsen is charged with coining the term.  Later, Arthur Nielsen ventured into television, for which he used the Nielsen ratings system that had originally been intended for radio.  In 1936, Arthur Nielsen had first acquired the Audimeter, the device used to measure the radio stations being tuned during the day.  The device was tweaked and the company created a national rating service in 1942.  The information was collected from a sample of 1000 homes.   Nielsen’s rating system has become the premier source of measuring television audiences.  Notably, the Nielsen Company is the first company to offer market research.  As of July 28, 2011, Nielsen reported revenue of about 1.4 billion, a 10% increase from the same quarter a year ago.  The Nielsen Company continues to lead us with marketing information, media, and television ratings by sampling viewers to determine what they are watching or what they are doing on the internet.     

             The Nielsen Company has a hefty hand in media and measures the public’s interaction with the digital world.  The company merged with Dun and Bradstreet Company in 1984, resulting in two separate companies in 1996: the Nielsen Media Research (television ratings) and AC Nielsen (consumer shopping trends/box office).  According to their website, The Nielsen Company prides itself in its presence in “100 countries around the world,” and providing its “clients [with] the most complete understanding of what consumers watch and buy.”  Nonetheless, The Nielsen Company is responsible for perhaps bringing us the ratings that enable our favorite shows to receive acclaim and continue their run on television.  The Nielsen Company’s twitter feed states, “Our social media report says people who use sites like facebook, twitter, etc. are more likely to shop online.”  This is just one of the examples of the media research that The Nielsen Company conducts.  One can say that The Nielsen Company examines the consumer relationship with the digital world.  In a recent field report, Nielsen says “Television advertising continues to thrive in a digital world.”  In fact, television advertising grew 9% to $18.8 billion in the first quarter of 2011, while other more traditional forms of advertisement did not grow as rapidly. http://www.responsemagazine.com/direct-response-marketing/field-reports-july-2011-issue-3652   The Nielsen Company continues to measure what we are watching, what we are doing on the internet, and how these factors contribute to other things consumers do.  Nielsen is watching.    

Introduction

   Hello, I’m Taresha, a Junior English major at the University of Maryland (College Park) who aspires to attend Medical School.  I’m originally from Oxon Hill, Maryland.  How do I usually access media?  Definitely online; you can be more selective in what you consume.  Also, I enjoy some technology, but would not consider myself a “techie”. 

   But, technology continues to impact our lives.  Whether it is downloading a book on Nook; getting an xray; using a phone app to test our blood pressure; or keeping up with old high school friends via facebook, technology plays an important role in our lives.  In the medical field, technology is especially important.  For instance, there is a new imaging technology that allows an even clearer image of our pancreas and is being used for new studies in diabetes. http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825090319.htm  Also, a new nanosensor is being used to ensure that the correct combination of medicine is given to cancer patients. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907132106.htm

   This semester I hope to have productive conversations about mass communication.  Some interesting questions I already have are:  How have advances in technology helped to “dumb down” society? And how has social networking contributed to an increase in the instances and severity of bullying?  Social networking has become, what I believe is the most effective media outlet.  Social networking websites have become a staple for businesses, organizations, products, and news.  At the same time, social networking websites have caused disruption in schools, provided an outlet for bullying, and a preying ground for sexual predators.  My goal for my own social networking on this blog is to have an avenue to talk about such topics.  Enjoy.