36:024 Media Industry Practices

Description

This course teaches students to identify and understand media industry practices such as media management, programming, promotion, and sales. Course readings and assignments focus on the television, cable, Internet and radio industries.

Course Goals

At the end of the semester, students should be able to do the following:

• Understand the basic concepts and vocabulary used to describe media industry practices
• Identify the similarities and differences in programming philosophies for commercial TV, cable TV, commercial radio, and public broadcasting
• Understand basic programming procedures including such elements as development, program testing, scheduling strategies, and the role of ratings
• Develop and present creative ideas for media management and programming

Possible Texts

Albarran, A. B. (2002). Management of Electronic Media, 2nd Ed. Belmont: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Covington, W. (1999). Creativity in TV and Cable Managing and Producing, University Press of America.

Eastman, S. T. and Ferguson, D. A. (2002). Broadcast/Cable/Web Programming: Strategies and Practices (6th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Head, S. W., Spann, T., and McGregor, M.A. (2001). Broadcasting in America, 9th Ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Keith, M. (2000). The Radio Station (5th ed.), Focal Press.

Trade Journals: Broadcasting & Cable, Variety, Billboard.

Assignments

• Exams to test for vocabulary, concepts, procedures
• Exercises to work though specific problems and scenarios
• Trade journal article evaluations
• Interaction with industry professionals
• Group projects to present creative media solutions

Workload

35 pages of textbook reading per week; weekly trade journal reading

Other resources

The Broadcast Education Association Syllabus Project resources for Broadcast Programming courses: http://www.beaweb.org/syllabus/program.html

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