Back 2 School, TCL, PCN, & the Sinclair Kool-Aid

It was back to class this week for me...a doctoral seminar in rhetoric and philsophy of journalism at Duquesne University. That's where I'll be late Monday afternoons and early evenings for the next 15 weeks. Duquense will have a two-week head start on Westminster and Pitt when it comes to the semester. I'm attempting to attain approval to transfer the credit from this seminar to my program at Pitt in the School of Ed's English/Communications program.

My daughter Tess starts first grade this week. Meanwhile Emma will begin her school on August 30, the same day we begin classes at Westminster.

On Friday we welcome some 380 new students to Westminster with the opening convocation. And Dr. Barner has asked that we provide local newscasts on the radio on weekday mornings at 7, 8 and 9. We will comply. The staffing and production of those newscasts will be the duty of the BC 120-B (News) practicum this semester.


The first County Line television broadcast is set for September 16th.

The live telecast on WCN of the Lawrence County Band Festival is slated for Wednesday, September 15.


Meanwhile, Chuck Chirozzi has informed me that the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) is picking up one of our Friday night high school football games-- Sharon vs. Hickory (in Hermitage) which will air live on WCN on Friday, September 10 with PCN running it on Saturday, September 11 at 9 PM.

The Post-Gazette featured a column last week describing WPGH-TV's newly appointed news manager as having "clearly tasted of the Sinclair Kool-Aid and doesn't mind the flavor."

The paper's interview with Jeff Alan has him championing Sinclair's News Central approach to outsourcing local news and weather to corporate headquarters outside of Baltimore where it gets a fresh coat of the conservative paint like the kind Fox News likes to use. What's ironic is the fact that here's a guy supporting this trend to outsource local news and blatently brand it with the corporation's conservative politics and agenda but it conflicts with the message of responsibie journalism which is also the title of Alan's book about journalism ethics book which is marketed as a resource for college students learning how to become credible journalists.

Meanwhile the ratings for Fox 53's 10 o'clock news are down. Could it mean the audience has also tasted the Sinclair Kool-Aid and isn't coming back for more?

Capstone Blogger Debuts a New Look

Julie S. has launched her blog. She has a before and after look of her new hairstyle-- you'll have to go to her blog to check out the "after" photo. Why is this relevant to broadcast communications? Julie wants to work in television news and how you look does come into play.

Here's a list of all the capstone students with blogs now online.

• Julie S. http://juliestolze.blogspot.com/
• Amy D. http://amydalbon.blogspot.com
• Laura K. http://laura_k.blogspot.com/
• Pat S. http://patricksandora.blogspot.com
• Megan M. http://meganmarshall05.blogspot.com
• Tandi L. http://tandilane.blogspot.com/

NOW AVAILABLE - THE BC 601 SYLLABUS

You can now access the BC 601 syllabus through this link or via the Capstone Weblog main page. We meet officially for the first day of class on September 2. However, I strongly encouraged capstone students to check it out as soon as possible so you can refine your senior project ideas.

The Checklist for Success page is also up and available. Students should review it as well. Be prepared to craft career goal statements for their blogs. Career goals should drive the senior projects.

Students who have yet to signed up and established a personal weblog page on Blogger.com should also do so before we have our first class meeting.

Some students have obviously mastered the blog with photos and links. Pat's blog page looks good (which is not a requirement-- but it's nice) and he's really addressing the points required for the blog entries. Amy's recent entry revealed a lot about what she's up to these days.

Please feel free to post comments on blog entries, but I insist you keep it on topic and productive. We are inviting outside professionals to view the weblogs and you want to showcase yourself here.

If you have any questions about the syllabus, please contact me as soon as possible.

Online Media News & Resoures

Capstone Students! As bloggers in the BC Capstone course, you should be reading blogs about media. They provide FREE & quick links that allow you to keep up to date online about current events and issues relevant to media?
I Want Media.com has a great links page as does LostRemote.com
http://www.iwantmedia.com/news/index.html

http://www.lostremote.com/research/index.html

I encourage you to check them out as well as the links the provide. Find your niche or interest and make it part of your favorite links.

Here's a friendly hint-- you'll be focusing on some kind of news/information source for class this fall and online resources are free. But you can always just wait and just buy a subscription to Broadcasting & Cable.

TiVo clicker in one hand and an iPod in the other!!!

Just thought I'd mention that I caught up with some technology this summer.

For Father's Day I got TiVo.
Show's I find TiVo Worthy this week:

• The 4400 on USA
• Trading Spouses on Fox
• The Amazing Race on CBS
• Last Comic Standing on NBC
• Dr. 90210 on Bravo
• Futurama (all week) on Cartoon Network

The most TiVo Worth Shows of last week according to 07-27-04's USA Today:
Neilsen says TiVo's most recorded show for last week were:

1. The Amazing Race (CBS)
2. Last Comic Standing (NBC)
3. Big Brother 5- Tuesday (CBS)
4. The Simple Life 2 (Fox)
5. Big Brother 5- Thursday (CBS)

Hmmm- all reality shows?

For my birthday I got an iPod.

News songs I downloaded this week:

• "One Thing" by Finger Eleven
• "Worry About You" by Ivy
• "Caught in the Sun" by Course of Nature

FYI- It's cheaper to buy your music from Walmart.com because each song runs for 88 cents where Apple charges 99 cents. BTW that's where I also buy all my books for my grad work at Pitt. I saved a bundle.

I really enjoy the TiVo & the iPod! Very cool gifts! Thanks, Amy, Tess & Emma!!!

BC Students with blogs up and running...

It's still July, but blogging here for our BC Capstone students is underway.  Five of the students in capstone-- Pat, Tandi, Laura, Amy & Megan-- have started blogs.  Tandi and I are still trying to figure out the picture linking features-- it looks like Pat's figured them out.  Check their out their bogs.   

• Amy  http://amydalbon.blogspot.com
• Laura http://laura_k.blogspot.com/
• Pat http://patricksandora.blogspot.com
• Megan http://meganmarshall05.blogspot.com
• Tandi http://tandilane.blogspot.com/

Friendly Suggestions About Capstone Blog Entries

Some helpful suggestions about Capstone Blog Entries:

• Keep you blog entries on track—directed to the mission of the blog which is self-reflexivity and a tool to update your fellow capstone bloggers and those you invite here up to date.
• Never use the capstone blog to moan, groan, whine, complain or attack any one.  It’s unprofessional; it goes against the mission of this blog.  If you want free speech, create a separate blog independent of the Capstone Blog.  But remember, if you identify someone or a company, etc., as you make damaging characterizations, it stops being a  First Amendment issue—it becomes a slander or libel case.
• Never blog about specific personnel matters in your classes or at your work.  In addition to being unprofessional, you could be breaching qualified privilege matters in the work place and put your employment at risk.

Capstone Blogging-What's this about?

What BC Students will do with the blogs
When BC Capstone students return to campus in the fall, I will require them to update their blogs weekly.  Their posts must address the following briefly and with specifics:

• What I did this week in broadcasting...
• What I did this week to advance myself toward my career objectives...
• Students will also be required to comment on postings of their fellow capstone bloggers pages. 
• They will also be required to reach out to cultivate visitors to the BC Capstone Blogs.
• And finally offer a brief summary/review of an on-line article (with linkable address) about some topical event/issue in broadcasting or media that clearly connects with the student's interests and/or career goals.

Capstone Blog Outcomes
The blogs will offer students opportunties at self-reflection as upcoming graduates from a liberal arts college with a BA degree in Broadcast Communication.  It will also require students to take stock in their strengths and weaknesses and encourage them to challenge themselves.  Over the next several months, the blogs will challenge students to report in regularly on how they relate to the business of broadcasting on campus as well as in their career development.