Improving Broadcast Internships

Broadcasting internships have come under attack during the last two years since the release of the Roper Study on Electronic Media Career Preparation. Universities should not be surprised by the results, which indicate a need to strengthen basic broadcasting courses. Internships should be viewed as an extension of these courses, and as an important part of the broadcast curriculum. This article offers some suggestions to help both the university and the broadcast industry upgrade the internship programs

Recession Hits Local Television

During the past four years, commercial television stations in Omaha Nebraska have faced the budget axe. Whether it was called economizing or budget cutting, the fact remains local news and production department personnel were usually the first to be laid-off. Newsroom and production staffs at WOWT, KETV, and KMTV are smaller now than in 1988, either as a result of layoffs or failure to replace a departing or retiring employee. In addition, a year-long labor dispute at WOWT has resulted in a l0 percent wage cut and a loss of one week of vacation. Wages at the other two stations either were raised at levels below the cost-of- living or frozen

Broadcast Managers and the No-Compete Clause

The no-compete clause has become an expected part of a broadcast news employee\u27s contract. Covenants not to compete are contract provisions in which the employee agrees not to engage in a trade or business competing with the employer (Carter, 1992). The covenant not to compete is of particular interest to both the station and the employee (Emory Law Journal, 1982}. These covenants attempt to limit the employee from performing specific duties in competition with a former employer for a specific period of time, in a specific geographic area

Book Review: \u3ci\u3eThe Invisible Medium\u3c/i\u3e

Peter M. Lewis and Jerry Booth. The Invisible Medium. Washington, DC: Howard University Press, 1990. The critical theme presented by the authors of this book is that radio has become an invisible medium. They blame this condition on its subordination to television in public policy debate, and because of the infrequent attention it receives through critical and scholarly studies. They examine the two predominant models of radio—public service and commercial—and survey alternative radio practice in both Western and Third World countries. Throughout the book, they stress the underestimated potential of radio as a contemporary mass communication instrument and contend that, by meeting needs left unattended by public and commercial radio models, community radio constitutes an important and viable mode of public communication

Regional News in Local Newscasts: What is the Role of the Network Regional News Feed Coordinator in the Gatekeeping Process for Local Newscasts?

This study examined the role of the CBS Midwest Regional feed coordinator as one of the primary gatekeepers of regional news in the local news process. One purpose of this study was to determine how often local stations use the Midwest Regional feed, either by contributing stories to it or by taking stories from it A second purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the regional coordinator as a gatekeeper

Descriptive Analysis of News Magazines’ Coverage of John Glenn’s Return to Space

This study examined issues of Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report for articles concerning John Glenn’s return to space and described their content. A review of pertinent literature found that little attention has been paid to how older adults are portrayed in magazine articles. Although comments were made concerning Glenn’s age and his role as a rookie payload specialist on the space shuttle Discovery, there were few comments considered ageist or demeaning to older adults

College Baseball Popularity Traced To ESPN Coverage

The College World Series began in 1947. But it did not have a national television contract until 1980, when ESPN agreed to carry some of the games. Since then college baseball, and specifically the College World Series, has experienced a popularity explosion. That popularity increase can be directly attributed to ESPN