George L. Daniels

Predictors of Convergence Curricula in Journalism and Mass Communication Programs

This study is an attempt to understand the mechanism driving programs of journalism and mass communication to converge media sequences. The study also describes the extent and variation of these changes. Findings from a national survey show that a majority of programs are at least experimenting with convergence, though most are also maintaining specialized tracks in some form. Findings also suggest that faculty perceptions of industry changes explain movement away from a sole reliance on separate tracks, but small program size and lack of accreditation are more important in explaining the decision to merge sequences.

The role of Native American print and online media in the ‘era of big stories’: A comparative case study of Native American outlets’ coverage of the Red Lake shootings

In the face of continuing fragmentation of media audiences and an obsession by most news outlets with the ‘big story’, this article examined the coverage of one such ‘big story’ by four Native American media outlets. An analysis of the news reporting of the shootings of 10 students in Red Lake, Minnesota, on 21 March 2005 showed that while the Internet has changed the role of these outlets, both the printed and electronic Native American media maintain their relevance by providing news by and for Native Americans. Even as some of the Native American media utilized a ‘filtering’ strategy to showcase stories of particular interest to their audiences, these particular ethnic media outlets have begun to realize the advantages and flexibility of the web as a news medium. Construction of meaning theory was used to better understand the role of the Native American media in the so-called ‘era of big stories’.

Conceptualizing Continuous Coverage: A Strategic Model for Wall-to-Wall Local Television Weather Broadcasts

The 2005 hurricane season provided unprecedented opportunities for local television stations to serve the public interest in live, often commercial-free, coverage of severe weather. In this examination of four local television stations’ coverage of four Atlantic hurricanes in two Southeastern markets, observed patterns of behavior culminated in the development of the Local Weather Continuous Coverage Model. The study showed that unlike their cable news counterparts, local television news continuous coverage prioritizes weather personnel over live, on-the-scene news reporting. Of all the weather tools used, radar was the most frequently used, followed by watch and warning graphics.

Television in Living Color: Racial Diversity in the Local Commercial Television Industry

For the past 30 years, one issue that has been at the center of controversy and concern is the lack of racial diversity in the broadcasting workforce. This article uses a diversity framework in using Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Annual Broadcast Employment reports from U.S. commercial television stations to examine their minority workforce during the 26 years of federal monitoring. The study examines levels of minority representation in different job categories in the industry, compares the performance of the TV industry to other U.S. industries in hiring minorities, and analyzes the distribution of specific racial groups across industry job categories. Despite an increase in racial minorities in all job categories, gains have not been consistent, and there were signs of erosion in the 1990s. The article concludes with some suggestions for researching diversity and policy recommendations for monitoring racial diversity in broadcasting.

Annual Enrollment Report: Growth in Number of Students Studying Journalism and Mass Communication Slows

Undergraduate enrollments in journalism and mass communication programs in the United States continued to grow in academic year 20012002 in comparison with a year earlier. An estimated 171,941 undergraduate students were studying journalism across the country, up 2.2% from academic year 2000-2001. The percentage of growth at 2.2% is considerably lower than the 12% growth rate of the previous year. In 2001-2002, the number of freshmen enrolled in journalism and mass communication programs actually declined 1.6% from a year earlier, signaling a potential slowing of growth in the upcoming years. The number of students enrolled in graduate studies in journalism and mass communication declined again in academic year 2001-2002 compared with a year earlier. The number of students enrolled in masters degree programs in journalism and mass communication dropped 2.6% in the autumn of 2001 compared with a year earlier, and doctoral program enrollment dropped 16.2%. These are among the key findings of the 2001 Annual Survey of Journalism Fr Mass Communication Enrollments.1 In addition, the survey showed: * The number of bachelors degrees granted in academic year 2000-2001 was 38,432; very close to the 38,294 undergraduate degrees granted a year before, while the number of graduate degrees granted declined 3.7%. * The percentage of students in journalism and mass communication programs who are women grew again in 20012002, resulting in the highest percentages at the bachelors, masters and doctoral levels, probably since the end of World War II. * The percentage of African-- American students enrolled in undergraduate journalism and mass communication programs was 12.2 in the autumn of 2001, while the percentage of Hispanic students was 6.7. * Nearly one in 10 of those enrolled in masters degree programs in journalism and mass communication in the autumn of 2001 was African-- American, while the percentage of Hispanic students in masters degree programs in 2001 was 4.1. * Nearly one in 10 of those enrolled in doctoral programs in journalism and mass communication was African-- American. Hispanic enrollment was 2.2%. Methodology The methods used in the Annual Survey of Journalism & Mass Communication Enrollments have remained unchanged since 1988. Schools listed in either the Journalism Fr Mass Comm unica tion Directory, published by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, or The Journalists Road to Success: A Career Guide, formerly published and printed by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Inc., and now available on the web, are included in the population.2 All degree-granting senior colleges and universities with courses organized under the labels of journalism and mass communication are invited to be listed in the AEJMC Directory. To be included in the Guide, the college or university must offer at least 10 courses in news-- editorial journalism, and those courses must include core courses, such as an introduction to the mass media and press law and ethics, as well as basic skills courses, such as reporting and editing. Since 1992, the two journalism programs listed in the AEJMC Directory in Puerto Rico have been included in the population. A combination of these two directories produced 466 listings in 2001. In October 2001, a questionnaire was mailed to the administrator of each of these programs. A second mailing of this same questionnaire was sent to the non-responding schools in December. A third mailing was sent to the nonresponding schools in January 2002. In February, the administrators were sent a fourth mailing. The administrators of the programs that had not responded by the beginning of April were contacted by telephone and asked to answer as many of the questions over the telephone as possible. The questionnaire asked the administrators to provide information on total enrollment in the autumn of 2001, enrollment by year in school, enrollment by sequence of study, enrollment by gender, and enrollment by racial or ethnic group. …

The Tom Joyner Morning Show: Activist Radio in an Age of Consolidation

This article provides a case study of The Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS), a successful ABC Radio syndicated morning program. The analysis of the TJMS uses the market and public sphere models of media behavior to examine the program in the context of consolidation and other contemporary industry issues and business strategies such as, minority ownership, localism, webcasting, micro formatting, and diversity. ABCs TJMS provides its affiliated stations with a commercially successful programming formula that combines music, entertainment, news, information, and community service in a manner that encourages Black activism and contributes to a vibrant public sphere.

A Centralcasting Postmortem and a News-Share Projection: Using Market Theory to Assess Alternative Local Television News Strategies

In the wake of decisions by two television station groups in 2006 to end centralcasting experiments, the author of this paper employed market theory to compare both centralcasting and contracted newscast products with traditional newscast products. Twenty-two newscasts that aired between 2004 and 2005 were recorded and analyzed in three southern markets. Results showed in the 2,583 stories analyzed there were more similarities than differences between the traditionally staffed local news operations and the operations produced with alternative staffing. News programs produced in a news share agreement or with a centralized news operation showed no less commitment than the “fully” staffed operations to stories related to state and local politics or government. The results of this study were consistent with data in the State of the News Media 2006 report that found a heavy emphasis on crime and accidents in local news.

The Impact of Internal Labor Markets on Newspaper Industry Personnel Practices

Media industries in the United States have consolidated significantly in the second half of the last century. One consequence of the consolidation is a restructuring of the way the industries construct and access their labor markets. As the media group integrates or even coordinates the hiring of personnel, the Internal Labor Market can be expanded to cover all or major parts of the media company. Creation of what is termed here an Extended Internal Labor Market has the potential to alter personnel practices in the group. This article tested this expectation in one specific area, the hiring of and investment in journalists, for one type of media, the daily newspaper industry. One indicant of quality hiring is the location and employment of journalists who are members of racial or ethnic minority groups. It was predicted in this article that daily newspapers that are part of an optimally configured Extended Internal Labor Market would be more likely to hire minority journalists than other newspapers. These newspapers also were expected to be more likely to value professional development of their journalists, and to provide encouragement for their journalists to engage in both internal and external training activities. The data are generally consistent with the hypotheses. The size of the company plays an important role in understanding the relationships.

Assessing a 10-Year Experiment in Community Journalism Education

This study assesses the degree to which graduates of a 10-year-old master’s program in community journalism have been aiding the “process of community” by helping citizens negotiate community structures and processes, by listening to citizens, and by helping lead their communities. Findings from a survey of graduates and from a content analysis of graduates’ news stories reveal that graduates value all three of these community journalism dimensions, particularly listening to citizens. However, there is a gap between graduates’ aspirations on the one hand and the actual work produced and career paths on the other, consistent with harsh workplace realities.