(Fall 2013)
Course time: Wednesdays 4-6:40 p.m.
Office/consultation hours: After class or by appointment
Email: lora.cicalo@utsandiego.com
Phone: 619-293-1376 (with voicemail)
Managing Media Organizations focuses on the principles, practices and pressures of media management in a complex and rapidly changing world. In this course we will examine the decision-making processes and practical realities faced by managers in a range of areas – from personnel to operations to content generation to finance. We will also study the challenges and opportunities presented by new media sources and technology, as well as the demographic and cultural trends affecting media industries.
Whether you aspire to one day lead a media organization or fervently hope you won’t ever face the prospect, this course will help you understand and negotiate the obstacles and uncertainties facing today’s media leaders.
We will cover a lot of ground in the next 16 weeks, but by the end of the course you should be able to:
 Describe and analyze current trends within major media industries
 Identify the characteristics and behaviors of effective work groups

Describe typical media organizational structures
 Explain how to foster open communication and productive working relationships between managers and employees
 Identify and explain several approaches to motivating employees

Understand the concepts of project management and strategic planning
 Identify various communication strategies
 Identify and describe internal vs. external customers, as well as their needs and expectations
 Understand the ethical obligations of media managers and their role in ensuring ethical behavior among employees
 Describe the interrelationship among news, advertising, marketing, human resources and finance divisions in media organizations
Students are expected to attend all class sessions (and to be on time), to participate actively in class discussions and to arrive in class having read the assigned course material for that week. These basic expectations are the

academic equivalent of managerial expectations in the workplace
– to be punctual, to be prepared, to be participatory and to be responsible for material you need to know in order to help ensure the overall success of the organization.
In addition to the assigned readings and in-class discussions, we will have a few guest speakers this semester. These are successful professionals willing to take time out of their busy and demanding schedules to share their perspective and insights with you. I expect you to extend every courtesy to them, just as you would in a professional setting. The same goes for your fellow students. While I anticipate – and will encourage – lively, thought-provoking discussions in class, I expect them to be conducted with civility and respect for all individuals and points of view. There are few “absolutes” in the media business today, so I encourage you to remain open to opposing points of view and contrary ideas. Often, criticalthinking skills are the most important weapon in a media manager’s arsenal. I hope this class will be a place where you can develop yours.
We will be using “Balancing on the Wire: The Art of Media Management” by
James Redmond and Robert Trager as our text in this class. I will supplement readings from the book with other material that I will post on Blackboard or link to from the Blackboard site. In the event that you miss a class session, you will be responsible for obtaining any additional reading assignments from a fellow student or from me.
Your grade in this course will be based on two midterm exams, a final, a research paper and in-class participation. The exams will be based on readings as well as in-class discussions, including those with guest speakers. The midterms will each count for 25 percent of your final grade, the final exam will be worth 35 percent, and class participation will account for the remaining 15 percent. The participation portion of the grade will be determined by attendance, participation in class activities/discussions and completion of in-class assignments.
Grading will be done on a traditional scale:
100-90 percent A range
89-80 percent B range
79-70 percent C range
69-60 percent D range
Below 60 percent F
No makeup examinations will be given, nor will extra-credit assignments be made available.

Week 1 (Aug. 28) – Introduction and overview of the course
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 1 in “Balancing on the Wire: The Art of
Managing Media Organizations” – “The Rise of the American Media Model”
Week 2 (Sept. 4)
– Discussion of Chapter 1 and freedom of the press
Reading assignment for next week:
Chapter 2 in “Balancing on the Wire” – “Managing in a Media Environment”
First Amendment Center. “State of the First Amendment” (July 2013) (Blackboard link)
Coll, Steve. “The President and the Press,”
The New Yorker (June 10, 2013)
(Blackboard link)
Week 3 (Sept. 11) – “All The President’s Men”
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 3 in “Balancing on the Wire” – “Human
Influences on Media Organizations”
Goleman, Daniel. “Leadership that Gets Results,” The Harvard Business Review
(March-April 2000) (Blackboard link)
Week 4 (Sept. 18) – Discussion of Chapter 2 and Chapter 3
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 4 in “Balancing on the Wire” – “Equity,
Expectancy and Climate Factors”
Blackboard readings
Week 5 (Sept. 25) – Discussion of Chapter 4 / Midterm review (Chapters 1-4)
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 5 in “Balancing on the Wire” – “Media
Organization E ffectiveness”
Blackboard readings
Week 6 (Oct. 2) – MIDTERM (Chapters 1-4)
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 6 in “Balancing on the Wire” –
“Communication and Power” AND part of Chapter 7 “Leadership” (Pg. 171-182)
Blackboard readings

Week 7 (Oct. 9) – “The West Wing” / Discussion of Chapters 5 and 6
Reading assignment for next week: Last half of Chapter 7 (Pg. 183-200) and Chapter
8 in “Balancing on the Wire” – “Understanding and Applying Strategy”
Blackboard readings
Week 8 (Oct. 16) – Discussion of Chapters 7 and 8
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 10 in “Balancing on the Wire” –
“Audience Theory and the Concept of Demassification”
Blackboard readings
Week 9 (Oct. 23) – “Page One” / Discussion of Chapter 10
Reading assignment for next week: “State of the News Media 2012”
Blackboard readings
Week 10 (Oct. 30) – Guest speaker / Midterm review
Assignment for next class: Review material for midterm (Chapters 5-8 and Chapter
10)
Read Chapter 11 in “Balancing on the Wire” – “Organizational Decline: Causes and
Remedies”
Blackboard readings
Week 11 (Nov. 6) – MIDTERM (Chapters 5-8 and Chapter 10)
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 12 in “Balancing on the Wire” – “First
Amendment, Libel and Privacy”
Blackboard readings
Week 12 (Nov. 13) – Discussion of Chapters 11 and 12
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 13 in “Balancing on the Wire” –
“Advertising, Obscenity, Copyright and Newsgathering”
Blackboard readings

Week 13 (Nov. 20) – Discussion of Chapter 13
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 14 in “Balancing on the Wire” –
“Regulating the Electronic Media” and Chapter 15 “Contract and Employment Law”
Blackboard readings
(Nov. 27) – NO CLASS – Independent study
Week 14 (Dec. 4) – Discussion of Chapters 14 and 15
Reading assignment for next week: Review Chapters 1-8 and 10-15
Week 15 (Dec. 11) – Final review
Reading assignment for next week: Review material for final
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18 – FINAL EXAM (Cumulative – Chapters 1-8 and 10-15; additional readings) 4 p.m.-6 p.m.