The University of Georgia Department of Telecommunications TELE 3310: Media Programming and Management Fall 2013, Tuesday & Thursday 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Room 412, Journalism Building Instructor Information: Evan L. Kropp All email communications for this course should be sent through ELCNew Email. For non-­‐course related communications use: kropp@uga.edu Office Hours/Location: 3rd Floor Journalism Building, Peabody Awards Suite Tuesdays: 12:00p.m. – 2:00 p.m., or by appointment (preferred) Required Text & Readings: • Eastman, S. T., & Ferguson, D. A. (2009). Media Programming: Strategies & Practices (8thed.). Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth. Note: There is a newer, 9th edition available. It is expensive. If you can find the 8th edition (Amazon, other) use it and save the $. This book will not be used until the second half of the semester so there is no rush to obtain it. • Subscribe to free industry email newsletters at: o Cynopsis (www.cynoposis.com) o FireceCable (www.firececable.com) o Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com/media) You can add these and other sites to an RSS feed or follow them on Twitter.
•
Additional readings are listed on the syllabus. Links to online readings or copies of PDF’s will be provided through ELCNew. Course Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce students the basics of the economics, management, and programming practices of telecommunications industries. The course is divided into three parts. Part I covers general economic principals, key vocabulary, market structures and the economic characteristics of information. Part II covers the business practices and structures of six industry segments: Radio, Music, Television, Film, Gaming and New Media. The history, economic models, business strategies, key issues, careers and future considerations for each segment will be discussed. Part III covers programming strategies with a particular focus on research, audience measurement and planning. 1
By the end of this course, students will understand how these concepts have evolved throughout an ever-­‐changing telecommunications landscape, and how they are best implemented today. Students will learn the methods that are used to create and manage radio and television program schedules and learn media management strategies, and see ways they are applied in the ‘real world.’ Students will complete two projects that will provide opportunities to apply what they learn and get hands on experience of conducting business reviews and professional programming analysis. This course includes lectures, in-­‐class discussions, and occasionally listening to and discussing with guest speakers about current issues and trends facing today’s telecommunication industry. Learning Objectives: By the end of the course, students should be able to: • Understand and use key economic terminology • Learn the role of economic principals and management practices in the telecommunications careers. • Recognize the economic principals of information and the current challenges that face the industry. • Understand the key developments, business models, challenges, future considerations and careers in various telecommunications industry segments. • Demonstrate the ability to research, evaluate and report on the management and economic factors associated with a major telecommunications organization. • Understand principles used in the development and placement of programming. • Demonstrate an ability to create a program report, critically analyzing programming strategies and recommending creative solutions based on those assessments. • Understand the implications of current events and developments in the telecommunications industry. • Write professional reports on management and economic factors following provided instructions and professional business expectations. • Express the role management and economic factors play in an identified career path. Assignments: 1) There will be three exams for this class, two during the semester and one during the final exam period. The exams will include both objective and subjective questions that will be based on lectures and readings. 2) SWOT Analysis: This is a 12-­‐15 page report on one media organization. The report will provide detailed information on the business and its operations. You will perform a SWOT analysis and a financial profile. You will select one company from a list that will be provided to you. 2
3) Ratings Assignment: This is a minimum 5-­‐page report. You will act as a professional programming analyst. You will complete a three-­‐part report that includes information on your chosen television show, an analysis of the programs ratings, and recommendations to improve your shows’ performance. Grades: Five points per day will be deduced for late work. Day 1 starts at exactly the time an assignment is due (the beginning of class meeting time on the assignment due date). This applies to all methods of submission required (ELC, hard copies, etc…). Assignments more than three calendar days late will receive a score of zero. All students are required to complete all assignments. At the discretion of the instructor, a make-­‐up project (with a penalty) may be assigned. Make-­‐ups, without any penalty, may be allowed where documentary evidence explains the failure to meet a deadline or complete a project or under explained special circumstances at the discretion of the instructor. Your performance will be evaluated as follows: Exam #1
Tuesday September 10
15%
SWOT Assignment
Tuesday October 22
20%
Exam #2
Thursday October 24
20%
Program Ratings Report
Thursday November 21
15%
Exam #3 (Cumulative)
Thursday December 5
25%
Participation
5%
Grading Scale: A
95-100
B80-83
A90-94
C+
77-79
B+
87-89
C
74-76
B
84-86
C70-73
Class Policies: • We will be using ELCNew (elcnew.uga.edu) for this course. Check ELCNew regularly for course communications and updates. I use ELC for course communications and distributing handouts. • I reserve the right to deduct points from your final grade for violation of any class policy. Assume that part of each projects grade is your adherence to each of these policies. • Lateness is not an option. Students who arrive late to class on a regular basis will have points deducted from their final grade. This is a small class and lateness is disruptive to all of us. • Attendance is mandatory. Students are given two unexcused absences. Any absences beyond the maximum are subject to a minimum one-­‐point 3
•
•
•
•
•
deduction of final grade for each absence. Please provide a doctor’s note or some other appropriate documentation in order to secure an excused absence. You are responsible for making up relevant coursework by the time of the next meeting. Turn off or completely silence cell phones during class. Complete all readings ahead of time. We will be discussing topics in the readings (and outside of them). Every student should come prepared to participate. Assignments must be typed in Times New Roman 12 point font, double-­‐
spaced with 1-­‐inch margins on all sides. Please number and staple all pages. The use of computers and tablets during class time is a privilege, not a right. These devices should be used only for note taking or other specific class purposes. Violation of the Academic Honesty and Plagiarism policy will result in an “F” in this course. Failure of the entire course will be the minimum assessed penalty regardless of how small a percentage of the final course grade the exam, quiz or assignment in question represents. Academic Honesty: As a University of Georgia student, you have agreed to abide by the University’s academic honesty policy, “A Culture of Honesty,” and the Student Honor Code. All academic work must meet the standards described in “A Culture of Honesty” found at: http://www.uga.edu/honesty. Lack of knowledge of the academic honesty policy is not a reasonable explanation for a violation. Questions related to course assignments and the academic honesty policy should be directed to the instructor. Disability Policy: The University of Georgia recognizes the right of students with disabilities to meet with their instructor or their instructor’s designate during the instructor’s office hours or by appointment to request reasonable accommodations that will allow the students to fulfill course requirements or to participate in course activities. Students should bring any disabilities to the attention of the instructor and the university disability center at the beginning of the semester. Service Animal Policy: The University of Georgia has established a policy regarding the presence of service dogs or service dogs-­‐in-­‐training in the classroom. All such dogs and handlers/partners must be officially registered with the University. Only dogs and handlers/partners who comply with all aspects of the University's Service Animal policy will be permitted to attend this class. Course Evaluations: Online course evaluations will be offered at the end of the semester. The evaluation can be found at eval.franklin.uga.edu. These are anonymous and results are not 4
available to your instructor until after all student grades have been submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Course Schedule: The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary. In-Class Activities &
Date
Assignments
Readings Due
Assignments
Tuesday
August 13th
Thursday
August 15th
Tuesday
August 20th
Thursday
August 22nd
Week 1:Introduction / Why We Care / Vocabulary
Course introduction &
Assign: Plagiarism
syllabus review
Form & Student
Questionnaire
Lecture 1: Why should I
care about this material? /
Vocabulary
Week 2: Basic Economics / Market Model vs. Public Interest
Lecture 2: Basic
Due: Plagiarism Form
Economics
& Student
Questionnaire
Lecture 3: Market Model
Read: Croteau
vs. Public Interest
Chapter (PDF in
ELC)
Week 3: Market Structures / Economic Characteristics of Information
Tuesday
Lecture 4: Market
August 27th
Structures
Thursday
Lecture 5: Economic
Read: Information
August 29th
Characteristics of
Highway (PDF in
Information
ELC)
Tuesday
September 3rd
Thursday
September 5th
Week 4: 21st Century Challenges / Exam #1 Prep
Lecture 6: 21st Century
Read:
Challenges
Hypercompetition I
and Hypercompetition
II (PDF’s in ELC)
Prep Exam #1
5
Tuesday
September 10th
Thursday
September 12th
Tuesday
September 17th
Thursday
September 19th
Tuesday
September 24th
Thursday
September 26th
Tuesday
October 1st
Thursday
October 3rd
Week 5: Exam #1 / Industry Segment - Radio
Exam #1
Exam #1
Lecture 7: Radio
Read: The
Development of
Radio Networks (Link
in ELC)
Week 6: Industry Segments – Radio / Music
Lecture 8: Radio
False Premises, False
Promises. A
Quantitative History
of Ownership
Consolidation in the
Radio Industry (pages
10-81). (Link in ELC)
Podcast: The Future
of Radio and
Podcasting (Link in
ELC)
Video: The State of
the Music industry
(Link in ELC)
Lecture 9: Music
Week 7: Industry Segment - TV
Lecture 10: TV
Historical Periods in
Television
Technology (Link in
ELC)
Lecture 11: TV
Video: Cable TV
Regulation (Link in
ELC)
Week 8: Industry Segments - TV /Film
Lecture 12: TV
Read: NAB
Legislative Priorities
– 113th Congress
(Link in ELC)
Lecture 13: Film
Read: Manley, Brian
(2011). Moving
Pictures: The History
of Early Cinema
(PDF in ELC)
6
Assign: SWOT
Analysis
Assign: Mid-Semester
Evaluation via
Qualtrics
Due: Mid-Semester
Course Evaluation via
Qualtrics
Tuesday
October 8th
Thursday
October 10th
Tuesday
October 15th
Thursday
October 17th
Tuesday
October 22nd
Thursday
October 24th
Tuesday
October 29th
Week 9: Industry Segments- Film / Gaming
Lecture 14: Film
Read: Davidson,
MPAA and Boorstin
articles (Links in
ELC)
Lecture 15: Gaming
Read: History of
Gaming and NYT
articles (Links in
ELC)
Week 10: Industry Segments – Gaming / New Media
Lecture 16: Gaming
Make sure you have
acquired a copy of the
required textbook.
Lecture 17: New Media
Video: What is New
University Withdrawal
Media? & The New
Deadline
Media Content Model
(Links in ELC)
Week 11: Exam Prep / Exam #2
Prep Exam #2
Due: SWOT Analysis
Exam #2
Exam #2
Week 12: Programming
Lecture 18: Introduction to Eastman & Ferguson,
Programming
Chapter 1
Thursday
Lecture 19: Programming
October 31st
and Audience Research
HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!
7
Williams, R. (1974).
Television. Chapter 4:
Distribution and flow
(Link in ELC)
Eastman & Ferguson,
Chapter 2
Herman, J. (2011,
January 31). Why
Nielsen ratings are
inaccurate, and why
they’ll stay that way
(Link in ELC)
Note: Fall Break on
Friday for FL/GA
Tuesday
November 5th
Thursday
November 7th
Tuesday
November 12th
Thursday
November 14th
Tuesday
November 19th
Thursday
November 21st
Week 13: Programming
Lecture 20: Network
Eastman & Ferguson,
Television Programming
Chapters 4 & 5
Guest Speaker: Matt Corn
Research Analyst Turner
Broadcasting
Assign: Program
Ratings Report
Prepare questions for
guest speaker
Week 14: Programming
Lecture 21: Domestic &
Eastman & Ferguson,
International Syndication
Chapter 3
Lecture 22: Cable,
Satellite and Online
Programming
Eastman & Ferguson,
Chapters 8 & 9
Week 15: Programming / Exam Prep
Lecture 23: Radio
Eastman & Ferguson,
Programming
Chapters 11 & 12
Final Exam Prep
Due: Program Ratings
Report
Due: End of semester
class evaluations
completed online
Week 16: No Class
NO CLASS – FALL BREAK
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Tuesday
December 3rd
Week 17: No Class
No Class – Friday Class
Schedule in effect
FINAL EXAM: THURSDAY DECEMBER 5th 3:30pm – 6:30pm
8