Entertainment Weekly, a favorite magazine of mine. This magazine covers news about movies, DVD's, television, music and books. With this wide range of media arts being its topics, an equally wide range of readers is its target audience. Catering to the arts is also never without new "news." Granted every tidbit of the stories reported are not groundbreaking, but entertaining to at least a subculture of its readers. And, "Entertainment" is the magazines first name. The advertisements in the magazine are focused on both genders, from personal hygiene, to upcoming television specials. Also, gender specific advertisements are plentiful, but equal in quantity. For example, cosmetics pages or male targeted beer ads. But overall, the commercialism throughout the magazine targets both sexes. The demographic in the crosshairs looks to be starting at 16-18, and under the ages of 40-45. Interestingly, I have found that I have not grown to disinterest in the magazine through the years, but interest in other sections instead. By segmenting the topics in the magazine the segmented audiences are more likely to find an interest for a longer period of readership. Almost like "smaller magazines" compiled into one larger magazine.
Finally, I frequent the online version of the magazine as well. While the articles are the same text, much more multi-media is surrounding the stories. Also, archived articles are plentiful. Let me point out that there is a difference in the advertisements online. Online is the home to the computer product ads. The EW.com site is sponsored by Google, and the iPod product placements are everywhere, at least until the next technological fad comes along. I recognize that Entertainment Weekly showcases fashion, celebrities, popculture and other trends, not ALL that I am interested in currently, but I do find many that I am a fan of, used to be a fan of, and may in the future be a fan. I'm part of the wide range, target audience.

I read an article in the 9/25/2006 edition of the San Jose Mercury News newspaper about a copyright law violation then checked MercuryNews.com for the story. The issue is between Santa Cruz and Huntington Beach Californai, and the use of the title "Surf City" on a t-shirt. The colomns run photo perfect. Now wait a moment, while the story is identical, the framing of the article is not. Bottoming out the news story online were links to more possilble depth of information of this nature. This is not an available option on the hard copy issue on the news stand. So, for the interested online reader, much more information is but a click away. I could easily search the archive to similar topics, and past news on these cities. while the original story is informative, the individual questions any reader may want to ask/research for themselves is endless. Those options, to the online suscriber, are fofilled with ease. With the paper copy, start your beach bonfire. Online, "surf's up!" (I had to say it.)

If you haven't heard of Zune, its a new and faster way to pirate (sorry), "share" personal media files.

Microsoft is to release a device similar to an iPod that it stores media files, but the new news is that it can share files wirelessly to any other Zune device. Yes, walk up to a friend with a Zune and pass artists' works back and forth freely, to keep and use as they please. If downloading wasn't enough of an obstacle for the entertainment industry, now to compete with the improved ease of file shareing in everyday places, and without hooking up extra hardware? The Zunes' screen capabilities are perfect for downloading television programs online. These programs, which can be viewed in both widescreen and pan and scan formats, are now going to be tossed around every Zune in town. Advertising plus?...ok. But will that cover the losses in consumership at home, or the pirated copies able to be burned from these devices? I think not. This "improved" technology is the latest obstacle for the illegal shareing of pirated media files. The product is currently making its unveiling on America by way of the talk show circuts. Making crime easy and mainstream.

I was at home consuming mass quantities of media and remembering my assignment of searching out blatant propaganda when Dateline NBC happened to be doing a piece on such a matter. NBC made up a fictional product called Moisturol, a pseudo skin moisturiser pill. The plan was to see if anyone would promote, endorse, and buy this product without any scientific testing documentation. First of all, these "pills" were capsules of, get this, Nestle Quik. Not only did a company take a contract to produce an infomercial, hire actor to testify for the product, but they even got a dermatologist to endorse the pills, all while telling them "We haven't any scientific documentation of its worth." As a matter of fact, the only testing NBC did was to make sure the cocoa in the sweetener did NOT produce any accidental results. The company produced the infomercial ($140,000), the actors acted ($50.00 each), and the doctor endorsed ($5,000). Yes, the dermatologist sold her reputation for only five thousand dollars. Long story short, trash products like these would rake in TEN million dollars before the government would catch up to them, fine them TWO million and not allow them to sell Skin care products anymore. I see an EIGHT million dollar profit in six months and a new buisness venture in weight loss pills. This industry releases 700,000 of these infomercials a year. Propa-freakin'-ganda!

Going with the flow, I must be able to share images concerning the topic I choose to address here. Blogging is not solely an art of prose, but also design. Blogging shares many media examples to accompany opinion and fact. After all this technology, isn't a picture still worth a thousand words?

Everyone is blogging, even Flavor Flav! Now that I am conscious of blogs, I see them everywhere. My enlightened sight notices my favorite radio programs, authors, television stations, artists, and celebrities, all with blogs. An entire community of similar interest, as well as countering opinion audiences, is now interwoven into my mass of information consumption. Pride in the technical side is still a work in progress, but I am grateful for the sheer opportunity. I am really enjoying learning, and implementing this media form. My current enthusiasm comes from Robert Scoble, of the Scobleizer blog, and his motivating nature, when I was able to attend his visit/seminar, here at SJSU. From packaged Blog "malls" to the importance of a good title, Robert made the evening informative, and fun. We spoke of eye tracking research, keyword searches, and the blogging communities. I walked out energized. As a college student I find the blogging world a new resource for information searches, and ideas. So... Thanks to all.

All business and no play makes a dull blog. Waste a little time here. (This is the most sarcastic button I've ever met, and I've met my share of buttons.)

If radio stations are said to "rely" on hot artist driven music to increase the value of their airtime for advertisers, then why are there still problems with payola? I understand that all artists are not top dollar attractions (ok, most aren't) but to pay for the popular artists to be showcased on the radio stations does not compute. These artists subsidize the many, per record label, ok. But why not package the rights of varying level artists works as a whole to the stations and, as an industry, have these radio stations "pay to play." Yes, this is a total restructuring of the marketing, promotion, and distribution of the business, but with new technologies comes new business practices. Free downloading, and piracy, is killing the possibilities of the record labels staying afloat. The product, as we've learned, is the music and not the formatted disc it's sold on. Stop selling the copy able discs as the baseline product, and sell the works that are on them as the product. The begging of the record label for airplay has to stop for there industry to survive. I propose a unified record label "agreement" along with the reversing of who is paying whom. Radio should be playing, and paying for the products they receive. To continue the promotion of the lesser known, packaging of artists work together means that the stations would have to buy the rights to lesser known works as well as, the "needed" popular personalities. I know this would come with a fight from one side, but the back of the other side in already against the wall.
On a side note, I've never encountered a "spoof" of a song, but do admire the thought into the idea. To fight the illegal downloading of a work with a commercial for the song, while also promoting the personalities of the wanted band? Genius, pure genius. Spoofs cut the convenience, and ease out of downloading, and advertise the artists. Discouraging piracy with a commercial preview of the exact target consumer. Wow! Point, spoofers.

Before I get started, let me first label myself. In the fewest words, I am an "alert, consumer target." I feel the bull's-eye, I'm aware of the media engulfment we call society. My education has broadened my range of awareness, but I'm learning that the game is ever changing, and the bombardment never ends. One must not only live in a cave to escape the reaches of media, one must never venture from its solitude. My point is that we are, without decision, surrounded by numerous offerings of media. Televisions are everywhere; newspapers are plentiful, free magazines and the constant hum of radios surrounding our daily life travels. There is no restriction to the attaining media, in fact you must protect yourself from the possibility of overexposure. Visual communication alone is the wallpaper of our world. We are all consumers, without the choice of being one or not. Information is encoded everywhere, and decoded constantly. To each our own in the media signals personal deconstruction, but first, or secondhand, the messages are being delivered to all of us. Innumerable subcultures equal innumerable demographics, which equal the innumerable products being advertised. There is a market for every budget, and preference. Loosely stated, there are crosshairs, enough for us all. Did I scare you? Sorry 'bout that. Where are you going tomorrow?

Since our visual discussion in class, concerning ethics in media distribution, I felt one point of view was overlooked. This is the perspective of the marketing agents of the record sales division. The innocent notion of sharing a music CD, for example, deadens the chance of any framework to market said album in their chosen mode of marketability. Put plainly, the sales department would like to promote the theme of the album, while abstract a tactic, this does now let u preview the entire work before choosing to buy it. This is their "trump card." This being said, marketing thoughts are of, "We hope consumers will purchase this (entire) album on the basis of the (best of) snippets we see fit to advertise." How many albums have I personally bought only to find two or even one song is of interest? Through the years...many. Sharing now has "taken the advantage away from the house" and given it to their prospective clients. The consumer holds all the cards in knowing exactly what the purchased material is to be, and now only that of the popular, mainstream hits. This is the black cloud on the world of marketing concerning this sharing/ borrowing of media works of and form. Granted there is no illegal action being taken, or pirate copying happening, but the chance to frame a media for sale buy its owners is now lost. "Point, consumer!"