Call for Nominations
CNN Tours at the Convention
Seeking Participants/Presenters
Appointments
New Book
Call For Papers
Spotlight On . . . Rob Bellamy

Call for Nominations
 

Here 's a reprint from the previous "Gatekeeper"of the offices for which we seek nominations:

Mass Communication Division Personnel Job Descriptions and Call for Nominations

The following are positions that will be up for election at the next conference. If anyone has suggestions about potential officers for these positions in the Mass Communication Division, please share them with Heather Hundley (hhundley@csusb.edu) or other members of the Nominating Committee. Self and other nominations are welcome.

Vice-Chair Elect:

The year that a person is elected to vice-chair elect, that person will be responsible for overseeing the announcements of the teaching/service awards, and for selecting the award winner (with help from other members of committee). The following fall, when the person assumes that position of vice-chair, this position entails going to the program planning meeting at NCA, distributing the call for papers at the business meeting, and making sure that the call for papers is given to the program planners. As vice chair, the person assumes the responsibility of program planner for the division, oversees the judging of panel submissions, and, with the aid of the chair of the research committee, arranges panels and competitive papers into sessions that are submitted to the NCA program planners for consideration. The responsibilities involved in this position are heaviest immediately after the convention, in February and March when division members submit papers and proposals, and during the convention itself when planning meetings occur.

Secretary:

The secretary assumes responsibility for creating and maintaining a record of communication and events at the business meeting during our annual convention. The secretary's position spans two years. The first year the secretary takes notes during the meeting, following the format set in previous years. Election results will occur simultaneously during regular business. Those notes should be organized and put into a word process file soon as possible after the meeting and distributed to the vice chair and secretary for review. After any corrections, a permanent version of the notes can be sent to other officers and printed for inclusion in the archive. The second year the secretary is responsible for distributing the notes to meeting attendees and presenting the notes formally at the beginning of the business meeting.

Research Committee:

The person who is elected as a member of the Research Committee will stay on the committee for three years. The first year as a member of the Research Committee, the second year as the Chair-Elect, and the third as the Chair of the Research Committee. The responsibilities of the first two years on the Committee are mainly to assist the work of the Chair, and to be determined by the Chair. The third year as the Chair of the Committee, the person will coordinate convention paper reviews for the Division, and program competitive paper sessions based on the results of the reviews.

Nominations Committee: (5 people elected, including Chair)

The Chair of the Nominating Committee solicits self and other nominations for various MCD positions from members of the Mass Communication Division and from members of the Nominating Committee. It is wise to solicit and receive such nominations by the end of the summer prior to the NCA annual meeting. In consultation with members of the Nominating Committee, the Chair seeks and receives input about the nominees and finalizes a slate of candidates for each position. With the assistance of Committee members, the Nominating Committee Chair conducts the elections during the Mass Communication Division's Business Meeting at the NCA Annual Convention.

Publications Committee:

The job of the Publicity officer is to serve as a conduit of information among NCA Mass Communication Division members and does the following three things: 1) Maintain the email list by updating it periodically (i.e., there is constant churn in the list as new members join, some addresses change, and others drop out, etc.), 2) Writing and dispersing one post-convention and one pre-convention newsletter, and 3) Writing and dispersing via e-mail four e-newsletters (e.g., in March, May, October, November). Maintaining an e-mailing list can be time consuming, as can editing and producing newsletters. But, the position is enjoyable and is an important professional service. Many members of the Mass Communication Division rely heavily on the newsletter, especially the electronic newsletter, for relevant information about research, career, and the profession.

Web Wizard:

The individual in this position maintains the web site for the division, updating the site with newsletters, names and officers, and contact information. At present, the person who occupies this position is responsible for housing the web site on a server at his/her university.

Graduate Student Representative:

This person serves as a "voice" representing graduate student interests in the division, relaying issues of interest and concern to officers within the division.

NCA Resolutions Committee:

The Resolutions Committee (RC) is comprised of one representative from each of the Divisions. The RC acts as subcommittee off the Legislative Council (LC) on matters concerning resolutions scheduled to go before the LC. The role played is to review the resolutions to ensure they meet the requirements of the Policy Platform of the Association. Resolutions received by a summer deadline (e.g., June 1) are reviewed by the RC via email, if possible. There are provisions, however, that allow for late review on important issues. For that reasons, the RC meets during the convention. If there are no late arriving resolutions, the committee simply adjourns.

CNN Tours at the Convention
 

CNN studio tours are available throughout the NCA convention. This is the standard public tour. Admission charge is $8.00. Tickets may be purchased at the CNN Center. For information, please visit http://www.cnn.com/StudioTour/

CNN is also setting up a special VIP tour for 40 NCA/Mass Communication members, thanks to the arrangement made by Ralph Begleiter (University of Delaware). This special tour will be held on Friday, November 2, 2001, at 1:00 pm, with no admission charge. Duration of the tour is approximately 60 minutes. It is a backstage tour that will visit all of the CNN networks, including CNN USA, CNN International, CNN.com, CNN Headline News, etc., with brief Q&A sessions at each location. Participants may remain after the tour to observe or participate in a CNN USA program, "Talkback Live," which airs at 3:00 pm. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the CNN Center, which is less than a five minute cab ride or a fifteen minute walk from the convention hotel.

To participate in this special VIP tour, please send an e-mail request to Shing-Ling Sarina Chen (University of Northern Iowa) at sarina.chen@uni.edu, in which you indicate an interest to participate, and specify whether you are a Mass Communication Division member or non-division member. Requests will be accepted beginning Monday, October 1, at 9 am (Central Time) for three days, ending Wednesday, October 3, at 5 pm (Central Time). Priority of inclusion will be given to Mass Communication Division members on a first-come, first-served basis. After all interested Mass Communication Division members are included, any remaining spaces will be filled by non-division members, also on a first-come, first-served basis. Notification of inclusion will be sent out via e-mail three days after the deadline, which will also include information about meeting place, and other matters.

Seeking Participants/Presenters
 

VIDEO PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS OF PRODUCT PLACEMENTS IN THE MASS MEDIA: UNHOLY MARKETING MARRIAGE, REALISTIC PORTRAYALS, OR UNETHICAL ADVERTISING?

8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. October 31, 2001
at the 87th Annual Convention
of the National Communication Association
Atlanta, Georgia (November 1-4, 2001)
 

Seminar Organizer:
Mary-Lou Galician
DrFUN@asu.edu
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication
Arizona State University, Tempe 85287-1305
480/965-5066 (school phone)
480/965-7041 (school fax)
 

Seminar Leaders:
Mary-Lou Galician, Arizona State University
Charles "Chuck" Lubbers, Kansas State University
Richard Nelson, Louisiana State University
Scott Olson, Ball State University
Product Placement Representative (TBA), Coca-Cola (Atlanta)
 

NOTE: This Seminar Series offering was conceived at last year's NCA Convention in Seattle (2000), when more than 60 people attended a 70-minute Media Forum on product placement in top-grossing movies presented by the proposer (Mary-Lou Galician) during the regular conference schedule. This significantly above-average NCA session attendance validated the broad-based interest in and importance of this topic. Attendees expressed a desire to extend the examination and discussion to a longer timeframe that would also accommodate wider contexts of product placements and other similar mass media marketing strategies as well as the related economic and ethical considerations.

In addition to the Seminar Leaders (all of whom have conducted research in this area), self-nominated attendees are invited to make appropriate presentations and provide leadership of the Seminar in their area of expertise (See below for instructions for self-nomination - deadline for which is September 30.) A reference list of both academic and trade literature will be distributed to registrants prior to the Seminar, and a listserve will be established for brainstorming and connection before the Convention.

Rationale (Brief Description):
"Product placement" perhaps too intimately partners marketers (who value it for cost-effectively creating consumer awareness) and mass media producers (who rely on it for reducing production and advertising costs). The practice is widespread: Approximately 1,000 brand marketers utilize it in their advertising mix. Because of the subtlety of product placement embedding, audience members are often completely unaware and, therefore, highly susceptible. The purported influence is so great that product placemen's detractors have sought federal regulation of the practice.

This Seminar - an outgrowth of Mary-Lou Galician's NCA 2000 (Seattle) well attended 70-minute Media Forum presentation on product placement in top-grossing Hollywood movies - offers attendees a full day to examine the wider contexts and varied texts of related mass media marketing strategies. Both academic and trade approaches will be incorporated in the Seminar's inquiry, which will include video demonstrations, research findings, and lively discussion.

(Detailed Instructions for) Participants: Send a letter of self-nomination, by September 30, via e-mail to Dr. Mary-Lou Galician DrFUN@asu.edu; Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1305; phone (voicemail): 480/965-5066. Please detail what aspect(s) of the Seminar you will lead and what demonstration materials you will bring; a VHS videotape player has been requested as well as an overhead transparency projector and screen. Include your full name, title, professional position, and affiliation as well as phone number(s). Students and industry representatives are especially welcome.

Issues to be addressed:

• What are the wider forms and contexts of "product placement" and related mass media marketing strategies (tie-ins, co-ventures and co-promotions, web-based marketing, licensing, merchandising, "theming," environmental simulacra, etc.)?
• Does product placement enhance realism, as users claim, or is it merely a marketing ploy?
• What is the effect of "self-referential product placement" (as in "Wayne's World")?
• How widespread is the general practice of "synergy" (using multiple media platforms to sell a single product)?
• What are the ramifications of "environmental simulacra" - the advertising of movies or television shows through the creation of theme-park rides ("Star Wars," "Jurassic Park," etc.) or locations ("Cheers" bars in airports), which then themselves sell the movie or show and are, in turn, sold by them?
• What are economic and ethical repercussions of such marketing practices?
• Can these marketing practices ever be ethical?
• Should these marketing practices be regulated?
• What do media and consumer critics say about these practices, and what is the role of critics?
• What can/should media consumers do?

Appointments
 

Dr. Dane S. Claussen has been appointed Associate Professor & Director of the Graduate Program, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Point Park College, Pittsburgh. He formerly was Journalism Area Coordinator & Assistant Professor of Communication & Mass Media at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield.

Claussen also has signed a contract to write a newspaper management textbook, his fifth book, for Iowa State University Press. It will be published in August 2003. His third book, an anthology titled Sex/Religion/Media, is now in press at Rowman & Littlefield, and his fourth book, Anti-intellectualism in American Media: Magazines and Higher Education (based on his doctoral dissertation) is in progress and under contract with Peter Lang Publishing. At the recent AEJMC convention in Washington, Claussen was elected, for 2001-2002, as Secretary & Newsletter Editor of the Mass Communication & Society Division, and Research Chair of the Magazine Division.

Tom Reichert is now an assistant professor in the Dept. of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

New Book
 

Philo T. Farnsworth: The Father of Television
by Donald G. Godfrey with Foreword by Christopher H. Sterling
 

The world's first public demonstration of electronic television was conducted by Philo T. Farnsworth 67 years ago, this month, August 25, 1934. In his new book, Donald Godfrey chronicles six decades of Farnsworth's life and career, an inventor Time magazine called, "one of the greatest minds of the century ... an American original, brilliant, idealistic, undaunted by obstacles (Time, March 29, 1999, pp. 92-94).

Philo T. Farnsworth (1906-1971) has been called the "forgotten father of television." He was the first to demonstrate and transmit an all-electric television signal. Today, television is commonplace with multiple sets in every home. In 1927, when Farnsworth filed his first patent, the picture was a single horizontal line. Later the "$" sign was transmitted, a gesture suggesting his banker friends would see a return on their investment. The first all-electric TV system was demonstrated in 1929. On that day, July 2nd, for the first time in the history of television there was a complete electronic system. The world's first general public demonstration of television came a few short years later, August 25, 1934, when Farnsworth was invited by Philadelphia=s Franklin Institute to conduct a public presentation.

Farnsworth grew up in Utah and southern Idaho. Although formally he had only a high school education, those who knew and worked with him described him as a genius. In 1922 he actually drew his first television schematic on a blackboard for his Rigby, Idaho high school chemistry teacher. These drawings proved essential in subsequent claims and patent litigation brought against Farnsworth by the then-giant of the radio and television industry, RCA.

Farnsworth was an innovator. Between 1927 and 1939, he struggled against the economics of the Depression and the giants of the radio industry. Under his leadership four television corporations were created, culminating in the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation. During World War II the corporation turned from manufacturing consumer sets to producing defense communication tools. Following the War it became a part of the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (ITT). Today's ITT Aerospace/Optical in Fort Wayne, Indiana still rests upon the foundation built by Farnsworth.

Farnsworth was an inventor. Despite constant hurdles at each stage of his corporate and inventive career, Farnsworth filed more than 130 TV patents under his own name. Even today his work is still evident in our commercial television system. Modern engineers have developed new methods for producing the same results, but Farnsworth deserves credit for the first basic all-electric patents providing the foundation of an industry and a new popular culture-lifestyle would never be the same.

Advance praise for Philo T. Farnsworth the Father of Television

Tim Larson, Associate Professor of Communications, University of Utah: It is a must read for those involved in early television broadcasting and for those with a passion for reading interesting biographies, corporate histories, or compelling stories about real people, their inventions and creations."

Christopher H. Sterling, Dean, Columbia College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, George Washington University said of the book: "Godfrey has done both the inventor and all historians of television a considerable service.... Three decades after his death, the television and other achievements of Philo Farnsworth are finally plain for all to appreciate."

Albert Abramson, author and retired CBS Engineer, called it "a major work about a major television inventor."

Farnsworth Promotional Photos: (click thumbnail photo for high resolution)
http://www.public.asu.edu/~chrisdon/research/farnsworth.html
Author Contact Information:
Donald G. Godfrey, Ph.D. and Professor
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
Arizona State University
(480) 965-8661 or don.godfrey@asu.edu
Publisher Contact Information:
 

Marcelyn Ritchie, University of Utah Press
University of Utah Press
Fax: (801) 581-3365
Phone: (801) 585-9786 or mritchie@upress.utah.edu
http://www.upress.utah.edu/books/godfrey_d.html

Book specifications:

Publication Date: June 2001

Cloth $30.00

360 pages

6 x 9

Extensive Indexing and Appendices.

To Read Chapter One:

http://www.public.asu.edu/~chrisdon/research/2515book.pdf

New Book
 

Submissions are invited for a book-length collection of original historical and critical essays on broadcast radio or television. Subjects may include critical readings of historical broadcast texts or studies on any aspect of broadcast history prior to 1990. Abstracts (300 words), works-in-progress, and finished papers will be considered, however the length of the final essay should be 5400-8100 words. Formats should follow either APA or Turabian/Chicago guidelines. The proposal should also include a one paragraph author biography. The book will be co-edited by Dr. Susan Brinson and Dr. J. Emmett Winn.

Send submissions or queries to
Dr. Susan Brinson
Department of Communication, 217 Tichenor Hall
Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849-5211
brinssl@auburn.edu.

Deadline: January 15, 2002.

Spotlight On . . . 

"Spotlight On . . ." is a brief biographical article about a member of the Mass Communication Division of NCA.

This issue's "spotlight" is on Rob Bellamy.

Professor Rob Bellamy is Associate Professor of Media Communication in the Department of Communication at Duquesne University. He has spent his career at mid-size universities with relatively heavy teaching loads. He's taught everything from audio production to media effects, the basic mass communication course and media law. Most recent courses include, Media and Sports, Media Information and Technology, Mass Communication and Society, Media Programming, and International Communication to name a few. Because his course load differs so much, Rob's classroom techniques vary. However, want he most wants his students to get from his classes is a real sense of the power and influence of media on everyday life and how they can not only be educated media consumers, but also influence positive change within the media.

His primary research involves the political economy of emerging technologies, particularly in the structure of the increasingly global entertainment industries and how that structure leads to certain forms of content and audience commodification. His most recent work focuses on the relationship of sports and media, the measurement of television branding, and the impact of such technologies as RCDs and PVRs on television viewers/users.

A book he's working on is tentatively titled, Sports as Media: Branding, Globalization, and Zap-Proofing for Rowan & Littlefield. Rob is also examining the methods of measuring brand equity in regards to television networks/services and the history of Major League Baseball's relationship with television.

He has two published books with Jim Walker: The Remote Control in the New Age of Television (Praeger) and Grazing on the Vast Wasteland: Television and the Remote Control (Guilford).

His numerous single and co-authored articles appear in such publications as the Journal of Communication, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, and Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. Of the many book chapters he's written, the most recent are included in Broadcasting/Cable Programming, Television and the American Family, Research in Media Promotion, and MediaSport.

Before moving to Pittsburgh in 1989, Rob was an Associate Professor in the RTVF Department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In between his master's and doctoral work, he spent a year as an instructor of mass communication at Northwest Missouri State University.

Since coming to Duquesne, He has also been a visiting professor at the American University of Bulgaria and at Mary Baldwin College.

Besides his academic profile, Rob also has professional experience as a radio reporter and producer, a newspaper reporter, and as a television programmer.

He received his Ph.D. at the University of Iowa in 1985, his Masters at the University of Kentucky in 1979, and his Bachelor's degree at Moorehead State University in 1977. His dissertation was a historical study of Zenith's Phonevision: The First Pay Television System. Co-directors on that project were Bob Pepper and Sam Becker.

Rob has been privileged to have such mentors as Larry Wenner, Bob Murphy, and Joe Ripley at the University of Kentucky, Sam Becker, Bob Pepper, and Paul Traudt at the University of Iowa, and Don Singleton at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Rob was born and raised in Grayson, a small town in Northeast Kentucky. He continues to be blessed by his parents (Bob and Freda Bellamy) who still live there. Working at a factory and in food service and without the benefit of a high school education (although they both obtained a GED diploma), his parents always encouraged him and his sister (Shari) to dream, think, and do.

His wife of 22 years is Cathy Cecil Bellamy. They have a delightful six-year-old named Kate. They love to travel and go to baseball games (even when the Pirates are terrible, which is usual) and the theater. In the last few years, as part of the International Communication class he offers, they've been to Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Israel, among others. Though he finds it tough to pick a favorite, Sorrento/Capri, Prague, and Copenhagen are near the top of the list.

Rob and his family live in the Upper St. Clair, a South Hills suburb of Pittsburgh, with their 13-year-old golden retriever (Josie and two large cats (Blinky and Belle).