Mass Communication Division - National Communication Association

Mass Communication Division
National Communication Association
July 2008
Published three times annually by the Mass Communication Division of NCA.
Publications Editor - Adam Earnheardt, Youngstown State University

I hope this message finds you well and that you are embracing all that a summer in academia has to offer. Please remember that there is an August 6, 2008 NCA pre-registration deadline in order to make sure you are in the conference program. If you have not already pre-registered for the San Diego conference, please do so at your earliest convenience.

The Division's Vice-Chair (Travis Dixon) and Research Chair (Sharon R. Mazzarella) have put together a terrific group of panels and competitive paper sessions. The Division is certainly healthy with 174 paper submissions and 19 panel submissions for the 2008 San Diego conference. A great deal of division-level social capital was evident with more than 100 scholars serving as reviewers for the various submissions. Many thanks to everyone who gave their time and energy to this effort!

I would like to make everyone aware of the Division's annual business meeting that will take place on Sunday, November 23 from 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM at the conference. In addition, the Division's social gathering will begin immediately following the business meeting and will last until 4:45 PM. Please come to both events and get involved.

If you have any questions concerning pre-registration, do not hesitate to contact me at holbert.27@osu.edu. Until the conference, please enjoy the last vestiges of summer and may the early portion of the fall semester treat you well.

Thank you.

Vice Chair, Travis Dixon (University of Illinois) and the Research Chair, Sharon R. Mazzarella (Clemson University), offer the following report concerning competitive paper and panel submissions to the Mass Communication Division (MCD) for the 2008 convention to be held in San Diego.

The MCD received a total of 174 competitive paper submissions (a 17% increase from the previous year). A total of 128 of the 174 paper submissions were accepted for presentation at the upcoming conference (73% paper acceptance rate). These papers have been placed into thematic panel sessions and/or Scholar-to-Scholar (S2S). The MCD received 20 panel submissions (a 33% decrease from the previous year), and 10 were programmed for the conference (50% acceptance rate).

This year, NCA provided the MCD 44 slots for the conference—40 traditional panel slots and 4 additional “panel” slots for S2S. These additional S2S slots, along with the decrease in panel submissions, accounts for the higher competitive paper acceptance rate this year—not to mention, of course, that the papers were of excellent quality. Of the 40 traditional panel slots, two were allotted for our business meeting and social gathering, both of which will be held on Sunday afternoon. (Don’t forget that this year’s conference schedule begins a day later than usual, so this year’s Sunday is a typical year’s Saturday). Check out the preliminary program online.

The following is a listing of the Top Paper award winners from this year’s competition. You can catch the MCD’s Top Papers twice at this year’s conference—once as part of the MCD’s Top Competitive Papers panel and once during the Scholar-to-Scholar programs. Congratulations to all the authors!

Thanks to everyone who submitted competitive papers and panels for the San Diego conference. And a special "thank you" again to all who volunteered their time and expertise to review papers and panels.

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama, July 1 -- The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Alabama played host to a group of visiting media entertainment students and faculty as part of the National Communication Association’s 2008 Doctoral Honors Seminar. For the students and faculty involved, the experience proved to be a fruitful and invigorating endeavor.

“Meeting and presenting in a close, personal environment was a rewarding experience,” Andy Boyan said. “Not only did we get to see what topics others in the field are interested in and working on, but a sense of community as scholars emerged in the sessions.” Boyan is a doctoral student studying media entertainment at Michigan State University.

NCA Mass Communication Division Invites Nominations for Teaching and Service Award

The MCD Teaching Award is designed to recognize excellence in teaching, using the term "teacher" in a broad sense. In order to be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and the MCD, must have taught for over ten years (post-graduate), and must have been recognized for teaching excellence by his/her department, unit, college/university, or other group or association. This includes, but is not limited to, awards, merit evaluations, student recognition, etc.

Self-nomination is encouraged in addition to nominations by others. The nomination packet should include the Application for Candidate Nomination (completed online), the applicant's curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation (not to exceed two pages; one must be from a current or former student).
Online application available at: http://www.clarion.edu/ncamass/teachingaward.htm

The MCD Service Award is designed to recognize excellence in service, using the term "service" in a broad sense. In order to be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and the MCD, must have served the NCA and MCD in a number of capacities, and must have evidence of exemplary service to several of the following: NCA, MCD, their profession, their community, their department, and/or their college/university.

Any questions? Feel free to contact Dr. Billings at acbilng@clemson.edu or 864.656.1477.

Nominations should be received by September 1. An award committee will discuss the nominations. The award committee will consist of the immediate past chair, chair, vice-chair, vice-chair elect and secretary of the MCD. The final decision will be made by October 1. The award recipient will be contacted and asked to attend the MCD Business Meeting during the NCA annual convention to receive the award. The MCD reserves the right to not give any awards.

Studies on Video Games and Role-Playing Games
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

From Advocacy Campaigns to Product Placement: Studies on Advertising
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Frightening News: Coverage of War, Disaster, and Attacks
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Communicating Sport: Race, Gender, and Celebrity
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Media Effects: From Soap Operas to Videogames
12:30pm - 1:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Kid Stuff: Children's Television Content
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Digitality and Diversity: Television Programming, Technology, and Management
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Box? What Box? unCONVENTIONal Ideas for Mass Communication Research
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Cultural Icons: The Commodification and Branding of Celebrities
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Reality TV: Kids, Idols, Survivors, and Beyond
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

News Content, Form, and Exposure
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Romancing the Media: From First Dates to Divorce
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Edward B

Masculinity, Patriarchy, and Media
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Cunningham B

Pushing the Envelope: Media Content as Social Commentary
12:30pm - 1:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Analyzing the New Media Landscape: From Blogs to YouTube
12:30pm - 1:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Youth Gone Wild: Media Coverage of the Young
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Top Competitive Papers in Mass Communication
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Cross-Cultural Explorations of Risk and Media: From Avian Flu to Nuclear Testing
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

The Politics of News: Content and Use of News Coverage of the Political Process
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Relationships with Media Figures: New Directions in Parasocial Interaction Research
6:30pm - 7:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth A

Mediated Communication of Health Messages
6:30pm - 7:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Communicating through Visual Imagery in News, Politics, and Advertising
6:30pm - 7:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Young Children and Media: Studies in Cognitive Development, Attention, and Mediation
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Immigration, Race, and National Context in News Coverage
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

The Unconventional Mentor: Advice on How to Survive in the 21st Century Academy
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Hurricane Katrina: News Coverage of Victims and Volunteers
12:30pm - 1:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

New Directions in Research on Gender Differences and the Media
12:30pm - 1:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Current Issues in Film and Television Content
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Media Representations of Human Rights Violations: Political Rape and Human Trafficking
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

From Rush Limbaugh to Soap Operas: Racial Stereotyping in Media
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Edward D

Unconventional Television: How Humor Challenges Conventional Media Use in Politics.
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Advances in Entertainment Research: Traditional Theory in Current Contexts
8:00am - 9:15am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Crime and Punishment: Stereotypes and Media Constructions of Crime
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Reality Bites: Exploring Gender Representations in Reality Television
9:30am - 10:45am
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

Discussing from Within: (Wo)mentoring Across the Academic Lifecycle
11:00am - 12:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth G

Diverse Examinations of the Portrayals of Older Adults
11:00am - 12:15pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Elizabeth H

2008 Presidential Primary Ads Now Available

A collection of 56 of the best Democratic and Republican candidate ads is available for classroom use. The DVD includes ads of all candidates who used ads. Order from the Devlin/West archive for $225. Ordering address: Darrell West, Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036. E-mail: dwest@brookings.edu -- send payment to Darrell West by check or university purchase order. An historic series of 13 other DVD compilations (1952-2004) is also available. A 2008 general election compilation will be available after the election.

L. Patrick Devlin
186 Riverdell Drive
Saunderstown, RI 02874
(401)474-4933
email: patdevlin@mail.uri.edu

Applied Mass Communication Theory: A Guide for Media Practitioners
By Jack Rosenberry and Lauren A. Vicker
Published by Allyn and Bacon (2009)
Rosenberry and Vicker teach in the Communication/Journalism Department at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. The text is designed for mass media programs that emphasize theory and research application in a liberal arts-based program. It was originally designed as a text for a capstone course, but it can also be used in a mass communication theory course at any level.

Beyond Representational Correctness: Rethinking Criticism of Popular Media
By Edward Schiappa
Published by SUNY Press (2008)
ISBN: 978-0-7914-7424-2

Grassroots Rules: How the Iowa Caucus Helps Elect American Presidents, from Stanford University Press
By Christopher C. Hull
Link to more information about this book at http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?book_id=5803%20%20

How Language is Used to do Business: Essays in the Rhetoric of Economics, from Mellen Press (May, 2008)
Edited by Edward Clift
Features a brilliant foreword by Deirdre McCloskey.

Sports Mania: Essays on Fandom and the Media in the 21st Century
Edited by Lawrence W. Hugenberg , Paul M. Haridakis and Adam C. Earnheardt
ISBN 978-0-7864-3726-9
Leading scholars in sports communication tackle a wide range of subjects in these essays, including the ways in which people root for their teams, the consumption of sports information, and the uses of technology to cultivate fan communities. Taking an interdisciplinary approach through the fields of communication, psychology and telecommunications, this collection explores modern fans, their motives and culture, and their identification with sports and individual teams.

Brabham, Daren C. (2008). Crowdsourcing as a model for problem solving: An introduction and cases. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 14(1), 75-90.

Brabham, Daren C. (2008). Moving the crowd at iStockphoto: The composition of the crowd and motivations for participation in a crowdsourcing application. First Monday, 13(6). Available: http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2159/1969

Desilet, Gregory (2008). Deconstructing Harry Potter: The Hidden Cultural Costs of the Most Popular Children's Fantasy. In Transformative Communication Studies: Culture, Hierarchy, and the Human Condition. Ed. Omar Swartz. Leicester, UK: Troubador Publishing Ltd.

Lont, C. M., Bridge, M. J., & Willett, K. (2008). Confronting the Front Pages: A Content Analysis of U.S. Print In Rebecca Lind’s Race/Gender/Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers, 2nd edition, A-B Longman Publishers.

Mazzarella, Sharon R. (2008). Men, media, and machines: Fabricating masculinities in American Chopper. Popular Communication: International Journal of Media and Culture, 6(2), 68-84.

Qingjiang Yao. (2008). Media Use, Postmaterialist Values, and Political Interest: The Making of Chinese Environmentalists and Their Views on Their Social Environment. Asian Journal of Communication, 18 (3).

Stiegler, Zack (2008). Radio Revisionism: Media Historiography and the KDKA Myth. Journal of Radio and Audio Media, 15(1), 90-101.

Edward Clift presented two conference papers at the 4th Annual International Russian Communication Association conference in Moscow, June 9th-13th, 2008. The papers were "Griefer U: Educational Experiments in the Global Technoscape" and "The Economic Subjectivity of 50 Cent." Clift noted that the conference went well and our Russian colleagues are always interested to hear about American scholarship.

Daren C. Brabham won the 2007-2008 Graduate Research Award in the Humanities at the University of Utah for research into the crowdsourcing model.

Cindy Lont received the 2008 Gracie Award (named after Gracie Allen) from the American Women of Radio and Television for “Studio A with guest, Caren Cross.”

Edward Clift was promoted to Director of School of Media, Culture & Design at Woodbury University in Burbank, CA.

Sheryl Cunningham, (Ph.D., University of Washington), will be starting as an assistant professor of Communication at Wittenberg University in August.

Vanessa G. Cunningham-Engram, joined the faculty of North Carolina A&T State University as Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is a specialist in mass communication law and policy.

Donna Halper, accepted position at Lesley University as Assistant Professor of Communication and co-coordinator of the Media and Technology program (after 19 years with Emerson College).

Zizi Papacharissi, was named professor and head of the Department of Communication, University of Illinois-Chicago.

New appointments at The Nido Qubein School of Communication at High Point University:

PEABODY ARCHIVE - Visiting Researcher Stipend (2009)
The Peabody Awards Programs and the Peabody Archives at the University of Georgia Libraries are pleased to announce the Peabody/Lambdin Kay Visiting Researcher Stipend program for 2008. Two stipends will provide expense reimbursement up to $2,500.

Chair - R. Lance Holbert School of Communication The Ohio State University 3016 Derby Hall 154 North Oval Mall Columbus, OH 43210-1339 holbert.27@osu.edu (614) 247-7644	Vice Chair - Travis L. Dixon Dept. of Speech Comm. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 702 S. Wright St. #244 Lincoln Urbana, IL 61801 tldixon@uiuc.edu (217) 244-0104 (phone) (217) 244-1598 (fax)
Vice Chair Elect - Andrew C. Billings Communication Studies Dept Clemson University 409 Strode Tower Clemson, SC 29634-0533 acbilng@clemson.edu (864) 656-1477	Past Chair - J. Emmett Winn Dept. of Communication & Journalism 217 Tichenor Hall Auburn University Auburn, Alabama 36849 winnjoh@auburn.edu (334) 844-2761
Secretary - Jae-Hwa Shin University of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communication and Journalism Box 5121 Hattiesburg, MS 39406 jaehwashin@yahoo.com (601) 266-4282	Secretary Elect - Meghan S. Sanders Louisiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication Louisiana State University 211 Journalism Bldg. Baton Rouge, LA 70803 msand@lsu.edu (225) 578-7380
Publications/Web Editor - Adam Earnheardt (term expires November 2009) Youngstown State University Dept. of Communication 1 University Plaza Youngstown, OH 44555 acearnheardt@ysu.edu (330) 941-1845	Graduate Student Rep - Nick Bowman College of Communication Arts & Sciences Michigan State University 557 Comm Arts & Sci East Lansing, MI 48824 bowmann5@msu.edu (517) 355-2170
Research Committee
Research Committee Chair - Sharon R. Mazzarella Communication Studies Dept Clemson University 410 Strode Tower Clemson, SC 29634-0533 smazzar@clemson.edu (864) 656-4399	Research Committee Vice Chair - Rebecca M. Chory Department of Communication Studies 108 Armstrong Hall, P.O. Box 6293 Morgantown, WV 26506-6293 West Virginia University rchoryas@wvu.edu (304) 293-3905
Research Committee Vice Chair Elect - Jennifer Stevens Aubrey Department of Communication University of Missouri-Columbia 203B Switzler Hall aubreyj@missouri.edu (573) 882-0739
Nominations Committee
Karyn Riddle (Chair) University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication 5014 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Ave Madison, WI 53706 kriddle@wisc.edu (608) 263-7836	Mary Beth Earnheardt Youngstown State University Department of English 1 University Plaza Youngstown, OH 44555 mearnheardt@ysu.edu (330) 941-1655
Rebecca M. Verser New Mexico St. Univ. Dept of Comm. Studies MSC 3W; P. O. Box 30001 Las Cruces, NM 88003 rmverser@nmsu.edu (505) 646-1603	Janellen Hill Department of Communication Arts Regis University 3333 Regis Blvd, E-8 Denver, CO 80221 jhill@regis.edu (303) 458-4969
Mina Tsay University of Kentucky Department of Communication 238 Grehan Building Lexington, KY 40506-0042 mina.tsay@uky.edu (859) 257-4651
NCA
Legislative Assembly - Stan Tickton (term expires November 2008) Norfolk State University Mass Communication/Journalism 700 Park Ave., Unit 3249 Norfolk, Virginia 23504 stickton@nsu.edu (757) 823-2383	Legislative Assembly - Jane Banks (term expires November 2009) Indiana University/Purdue University Dept of Communication 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd. Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805-1499 banksj@ipfw.edu (260) 481-6548
Resolutions Committee - Sahara Byrne Department of Communication Cornell University 314 Kennedy Hall Ithaca, NY 14853 seb272@cornell.edu (607) 255-8058	Nominating Committee - Cary Horvath Youngstown State University Dept. of Communication 1 University Plaza Youngstown, OH 44555 clhorvath@ysu.edu (330) 941-3631

The next issue of the Gatekeeper, the 2008 NCA CONVENTION ISSUE, is coming in late-October 2008 and we need your news. Please provide any content you would like considered for publication in the newsletter (position announcements, new books, appointments, etc.). Please provide me with all content by October 1, 2008. Send updates to Adam Earnheardt at acearnheardt@ysu.edu.