Chapter 1 - Journal Entry Part A.

Using the Communication Model, define how each component could be applied to a newspaper article, a magazine article, a radio program, and a television show. Does the model work more efficiently for some media than for others? 

The Communication Model works because when we communicate there is always a sender and a receiver. There are multiple channels through which messages are sent. It was a little difficult to figure out how each of these media components fit into the model. I thought the model worked better for a radio station or a newspaper than for TV or magazines simply because it is easier for the receiver to send a message back to the sender. I've tried to explain how the model would fit into each of these components. I've given examples at the end. 

Newspaper Article

Sender: News organization, Editor, Writer of the article

Encoding: A story is covered and a newspaper article is written

Noise: People are too busy to read the paper, people don’t have a paper, people don’t read the whole article, people read other papers, don’t speak English, paper gets wet in the rain,

Message: The story or article

Decoding: Is this message important to me?

Receiver: Whoever reads the article

Encoding: Why is this article relevant to me? What does it mean?

Message: That was an informative article, I didn’t like the article, that article can’t be true, that article is just words filling up a page, I disagree with the article

Noise: no time to write to the editor,  why would I let them know if I like the article, no time, my child’s on the computer, I need to sleep

Decoding: feedback through e-mailing something to the editor, continuing to buy the paper

Magazine Article

Sender: The Magazine corporation, editors, photorgraphers and writers, advertisers

Encoding: Pictures are taken, advertisements are made, stories and articles are written

Noise: too much money to buy at the store, don’t have time to read, children are demanding, work is demanding, need to eat, sleep and exercise

Message: whatever the theme of the magazine is

Decoding: Is this something I want to read?

Receiver: People reading the magazine, looking at the pictures, glimpsing at the adds

Encoding: This article taught me a lot, now I know what is going on, I want to look like that

Message: The reader’s response to the article or ad, letters to the editor

Noise: There isn’t a lot of ways that people respond to magazine articles, but friends and demands on time may be noise,

Decoding: Our article is successful, people are listening to our messages, buying our advertisements, and copying hair and clothes styles

Radio Program

Sender: Radio Station, Broadcaster, Advertisers

Encoding: Music chosen, scripts written, guests hosted, ads played

Noise: cd’s, ipods’, internet, phones, work, school, radio reception fuzzy, another language

Message: Either a music station, play music, or news broadcasting station, talk radio – talk about issues and current events

Decoding: These messages are important to me

Receiver: Whoever chooses to listen

Encoding: This is why I like this station

Message: I like this station

Noise: Time, no internet to write it, no phone to call in,

Decoding: we have viewers/listeners, they like our message, they like our music

Television Show

Sender: Corporations that own station, individual station, directors, producers, editors, advertisers

Encoding: We want people to watch our show

Noise: Work, no tv, dvd’s, tevo, movie theaters, music, school

Message: Whatever message they send through news, soap operas, sit coms, informational channels, sports

Decoding: Viewers watching and absorbing information

Receiver:  Anyone who chooses to watch TV

Encoding: Why do I like this show?

Message: I love this show

Noise: Work, school, no internet, tv doesn’t work, channel is blocked, have to pay per view, don’t have cable

Decoding: our shows are being watched, people like them

Examples: 

1. Newspaper Article - 

Here in this newspaper example you can see many of the different ways by which the sender has encoded a message and sent it through the medium of a newspaper. Look at the layout, the lettering, the pictures, the stories covered and the information on just this one page. Obviously, the newspaper fits into the Communication Model because it sends messages to mass audiences, most of which are anonymous. The New York Times is a good example of using many means of mass communication to reach people. It is not only a paper that you can hold in your hands, but you can go online and read the paper. Not only that, on the website they show video clips covering the news, have podcasts you can download and have blogs you can join. They are using many means of mass communication to send an objective message of the news going on in the world around us. Opinion articles are great ways in which the sender uses the communication model to send a message and then the receiver is able to give feedback. 

2. Magazine Article - The communication model is used as magazines send messages specifically tailored to meet the needs of the reader. I went to VanityFair.com and there are messages being sent all over. There are blogs you can read with titles like, "Culture and Celebrity," "Politics and Power," "Society and Style," etc. There are ads and pictures all over the place. The message that this magazine sends is one about trend, fashion, class, vanity, and much more. There is even a "Style Issue." VanityFair sends its message to those who choose to read it. Magazines reach the mass public through paper and internet versions of each issue. 

3. Radio Program - www.pandora.com is a good example of how the radio is influencing and sending messages to the mass media. The interesting thing is that this website lets you create your own radio station. This is a good example of how the communication model works because the receiver is able to control a lot of the media and send a message to the Radio sender about the music the receiver wants to hear. 

4. Television Show - TV sends many messages to receivers the world over. The way that the receiver can send messages is by not watching certain shows. In order to know what kind of messages are being sent to mass audiences, you only need to look up the 100 most popular tv shows of our day. This website, http://www.tv.com/shows/top-shows/today.html&pop=true, shows that the top shows on TV are 1. Smallville, 2. House, 3. Supernatural, 4. Heroes, 5. Prison Break, 6. One Tree Hill, and on and on. The Office is sixteenth on this list. I haven't ever seen any of these shows, but I've heard of some of them. Therefore, television shows only reach those audiences of people who choose to watch them. TV isn't a good communicator for me because I hardly ever watch it. 

The interesting thing is that we use media all day every day. As I'm working on this blog for my homework, I'm surfing the internet to find examples (all my examples came from the internet because everything is online now) and listening to music on ITunes.