Introduction to Media & Telecommunications - Com. 2400Richard A. Gershon, Ph.D.Western Michigan UniversitySchool of Communication1903 West Michigan Ave.Kalamazoo, MI 49008Tel. (269) 387-3182 (Office)Fax. (269) 387-3990Email: [email protected] Site: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~gershon/Office Hours: Wed. 2:00-5:00PMSprau Tower, 324-----------------------Graduate Assistant: Laura HendersonEmail: Laura K. Henderson [email protected] Description:This course is an introduction into the field of media and telecommunications. From Guglielmo Marconi and the first wireless telegraph to Steve Job’s and the Apple iPod – this course will examine some of the people, companies and strategies that have transformed the communication industries. We begin, by looking at the history and development of select media and information technologies, including radio and television broadcasting, cable television, telephone communications and the Internet. Later, we examine a select number of issues pertaining to the field of media and telecommunications, including management (industry structure) communication technology (electromagnetic spectrum, wireless communication and digital media),law and policy (the FCC and privacy), and the social effects of media and communication. Required Text:Lynne Schafer Gross, Electronic Media: An Introduction (10th Ed.) (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010).Power Point Presentations:A course pack containing power point slides will be available for purchase at the WMU campus bookstore located in the Bernhard Center.1COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ___________________________________________________________________________Meeting Times ___________________________________________________________________________May 9 RADIO COMMUNICATION Telegraphy and Wireless CommunicationFive Radio PioneersGuglielmo MarconiReginald FessendenLee DeForestNathan B. StubblefieldEdwin Howard Armstrong Regulating the Broadcast Air WavesRadio Acts of 1912, 1927Communications Act of 1934Broadcasting and the Public InterestMay 11 RADIO COMMUNICATION II. Experimental Radio StationsStation KDKAThe Formation of RCAThe NBC Radio & Television NetworkDavid SarnoffThe CBS Radio & Television NetworkWilliam PaleyRadio Programming 1930-1948May 17 FROM RADIO TO TELEVISIONMay 19Early Developments in TelevisionVladimir ZworkynPhilo FarnsworthDelay of Television: Television FreezeTelevision Programming and its Effect on RadioTelevision’s Early Growing PainsTelevision Quiz ScandalsTelevision and the McCarthy EraThe CBS News TraditionEdward R. MurrowWalter Cronkite2Dan RatherKatie Couric60 Minutes and Don HewittCBS Primetime EntertainmentA Spotlight on Two Television ClassicsLucille Ball, I Love LucyM*A*S*H________________________________________ End of Unit I._________________________May 24 EXAM I._________________________May 24 CABLE TELEVISIONEarly Developments in Cable TelevisionHBO: the Introduction of Pay Television CNN: Redefining Television NewsTed TurnerCable's Effect on Broadcast TelevisionMay 26 TELEPHONE and INTERNET COMMUNICATIONMay 31Telephone CommunicationEarly Developments in Telephone TechnologyAlexander Graham Bell The Formation of AT&TTheodore VailBell Telephone Labs, Inventing the TransistorJohn Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William ShockleyThe Divestiture of AT&T The Internet Arpanet Brief History of the Internet The Internet / World Wide Web Tim Berners Lee Search Engines and PortalsElectronic Commerce ________________________________________ End of Unit II._________________________3June 2 EXAM II._________________________ June 2 TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY STRUCTUREJune 7The Broadcast Industry StructureTelevision NetworksProgram DistributorsNetwork AffiliatesIndependent Television StationsPublic BroadcastingThe AdvertisersThe Cable Industry StructureCable OperatorsProgram DistributorsThe Telephone Industry StructureWhat is a Common Carrier?Wireline CarriersCellular Telephone Service ProvidersSatellite CarriersJune 9 THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM Radio WavesFrequency and WavelengthBandwidthFrom Analog to Digital CommunicationThe Future of Wireless CommunicationJune 14 TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAW & POLICY Why Regulate?The Federal Communications CommissionPowers of EnforcementFirst AmendmentIntellectual PropertyPrivacy________________________________________ End of Unit III._________________________June 16 EXAM III.4_________________________June 21 DIGITAL MEDIA and INNOVATIONWhat is Digital MediaDigital Media Design Elements and ApplicationsThe Role of InnovationSustaining vs. Disruptive TechnologySony - Three Technology PioneersAkio Morita Walkman Portable StereoNorio Ohga The Compact Disk (CD)Ken Kutaragi Playstation VideogameApple Steve JobsApple Personal ComputerPixar Animated FilmsFrom iPods to iPadsDigital LifestylePersonalizationMobilityJune 23 THE SOCIAL USE OF MEDIA & TELECOMMUNICATIONSTheories of Media EffectsHypodermic Needle SR TheoryReinforcement TheoryUses and Gratifications TheoryTwo Step Flow – Opinion LeadershipTelevision and Videogame ViolenceCultivation TheoryMean World HypothesisCommunication TechnologySocial Presence TheoryMedia Richness TheoryDecentralization________________________________________ End of Unit IV._________________________June 28 EXAM IV._________________________Attendance:Very simply. Attendance makes a difference... You are permitted two excused absences – 5no questions asked. Please use your excused absences carefully. Save them for personal or professional obligations. Any additional absences may result in a lowering of your final grade. Missed classes become especially important later in the semester for purposes of establishing extra credit. There will be 4 attendance checks (worth 2 pts. each) throughout the semester. Use of Laptop Computers:In addition to power point slides, taking good notes is essential in this class. If using a laptop computer is helpful, I encourage you to do so. However, if you use your laptop computer for any other purpose other than taking notes (and the occasional in-class assignment), I would request that you leave your computer at home for the duration of the class. The rationale for this is simple. Surfing the web (or checking email) during class is both unprofessional and disrespectful to both your peers as well as me. I have every confidence that this won’t be an issue.Evaluation:There will be four exams. Each exam will be worth 25% of your