“Localism”; in Chinese media context: An examination of a closed circuit community cable system

The ongoing reforms in the Chinese media system have offered greater latitude for the development and operation of closed circuit community cable television. This research describes the structure and program content of one community system. Although similar to the national media model, the addition of a community channel offers a functional alternative. Local newscasts contain themes and production values similar to China Central Television (CCTV). Feature entertainment and music video request programs provide alternatives to the national and regional television channels. Increased access available through such systems has the capacity to expand the ideological range possible in Chinese life and exert pressure for further structural, operational, and ideological reform at the national level.     

Local Radio Audiences in Iran: An Analysis of Ardebilian People's Trust in and Satisfaction with “Sabalan” Radio

There are numerous local radio stations across Iran. Considering the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural characteristics of their audiences, local stations endeavor to produce and broadcast diverse programs. One local station is “Sabalan” situated in Ardebil province in northwest Iran. Since the audience of this station speaks the same language as the inhabitants of the neighboring countries of Azerbaijan and Turkey, whether Sabalan can attract and satisfy its audience becomes significant. The paper is the result of a research project done in relation to the extent to which the Ardebilian audience is satisfied by Sabalan and trusts its programs. The findings reveal that the audience is less than satisfied with Sabalan and has almost no trust in the news, information, and programs. The reasons they mention for their attitude are: censorship of the news and little reflection of reality, lack of respect for indigenous culture and language, and broadcasting too many programs in Persian.     

“Disarticulations” in the Information Society: Barriers to the Universal Access to Information Highways in Developing Countries

The author supports the opinion that full benefit may be derived from the technological potential on condition that serious attention is given to the social, political and ethical aspects, which are often barriers to the free and multi-directional access to information, especially in developing countries. Causes of these barriers — “disarticulations” within a society — are listed and their importance in developing countries emphasized. Possible different communication structures in a society and their effects are examined. The author concludes that the traditional, principle of free flow of information is not sufficient in the advancing information society; there is a need for a, principle which deals more specifically with the “activation”, “mediation”, and “networking” of the needs and opinions at the different levels of society.     

Radio Reverb: The Impact of “Local” News Reimported to Its Own Community

According to recent data, more than 40% of radio stations now do news for stations outside their own market. This “outsourced news,” as one former Federal Communications Commission commissioner called it, raises questions about how local news decisions are made when removed from their local context. Using research on news conventions and decision-making processes, and data from field work in a small radio market served by news produced in a large market, this study frames issues of news selection and presentation within the context of a deregulated environment where the lines of what is “local” in local news are blurring.     

Analysis of broadcast literature: Broadcast Journalism in “education on the air” 1930–1953

During the past six years the Journal of Broadcasting has brought to its readers bibliographies on specific topics (audience measurement techniques, content analysis, etc.) and from publications devoted to a specific field (law, economics, journalism, etc.). The bibliography published below belongs to this second category. Education on the Air, the yearbook of the Institute for Education by Radio‐Television, is a continuous record of the deliberations of a convention devoted to exploring the informative and cultural uses of broadcasting. Under the direction of I. Keith Tyler, the IERT was for many years the only major association devoted exclusively to this subject area, and many of the present organizations now in the field are “spin‐offs” from these annual meetings hosted by the Ohio State University. Within the framework of the IERT, the subject of broadcast journalism has not been neglected. Over a period of almost 30 years, this use of radio for informing the public of the events of the day was discussed in various IERT sessions.

This bibliography was prepared to assist researchers and students interested in the growth and development of broadcast journalism as reflected in the IERT annual meetings. Dr. Heath is professor of journalism at Oklahoma State University, and is former chairman of the Council on Radio‐Television Journalism of the Association for Education in Journalism. Mr. Wolfson is working toward his doctorate at Michigan State University. They collaborated on this bibliography while at Iowa State University.     

Towards a Democratic Public Sphere: A History of Radio FreeDom in Réunion

The history and present practices of talk station Radio FreeDom in the French Overseas Department of Réunion are explored in terms of their relevance to the concept of a democratic public sphere. The station uses a listener centered, call in format to aggregate rather than segment demographic groups and to offer non-hierarchical (lateral) communication among common people. The station’s success in achieving ratings dominance and financial sustainability in a competitive market is presented, as well as discussion of the potential for similar practices to work elsewhere.     

“Making a Lion into a Pussycat”: Working with Difficult Group Members

Objectives: The primary objective of this activity is to identify the role of interpersonal communication skills in the small group process. Secondary objectives include engaging students in a brainstorming activity and providing an opportunity for groups to determine ways to work with difficult group members

Courses: Small-Group Communication, Business and Professional Communication, Hybrid Course     

Student as Communication Skills Trainer: From Research to “Concept Keys”

Objectives: (1) Students will become familiar with academic research; (2) students will understand that communication training should be based on sound research

Course(s): Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking Fundamentals, Business and Professional Communication (or Any Skills-Based Course)     

“Haptically Mediated” Radio Listening and its Commodification: The Remediation of Radio through Digital Mobile Devices

This article aims to rediscover the tactile aspects of radio listening, which until now have been underestimated by radio scholars, and to describe how haptic radio listening has evolved, from the beginning of broadcasting to the arrival of digital media. This article will first perform an overview of the studies that have dealt with the haptic dimension of media, then focus on what we call “haptically mediated” radio listening, a specific form of listening made possible by the interaction with radio content through mobile digital devices, and conclude with a critical depiction of the implications of haptically mediated listening for audience commodification.     

“Still a Boys Club”: Perspectives on Female Sports and Sports Reporters in University Student Newspapers

Despite the growth of sports media, female athletes and sports reporters continue to struggle for recognition. This study builds on existing research that has documented the extent to which women are sidelined in sports media with an investigation of why this marginalization occurs. Interviews with student newspaper staff members suggest that, while intentional sexism and discrimination are uncommon, the male-dominated culture of sports and sports journalism continue to perpetuate the status quo and make meaningful change difficult.     

The “Most Thrilling Invention Since the Radio Itself!”: The Evolution of the Radio Remote Control in the 1920s and 1930s

This article examines the early history of the media remote control, focusing on the technical development of radio remotes in the 1920s and 1930s. Using a co-evolutionary model of technical change, it considers the technical and social conditions that served as the foundation for the first radio remotes. Drawing on patent records, it then examines the development, firstly, of wired radio remotes and, secondly, of wireless radio remotes, offering evidence of a direct patent-based link between the latter and the earliest successful wireless television remote of the 1950s.     

“Good Enough”: Developing a Simple Workflow for Open Access Policy Implementation

Academic libraries are often tasked with open access (OA) policy implementation. Many academic libraries have developed robust workflows that utilize custom-built management tools and receive support from a number of library staff. While such workflows certainly streamline the process, their development and management require significant resources. As the number of smaller institutions with OA policies increases, there is a need for solutions that are efficient, flexible, and can be accomplished with minimal resources. Staff at Rice University's Fondren Library developed a simple workflow that populates the institutional repository, freeing up time for OA policy outreach and awareness activities.     

Walking in Your Users’ Shoes: An Introduction to User Experience Research as a Tool for Developing User-Centered Libraries

In the past decade, User Experience research and design has gained significant traction in the business world. It also has much to offer to academic libraries. In this framework, the center of attention is always the users and their experience with an organization at all physical and digital touchpoints. User Experience research can be used to discover how patrons interact with the library as well as any potential trouble spots, where patrons become frustrated or even choose not to use the library at all. This research can then be used to inform user-centered design. User Experience research is an iterative process, and the work of discovering how patrons experience the library is never done.     

“Even a Penny Will Help!”: Legitimization of Paltry Donation and Social Proof in Soliciting Donation to a Charitable Organization

“Even a penny will help!” is a donation solicitor's effort in legitimating paltry donations in hopes of gaining higher compliance. This study reexamined the effect of Legitimization of Paltry Donation (LPD) in combination with Social Proof (SP) strategy. Participants were given one of four donation soliciting messages: simple request (control), LPD, SP, and LPD/SP. Compliance rate and size were examined through both the survey experiment and the field experiment. The LPD/SP condition yielded the highest rate of compliance both in the survey and field studies, followed by the LPD condition, the SP condition, and the control condition. As for the donation amount, results were not consistent across the two studies. Implications and limitations of the study were discussed.     

“Nobody puts baby in a binder”: Using memes to teach visual reason

Courses: Visual Rhetoric, Political Communication, Media and Society, Argumentation

Objective: Students trace a social hierarchy created through the visual reason of memes.     

A Review of “Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series”

This note discusses, with examples, correct ways of determining the average growth rates of phenomena that grow exponentially, such as typical library collections. Library expenditures also tend to grow exponentially; and because analysis of their growth rates is complicated by the effects of currency inflation, methods of compensating for inflation in the analysis are presented.     

I Believe in a Thing Called Bot: Perceptions of the Humanness of “Chatbots”

The way humans and robots interact is no longer in the realm of fiction, because robots have seemingly gained the ability to respond to others, including humans. Communication research can be at the forefront of examining these interactions. This study used a “chatbot”—run by a researcher—to respond to a pre-generated set of questions asked by participants. An experiment varied the presence of typos and capitalized words in the responses. Significant main effects were found for typos in the responses, which had a negative effect on the perceived humanness of the respondent, as well as other perceptions. These findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Plain journalism: The maintenance of a “vocabulary of kinship” in an Amish newspaper

Media may serve as avenues for the expression of common ideals and values that help individuals place themselves in a community of like-minded people. Using Benedict Anderson’s notion of a mediated “vocabulary of kinship” that binds individuals together, this study illustrates the ways the very structure of media content can encourage feelings of commonality. The vehicle for this inquiry is The Budget, a weekly newspaper produced by and for a North American audience of Amish and Mennonite readers. The research suggests that structural aspects of dispatches in The Budget, such as conversational and intentionally informal writing styles, the encouragement of dialog, and use of particular dialects and phrases, reinforce values of familiarity and intimacy that are central to Amish and Mennonite culture.