Balinders Issues and Debates

2007-03-22T01:36:00.000-07:00

What ITV is learning about digital media

I'm at an away-day for the entire marketing and communications department of ITV, and the aim of the game is to get everyone up to speed on digital media.
Ben Hammersley caused a commotion earlier by saying that viewers don't care about the ITV brand, and Jay Stevens of MySpace told everyone how Channel 4 nearly tripled its TV audience for Skins by partnering with MySpace.

The new digital environment means joining things up and not leaving it to the guys in the corner, says new marketing director David Pemsel. And that includes being able to understand the 120 people building the broadband site, he said.

Television 2.0 is essentially television plus the best of the internet, so content and quality plus place-shifting, time-shifting, feeds, folksonomies, interactivity, remixing, community and navigation.
Video on demand will be about niche markets - how to fix a motorcycle, for example - and that's exactly how YouTube got so successful.

Personal media has not taken over from mass media, but it has become harder for mass media to keep up. MTV has completely flatlined for the last nine months and that's because it's still top-down, trying to tell kids what's cool. The new networks are about about being part of a network that you can't control. MTV used to dominate music TV and now YouTube does.

Summary...
This news story is about ITV and how they are losing their viewers. They are worried about the number of viewers that Channel 4 are receiving, since the launch of the new programme 'Skins'. They have also partnered up with MySpace which gives Channel 4 another advantage.
ITV's main aim is to get everyone up to speed on digital media.

My view...
I think that what ITV is doing is good, as everyone in the television industry has to keep up with new media and technology. However, i think that it would be quite difficult to keep up as it has become harder for mass media to keep up. An example of this would be MTV which used to dominate music tv, but now YouTube has taken over.

2007-03-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

SELF EVALUATION.

I can't believe this is the last ever evaluation. It's quite sad when you think about it. Lol! Not really!!

Attainment- 1
I think that i have improved dramatically and have really tried my best to get the best possible grade. This grade is always high for me anyway, so i'm not worried. Hehe!

Effort-2
I have put in a lot of effort this year, especially when working on my independent study. I have also started to revise at home for this subject, making my own notes at home. I try to get all the notes that are given in class, and make sure that i understand them fully. I usually analyse them by highlighting important bits in the text.

Punctuality-1
I am always punctual for my lessons, and i am also punctual in attending all the film clubs that take place after school. I think that the slasher genre is interesting, that's the only reason why i come! LOL!

Submission and quality of homework- 2
I try to complete all the homework that is set, but sometimes the work is not relevant which wastes my time sir! I could be doing revesion in that time.

Ability to work independently- 1
I am able to work independently as i was successful in completing my independent study. I am also able to work on my own at home.

Quality of writing- 2
As i am an english student i think that my quality of writing is at a good standard. It has improved, but i think that i need to use more media terminology, and make good use of the vocabulary packs that we have been given.

Organisation of media folder-1
In think that my media folder is very organised, even though you don't check it sir! i still keep it neat and well organised.

Oral contributions in class-1
I think that i have started to contribute more in class, as i am raisng my hand more to ask questions. I also feel more confident to answer a question.

Quality of coursework-2
As the coursework has not yet been returned to us it is hard to say how good it is. However, from my own view i think that is the most work i have ever put in.

Standard of module 5 and 6 blog- 2
The standard of both my blogs has increased, as i have regularly started to post up things, and post up a news story every week.

2007-03-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

The lesson that eBay can teach the TV companiesAnthony LilleyMonday March 12, 2007The Guardian

I dread it when Arlene Phillips has a go at someone on Strictly Come Dancing - especially when they're not my favourite celeb. Arlene only has to criticise the line of their leg - admittedly sometimes rather tartly - and, next thing you know, the public vote their hearts out to keep the hoofer under attack in the show. This upsets my frail sense of natural justice because I have a quaint, old-fashioned and ridiculous view that such shows should be won by the person with the most talent.
Obviously, it's different with pure-bred reality shows like Big Brother where the contestants' whole aim is not to lose the game of popularity. That's fair enough so long as we, the voting public, know up front what's going on. Hence the fuss last year when previous evictees were reinstated in the house.
But recent problems with phone voting, quizzes and participation TV point to something more troubling than this. Last Friday's Daily Mirror ran a splash arguing that the trust in television which many people traditionally show has been broken by these tales of sloppy administration, poor compliance and, possibly, downright dodginess.
For me, this crisis is a function of two things. The first is TV's sometimes simplistic - maybe even rather arrogant and greedy - approach to how to engage with audiences. The second is the rise of television as a way to create direct revenues through mechanisms from TV shopping to voting and premium rate quizzes. The truth is that many in the business have known about and been uncomfortable with this area for a while now. There's been a worry that some people might have been going just a little too far in pursuit of the readies - although I don't mean to imply that anyone has done anything deliberately wrong.
If you want to see this facet of participation TV in the wild, take a trip to the nether regions of the listings - down amongst the channels with 8 and 9 prefixes. There you will find participation TV in its barest form - sometimes , in the case of so-called "babe stations", literally naked. You'll find text chat channels, quiz channels, shopping channels and even psychic channels. A number of these have run into problems with Ofcom - some on more than one occasion - as they tread the thin line between showing content and being thinly-veiled adverts for premium rate phone lines.
In a much less egregious way, we've seen mainstream TV walking the same line. It's a logical but rather short-term commercial approach, especially if you've got a brand worth protecting. Research shows that many people trust the TV and television brands a great deal. When the TV channel Auctionworld had its licence revoked a couple of years ago there was more than one anguished letter about how TV itself had let people down. Squandering trust in pursuit of short-term bucks is very dangerous. Once lost, it's hard to recapture.
The participation TV debacle should have the positive effect of making legitimate operators consider the editorial and commercial standards which they need to apply to protect and extend their brands and make sure they retain this trust. The idea that some broadcasters didn't know what was going on is almost as alarming as the fact that some of these mistakes and allegedly sharp practices were going on in the first place.
This problem of trust is already a more common issue on the internet - where, as the saying goes, no one knows you're a dog. On the face of it, without trust - expressed as seller and buyer ratings - eBay just wouldn't work at all. The fact that it does illustrates that people will trust strangers if they are given ways in which to work out roughly how trustworthy the other person is. They will also be happy to get involved in ejecting the inevitable imposters and fraudsters alongside the official action taken by eBay itself. It's far from perfect, but the fact that it works at all is encouraging.
That said, it can go too far. Recent research suggesting that 70% of teenagers trust everything they read online points to an urgent need to do something about the sophistication of media literacy in our society. It's becomes increasingly impossible to regulate all media centrally. As a result, people need to be able to look after themselves more than ever, subject to basic legal standards, and content providers of whatever size need to behave decently. And the lessons for TV? Don't wait for or quibble over the fine detail of regulation, keep a close eye on what's going on in your name, and treat the audience in a way which means you deserve their trust - or you'll squander one of the most important brand values TV as a medium has left.

Summary: This news story is about the reality tv shows that are broadcast. It argues that today's audince are beginning to trust everything that they read online, resulting in the views they have towards certain people that are represented in these tv shows. This also has an impact on the voting and polls when it is left up to the public.

My view.... I think that this news story is arguing fairly as the internet today has created consumers to rely sepcifically on what they read. As the internet is becoming worldwide and increasing dramatically it is very hard to represent certain issues and deabtes on television without the genaral public raising a certain issue or arguement.

2007-03-14T01:26:00.000-07:00

Using the comparison of the texts by ‘Gil Scott- Heron’ and ‘DJ Vadim feat. Sarah Jones’ as your starting point, explore the media issues and debates they raise.

By looking at the first text, which is called ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’, it can suggest some sort of debate. ‘The Revolution’ being depicted in the title of the song is referring to the black revolution. Throughout the song there are many references to many white singers, advertising and the police are described as ‘pigs’. On the whole, blacks are being represented in the media, and this text conveys this. It also conveys the stereotypical elements of how black people are always either portrayed as victims, entertainers or as savage. This idea is continuously emphasised as the repetitive use of ‘The revolution will not be televised’ helps to get the message across.
Heron is also able to parody the work of advertising when he says ‘The revolution will not go better with Coke’. This can raise the process of the effects theory, stating that the audience are passive and are being injected by all of these false representations. It can also depict that the media does have an impact on our society.
The word ‘pigs’ used to describe the police can raise ideologies and values on how blacks are viewed amongst others. It can convey them to be represented to be unfair.
Towards the end of the song a strong message is conveyed ‘The Revolution will put you in the drivers seat’ can suggest the social change that is being promoted. As this is written in the 1972, it can reflect the attitudes of society at that particular time period.
Later on in the 1998, Sarah Jones released a song called ‘Your Revolution’. This song basically critiques the macho values of typical rap music, and Jones conveys a strong message stating that you don’t have to use your strong sexuality to get somewhere. This text raises a lot of patriarchal and misogynistic values, which objectify women, and mentions a lot of other famous rappers. The intertextuality she uses is a sort of pastiche as she mocks other elements.
Another issue raised is towards the beginning of the song, which depicts the message that materialistic things are not important. This text represents blacks, as the famous names mentioned are all of black artists. It represents men as being self-obsessed, egotistic and re- emphasises machismo, as the repetitive use of ‘because that revolution will not happen between these thighs’
Compared to Gil Scott- Heron, Jones is raising issues about black street culture, and how the majority of it is mainly black dominated. This is particularly popular with the teenage audience; taking in to account it is a postmodern text. Laura Mulvey’s theory can be applied to this text as it is from a feminist’s point of view. The feminists approach can link to the idea of women rejecting the pleasures that men gain, out of looking at women.
Overall, both texts raise certain issues and debates when teaching us about black revolution. They are bale to convey social issues and depict their own views.

2007-02-01T01:55:00.000-08:00

Film Poster: Serenity

Media langauge: The two main images are big and bold which can suggest that both the male and female are important characters in the film, the colours are dull which can suggest the seriousness of the film, ,and the images can convey what the filom ia about, the title of the m is made aware of as the white font stands out on a dark background, the central image of the girl can suggest her character to be mysterious and can suggest that her role in the movie will be important, the male character is positioned behind her which could show the power that the female has over him- the brighter lighting used on his face can suggest that he is some sort of hero in the film.

Institution: A film directed byJoss Whedon (2005)

Genre: The genre of the film seems to be action/sci-fi as the colours can connote this. Also what the woman is holding and the image of the rocket can suggest the scientific element that the film holds.

Representation: Represents both male and female genders, which can suggest the eqaulity that both men and females have now in film roles. The fact that the woman is positioned in front of the male can represent women to be more powerful and dominant, and can reflect on how more and more women are able to partake in male roles.

Audience: The audience can be both male and female and will be people who enjoy this type of genre. The actors are not well known which may not appeal a more younger audience. A more educated or sophisticated audience may watch this.

Ideologies and values: From analysing the film poster a value of men and women may be raised, and how they are both seen to be equal.

2007-02-01T01:40:00.000-08:00

Newspapers: The Sun

Media language: This is a "red top" newspaper so it is easily recognised by its readers, the title of the the newspaper stands out on a white background, there is a central image so the headline is appealing to the reader, there are onlt two main images which makes it easier to read the two main headlines, headline is big and bold so it is easily noticed.

Institution: Rupert Murdoch is the owner of this newspaper

Genre: This newspaper mainly focuses on the entertainment side of the media and has bias views on the political element of the media.

Representation: There is a mixture of ethnicities being represented on this front cover. Firstly there is a black young solo, female singer being represented which shows that there is no discrimination. There is also a muslim middle aged man being represented. This empahasises the multicultural society that Britain constructs.

Audience: The audience for this particular newspaper would be readers who are interested in political views and agree with them. They would also have a little interest in the entertainment side of the media. The gender can be either male or female, however, it is more likely that males would read this newsaper, because of the topic subjects being put across.

Ideologies and values: The values that an audience can gain from this newspaper is that Britain as a country is proud and united. This is seen on the front cover as the union jack is being portrayed in a positive way.

2007-02-01T01:14:00.000-08:00

Magazine front cover: Cosmo Girl

Media language: Bright colours to attract target audience, big, bold image to represent the celebrity being portrayed, and so the target audience can recognise her, pink girlie colurs to connote the gender of the magazine to be female. "What guys really want" is under the heading to appeal to the ladies of the magazine, and persuades them to buy the magazine as girls latest interest is guys.

Institution: Front cover of a magazine

Genre: Girls fashion and beauty magazine

Representation: Represents a mixed ethnic minority as the female is known for her role in "ugly betty" which can suggest that all types of people are represented, even though her role on television is not real. It represents the young, independent girls in today's society.

Audience: The audience for this magazine would be young girls between the ages of 18- 25. They would be interested in fashion and beauty tips, and would be girls who have social time to purchase and read this magazine. it could also suggest that these females are free, and independent without men in their lives, or are looking for men, as many of the straplines conveyed involve pleasing men or gaining male attention.

Ideologies and Values: The values that this magazine can raise is that you don't have to be exceptionally beautiful to look like the women on the front covers of magazines, normal girls can look like that too.

Narrative: In a way the front cover of a magazine can tell a stroy of the way women want to be and how they live.

2007-02-01T00:53:00.000-08:00

Self-Evaluation

Attainment: 2- I think that I have worked much harder this year than last year. I am concentrating in depth on the tasks that are set.

Effort: 2- I am putting in as much effort as i can.

Punctuality:1- I am always punctual and on time to my lessons.

Submission and quality of homework:2- I try to meet the deadlines that are set, but the main deadline is coming so we will find out, won't we? lol!!!

Abililty to work independently:1- I am more hardworking when working independently, and i am finding the independent study a good way of expressing my own ideas.

Quality of writing:2- I think that i have improved in my quality of writing, as my vocabulary has broadened, and i am able to write more like a media student.

Organisation of media folder:1- This doesn't even have to be asked, sir!!

Oral contributions in class: 2- I have started to contribute much more in class discussions, but i think i can a little bit more, considering the big mouth i got!!!!

Areas of improvement:
- I think i need to contribute more in class
- Make sure that i practice for the med 6 module exam
- my writing to look more like a media student.

2006-11-30T03:52:00.000-08:00

USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY

Audiences were made up of individuals who actively consumed texts for different reasons and in different ways.

Blulmer and Katz expanded this theory in 1974, suggesting a series possible reasons why audience members might consume a media text.

Diversion- escape from everyday problems and routines
Personal relationships- using the media for emotional and other interaction, eg. substituting soap operas for family life
Personal identity- constructing their own identity from characters in media texts, and learning behaviour and values.
Surveillance- Information gathering, eg. educational programmes, weather reports, financial news, holiday bargains

Dennis McQuail suggests a more detailed breakdown of audience motivation:

Information

finding out about relevant events and conditions
seeking advice
satisfying curiosity and general interest

Learning

self- education
confidence thorough gaining knowledge

Personal identity

finding reinforcement for personal values
finding models of behaviour
identifying with "celebrities" - eg. Beckham
gaining insight into oneself

Integration and social interaction

gaining insight into circumstances of others
identifying with others- a sense of belonging
finding a basis for conversation and social interaction
having a substitute for real life companionship
helping to carry out social roles
enabling one to connect with family, friends and society

Entertainment

escaping, or being diverted, from problems
relaxing
getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment
filling time
emotional release
sexual arousal

MY VIEW...

I think that the audience view texts in their own way and consume them the way they want. Different people respond to different texts, and that includes whether they find the text interesting or not. I think that this also applies to why they want to watch it, and the idea of genders and ages is also important. A child would want to watch something for a different purpose to why an adult or teenager would. It all depnds on audience interests and the way they want to consume the text.

2006-11-23T03:57:00.000-08:00

EFFECTS THEORY

To sum up the effects theory it can be viewed as forced ideolgies on a passive audience.

The Frankfurt School
This is the impact of the rise of the media industires on society. They argued that the rise of the "culture industry" resulted in increased standardisation within society. Society controls evrything and culture is processed through the mass media as sometihng which is bought and sold. So culture is produced by the industry of the media.

The mass audience is thus manipulated and indoctrinated by society and progresively less able to criticise it. The mass media prevent culture from being effectively communicated in any authenic form until it has first been comodified and changed to fit the capitalist system.

The Hypodermic needle model
This is a model which demonstrates the effects of the mass media on their audiences. In particular this applies to film- which is designed to inject the passive audiences with ideologies.
The audience is seen as a passive mass who will immediately accept whatever version of events is given in the media.

Violence in the media.
Some argue that TV output which is explicitly sexual, too violent or in other ways offensive may be censored as it may influence the audience to act in the same way. This again assumes that the audience is passive.
Today's audience are more media literate and are able to decode media texts without being injected in this way.
Theorists will try to blame the media for all anti-social behaviour.

Cultivation theory
While a single text does not have much effect, repeated exposure will make the audience less sensitive. Critics call it becoming "desensitised"
Social attitudes and expectations have changed so much.

Two step flow
This assumes a more active audience, who will discuss media text with each other. If the text is discussed with someone we respect then we may well be passive enough to accept their received views of the text.

MY OPINION...
I agree with the view that as an audience we are manipulated into being like people we see on television. I think that this especially applies to young children as they are the most naive, in aspiring to people on television. I also think that the audience are also passive in terms of what is portrayed to them in the media. Whatever version of events is presented to them, they are passive in believing what they see, even if that may not be the whole truth. This can also link to the idea of "moral panoic" as the audience become indoctrinated with information so much, that they start to fear what might happen.

2006-11-16T04:51:00.000-08:00

WHAT IS MARXISM?
Marx argued that capitalism is based on the profit motive and that under capitalism, profits are generated by exploiting workers.
Marx believed that capitalist society is divided into two social classes.

ALTHUSSER
Althusser identified what he called the Ideological State Apparatuses, which operate alongside the Repressive State Apparatuses to maintain these bourgeois ideologies:

Religion
Education
Family (family values)
Legal and political systems
Political system
Cultural and communications system

GRAMSCI

This is the dominance of the ideologies of the ruling class, with all the beliefs and values that they incorporate. He argued that this process is so successful that it becomes "common sense".

2006-11-16T04:25:00.000-08:00

WHAT IS PLURALISM?
Pluralists view society as a system of competing groups and interests, none of them predominant.

Opposite to the marxist perspective - rejects the concept of 'Mass Culture'

Pluralism takes a more flexible and open view, arguing that for a class to resond to the media it is determined economicaly and by the audience.

AUDIENCE
If the audience do not like the text they will simply buy it or watch it. The audience is seen as playing an active role in the media, selecting texts from a vast range, consuming them, not receiving them passively. Therfore the media will respond to this buy changing their output.
Audiences are perceived as a capable of manipulating the media and having access to what Halloran calls "the plural values of society", enabling them to conform, accomodate or reject.

AM I A PLURALIST?
I believe that i am a pluralist, because as a member of a media audience, i agree that i do play a part in the manipulation process. If there is a certain text in which i do not enjoy, i will simply not watch it. I will only watch a text if there is some sort of an entertainment factor.

2006-11-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

Eva Longoria Pepsi

This advert is another one that uses celebrity endorsement. The well known Eva Longoria is seen running wild and free in the rain whilst drinking Pepsi. This shows a representation on women to be young, free and independent. Even though she is not dressed provocativley men still look upon her as a sex symbol, as she is known for her raunch roles in "Desperate Housewives"

2006-11-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

Aishwarya Rai - Loreal Commercial

This advert is celebrity endorsed as it features a famous bollywood actress. The woman in this advert is not fetishised in terms of her assets, but is still appealing towards men as she is known for her beauty. This advert also represents a different ethnicity as she is Asian.

2006-11-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

Girls - Lynx ad

This advert shows a range of different women that all appeal to men in the way that they are dressed. This advert fetishises women as there are a number of close up shots on specific body parts. The women are seen to act provocatively.

2006-11-02T04:22:00.000-08:00

Has Google become too ad powerful?
By Mark Sweney / Advertising/ Internet/ Television 02:40pm
That Google is set to make £900m in the UK this year - or put another way, almost £1 of every £2 spent by advertisers online - raises some serious questions about its market dominance.
Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan made the comment to highlight that the "structural change" in the ad industry means that Google will make more money than his corporation (£800m estimate).
However, an equally important question is just how comfortable is the UK ad industry that Google is so all-powerful when it comes to digital advertising?
In TV land there is a huge furore over ITV controlling around 45% of the ad market - and it has the regulatory mechanism of contracts rights renewal to keep it in check.
If you want dominance take a look at Google.
According to the Internet Advertising Bureau the UK online ad market will crack £2bn this year.
Search marketing consultancy Greenlight estimates that search advertising accounts for around 60% or more of total online ad spend (maybe around £1.3bn this year).
And Google takes the lions share (60% to 70%) of that, completely dominating next closest rival Yahoo!, with MSN much further down the search advertising revenue food chain.
As one consultant put it: "the others are fighting for scraps".
And it has exercised its muscle. Last year, Google scrapped the 15% gross discount it traditionally offered agencies using its advertising auction system and replaced it with a new net pricing system.
This caused a furore among many agencies.
Damian Burns, Google's head of agency relations for Europe Middle East and Africa, argues that the new system created "more transparency and put everyone on a level playing field using the auction system".
Microsoft has run into trouble in the US and Europe over market dominance and Apple too has its share of potential legal wrangles over opening its music platform.
But not much, so far, has been said about Google's position. For example, can it even be regulated, and, more to the point if it has such a great model and has taken full advantage of it over competitors why should it?

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/organgrinder/2006/11/google_making_more_than_channe.html

2006-11-02T04:15:00.000-08:00

Telegraph targets Mail associate editor Stephen Brook, press correspondentMonday October 23, 2006http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,,1929581,00.html.
The Daily Telegraph has launched another poaching raid on the Daily Mail.This time the paper is targeting Daily Mail associate editor Tony Gallagher and is attempting to woo him to boost its news operation.Gallagher, a long-standing Daily Mail staffer who was a New York correspondent for the paper before becoming news editor, was this year placed in charge of DailyMail.co.uk.It is understood that Gallagher has yet to decide whether to leave the Mail. If he moves, he will follow his friend Ian MacGregor, who left his post as deputy editor of the Evening Standard to become Daily Telegraph deputy editor earlier this year.But Gallagher could still knock back the offer and stay at the Mail, just as Mail deputy editor Jon Steafel did last year after rebuffing the Telegraph's overtures.There is speculation that if Gallagher moves to the Daily Telegraph, he would become home editor. That role is currently filled by Richard Preston, who was promoted to that position last September, but is understood to have been offered another senior role.At the same time Michael Smith, a former executive news editor at the Evening Standard, was made Telegraph news editor.MacGregor, Gallagher and Smith all worked on the Daily Mail newsdesk together.Since Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay bought the Telegraph group in June 2004 a string of executives from Associated Newspaper, which owns the Mail and the Evening Standard, have joined the Telegraph, starting with chief executive Murdoch MacLennan.In January the Telegraph hired Liz Hunt to be its assistant editor (features). She had been assistant features editor on the Mail.In November John Bryant arrived from the Mail to be editor in chief, prompting the resignation of the editor Martin Newland.Columnist Simon Heffer is another prominent Daily Mail journalist to join the Telegraph.My Comments : i dont think this is a problem, at the end of the day competition will always motivate organisations and if the Daily mail's staff are considering to move to Daily Telegraph then its obvious which newspaper is doing well. Maybe the Daily mail should give their staff more attention and more money lol. because theres obviously something that the daily telegraph have that they are lacking.

2006-10-12T04:32:00.000-07:00

Google in YouTube talks with News Corp Mark SweneyThursday October 12, 2006MediaGuardian.co.uk

Google's top brass are to meet News Corporation executives this week to smooth over any concerns about the YouTube deal and expand the relationship MySpace.com has with the search engine giant.

The Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt, is leading the Google team heading to Los Angeles to meet Rupert Murdoch among other executives.
One possibility that is likely to be discussed is an expansion of the recent $900m advertising deal the two companies struck to include video advertising.

Google's $1.65bn deal with YouTube has significantly boosted Google's presence in the booming video sharing market - its own Google Video service is tiny by comparison. However, MySpace regards YouTube as a direct competitor.
YouTube gets a substantial share of its audience from MySpace users who link to the video site from their profile pages.

YouTube claims that fewer than 20% of video views on its site come from MySpace; however, the News Corp chief operating officer, Peter Chernin, told investors recently that 60-70% of YouTube traffic comes from MySpace.
MySpace has reportedly considered cutting links to YouTube.

While YouTube has been striking a slew of deals with major media partners - to try to stem the possibility of legal action over copyrighted material being used and downloaded illegally - News Corporation's Fox division has not yet signed any deal.
Warner Bros, Universal Music - which was threatening YouTube with legal action - Sony BMG and CBS have all signed agreements recently.

According to internet ratings body HitWise, YouTube has a 47% share of visitors to online video sites, although MySpace Videos, at 22%, is shown to be closing the gap.
However, research firm ComScore, which measured the number of videos streamed, said that, in the US in July, Google served 60m streams - or 1% or all video streams - with YouTube serving 649m and MySpace 1.4bn.

Responding to claims that Google overpaid for a legal copyright timebomb, Suranga Chandratillake, founder of US video search firm Blinkx, said: "Google's getting a bargain - it's almost certainly cheaper to buy YouTube at $1.65bn than it is to watch it get bought by a media company, and then have to do a deal similar to the one they were forced into with News Corp for MySpace.

"It's a great acquisition in terms of traffic, but also because they'll now have the social networking element of YouTube - something that's previously eluded Google.
"The copyright issue has been overblown - these things take a long time to fight and, with the combined traffic and momentum of GooTube, they could build a legitimate business while things were sorted out in the courts.

SUMMARY...
This article is basically talking about Google and how it is thinking of building a parnership with U Tube. With the huge success of U tube, Google is certain that they can create a huge partnership and have make a huge profit. They are in talks and are deciding to change the name to GooTube.

2006-10-05T04:19:00.000-07:00

GLOBALISATION
Globalisation is when the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology.

CULTURAL HOMOGENISATION
This is when our cultural perceptions are primarily constructed by the media- so we receive the values and ideologies they establish.

CUTURAL IMPERIALISM
Critics of this dominance refer to it as cultural imperialism. Today's critics argue that the current US media domination amounts to cultural imperialism because it forces US culture on us through our media consumption.
Michael Moore explores this in his films.

"Television has become our eyes, the telephone our mouths and ears; our brains are the interchange for a nervous system that stretches across the whole world"

GLOBAL VILLAGE
This is when the audience are able to view events live as they happen. Critics argue that the media producers construct our views of all these global events and therefore construct our values and ideologies.

2006-10-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

We've had fun watching British brats battling with earnest American do-gooders. Now we get to see their parents, too Sam Wollaston Monday 12th March 2006The Guardian

Of all the shows that take stroppy teenagers and try to beat some manners into them, Brat Camp has always been the finest. It consistently found the stroppiest, lippiest little gobshites in Britain (remember Fran? And Rachel? God, I loved Fran and Rachel). Then it tore them away from their cosy little lives of smoking super-strength skunk and hurling abuse (and vodka bottles) at their parents, and sent them to hell in a handcart - almost literally, except that they weren't allowed in the handcart, they had to push it around the empty wilds of hell (Utah) for weeks on end, living like medieval Mennonites.

It was always the interaction, and the total lack of understanding, between these Brit brats and their American hosts - earnest, healthy, abstinent, slightly evangelical do-gooders, with names like Brown Bear and Mountain Lion - that was so special. Never have I felt more fiercely patriotic and proud than during an episode of Brat Camp.

Now it's back for a third series, but with a difference. For a start, we're in the forgotten wastes of Idaho, though it looks just as hellish as Utah. And this time it's Family Brat Camp (Channel 4). So it's not only the kids who are having their attitude ground slowly and painfully out of them - their mums and dads are there, too, being punished for being crap parents.
The cast shows promise. Clare is a moody little cow whose entire body language seems to be shouting: "Wo'effar!". Rebecca has so much THC coursing through her veins and clogging up her head she can hardly speak, let alone shout. Spoilt Amanda has splendid and spectacular shrieking tantrums whenever she doesn't get what she wants, and is almost exactly the same person as Nikki off Big Brother.

Again, it's the girls who stand out - they are capable of so much more evil than boys. Hooded Ben does his best not to let down his sex, smashing a camera lens with a stone, for which he's sent to his own private (bit of) Idaho. But he looks bolshy rather than truly wicked, a pushover compared with the girls.
So far the stand-out parents are the super-rich Kennys, responsible for spoilt Amanda ("She gets everything she wants," says Pa Kenny, mystified that he's spawned a monster). And the Paramors, who shake their liberal heads in despair: you get the impression they've allowed darling Rebecca to do exactly what she wants, but the only thing she's shown any real enthusiasm for is drugs.

These are still early days: it hasn't gone nuclear yet, UK-US relations have only just started to break down, the handcarts haven't even come out yet. But we've reached the gates of hell, and the signs are looking promising for a bumpy ride ahead.

That Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal is a cocky little cock. I like him. He used to be known only for being bonkers Liz Jones's inappropriately young and slobby husband. Then he wrote his own book, with a picture of a nipple on the cover, and now he's rent-a-gob. Here he is in Playing the Race Card (More4).
Oh, I see. Britain is not a racist country like it used to be, even in the countryside. Where once doors would have closed, now they open. Right now, it's brilliant to be black. So guilty do white people feel, so terrified are they of being called racists, they're there for the taking. If you're not white, they'll fall over backwards to throw money at you, jump into bed with you, hand out book deals, and TV shows to present on More4.
I think a lot of what Nirpal says makes sense, though perhaps he's talking more about metropolitan media Britain than the rest of it. It's certainly refreshing to see someone with the cajones to have a pop at diversity training.

As he says, an open door is only a start, and you have to be able to cut it to carry on. Not lacking in confidence himself, he has no doubts that he can cut it - as a writer, a money-maker, a lover and a TV producer. I've never experienced him as a lover, so I don't know about that. His book, I thought, showed promise, but was a long way from being the real deal. He seems to have a good nose for business - he had no trouble igniting interest in his Pop-a-dom condom idea on the programme. And on the telly I think he's brilliant - fresh, bold, honest and funny. Give him a regular gig, quickly. But then ... maybe the only reason I'm being nice about him is that I have no choice - I'm white, and he isn't. That's what he'd probably say - not that he'd mind, though.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/comment/0,,1887977,00.html

SUMMARY....
This article basically talks about the programe that was broadcast on Channel 4 last night. It was about teenagers who were very aggressive towards their parents and were sent to a camp in America, to sort themselves out. It was argued that the programme did not represent everyone equally due to the presentation of their parents. The parents are being blamed for the attitudes of their children as their children are influenced by them. It is also criticised for its racial representation as all the families shown were white. This created a dispute between them as it was stated that it caused a negative representation of them.

MY VIEW...
My view on this would be that the teenagers should not be blamed for their behaviour as their parents are also involved. It is not entirely the childs fault as the child is either influenced or brought up negatively around their environment. I think that there were certain people who were mis represented as the teenagers were looked upon as very aggressive people towards their parents, and very disrespectful. It also gives a bad impression towards white teenage girls and boys.

2006-09-27T01:26:00.000-07:00

Warner Bros. began with four brothers-- Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack. Warner Bros.
Entertainment, Inc. or simply Warner Bros., is one of the world's largest producers of film and television entertainment. It is currently a subsidiary of the Time Warner conglomerate, with headquarters in Burbank, California, USA.
It is a global leader in the creation, production, distribution licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. Warner Bros. Entertainment, a Time Warner Company, satnds at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, form feature films to television, home video/ DVD, comic books, interactive entertainment and games, product and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.

INCOME
Domestic box office for 2005 totalled $1.38 billion. Warner Brothers set an industry record with three films: "Batman Begins", "Charlie and the chocolate factory" and "Harry Potter and the goblet of fire"-- each grossing at least $2oo million domestically in one single year. The 2006 films also made a huge success. Films like "Poisedon, Lady In The Water, Superman Returns, Happy Feet and The Ant Bully". Warner Brothers produces and distributes at least 20-25 films each year. They either fully finance the films or co-finance them. As well as releasing films produced by Warner Brother pictures, they are also responsible for releasing films from Castle Rock, Village Roadshow Pictures, Gaylord Films, Alcon Entertainment and Newline Cinema.

ANIMATION
Warner Brothers is famously known for their cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Tweety, Tazmania, Batman, Superman, Pinky and the Brain, Tom and Jerry, The Flinstones and many more. They are also responsible for "baby looney tunes"

CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Warner Brothers partnered with Village Roadshow in 1991 to create Warner Village Theme Parks, Movie world, Sea world, Wet and Wild Water road, and Paradise Country Wildlife park.

TELEVISION

Warner Brothers is also responsible for the production of many American Tv series such as: ER, Smallville, All Of US, One Tree Hill, The OC, Veronica Mars, Two and a Half Men and many many more.

News issue this week!

2006-09-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

Most pupils in survey own mobiles by 12 · Youngsters value phones for privacy from parents · Constant communication aids discreet dating Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondentTuesday September 19, 2006The Guardian

The vast majority - 91% - of 12-year-olds now own a mobile phone, according to research published today. The survey also reveals a sharp increase in ownership as youngsters move to secondary school. More than half (51%) of 10-year olds have one of the of gadgets, yet the issue of ownership appears to divide public opinion; just a third of adults feel children should have a mobile phone by the age of 11, while more than half of parents believe ownership at 11 is acceptable.

The Mobile Life Youth Report is the second from a forum set up by The Carphone Warehouse with the London School of Economics. Polling organisation YouGov surveyed more than 1,250 young people aged 11 to 17 who own mobile phones.
It reveals that mobile phone ownership rises sharply as children prepare to leave primary school - up from 24% of nine-year olds to 51% of 10-year-olds. By the time they are at secondary school at the age of 12, 91% of youngsters have a mobile phone. The survey confirms that young people would rather text than call by a significant margin. The 11 to 17-year-old age group sends or receives an average of 9.6 texts a day and makes or receives 3.5 calls a day. In contrast, adults make or receive 2.8 calls and send 3.6 texts a day.
But the youngsters demand their privacy, and reveal that their mobile phone is as private to them as the written diaries of their parents at a similar age. Two-thirds of 15 to 17-year-olds and almost half of 11 of 14-year-olds say they would not allow their parents to look through their text messages and pictures on their mobile phones.

Mobile phones also give many children a chance to escape the attentions of parents. One in three say they talk regularly and/or send texts to people they do not want their parents to know about, while a similar number admit that they "sometimes dodge calls from my parents". The need "to belong" is emerging as the most powerful need of all - 42% of 15 to 17-year-old girls admit they would "feel unwanted if a whole day went by when my mobile phone did not ring".
Mobile phones have revolutionised teenage dating, because texting allows contact to be made with minimum risk and maximum discretion. A quarter of 11 to 17-year-olds have received a text inviting them on a date, while 16 to 17-year-olds are almost twice as likely to have received a text inviting them on a date than adults aged 25 and over.

Charles Dunstone, chief executive of The Carphone Warehouse Group, said: "The mobile phone has become the most important electronic device for young people in the UK today, with 91% of children having a mobile phone by the time they go to secondary school at 12. It provides them with a social network, a sense of security and access to entertainment. But most importantly it provides them with a sense of belonging to their peer group."
Dr Pat Spungin, founder of the parenting website raisingkids.co.uk said: "Some people think mobile phones are like earrings and are unnecessary and inappropriate for people below a certain age. However, most parents disagree as the mobile phone offers new ways for young people to connect that many adults wish they had enjoyed as teenagers."

http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,1875865,00.html

My view....
My view on this issue would be that it is right for young children nowadays to own a mobile phone. Even though there is a risk of them being attacked in some way, there is also a advantage as they can use it for security. I think it is a good way for children to interact with others, as they can get used to using a device like this. it is also good for security reasons as children may need them for emergencies. I agree with the view from Charles Dunstone. (chief executive from carphone warehouse!)