Media Logjam

This week we're to write a log of a local news program and look at what kind of stories and ads are aired during a 30 min broadcast.  For this assignment I looked at the 6 pm KDKA news on Thursday.  The news broadcast is 1 hour so this log will look at the first half of the program. The following is the log while musings about it will follow.

Killing of Officer Derek Kotecki

Suspect -- Charles Post

Outpouring of sympathy from community

Memorial Fund & Funeral arrangements

Local weather

Coming up news – continuing coverage of Kotecki, schools closing, James Harrison Steeler – how opponents feel about him

Ads -- Giant Eagle pharmacy, political ad – negative against Fitzgerald for Raja, First Niagara – no ATM fees, Jeep, Wade heating & cooling

Further details on plane crash in West Virginia

Arrest of man in murder of woman in WV

Suspect arrested – former high school swim coach – sexual assault

Coming up – officer killed, booster seat dangers, Hines hosts kids from S. Korea

Ads -- News report tomorrow about new treatment for breast cancer, Giant Eagle Pharmacy phone-in ask questions, refinish hardwood floors, Kia Optima, ad for next Insider

Lottery numbers

Crosby closer to returning to Penguins lineup

SI poll votes Steeler James Harrison NFL’s meanest player, earlier SI named Troy Palamalu the nicest player

Hines Ward Helping Hands foundation, hosting bi-racial kids from S. Korea

Local weather

Dennis Bowman Classroom weather visit, focused on tornado safety, donated $11,000 to KD Turkey Fund

Coming up – eBay changes to make shopping faster, drilling disputes, sports

Ads – ad for show Person of Interest, ToyotaCare, Giant Eagle pharmacy question phone-in, political ad – negative against Raja for Fitzgerald, Empire carpet, NFL show ‘n tell – bring NFL player to class, ToyotaCare

Lawsuit dismissed filed by EPA and DEP against coal mining company

Hearing postponed for drilling company appeal against local zoning ordinance

Coming up – no money may force school district to close, bad booster seats, continuing coverage of officer killed, stock market – local stocks

Ads – Giant Eagle Pharmacy phone-in, Monroeville Dodge, Disney Cruise Line, Slippery Rock University, Levin Furniture, Wright GMC

The lead story concerned the killing of a police officer and the hurt and sense of loss for his family and community. The news stories included this murder and another.  A lot of the shorter stories merely concerned themselves with stating the incident happened and not much more.  The lead story did go into greater detail and lasted about 8 minutes.

Ads included a couple politicians attacking each other, quite a bit of the ads were for a Giant Eagle pharmacy phone-in where you could call in and ask questions of a pharmacist.  If you were looking for a car there were ads for you too.  And if you're looking for a university for yourself or your child there was also an ad for Slippery Rock.

A weather forecast was included which is useful.  An upcoming story of tests of car booster seats would also be informative, but it must have been in the last half hour of the newscast.  There was a more feel good story with Dennis Bowman's visit to a local school and their mentioning that the school raised $11,000 for the KD Turkey Fund which helps local lower income families by giving them a turkey for Thanksgiving.

A lot of the news was just information and little else.  Some of it helpful and uplifting.  The 8 minute lead story was about a story, but the newscast spent time on it and while hearing an officer is killed may cause increased anxiety, talking about may also help the healing for the community that lost this officer.

The Brands Around Me or Yeah, I Have Something to Say

As I look around by room searching for the names of brands, I find I’m not finding much.  That’s not to say there’s nothing because there is.  There’s just not that much.  I have no posters on any of the walls.  I do have a calendar hanging on my door with a different Bible verse on it every month.  This month is Psalm 105:5 (NIV), “Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.”  I have a TV and Blu-ray player which have their brands on them, a Vizio and Sony respectively.  I also have a Sony stereo as well.  I do have some video game systems that also have their brand names on them.  I have a Sega Dreamcast, an Atari Jaguar, and an Atari 7800.

As for the clothing I wear I try to keep it simple as well.  I honestly couldn’t tell you off hand the brand name of the sneakers I wear.  I could tell you what type of phone I carry and even the brand of watch I wear, a Timex.  For shirts I either wear plain shirts or shirts that have some type of Christian message because I feel that it’s an important message to get out there.  I have some Christmas and patriotic shirts that also carry a Christian related message.  I also have a few shirts that have the name of my church on them and also a few Atari T-shirts as well.  I almost forgot that I also have a couple Penn State sweatshirts too.  Personally I don’t wear many brands because if I’m going to advertise a brand or message I want to make sure it’s something I like or something I want to say.

Object or Person, How Do You View Others?

This week we looked at, among other things, how media women in advertising.  We watched a clip about Killing Me Softly that shows how media made women little more than objects. This is even taken to extremes where women’s bodies actually become part of a beer bottle, a car, etc.  Even ads that targeted women treated them as objects.  Buy this product or get this surgery just to look better for your man.  These ads treat women as objects instead of people.  There is more to a woman than just a body.  There is also a mind, a heart, and a soul.  There is a person.

There are Biblical truths to help illustrate this point.  Firstly, women as well as men are made in the image of God.  Genesis 1:27 (NIV) states, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  Women are not objects, but people which brings up the next point, how to treat a person?

Jesus answered that question in a couple of passages.  The first quoted here is often known as the Golden Rule.  Luke 6:31 (NIV) – “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  I’ll quote a section of Scripture here to provide some context for Jesus’ response to a question asked by religious leaders.  It’s from Matthew 22:34-40 (NIV) – “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.  One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:  ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

In regards to this week’s topic it can be thought of this way.  Do you want to be treated as nothing more than an object?  If not, then don’t treat or view others as objects.  View them as the people they are.