Commerical Advertising and the Radio Industry

Commercial advertising played a large role in the formation of the radio industry. In fact, advertising was to a large degree central to the development of the industry. From the beginning, it was all about making money. Early stations such as AT&T's WEAF would charge for the airtime being used. The airtime was used by programs which were funded completely by companies wanting to advertise their products. This resulted in programs interlaced with heavy advertising. The radio industry of the 1920s evolved around advertising. Private stations started to appear entirely funded by advertising companies. The cruciality of advertisements on the radio is made evident even today as the method of radio programming remains essentially the same-- music and entertainment interlaced with commercial advertisements.  This American-developed concept of radio was truly a reflection of the American, capitalist way.

Cultivation Theory

While the multi-media plays a big role the majority of our lives, our society starts to be affected. One commonly discussed idea is the cultivation theory. This theory suggests that as people spend multiple hours with the media, their idea of reality becomes the 'reality' presented in the media. As the media repeatedly delivers the same idea over and over again, viewers begin to accept it as real-- even if it is blown slightly out of proportion. This phenomenon was observable when the swine flu first came about. The news programs talked about it incessantly. They warned of the deaths it caused, and emphasized everyone to keep extremely sanitary conditions as a serious precaution. Talk of schools closing and productivity shutting down was prevalent. In reality, the swine flu was no more serious then the seasonal flu we are so accustomed to. Sure, it may have killed young children and elderly with weaker immune systems, but the average person could probably survive the swine flu. The idea that the whole population must drop everything and prepare for a mass outbreak was cultivated by the media its constant message to fear the swine flu.

Hegemony in Nazi Germany

Whether we are aware of it or not, we are powerfully influenced by the media every day. New as well as familiar ideas are being introduced and reinforced to us each time we turn on the television, read the daily newspaper or even drive on the highway. But who chooses what these ideas are? Which ideas are so special that those are the ones allowed to be repeated? The authority social clusters possess over other groups to accomplish this is known as hegemony. But hegemony consists of multiple different aspects. It cannot be defined by a single advertisement, or even a whole magazine. To really define hegemony, we must look at the bigger picture. The presence of hegemony suggests that the group projecting the idea is using its power to constantly drill that idea into the population - ad after ad after ad. Crossing the line from 'subliminal' to 'hegemonic' occurs when the message has affected the population in the long run, when the presented idea is perceived as the common knowledge of daily life.
If we take a look back to World War II, hegemony was essential to Adolf Hitler's reign. Publication of anti-Semitic propaganda was at an all time high while anti-Semitism was forced in to the everyday life of Germans. Jews were marked by patches, banned from patronizing certain businesses, required to attend separate schools, and segregated from the rest of the population until ultimately dumped into ghettos and completely severed from society. So it is not just one, but all former examples working in unison which make up hegemony. These actions not only reinforced Hitler's big idea, but allowed it to define what was considered 'normal' in German culture.



image from: http://www.hausarbeiten.de/faecher/vorschau/105489.html

Blog Prompt 0

"Enter some information about why you are taking RTF 305 and what you hope to learn from taking this course. Also, please add a link to one of your favorite blogs.  Minimum 100 words and something multimedia (link, picture, movie, flash, etc.)"

My name is Mark Rubin and I am a Radio-Television-Film major. I have been looking forward to coming to college and studying film production for quite some time. Now that we have started it feels unreal!

I am taking this class to open new doors in my RTF journey. This is my ticket to more advanced classes and a better comprehension of the industry overall. By taking this class I hope to be able to view movies from many perspectives instead of just the ones I am familiar with. For instance, when it comes to film and television, I am most familiar with the technical sides of production. As I watch something, I may think about what shooting and editing techniques were used in the combination and overlap of different shots, or how sound synchronizes with movement. I try to envision how the sequence might look on the time line of Final Cut, and what I might have done differently to better articulate the presented idea. I examine shots and take note of how different camera angles reflect the mood of the story, or affect the audiences' feeling of the subject.

While this viewing perspective is helpful in making every film I watch a 'production workshop', I want to broaden my horizons with this course, and examine new aspects of media I have yet to explore. Surely there is more to media than technical production....

A blog I enjoy is JakeandAmir.com, a video blog of entertaining shorts produced by College Humor.

 And some media of my own:
(viewing in hd is highly recommended)


Devil's Breath [extended] from Mark Rubin on Vimeo.