bloggedy blog: the personal weblog of a music lover and aging punk wannabe

:: Friday, April 30, 2004 ::

My thoughts on The State of the News Media 2004
Not that you asked, but CASE, the professional organization to which I belong, did. That's one reason why I'm here in lovely Charleston, S.C., to lead "horizon issue" discussion about what this report from Journalism.org means to higher ed PR flacks like me. So before I rush off to the meeting, here are a few of the points I'll present from the report, and my thoughts on how education might capitalize on the trends as outlined by the report:

* Education isn't considered newsworthy by most media. (No surprise there.)

* Bloggers are becoming more prominent sources for news and opinion. (Yawn.)

* The nightly news "news hole" for networks has shrunk by 11 percent since 1990 to make room for more ads, teasers, etc.

* The "Fox Effect" of cable news has less to do with ideology than with how news is presented. Fox is rewriting the way the news story is told, relying more on anchors, talking heads and talk shows than on correspondents in the field.

* People trust local TV news more than local newspapers or network news, but trust cable news networks (especially CNN) the most.

* Radio is "journalism's forgotten but stable middle child." More than 90 percent of Americans listen to radio (an increase because more are driving, and more commuting time), and they tend not to change the dial when the news comes on.

* NPR's audience has doubled in the last decade, and many of those listeners are influentials.

* The ethnic press -- especially Latino and Asian press -- seems to hold the most potential for growth among any media. But ethnic press audiences tend to trust English-language media more than the ethnic press.

* Alternative weeklies are also growing, but at a slower pace than ethnic press. (Growth in terms of circulation and ad revenue.) Their audiences tend to be in the 30s and 40s and with higher-than-average incomes and educations. (Makes one wonder just how "alternative" the alternative press is.)

Now, how should educational institutions respond to these trends? Here are a few ideas:
* Get in on the blogging phenomenon -- perhaps "grow our own" influential bloggers from among some star faculty who are experts in particular areas.

* Strengthen ties with local TV, ethnic press and alternative press.

*Don't ignore radio -- especially NPR -- as an outlet for education news.

:: Andrew 07:42 + ::
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