Final Blog: Niche Audiences & Programming

I have selected to watch the "prime-time" television slot. I chose the hour of 7p.m to 8p.m on Monday night. In addition, I tuned-into ABC channel 7's program "The Bachelor: Women Tell All." My partner, Neil Sarami, watched an hour of daytime/afternoon weekend television (I believe on Sunday). 

I chose the Demographic Segmentation for my program, "The Bachelor:Women Tell All." My ideal or targeted viewer characteristics for this show consisted of: Female, Caucasian, between the ages of 18-30, middle-class (middle-upper), college educated, respectable income. This is my predicted list of 15 minutes of commercials for this program:

• Cosmetics (make-up, shampoo, etc.)
• Cars
• Movie Trailers
• ABC network ads (local news, programs)
• Pet products
• Cleaning products (detergents, soap, etc.)
• Low-fat grocery items
• Household appliances (blender, vacuum, etc.) 
• Healthcare (medicine)
• Women's clothing 
• Baby products
• Jewelry
• Singles networks (E-Harmony, etc.)
• Weight loss (programs, pills, gyms)
• Cell phone

Results. The actual commercials presented consisted of: cell phone carriers, beauty products (hair color, face wash, shampoo), ABC programming (local news, shows), cars (Honda), women's clothing (JC Penny), pet (cat odor protection), cleaning products (fabric softener), and healthcare (allergy). I was fairly correct in my commercial assumptions for this programming. I feel I was dead-on in my target audience, however, there were some surprises when it came to advertising. I included all of these areas in my predictions, but there was a series of food ads that I did not expect. Numerous McDonald's, Red Lobster, Subway, chocolate, and low-cal soup ads were shown. I did not think a great deal of fast food would have been included. I thought healthier items would have been shown(with the exception of the soup). I was very surprised to not see one weight loss product, singles/dating network, or movie trailer advertised. 

I believe niche audiences are very accurate when it comes to advertising. Without a doubt, media executives can pinpoint a particular group that will watch their programming; this assignment accurately proves this (it was even done by just me, a television viewer). However, I do think certain programs are easier to pinpoint while others may be more broadly viewed across groups. For example, BET channel programming is more focused on a group rather than MTV. Nonetheless, everything has a targeted audience even if it is no so apparent. 

Consumption Journal: 15 years from now...

 My personal locus in 15 years will primarily consist of providing for my family and succeeding in my career. I will have a wife and two kids which I will put first in my life; this means do everything I can to care for them (goal number one). I work in music management and focus on the careers of musicians. As a result, one my goals is to persuade others in the interest of my musicians. In addition, I hope to make a steady income to provide for my family and myself in order to live a long and happy life. Hopefully I will retire early and spend a good amount of time on my yacht in the Caribbean. 

 In 15 years from now, general media categories will be presented to us through computers. All of these media categories will mainly be connected to the Internet. The Internet will have books, online programing (television), movies, music, video games, and radio. These different forms of media will all merge under the Internet. Computers will be the way in which individuals consume their media. 

 On a general day, I will find myself constantly connected to these media forms through the Internet. I will wake up and gather my news from the main media center computer in my house (which will have Internet, television, etc.). I will then use a portable form of this computer (about the size of a wrist watch) and listen to the radio, watch television shows, and surf the internet while doing my morning jog. Next, on a separate computer, I focus my attention on my work for the day which consists of managing my clients. In my home office on a laptop I will listen to music, send emails, and make phone calls. When the work day is done I will relax by catching my favorite "television shows" on my media center computer through the internet. Then I'll download a movie from a Blockbuster type database. 

Consumption Journal: Week Four

My media consumption for Week Four, since Monday 1/26 consisted of cable/broadcast television, movies, computer (Internet), newspaper, and music. Last week I watched the movies There's Something About Mary and Layer Cake. In addition, I watched programs on cable and broadcast television including news, late night talk shows, and the Super Bowl. I read the Chicago Tribune throughout the week along with gathering my news through Internet Websites (Yahoo). 

I finally bought an iPod so I took time converting my cd collection to MP3s. Furthermore, I listened to the radio while driving in my car. I also spent time on the Internet visiting Facebook, Youtube, and Myspace music. 

The Internet has proven to be a great tool for musicians to promote their music and update fans on current news. You can get radio play, grow a fan base, create a distribution channel, manufacture and sell CDs and music downloads all online. Artists can use such sites as Myspace, Pure Volume, and Facebook to reach their fans or gain new listeners. 

However, now more than ever, unsigned bands or artists can gain a fan base without the support of a major label because of the Internet. Of course this always means that horrible music needs to be "weeded out" before one can actually find the good stuff. There has even been the emergence of Myspace records, an independent record label started in 2005 to sign artists who appear on the social networking site MySpace.

If you want to be successful promoting and distributing your music online, it's going to take time and hard work. Like anything else of real value, you get out of it what you put into it. But aspiring musicians should know that they don't need a major label deal to have a successful music career. If you are seeking  to "make it big" in the music business, then yes, you need the backing of big money. But, if you're just wanting to do music full-time and be a successful artist, that's something you can do all on your own, and the Internet can help you reach that goal.

Reaction Blog: "Growing Up Online"

I found this documentary to me interesting, however it did not bring-up topics that haven’t already been said when it comes to the “dark side” of the Internet. These issues of privacy, strangers, bullying, and so forth have always been and always will be associated with computers and the Internet. Of course they should be addressed and users (especially kids) should be fully aware of these dangers. I am in full ag reement that parents should be involved in their children’s online activities, however, just like with any deviant action there are going to be loopholes and ways around them. For parents to fully keep track of their children’s activities (computer or elsewhere) is simply unrealistic. If they are banned from the Internet at home, they are surely going to be able to find another way (library).

Parents are only capable of teaching their children about the dangers of the Internet and the rest is up to them. At times I felt the documentary was suggesting that young adults are being “destroyed” by the Internet and it’s the almighty downfall of our existence. I totally agree that with this generation there is a sense of distance because of technology and its rapid development. Without a doubt it has infiltrated people’s lives more than ever. However, I don’t think kids are always to blame. Society has now put pressures, especially in the workforce, for young adults to be technologically savvy in order to survive in a chosen career. Our culture is rapidly changing and my generation is caught-up in the whirlwind.

Underage drinking, drugs, and other inappropriate behavior is definitely nothing new when it comes to high school and college life. Older generations have been though this themselves. However, today there is the capability of these actions to be broadcasted for everyone to see. This can be a very useful tool because parents can step in and help their children. However, like the mom who was repeatedly shown throughout the film, parents need to realize that the Internet should not always be used as a scapegoat.

Consumption Journal: Week Three

My media consumption for Week Three, since Monday 1/19, consisted of television (broadcast/cable), movies, newspapers, Internet (computer), radio, and cds. This past week I watched various shows on broadcast television including news programs (ABC, NBC), The Office, and Everybody Loves Raymond. In addition I watched numerous programs on cable television. I viewed Saving Private Ryan on DVD and saw Notorious at the movie theatre. 

I also continued to read the Tribune's Red Eye each morning in addition to gathering my news from various websites including AOL and Yahoo; I also used such sites as Facebook, Wikipedia, and Pandora. However, compared to the past few weeks recorded for this blog, I did not use my computer as frequently. I was commuting back and forth to the city so I was listening to a couple radio stations, but mostly cds in my car. 

I do not own an iPod so I find myself still dependent on my cds I have collected over the years. I have large booklets full of them and never had the desire to buy an iPod (I feel as though I'm the only one who hasn't). I'm listening to music so frequently that when I leave my apartment to walk, its the only time I don't have it on (since I always have music on in my place). However, it seems like people are so dependent on iPods for their walking that if they don't have it with them then it would be like awkward silence. 

There were MP3 players well before the iPod, and even large capacity ones (but they were the size of a paperback book). The iPod came out in 2001 and had the largest capacity per unit size of any device out there. The iPod is consistently changing its design with such versions as the Mini and Shuffle. It seems there is nothing that even comes close in terms of unit sales. I am interested to see what the future of iPods will be (their design and capabilities). 

I'm sure I will eventually pick one up, but at the moment I'm fine with my cds. However, it doesn't seem too far off when cds will be obsolete and a cd player will be an antique (although I think it is already). Call me crazy but I still enjoy going to the store to buy an actual album with a booklet and case instead of some file on a computer. 

Audience Profile: Myspace & Facebook

The niche audience for both Myspace and Facebook would fit under the same category of “young adults.” I would say the majority of users to these sites are between the ages of 18 and 25; however, when it comes to Facebook the audience is generally going to be slightly narrower: both males and females who are college students (since this was the website’s initial intent). The Myspace community seems to be more generally used by a wider age group with a non-collegiate background. It is somewhat complicated to narrow certain audience traits for these sites because they have such a large networking community, however, I will stick with the “young adult” label.

The pros of these sites are the ability to network with a wide range of other users. Furthermore, one is able to utilize another form of communication which makes it easier to get in contact with someone. In addition, one can incorporate their self-interests (such as music) and use these sites as a way to promote their work. The cons would be the availability (and somewhat vulnerability) that a user is subject to because of their personal information they are providing to the public. As a result, a user of these sites may be placed in a situation where they have no control over inappropriate and personal material that is posted on these sites for the public to view.

One should only consume a rather fair amount of this material on a weekly basis; perhaps a total of an hour for the week for recreational purposes. If one’s business is dependent for such purposes then it may be longer (but still detrimental). If this is exceeded then there may be a possibility of dependence or “living” online.

Consumption Journal: Week Two

My media consumption for Week Two, since Monday 1/12, consisted of: movies, broadcast television, cable television, Internet (computer), newspapers, and video games. This week I watched the films Tommy Boy and The Usual Suspects on DVD. In addition I went to the theatre and saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I watched various programs on broadcast television which included ABC World News, NBC local news, and an episode of The Office. On cable television I watched King of Queens, Everybody Loved Raymond, South Park, Family Guy, and numerous programs on the Discovery Channel. 

Last week I spent time on my computer completing assignments, emailing, checking websites, and listening to music. I was viewing such websites as Google, Facebook, AOL, Yahoo, Pandora Radio, and Youtube. Once again I spent a large amount of time listening to music on my laptop's iTunes library, discovering new music and listening to my usual artists. However, I did not spend time listening to the conventional radio because I did not use my car. This past week I chose to read the Chicago Tribune's Red Eye in the mornings, however, still gathered some of my news from websites such as AOL and Yahoo. 

Unlike Week One, I played video games. Although I do not own my own system in my apartment, I occasionally play with my friends who have XBOX 360 and Nintendo 64. For XBOX 360, I played such games as Call of Duty 4 and Halo. For the Nintendo 64 I played Mario Kart and James Bond: Golden Eye. 

Video Games were such a large aspect of my life growing-up. I have two older brothers and we were completely obsessed with them. We basically purchased every console that came out on the market at the time. These included: Nintendo (original), Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation, Playstation 3, Game Cube, Xbox, and Xbox 360 (apparently we aren't a Sega Genesis kind of family). It's pretty ridiculous looking back, however, it was definitely a great time and also a way my brother and I would bond together or fight over getting beat in a game. 

I have memories of some of the great original video games for Nintendo that involved running on a pad for some Olympic game (sort of foreshadowing Wii) and shooting at the screen at ducks with a gun that would seem ridiculous to kids now. We would get totally involved in trying to beat a game and would also continue to play one even if we did. As we discussed in class, this is not the case these days; this is most likely due to the fact that there is just an overwhelming amount of choices. Kids cannot be blamed for wanting to always try something new. Back in the day there was just one system for a long period of time that kids would focus there attention on. Although we would constantly buy new systems we would continue to play the "older ones" and sort of switch around. Even today its awesome to pull out the old Nintendo and blow in a game for hours in order to get it to work. 

Another aspect of video games growing-up was arcades. I remember going to a couple around the area. There was one in Arlington Heights' Town & Country Mall and another in Mount Prospect's Randhurst Mall (now both defunct). There is just a generation that will never be familiar with these "simple" pleasures which is both somewhat sad and scary.