Class discussion: Radio
Demassification refers to the breaking down of an industry into smaller parts. In the radio industry, this was a necessary shift to appeal to certain audiences and remain relevant.
Radio reached its peak of popularity in the 1940s when correspondents would report back details of World War II.  Radio was able to offer breaking news before newspapers could issue special editions.
After World War II, and with the invention of television, many actors as well as the audience left radio for TV.  The comedies, dramas, variety shows and quiz shows that were a big draw for radio listeners, were now available for viewing on TV.  As a consequence, radio switched to recorded music, versus live performances.  This saved on expenses, and it allowed the radio industry to co-exist with television.            However, in order to keep the listeners, radio stations had to tailor their programming to attract different groups.  This resulted in the radio industry's efforts to reach certain target audiences.
Today, with a push of a button, you can hear country music, as well as various other music formats such as oldies, rock, top 20, as well as religious, sports, talk, and news programming.  The radio industry must constantly be changing to meet listeners' changing needs.  As listeners bring their iPods into their cars to listen to their own music, instead of what is on the radio, the industry once again is challenged to adapt in order to remain relevant.  

News Media Critique 
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/24/california-lawmakers-move-to-shield-illegal-immigrants-from-deportation/

Fox News.com article by William La Jeunesse titled, “California Lawmakers Move to Shield Illegal Immigrants from Deportation” violates the “Fairness” yardstick of journalism. 

The article explains that the state of California will soon decide if it will enact “The Trust Act” bill which will allow state police to protect innocent illegal immigrants from being automatically deported if they are charged with (but not convicted of) misdemeanor crimes.

The reporter uses only one side of this story and uses inflammatory quotes to describe the situation.  In the opening paragraph, instead of being called the “Trust Act”, the journalist describes it as the “So-called Trust Act” which causes the reader to interpret that maybe “Trust” is not involved…only “so-called Trust”. 

There is only one sentence allowed for the proponents’ point of view, saying that “…the bill applies to illegal immigrants arrested for minor crimes.”

However, the majority of the article quotes those individuals who are opposed to this bill, and it uses the quotes that seem very disturbing without giving the other side of the argument.  The former Immigration Customs Enforcement Director Julie Myers Wood is quoted as saying, “…the proposed law applies to those convicted of child abuse and assault…and the system could allow dangerous criminals to re-offend.”  She is also quoted as saying, “You’re going to have a high likelihood of individuals who pose a significant public safety risk who are released into the community…”  These quotes could cause irrational reactions from the readers.

If FoxNews.com were being “Fair and Balanced”, the journalist should have interviewed an individual from California’s Hispanic community or people and lawmakers who support the bill.  It also would have been interesting to hear from Gov. Jerry Brown.  The Governor will sign or veto the bill on October 16.  Until then, the subject of immigration will be a hot topic, and hopefully the media will not violate the principles and yardsticks of journalism when they report on this important issue. 

http://graysonsmit.blogspot.com/2013_09_01_archive.html
"Fox's Porsche Funeral"
I completely agree with you Grayson, I think this is not interesting at all and that it serves no point being even on Fox's website. Lets not forget that the Kenyan mall shooting was only two days before this article was published, so it is not like they had nothing to write about. I mean this is just pathetic. I could maybe see this article on E News or something like that, but definitely not Fox News. This should have never been posted and maybe next time Fox should actually think and not post a silly article like this again.

http://emmamtravis.blogspot.com/
"Photographers of 9/11"
I completely agree with you about the photographers on this tragic day. Though this is an event that most Americans would probably like to put away and never look at it again, it is history, and we must document it. I can't imagine the fear running through these photographers' heads when they held their cameras up to a building filled with flames. I also do not remember this day as well as I would like to due to the fact that I was only 3 when this tragic event took place. I really enjoyed this video and hopefully we can watch more videos about photographers like this one.

"Music Inventions" in-class discussions-

Even though we talked a lot about the Phonograph and the Gramophone, I wish we would have gone into more depth about what these machines looked like. Talking about the wax and the tinfoil, I understood how they worked, but it would have been helpful to put a mental image to the words. I think it also what have been really cool to get an example of how clear they would sound and how they would function. I still enjoyed Mr Miller's instruction very much, but I wish we went into more depth with visuals and audios.

"Music before and after Mass Communication" in-class discussion-
I enjoyed our discussion in class about music. It was interesting to learn that before mass communication, it was so much different than after it.  It caused me to reflect on how music turned from spreading a message to a profitable business where you could actually earn money doing it. Also, how music came from always being live to eventually being able to listen to it over and over until you were sick of it. It is so crazy how it turned from a way of telling stories between tribes into a business where if you were talented you could receive millions of dollars.

"Newspapers" in-class discussion-
The class discussion about newspapers was very eye-opening. I was especially intrigued about the story of John Peter Zenger, creating his own newspaper and accusing the king of misuse of power. Mr. Zenger was sent to trial, and he was nearly given the death penalty until his lawyer proved that everything he said was true. So he was set free because the judge came to a conclusion that you can say whatever you want, as long as it is true.  It was one of the first times freedom of speech was used.