One of the most listened to forms of media technology is radio. Everyone has a radio, in some form, or another. It could be your alarm clock, or your car radio, but radio exists everywhere. During emergencies, radio is a vital tool. “If there is a power outage during an emergency, your wireline phone, wireless device or VoIP service may not work unless you have a back-up power supply. If you suffer only an electrical power outage, you should still be able to use a traditional wireline (but not cordless) telephone, because electrical and telephone transmissions use different circuits or wires and telephone company facilities have back-up power available. If you keep the battery on your wireless phone or other device fully charged, these devices should also continue working during a power outage.” (FCC, unk., para. 8) it is because of this, radio is always going to be needed.
There is something for everyone, when it comes to radio. While the music side of the business seems to be
losing out to internet applications, like Pandora, talk radio has become extremely popular. This could be, because of the growing distrust for the “traditional media.” Talk radio became popular, because of it's interactive format. While most national shows take few, if any, phone calls, local shows are driven on phone calls. The callers interact with the host, and create a dialogue that is talked about at water coolers around the office.
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Of course, another place that people would talk about what they heard on talk radio, is the internet. Through instant messaging and e-mails, communication is quick, and very interactive. Social media, like Facebook and Twitter, brings your friends closer to you. Websites like Google, Wikipedia, and other search engines, brings information to your fingertips. Meanwhile, entertainment is taken care of, thanks to sites like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix.
The pitfalls of your audience, on the internet, is that it's everyone. It means that your message could be lost in the translation, when everyone can see it. However, another good form to communicate , on the internet, is with a blog. The blog is a useful tool, because your opinion can be spread out quickly. Social media is now even replacing the yellow pages. According to the Marketing TechBlog, fifteen per cent of consumers now use social networks to find local business. (Marketing TechBlog, 2012, para. 1) People want to be informed , when they make purchasing decisions.
n Take a website like Angie's List, for example, you have a website, where people write reviews on their experience of certain businesses. The businesses could look at this, and see where they need to improve. Also, consumers can see how a certain client was treated. This is similar to the old “word of mouth” advertising, that existed before the internet. One negative review is not the end of the world, but when you look at results over time, you can form a general opinion.
Another group of media technology using blogs, but to stay alive, are newspapers. The printed word seems to be going away, these days. Thanks to social media, television, and radio, the newspapers have become nothing more than lining in a birdcage. With that being said, the newspapers are using technology to stay afloat. Electronic readers, such as the Kindle, gives a more affordable option, to the reader, who is still interested in opinion pieces, letters to the editor, and the obituaries.
The newspapers have a very limited audience, however, there is one. There are people who still enjoy having the newspaper, in their hands, in the morning. I know that I use newspapers to do the crosswords, and the Sudoku.
Yet, newspapers are not the only form of printed media. You still have books and magazines. When it comes to the books, you have popular series like Harry Potter, or Twilight, that keeps the book industry going. Electronic readers have helped people to enjoy books in more places than ever before.
Meanwhile, magazines are still as popular as ever. In my line of work, I still use the preseason magazines as show prep. I also subscribe to Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. These are great, when you want interesting pieces on interesting people. The main problem, with printed media, is that it's not interactive. Sure, you can write a letter to the editor, but it could be days, or even weeks, before it's in the newspaper.
Television is quite interesting. It's not interactive, at least most of the time. Yet, the television seems to be on all day and all night. For some, the television greets them, with news, sports and weather, in the mornings. For others, it's a form of entertainment all day. Television is still the leading form of the way we get our news. Advertisements, in the form of commercials, still inform the audience about products.
Yet, TV has even found ways to adapt, in an ever increasing internet world. Many cable companies will offer the internet with their cable packages. Also digital video recorders are now offered, with just about every cable package. This is a great technology, because it allows us to watch programming at our convenience.
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When it comes to news and information, the television is still a place to go. There are more than their fair share of twenty-four hour news channels and twenty-four hour sports channels. Since 1960, the Presidential debates have been shown on television. As a matter of fact, some political scientists have pointed to television in John F. Kennedy's defeat of then Vice President Richard Nixon.
Television has seen its fair share of problems, as well. Like radio and newspapers, large corporations have taken over television. So the control of the media is very limited. This has created a backlash, which has led to talk radio's rise to prominence. With all the variety on the television, and it's easy access, all you have to do, is turn on the television, and switch channels. TV will be here to stay.
References
Federal Communications Commission. (UNK) Emergency Communications. FCC Online. Online. http://www.fcc.gov/guides/emergency-communications
Karr, D.(2012) Infographic: 15% Use Social Media to Find Local Businesses. Marketing Tech Blog. Online http://www.marketingtechblog.com/social-media-facts/#ixzz2XBqHGphA
Yamshon, L (2011) Angie’s List: Is the Service Site Worth Its Membership Fee?. PC World. Online. http://www.pcworld.com/article/237331/angies_list_is_the_service_site_worth_its_membership_fee.html?page=2
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