By Gary Hanson, Kent State University | Radio-Television Journalism
Not long ago, I was visiting with the parent of a prospective student who asked me what kind of media job his daughter could get after she finished our program. Given the troubled times for media companies, the question was right on target and gave me a bit of pause because he was really asking what skills his daughter will need to succeed in a world that is increasingly information and communication based.
The media world is not as bleak as it seems. More content is being produced now than ever before. Video is no longer just on television, it’s on YouTube; audio is more than radio, it’s a podcast; media writing is not just on a printed page, it’s on Web sites and blogs.
I’m reminded of something one of our faculty members said in job interview several years ago. His presentation was the first time that I had considered the significance of the decoupling of media content from media distribution. He made a convincing case that the significant changes and innovations were on the distribution side. He argued, and I agreed, that students don’t always understand the channels in which content can be distributed or the specific audiences who use the channels.
I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that the students in most of our journalism programs live 21st Century lives as media users, but when they come into student newsrooms, they often produce content in a form that has more in common with 1970 than 2010. Broadcast students still produce traditional 30-minute news broadcasts and 90-second television news packages. Print students produce broadsheet newspapers and traditional-looking magazines. Sure, we’ve added Web content, Twitter and social networking, all of which are examples of the new delivery channels. But there is something about the 1970’s model that we may be losing – the focus on journalism’s content.
I thought about these points as I answered the parent. The way to best help his daughter is to look forward at the cutting-edge technology of content delivery and backward at the fundamental tenets of content – strong reporting and good storytelling.
This series of articles is an opportunity for AEJMC’s divisions and interest groups to examine how each fits into the association’s mission. For the Radio Television Journalism Division, it may be the recognition that the words in our title (radio, television and journalism) are no longer an exclusive franchise. Video and audio are not solely the purview of just broadcasters any more – the changes in content creation and delivery have changed that forever. The skills to produce our kind of stories are in demand by everyone who does journalism.
RTVJ sees this as an opportunity for collaboration. Not just at convention time when we produce jointly sponsored program sessions across our disciplines, but back home in our day jobs with colleagues in our own colleges and schools. We need to engage in collaborative research, innovative teaching and entrepreneurial programs across our disciplines. The fruits of that collaboration will put us in an even stronger position to help the next parent and student figure out how best to prepare for a career in the world of communication and information.