the communication model [9.15.08]

Newspaper Article

· When I apply the communication model to a newspaper article, the various components are extremely easy for me to figure out. Especially the noise component. Considering that I do not currently have a newspaper subscription that would go under the noise component. Noise could also include any kind of distraction. Kids could be bothering the parents, homework can get in the way, and other forms of media could also be considered noise. The Newspaper company would be the sender and the person who pays for the paper or person who picks it up would be the receiver. The message part of the model is the simplest. The message of the newspaper is communicated through the newspaper itself. The feedback is sent to the sender through the continued subscription of the paper, the opinion column feedback, the website, email, and postal service feedback. A newspaper article is an effective means of communication, but only to a certain population. If this newspaper includes people who get their news of the internet from the same newspapers website then the receiver audience expands. But I do not personally subscribe to a newspaper neither do any of my six roommates. My parents do though, and have since before I was born. I do enjoy reading it when I am home, I don’t read all of the newspaper, only the highlights and the headlines that attract my attention. Here at BYU, I believe that the most read newspaper would have to be The Daily Universe. I don’t know how equally it would be rated on the political spectrum but that paper has headlines and information that is pertinent to us here in the college scene. Our feedback is printed in the paper and sometimes I enjoy reading those the most. The Daily Universe knows our opinions of the paper and I believe that they try to fix the paper to meet our needs and wants. I don’t think this is the most effective means of communication because me personally, I pick up maybe one Daily Universe a week and sometimes I don’t even end up reading it. Noise like schoolwork, Facebook, class, friends, food, etc, always seem to get in the way.

Magazine Article

· The sender in a magazine article is the magazine company. The receiver is the person who subscribes to the magazine or just happens to pick it up. As with the magazine article the message is inside the newspaper. The feedback is shown through continued subscription, online contact, and possible phone calls. Noise can include many different things. Children in the way, the post office not delivering, other forms of media, school work, actual work, lack of money to pay for subscription, the magazine getting wet and rendering it unable to be read, etc. I believe magazine articles are not ineffective means of communication but I definitely believe they aren’t the best. I like to read magazines because of the glossy pages and some of the content on them. It is sometimes nice to just relax on the couch and flip through a magazine. But I do find myself skipping over the articles because the pictures are just a lot more exciting. It seems as if that is the message they want to communicate through the magazine. They hope that all the advertisements will pay off and that we will go purchase the items featured in the magazine. I know that my roommate receives Elle magazine and therefore I will end up reading it also. The messages contained within that magazine are received by me and my other roommates. Sometimes we will be looking through it and point things out to another person and notice that we actually want to purchase it. That would be effective communication, or advertising.

Radio Program

· I believe a radio program is a very different form of media than the magazine and newspaper. Those are print media and this form is transmitted through the airwaves and individuals listen to it. The sender would be the program and receiver would be the person who listens to it. There are very obvious things that could get in the way of this. The receiver may not be in a place that receives the station, the station could have interference, people may not know the channel exists, the receiver may have hearing problems, there may be things going on around the receiver that prevent him or her from hearing the message. I don’t personally listen to any radio programs. I do have a radio, but I only use it to wake me up in the morning. I immediately go over to it and turn it off because I hate hearing the commercials. I think just like television, radio commercials have gotten longer. Radio commercials are not as bearable for me because I have no visual. If I turn on the radio while I’m cleaning or something, I want to hear music, I don’t want to hear an advertisement about a new diet pill. Things like this just lead me to putting on my iPod so that I can have a constant stream of music. On the other hand, I know my mother loves NPR. She has it programmed into her car and she always listens to it while she’s driving. My father also listens to it while he is working on his kit car. I think this way of communication can be effective to a certain extent, and to a certain audience. I know I personally didn’t grow up listening to radio all the time so I don’t think it is the most effective media for me, or a lot of my generation.

Television Show

· In a television show, the sender is the network and the receiver is the person who watches the show. The message is sent through the show and sometimes in the commercials between. The receiver will send feedback through the website, possibly going online and watching shows they missed, participating in online groups, or just sending their opinions on the show to the network. The noise may include the fact that the television isn’t on, homework, work, children, outside noise, food, time can be included in the noise section too. Sometimes people just don’t understand things too. They may not understand the humor, or the individual may not draw the same conclusion that the show wants them to. The viewer and network can come to a shared meaning because the viewer will continue watching the show hopefully with an understanding of what is going on in the show. This will reflect back to the network that they successfully got their message through. For example, CW’s Gossip Girl is a highly watched show. The message is apparently getting through because I know that there are tons of online forums and websites dedicated to the show that don’t affiliate themselves directly to CW. Same with the TV series, The Office. I personally, love this show. I went online a couple of times this summer to NBC’s website to see when the fifth season premiere was going to be. Actually, I just went to the website and got distracted from writing this blog because there were things I wanted to watch and read on the website. I truly believe that this is the most effective way to get the message through. I believe it is the most effective media when put through the communication model. Because now we have things like TiVo, DVR, and online websites that allow us to still participate in the show without being there are the exact time that it airs.