RTF Blog 4- 9/26- Government Intervention in Radio

Government intervention has played an important role in continually shaping the radio industry into what it has become today. In the early 20th century especially, the Government used their power to regulate the newly formed radio industry in order to control exactly how it would grow and function.

Throughout history, the Government has used its expansive access to the media to manage exactly what its citizens are allowed to see. Whether it is controlling who has access, or what is being broadcasted, there is a long history of Government regulation in media. The first main act passed in the early 1900's was the Radio Act of 1912, which was used to prevent foreign takeover of the radio industry and to require that sea vessels communicate through it (due largely to the success of the radio in helping the Titanic disaster). Furthermore, the main force in shaping the radio industry in the 1920's came with the Radio Act of 1927. The Department of Commerce at the time was not allowed to deny a license to anyone who requested one. in turn, they sent all the responsibilities of such over to the Federal Radio Commission. This group was given the power to allocate frequencies, and license stations. This act not only limited who could be on the radio, but it was also the first indication of censorship.

This was one of the Government's first attempts at controlling the media, as we know it today. Although it was not too overbearing, the FRC later was disbanded and the FCC was formed, which not only controlled the radio, but also other media industries. The Radio Acts of 1912 and 1927 were just a few of the ways that Government intervention helped mold the radio industry in the 1920's.

Mary's Third RTF Blog 09-19-10

Although most of the current population does not realize it, the Cultivation Theory presents itself in nearly any human being's everyday life. This theory can best be described as the creation of a skewed perception of reality due to prolonged exposure of any false truth. The man who originally came up with the theory, George Gebner, stated that Cultivation had become one of the main sources of "storytelling" in society. Children especially spend mass amounts of time watching TV and on the internet, which can begin to shape their attitudes early on. By viewing a distorted perspective of the truth for so long, we seem to not only believe it, but also apply it to situations which are completely irrelevant. For example, it is not uncommon for a full grown adult to feel threatened when walking by another person, if simply they are of a different race. Females, myself included, often cringe if they are 'threatened', which due to Cultivation, is around almost any race but their own. Even in a crowded area, the thought of the other individual taking on the persona of what has been viewed for so long seems inevitable. Consider being stuck somewhere (say, an elevator) with a man of Asian descent. One would immediately expect for him to scale the wall, climb through the roof, and, impossibly so, ascend to the nearest floor and thus save all those involved. Not very likely to actually happen. Cultivation has caused mass belief in things that are relatively improbable to happen. Walking past someone of a different race does not automatically spell danger. It becomes our job, then, to correct the damage that those before us have caused, which comes of course, not without a few more movies that stereotypically define almost all of America.

Mary's Second RTF Blog 09-12-10

Hegemony enables for me to understand a lot of what is broadcast in the media today by allowing for two separate companies to show two very different sides of a single story. It is important for the public to be aware of the impact that hegemony has on the media industry.

By definition, hegemony is having influence or authority over another group without having any consent from the controlled group. This, for the most part, works because of the fact that many Americans stick to one media source. The government plays a large role in determining what we, as Americans, view in the news and print.

An example of hegemony that can be viewed by the public in this day and age is what we, as students, read in our textbooks. Whichever group of politicians has control over the government also gains significant control over what students read. Recently, a huge debate sparked over whether or not the concept of evolution should be in textbooks and consequently, school curriculum. On one side it was argued that schools should follow strictly to what originated in the Bible's text, and the other that we should further develop the separation of church and state. Although one ruling was recently passed, there are many more which have yet to have any form of legislation. Because these political forces have so much power on forming new laws and text, students have very little control over what they read and are taught in school. In this sense, it is apparent that hegemony can even control the minds of the young students.

NY Times Textbook Battle