The Media In Practice: Stereotypes

As part of this assignment we've been asked to look at what stereotypes may exist surrounding our chosen careers. During the first few weeks of this term we had the university's careers advisor Esyllt Geroge come to the class to talk to us about employment and she spent a lot of time talking to us about stereotypes (including making us walk around the room and pretending we were people working in certain professions. We may have felt silly but it got the point across).
Different careers come with their own set of stereotypes but all careers that in some way involve working with the press seem to have the same set.
To quote another very common, and often overused, saying: "There's no such thing as bad press".
Press Officers, Spokespeople, Press Relations Managers and anyone associated with dealing with and drumming up press for a client are all believed to be very ruthless and opportunistic, taking the above saying and exploiting it. It is a common belief that any event can be exploited by a press team to someones advantage. For example, after Kate Moss was caught snorting cocaine on camera it was her press team who worked the situation to her advantage and turned what could have been a potentially career destroying scandal into something which got her name back in the headlines and made her a hundred times more famous than she had been before.
In some ways this is a stereotype which is based in the truth. It is the job of the press team behind any client, be it a celebrity, a major company or even a small charity, to work any situation to their advantage and make sure the client is kept in the public's consciousness.

The Media In Practice: Becoming A Press Officer

There's a popular saying when talking about getting jobs in the media: "It's not what you know, it's who you know".
This is especially true when talking about jobs in the music industry. Getting a job in the music industry usually involves starting at a low paid, often temporary position and working your way up whilst making as many contacts as possible. Whilst I would ideally like to work as a press officer it is likely that I will have to work in many different areas of the music industry before gaining enough experience and making enough contacts to get the job I want.
The most important thing is to get as much experience as possible. As I mentioned previously I have already had a week of work experience with Drowned In Sound, a music website and record label based in london. As well as this I am in regular contact with a relative who has worked for several record labels in the past and now works for a management company representing several artists, who in turn has contacted several record labels on my behalf to enquire about further work experience.
I have also been in contact with Peter Robinson, founder and editor of pop music website Popjustice as well as journalist for The Guardian and the NME, as well as The Pop Factory, a music and television production company based in the Welsh valleys.
It is important to make sure to familiarise yourself with new technologies and ways of keeping up with news when trying to become a Press Officer, so I do just that. I have accounts on Myspace and Facebook, as well as the newest and currently hugely publicised service Twitter. Using Twitter is a good way to keep incredibly up-to-date, as record labels and artists are able to 'Tweet' things as they happen, which means any new information gets to me straight away.

The Media In Practice: My Chosen Career

For my Media in Practice module at university I have chosen to look in to becoming a Press Officer at a record label as my chosen media career.
I would like to work at a record label in particular as I have a great love of music and have always wanted to work in the record industry in some way. Most work in the media, and in the music industry in particular, requires starting at the bottom and working your way up which I will enjoy as it will hopefully give me a chance to get experience and spend some time working in various different jobs within a record label. The reason I would like to work in the Press department is that I have a keen interest in the way the music press works and the way in which bands/artists are promoted.
Whilst browsing online job sections for information on jobs within press departments at record labels I came across this description of the jobs a Press Officer performs on the website www.prospects.ac.uk:

"A Press Officer acts as the official media contact for a specific public or private organisation, handling all media interest.

Typical work activities include:

* Answering journalists' enquiries;
* Writing press releases and news articles;
* Liaising with the press and broadcast media on an everyday basis via telephone, email and networking;
* Monitoring press and broadcast coverage;
* Arranging press conferences, news briefings, media interviews, visits and public events;
* Attending committee meetings and debates;
* Keeping up to date with current issues and public opinions;
* Managing the press and media in a potential crisis situation."

(Job description found at: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/press_officer_job_description.jsp)

I already have a small amount of experience with writing press releases and news articles as these were some of the tasks I was required to do when I spent a week doing work experience with the website and record label Drowned In Sound.
I think becoming a Press Officer is definately something I would be capable of as I already have many of the skills necessary for the job. I make sure to keep up to date with any music news and public information in a number of ways; I check several music websites at regular intervals every day, I am an active member of several music forums and take part in many of the discussions regarding new music and the way it is promoted, and I keep a blog on which I voice my opinions on what's going on in the music world.
Some of the websites I often browse to keep up to date are:

NME.COM
drownedinsound.com
pitchfork.com
popjustice.com

And the main forums on which I participate in music related discussions are:

Popjustice Forums
Drowned In Sound Forums

The Media In Practice

As part of my course for this year one of the modules I am studying is The Media In Practice. This module involves identifying an area of employment within the media that interests me, then researching in to that career and the skills I might need to gain employment in this area.
As part of this module we also have guest speakers coming in to talk to the class about the areas they work in and answer any questions we might have regarding how they came to gain employment in that particular job and help us to discover what skills we will need if we are interested in that kind of work.
So far I know that I want to work in the music industry in some way, though I have yet to pinpoint a specifc area and will be exploring this more over the coming weeks and hopefully I will eventually have decided on what it is I'd like to do, and will begin to outline how I would go about getting the job I want.

2 down, 2 to go

I've handed in 2 essays in the last couple of days: a 5000 word study on fans of My Chemical Romance for the Fandom module, as well as 3000 words on the way in which magazines create desire for the Consumption module.
I really enjoyed the fandom assignment, writing about the kind of thing that really interests me, plus it might of helped that I quite like the band too!
Consumerism wasn't quite as much fun as the fandom module, but it was really interesting to go through a massive pile of loads of magazines (like the issue of GQ up there) and look at them in a different way than I usually would.

Tomorrow is the Race and Ethnicity seen exam, for which I've chosen to answer one question on how 'Whiteness' takes up the position or ordinariness in Western Media, and another on the Blaxploitation genre of the 70's and issues of trans-coding.


After that, term one of year 2 will be over.

"That's my sister, baby, and she's a whole lotta woman"

I watched the film 'Foxy Brown' today, as research for my 'Race and Ethnicity' assignment, for which I'm looking at Blaxploition films.
This is definately going in my ever increasing list of favourite films, and Pam Grier might just be my new hero.
We're watching 'Coffy' tomorrow, which will probably just push her higher up on my list.

If you ever felt....

For my MSVC 202 (Subcultures) assignment on fandom I've chosen to write about My Chemical Romance, a band I have a bit of a soft spot for, though wouldn't call myself a massive fan of.
I've joined forums and talked to people who do consider themselves huge fans and they've been really helpful in answering my questions and basically giving me a lot of personal information to help me with this.
I'm now at the stage where I'm analysing the bands songs and videos, which has actually reminded me how much I like them.
I've been a bit lazy when it comes to updating here and putting assignments up, but when it's done this one will almost definately be up here.

MSVC 203: Consumerism Presentation

Item: 2 Pack of Gloves
Price: £1
Store: Primark

Usage of gloves:
* Keep hands warm in cold weather
* Can also be worn for fashion (leather, fingerless etc)

Social location - Primark:



* Place to go for clothes/fashion on a budget
* Accused of 'unethical' production menthods ('Sweat shops' etc)
* Cannot see conditions of production just from looking at the gloves (Marx: Commodity fetishism)

Way in which product was advertised:
* Product was in a basket with price displayed on all 4 sides.
* No advertisement for the actual product, just price
* People being drawn to price, not product

Ways in which you were attracted to the product:
* Need - Winter approaching, gloves essential.
* Brand - Chose Primark as I knew the item would be affordable but do its job
* Price - I'm a student so needed something affordable.
* Location - First floor, not too far in to store, near counter (In contrast to 'Men Buy, Women Shop')

Why you chose the object:
* Aesthetics not a major issue.
* 2 pairs - value for money.

Primark gloves vs Designer gloves:



Left: Chanel - $850 (roughly £425)
Right: Christian Dior - $199 (roughly £100)

* Designer gloves have higher Exchange Value, but the same Use Value

Why designer over Primark?
* Vieblen - Amass goods to portray identity or social status
* Bordieu - Goods demonstrate 'capital' in society: 'I shop for things that make me better than you'.
* Baudrillard - Consumerism creates difference - People with Chanel gloves different to those with Primark gloves.

How different CAN noodles be?

MSVC 203: Consumerism



On the left: Batchelors Super Noodles: 47p
On the right: Tesco Value Instant Noodles: 7p

We were asked to purchase two of what are essentially the same product, but to buy one from a budget range and one from the more expensive range, then compare and analyse the two. For this project I chose to compare Tesco Value Chicken Flavoured Instant Noodles, which cost 7p a packet, to Batchelors Super Noodles, which are sold in Tesco at 47pence a packet.

The Tesco Value noodles come in the very recognisable Tesco Value packaging, which has a red, white and blue colour scheme and minimal frills. The description of the product is the main focus of the packaging, with a picture of the product in the background and the Tesco Value logo in the top left-hand corner. The Tesco Value logo is the same on all products, making it easy to notice from item to item. Also on the front of the packaging is an indication of the cooking times (which are mere minutes), which would appeal to people looking for a food product which can be cooked and eaten quickly.

The packaging of the Bachelors Super Noodles is very different to that of the Tesco Value Noodles. The main colour scheme is blue, making it recognisable to those looking for this particular brand, with the brand logo on the front just above the words 'Super Noodles', which are written in white with a shiny gold trim. The flavour of the noodles is written at the bottom on a gold background, and behind a picture of the noodles in the centre of the packaging is a gold star. The packaging for these noodles is much more attractive than that of the Tesco Value noodles. Also written on the front is "No artificial colours or preservatives", which may also help to create social differences between customers who would buy one brand of noodles as opposed to another. The 'Super Noodles' are more expensive and come with no artificial colours or preservatives, suggesting that the people with more money, who can afford to buy the more expensive noodles, are more likely to be concerned about the quality of the product, whereas those who buy Tesco Value are more concerned with price.

We also decided to conduct a taste test on the products, to see if there was any discernable difference in the taste. The noodles were cooked and presented to our (blindfolded) test subject, who was unaware of which noodles were which.



From the taste test we discovered that the noodles in bowl B had a richer flavour, were less slimy and overall the better noodle, whilst the noodles in bowl A were slimy and had a much duller flavour. The subject guessed that the noodles in bowl B were more expensive.
In fact, bowl B were the Tesco Value noodles. Bowl A were the more expensive noodles.

Grade for MSVC 103 Assignment 1

*Drumroll please.....*

I got a B!
I'm really quite proud of myself for this, since it's only the first essay I've written for uni and the first proper piece of writing I've done in over a year. I wasn't enjoying MSVC 103 much earlier in the year, but recently I really started to like it. Which is typical since we've finished it for good now, so I won't get the chance to get any more in to it. Hopefully my next assignment, which I should be finishing now rather than writing this, will be just as good as the first.

You can read assignment 1 here
Assignment 2 to follow shortly.

Morrissey v the NME again? Oh joy.

I found this story pretty interesting and since it's all about the media I thought it was relevant enough to stick on here.
Morrissey has just given an interview with the NME which said publication has now labelled "his most contentious interview in years".
We'll see.
Some people may remember, others (like me) may just have heard about it, but in 1992 the NME and Morrissey had a falling out after the former accused the latter of being racist. You see, Morrissey had appeared onstage at a Madness reunion gig in Finsbury Park, draped in a Union Jack flag at a time when far-right xenophobes the British National Party were on the rise. Around this time there were no such things as internet forums, so there was no real nationwide discussion amongst music fans about what had happened. All there was, was the NME, and it's glaring headlines. The front page read "Morrissey: Flying the flag or flirting with disaster?". The only opinions given on the subject were those of the NME writing staff and the readers who wrote to the magazine. It was all pretty one sided, and Morrissey and the NME ceased all relations for 13 years.


(The original, 1992 front cover)

Until 2005, when Morrissey was promoting his 7th solo album, 'You Are The Quarry'. Charge of the NME had changed hands, and the current editor was the young Conor McNicholas, who was keen to reconcile Moz and the publication. The interview went without a hitch, the NME went back to hanging on the singer's every word, and Morrissey got the publicity he wanted for his album.
It would seem, however, that McNicholas was not as different to his predecessors as he would have Moz, and us for that matter, believe. This week the NME have run another front page interview with Moz, leading (very predictably) with the headline "Bigmouth Strikes Again!" and it looks likely that the feud will be rekindled.
In the interview Moz complains that there is no longer a sense of British identity, that he has no problem with immigration as such, but that when you compare England with countries such as Germany or Holland, we have much less sense of identity.
Unlike in 1992, this time there are internet message boards for people to discuss the issue on, and (also unlike in 1992) this time the votes seem swayed in Moz's favour.
The problem is, the NME doesn't have the same sway in the music world now as it did 15 years ago, and recently it has become the subject of much ridicule for becoming too 'glossy'. Under McNicholas' reign it has changed from newspaper format to glossy print, become sponsored by hair products and included a 'tabloid' section, in which they report on the personal lives of the musicians featured. Because of this, the NME is now seen as something of a joke, and McNicholas a man who will do anything to generate publicity and make a name for himself.
Today, the day the newest issue was released and the day people first had a chance to read what it is that Moz actually said, some emails between McNicholas and Morrissey's manager Merck Mercuriadis have surfaced. In them McNicholas attempts to explain to Mercuriadis that the magazine decided to publish Moz's quotes so they could make a stand against what he said and, in his own words have "the NME's position made very clear".
McNicholas seems to believe that the NME is a publication responsible for taking a stand against artists whose comments could be seen perhaps as slightly inflammatory, rather than a music magazine responsible for reporting on music.
The general attitude towards the article is much more against McNicholas than against Morrissey, which couldn't possibly be what McNicholas had intended. The main view seems to be that this is just a shameless attempt on the NME's part to generate publicity for a magazine which seems to have become irrelevant in todays world of internet forums and music based websites.
Taking this stance is also an unwise decision for the magazine itself. An ongoing feud with Moz may have got people talking seriously about the NME for the first time in years, but they don't seem to have thought through the damage this could cause them. Statistically, sales of the NME rise by 30-40% when Morrissey is on the cover, something that is unlikely to ever happen again.
Even the journalist who conducted this particular interview requested his name be removed from the article as he did not agree with the direction the article was being taken in.
Could it be that in this age of widely available technology a one sided accusation like that against Moz in 1992 just won't cut it anymore? I believe it's simply the case that people have much more access to means of expressing themselves now, and that they see this not only as some desperate attempt by the publication of trying to get people interested in buying the magazine once again, but a rather cynical attempt by one man to make a name for himself as an editor who is not afraid to tackle serious issues (despite having 'dumbed down' the magazine in the eyes of many).

He also seems to have forgotten that Morrissey likes suing people.

(Click HERE to read the emails sent to Morrisseys manager by Tim Jonze, who conducted the interview, and Conor McNicholas. There's also a lovely letter sent to the NME from Moz's lawyers. I told you he likes suing people.)

Why UWIC, and why media?

Good question.
We'll start with media, since I was doing that before I came to UWIC.
I decided whilst I was still at school that I wanted to do media at college. If I'm honest it was for two reasons; number one was that at the time I wanted to be a journalist for a music magazine, specifically the NME (as Niles once said to Frasier: "Were we ever that young?"). Number two is that I didn't know what else I wanted to do. I was good at English but couldn't see what career a qualification in English would lead to, besides becoming an English teacher, which really wasn't up my street since I despised schoolkids enough when I was one, let alone being the 'mature adult' in a class full of them.
So I suppose those were my reasons for chosing media. At the time it seemed to really go with what I wanted to do in the future, though it seemed to become more and less relevant every time my aspirations changed. Chosing to study media at university was an easy choice for me; I already had a qualification in media, I'd enjoyed most of what I studied at college and was looking forward to learning more about the cultural side of media studies.
So that's media, now, Why UWIC?
This decision was much less academically based. I wanted to come to the city of Cardiff since I already knew people living either here or in Newport, and I definately wanted to move away from home. I chose UWIC specifically because I liked the idea of doing a media course that also involved culural studies, which really caught my interest.
So those are the reasons for me being where I am today. Some of them were made on a whim, others carefully considered, but I'm glad they've all lead me here.

Symposium

I'm on the anti-celebrity side!
I'm a bit gutted about that, for obvious reasons. I think I might show up for it in a 'Free Paris' t-shirt or something.
No, on a serious note, I'm sure it'll be fun. As long as I get all the necessary research done and prepare for it it should be fairly easy. There is a lot to be said against celebrities I suppose.
It's on December 4th so I'll post something afterwards saying how it went.

Six Feet Under

This is the promo shown on American TV for season 4 of my favourite TV show, Six Feet Under. It's a little over-dramatic, I'll admit, but it's quite fitting to the tone of the show.
For those that don't know, Six Feet Under is a drama/black comedy about a family run funeral directors and the lives of all the family members. It also has the best ending to any TV show ever.

Drowned In Sound

As I mentioned in my CV, I did a week of work experience with Drowned In Sound records in 2005. They're a small indie label but have earned a good name for themselves in the industry. DIS began as a website run by Sean Adams, who then set up the record label, Drowned in Sound recordings. The first artists signed to DIS records were the Kaiser Chiefs and the limited edition single "Oh My God" was released.
Anyway, as I said, I worked there for a week in 2005 and had a few news stories and music reviews published on the website.
This is some of the stuff I did:

News Story: Victoria Bergsman leaves The Concretes (read it here)

News Story: Placebo announce December tour dates (read it here)

News Story: Animals become Men at 18? Young Knives announce shows... (read it here)

News Story: Little Barrie keeping themselves busy... (read it here)

Single Review: Panic! At The Disco "Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" (read it here)

Single Review: Moneen "If Tragedy Is Appealing, Then Disaster's An Addiction" (read it here)

Single Review: My Awesome Compilation "Awake" (read it here)

Some terrible single titles there, I know.
Anyway, working at a record label is what I'd like to do in the future so that week was a good experience for me, and I learnt to make tea exactly the way everyone liked it (though the coffee machine was an entirely different matter)
Click the image below to browse DIS.com for yourselves.