So here we go again at the troubled WKBW-TV Channel 7. Our hometown team has lost another of it’s local family members in John Murphy who has resigned after contract talks did not reach an agreement that he was willing to sign. That may be because that new contract included a $30,000 salary decrease over the next 5 years. After an 18 year run at the station, Murphy decided he had enough turmoil at the station that goes bankrupt and up for sale with the changing of the seasons. Morale at the station is at an all time low, with workers never sure that they will have their jobs when they come into work each day. I am sure more staff cuts are on the horizon, but that seems difficult to imagine since Channel 7 only has 1/4 of the staff of Channel 4 in terms of reporters and anchors. I sincerely hope that John Murphy lands a great opportunity, since he deserves better than the treatment he has received. To think that he wasn’t even given the opportunity to let his audience know he is leaving and to say goodbye on the air. I will miss him and he has been extremely helpful to Medaille students over the years, so we all wish him the best in the future. His professionalism will put him above the management that so rudely tried to discredit him by barring him from his last session in the sports desk. Please tell me what you think this will do for Channel 7 and Murphy’s future.

Lisa Van Valkinburgh
September 18, 2007

To read more:
COMMENTARY Murphy regrets being barred from final show by Alan Pergament

Channel 7’s Murphy becomes free agent By Alan Pergament
Updated: 09/16/07 7:21 AM

From the Office of Public Safety:

Please be advised that in the past 24 hours, two members of the Canisius College community were robbed in the vicinity of West Delavan Avenue and Harvard Place. In both cases, the victims were walking on West Delavan Avenue, in broad daylight, when they were approached by a man who displayed a large kitchen knife. Neither victim was harmed.

As always, you are encouraged to use caution on or around campus at all times. Please be aware of your surroundings, avoid any potentially unsafe areas or routes and immediately report any suspicious activity to the Department of Public Safety at 880 - 2911.

The first copy of the Perspective of the Fall 2007 Semester is now available!! Pick yours up today!!

The communications department will be holding a welcome back lunch on Monday September 10th, at 12:30pm in the President’s Dining Room; located on the first floor of the Sullivan Center.  This lunch is a great chance for freshman to come and meet upperclass communication majors!  We hope to see you all there!

 Much of what will be up here will be open to discussion, and we’d like to see that happen! When you read a post, under the title it lists what categories that post is under and “Comments.” If a post says “Comments Off” it is not a discussion post. However it might say “No comments” or tell you how many comments are on there already. Click on this and read what other people are thinking. Feel free to add to the discussion yourself!

The first meeting of the semester will be Friday, Sept. 7th, 2007 at 12:30pm in the Radio Station.  The station is located in the basement of Main.  Come and check us out!

Like some of my colleagues, I subscribe to a few communication research journals. I’m also fairly fresh (1.5 yr) from grad school. The big trend right now is “health communication.” It is so big that UB deliberately hired a professor that does only health comm research and they now offer classes to grads and undergrads in health comm.

So what are they looking at? How do doctors and patients communication, how effective are different media messages, (think the Truth campaigns), what can make messages more effective, technology adoption of doctors, patient perception of self, use of health care, and so much more.

I personally can’t help but wonder where this new branch called health communication is going to go. Will the research actually be applied to change the relationship we have with our doctors? Will it be another passing fad, as seems to be the trend with different sections of communication research. In today, gone tomorrow. What are your thoughts? Can this be beneficial? How?

S. Whitehead