This post does have a point I promise. Just bear with me for a few minutes. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Shea’s Performing Arts Center to see the Radio City Chrismas Spectacular starring the Rockettes.

I must say, the show was phenominal. If you have the opportunity or the money, go see it. (Its playing until November 30th) Check out the website for more info.

Ok so anyways, one of the scenes feature Mrs. Claus and some of Santas helpers. One of Santa’s helpers is a little frustrated and worried because things aren’g going as planned. She cant seem to get ahold of santa! Mrs. Claus remarks with, ” Well you’re the Communications Specialist”.

I was probably the only one out of my whole group of family and friends that got the biggest kick ever out of that. I even leaned over and told my mom, ” Hey, Communications Specialist? Thats ME!!”

So, since the job market in Buffalo isn’t looking so great, I’ve decided to send my resume to the North Pole. Hey, it can’t be much colder there than it is here!!!!!!!!!! Clearly I am kidding, I don’t want to move.

But if you are open to the possibly of relocating, then I encourage you to try any where and everywhere imaginable. I unfortunately am very stubborn and will not move whatsoever. If you arent stubborn like me, which most people aren’t, I wish you all the best in your job search.

Happy Job Hunting!!!

Natalie

Media Day 2008 was a huge success this year. This year I attended 3 sessions: Crisis Communication, Not-For Profit Communication and The Advertising Agency.

Today I will explain what I learned from Session I: Crisis Communication

Session I was moderated by Medaille College’s Associate Vice President of Communications and Advancement, Tom Burns. Panelists at this section included Ann Schlifke Public Relations Director from Sister’s Hospital, Kevin Keenan, Communication Director for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Matt Heidt from the Communication Department of the Buffalo Bills, and Melanie Gregg from the Office of Strategic Planning for the City of Buffalo.

Speakers at this session explained what it is like to have a career in their field.Some like Melanie Gregg get called into work on their day off because a crisis has emerges. Kevin Keenan noted that he does in fact take a vacation and sometimes doesn’t answer his phone. Speakers also explained how they handle a crisis at their respective organization. Matt Heidt, with the Buffalo Bills explained the recent power outage and what they have done to ensure that this won’t happen again.

I was surprised to find out that Matt Heidt from the Buffalo Bills said that the Communication Department sometimes asks other Communication Members from other NFL Teams for advice. He said sometimes, someone else has dealt with something and they can really help out with their advice.

Session I was very informative, especially for me hopeing to pursue a career in public relations. Crisis Communication is important even for individuals not going into public relations. Crisis will arise from time to time and it is important to know how to handle them.

Did you learn anything interesting from Session I? Leave me a comment!!!

Natalie Schiavone

Buffalo News Media critic and Medaille College Instructer Alan Pergament featured a commentary about Channel 7’s Big Change, which was featured in Friday’s Buffalo News. Pergament speculated that Channel 7 would be returning to its Eyewitness News theme and format.

This change was supposed to be so big that even Jo Anna Pasceri and Keith Radford claimed to not know anything about. This change that everyone would be talking about was set to happen today, Monday October 27th.

It happend alright. I woke up this morning at exactly 7:00 A.M when Good Morning America was beginning. I will admit I was a little bummed that I didn’t get up 10 minutes sooner to see the big change. That is, until I actually saw what the big change was, then I decided that 10 minutes of sleep was worth more to me than the big change.

During a news brief, I experienced it, the Big Change, that is. I screamed for joy, and excitement and even shed tears of happiness…….NOT!!!

Pergament was exactly right, in his speculation. I was definitely irritated about all the hype surrounding the Big Change. I thought it was going to be something cool I guess, boy was I wrong.

Big deal, Channel 7 has gone back to its Eyewittness News theme and format. Channel 7 was right about one thing, everyone would be talking about it. Talking about how stupid it was maybe… because I know I sure am!!!!

What do you think about the “Big Change”. Tell me!!

Natalie

I had the good fortune to fill in for Professor Whitehead’s Public Speaking courses yesterday. I hadn’t given a full lecture since spring 2003, and it was a treat to be able to give two on one day! I doubt I could keep up with the grueling schedule of teaching full-time, but this was definitely a nice change in my routine.

Here are the notes from the lecture on presentation aids from chapter 14 of the public speaking textbook. 

Read the rest…

I’m a senior and I’m taking Gen410 and in that class we have discussed Neil Postman and he likes to talk about technology and advices us not to let it take over our lives. He implies that some technology is good but we shouldn’t let it run our lives. We should not become slaves to technology.

He got me thinking and I asked myself the question if I was a slave to technology. I had to answer yes. I am a huge sports fan and I would saw that I am a slave to sports combined with technology. I am always on the internet to find out how my favorite players performed that day or if my team won. I also like to catch games on television or on the radio if need be. I can sit down watch a complete game of baseball, basketball, football, or hockey.

Recently I realized how much a slave I really was to sports and technology when I purchased the MLB.TV package online. This package gives me access to every MLB game for the entire season on my computer.

I think of it this way, if something makes you happy then why not do it. Sports and media are going to me the rest of my life anyway as I push for a career in sports radio or television. Being a slave to technology can be fun especially when you can watch every baseball game all summer long!

Matthew Kushner

Communication Senior

In Defense of Theory

I never thought I’d end up writing something called “In Defense of Theory.” I graduated from a communication program that emphasized theory to the near-exclusion of hands-on, practical learning. I hated it. I had a hard time sitting in a classroom and learning about theory in all its abstractions and removal from real life situation.

However, I share Professor Schedel’s concern after reading the Perspective’s recent editorial, “Theory Useless in Job Force.” In any communications career, an employee needs concrete skills and relevant experience to complete tasks. I would suggest that college graduates about to enter the job force need to do more than be able to just complete tasks. They need to understand the frameworks, and yes, theories, within which they are working in order to do those tasks better, faster and smarter.

If you’re in a position where you aren’t able to apply even rudimentary elements of well-known communication theories to what you’re doing, then you’re just a worker bee, and you will not grow professionally. I work with technology. Having learned about the diffusion of innovations, a theory first put forth nearly fifty years ago to explain the ways in which ideas and concepts are adopted by society, I’m in a better position to understand and implement the technologies I encounter. That’s one example. With a few hours and some of my old comm theory textbooks I could define a few dozen others.

When I think of the theoretical knowledge I learned in pursuit of a degree, that is training that best came from learned professors in a classroom setting. I look back and am grateful for the opportunity to acquire such learning, as it has strongly prepared me for a career doing exactly what I want to do in communication. You can learn skills on your own and on the job – the best learning comes from experience, and experience takes time.

Having some skills might get you your first job, but they won’t get you your first promotion, and they won’t make you competitive in today’s communication marketplace.

Kara Kane

I was a bit distressed to read Courtney Pellet’s editorial, “Theory Useless in the Job Force”. I can only conclude that we members of the Medaille College faculty could do a better job of articulating the place and importance of theory.

There is no substitute for hands-on learning and instruction that “shadows” the skills that are needed in the work force, especially at the entry level. However, an education, if it is to be truly that, cannot just be about “how to do”. It also needs to provide possible insights and perspectives concerning “what to do and why to do (or not to do)”.

This fact has been continually impressed upon the Communication Department’s faculty by members of the department’s advisory board. While it is true that some of the board’s members consider the value of Communication Theory, the Humanities and the Social Sciences as being “b.s.”, the majority of the members have strongly affirmed the value of theory and general knowledge, especially as it applies to the likelihood of promotion. Statements such as “I need people I can promote” and “I can teach a person to run a board, if I have to, but I can’t teach the ability to read, write, and think” have been the norm.

In fact, many of the most successful media figures, especially those who have jobs on-air or in print journalism, have not had “media” degrees but, rather, degrees in one or other of the Liberal Arts and Sciences. For these people the deficiencies that they may have had, early on, in hands-on skills were more than compensated for by the knowledge and the potential perspectives and insights that a liberal education can provide.

I suspect that internships, however valuable they can be, may not be the best basis for judging what the value of “theory” might be. This value most likely will be more apparent in what is often called “the real world” when a person is called upon to make decisions that might have serious consequences for himself/herself and others. This kind of responsibility is about as “real world” as it is possible to be. It very often forces a person to call upon and critique everything that he/she knows, believes, and stands for. The bases for such decisions are, to a great degree, the provinces of “theory”, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences.

Even more important, an education must do more than prepare a person for the work force. It must also be preparation for life as an educated citizen and leader. In the roles that such a life can and should involve there is no substitute for the knowledge, skills, and judgment that are the business of theory and a liberal education. These roles, too, are crucial in and to “the real world.”

We members of Medaille College’s faculty are very aware of the sacrifices that our students are making. In part to justify these sacrifices we are committed to providing our students with the best and most comprehensive theoretical and practical preparation for “the real world” that we can.

~Dr. John Schedel

It’s Super Tuesday, the seminal day during the presidential primary season where a significant number of delegates are up for grabs.

The results of today will shape the remainder of the primary season, leading up to each party’s convention over the summer. Look for political advertisements to sharpen in quantity and intensity, and watch for each candidate to make subtle shifts in their policies in order to position themselves as more electable.

My predictions on the Democratic side: Clinton will win NY, but will lose her home state of IL to Obama, along with CA, most of the midwest and all southern states. For the Republicans, McCain will make strong showings in all Super Tuesday states, and since the GOP primaries are winner-take-all (unlike the Dem’s proporational delegates), Romney won’t last much beyond tomorrow. Huckabee will win Arkansas, and will also end up bowing up by the end of the week.

The real fun will be at the Democratic convention. John Edwards suspended his campaign, he didn’t end it. After the first round of delegate voting, if no plurality emerges delegates are free to vote for whomever they want (at least that’s my understanding).

I enjoy watching Lost, mainly because so few shows today leave everything so mysterious and suspenseful. Watching Wednesday night’s rebroadcast of the previous season’s final episode treated viewers to something that I predict will become commonplace in the coming years: “enhanced” television, with a crawl along the bottom of the screen providing a running commentary of facts, recaps, internet speculation and teasers for the coming season.

Why haven’t TV networks done this before? With the current writer’s strike in Hollywood I can understand that the writing talent needed to produce that content isn’t available, but once that ends, I would definitely be more inclined to watch an enhanced program.

Which television programs would you like to see enhanced in the same way that Lost was this week?

The Buffalo News had an article about the state of the radio industry in yesterday’s paper (Sunday, January 27).

“Taking Back the Airwaves” documents trends and tactics that inform the present and future of radio broadcasting. For anyone interested in a career in radio, it’s a must read.