SYLLABUS:
TEL 463 BROADCASTING MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION
Univ. Center Rm. 1198
Monday--Friday 1:00 pm--1:50 pm
Instructor:
Michael Taylor Radio House 259-2015
Hours Monday--Thursday 11 am-12:30 pm, 2-2:45 pm. Other Hours by
appointment. e-mail: mktaylor@valdosta.edu
COURSE PURPOSE:
This course is designed to introduce advanced telecommunications students
to the principles
and practices involved in electronic media management and the operation
of media
outlets (broadcast radio and television plus cable systems). Students
will gain a greater
understanding of the changes occurring in the delivery of mediated communication,
the challenges facing
managers of media outlets and the skills that will be required to meet
those challenges.
TEXT: Management
of Electronic Media by Alan B. Albarran; plus weekly reading
of "Broadcasting and Cable" (current issues in library
or by subscription) and other readings as assigned.
PRESENTATION:
Course material will be presented in lecture and class discussion.
You will
be expected to be prepared to contribute to class discussions, which means
you will be expected
to stay current in your reading assignments. You will be responsible
for all assigned
readings plus any additional material introduced during lectures and class
discussions.
Your comprehension of this material will be evaluated by exams and your
writing plus a group project.
SPECIAL SERVICES STUDENTS:
Any student with a learning disability or physical challenge
that could affect their ability to meet class requirements in a timely
manner must
have their eligibility listed with Special Student Services. It is
the responsibility of the
student to have the Special Services Program notify faculty of their status.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Academic dishonesty among students will not be tolerated in
any of its forms.
Academic dishonesty is defined as knowingly taking information from
another student or source
during the course of completing any requirements in which
these additional sources
are not allowed by the instructor. Examples include plagiarism,
use of another student's
work (essays, papers, projects, etc.), cheating on exams by looking
at another person's work
or cheat sheets, and falsifying assignments. Penalties are
imposed consistent with
guidelines in the current Faculty Handbook and Student Handbook.
GRADES: There
is no curve in this class, your grade is determined solely by the total
points accumulated
on all assigned work. There are no extra credit opportunities (you'll
be busy enough
with the assigned work). Lack of attendance will result in points
being deducted from
your earned total. After five absences you will lose five (5) points
for each absence through
the remainder of the quarter. On the positive side, participation
in class discussions
and in group work may (at the discretion of the instructor) result in up
to fifty (50)
points being added to your final total.
GRADE SCALE:
901--1000 A 801---900 B
701---800 C 601---700 D
600 & below F
EXAMS: There
will be a total of six (6) case studies which will require group preparation
outside of class; the specific cases are attached with the dates when they
will be presented and defended. Each case will be worth 50 points.
I will expect to receive a keystroked copy from each group. There
will also be a "case study" final exam. All exams will be presented
on the dates listed in the course schedule, if you are not present for
your group's case study presentation you will receive a zero for that week's
case. The only acceptable reasons for missing an exam are illness
requiring hospitalization
or bed confinement (doctor's statement required) or death of an
immediate family member
(parent, sibling or grandparent, published obituary or death
certificate required).
An exam missed
with excuse will be dropped from the student's point total and the grade
scale adjusted
by the appropriate number of points.
GROUP PROJECT:
The group project will involve working as a team (three to five person
groups) to develop, write
and present a business plan for the purchase of a local radio
station and the operation
of that station for a period of three years. The project will
assume the station is
currently losing money and that a format change will be necessary
for a successful turnaround.
We will further assume no major downturns in the local and
regional economies.
Full parameters for the project and presentation
are attached. The group project is worth 500 points.
The group winning the
competition for funding of their business plan will receive the full
500 points with all other
groups receiving some points less than 500. Individual effort and
group cohesiveness will be the responsibility of the group. If a
majority of the group's members approach me and request that an individual
be removed for lack of participation, that individual will face a failing
grade in the course since half of your grade comes from the group project.
Part of the rationale for doing the group project is learning to function
in a group--all media organizations require the ability to work within
a group environment.
COURSE SCHEDULE
| DATES |
TOPIC |
READINGS |
Weeks One--Four
1/7--30 |
Overview
Budgets & Personnel |
Chapters one &
two
Chapters three &
four |
| Mon. Jan. 19th
No Class |
Martin Luther King
Day |
|
|
|
|
Fri. 1/16--Case One
Due
Fri. 1/23--Case
Two Due
Fri. 1/30--Case
Three Due |
Analysis of Income
Statement
KMDT TV Personnel
Problem
Duopoly Strategies |
pages 73-74
pages 100-102
pages 134-135 |
|
|
|
Weeks Five--Seven
2/2---20 |
How to Read a Book
Programming &
Marketing |
Chapter five plus
handouts
Chapters six &
seven |
|
|
|
Fri. 2/6---Case
Four Due
Fri. 2/13--Case
Five Due
Fri. 2/20--Case Six
Due |
Local Radio--Satellite
v. Local Independent v. Network Affiliation Tough Retailer |
pages 159-160
pages 160-162
pages 191-193 |
|
|
|
Weeks Eight--Nine
2/23--3/6 |
Regulatory & Ethical
Issues
Beyond 2001 |
Chapters nine &
eleven
Chapter twelve |
|
|
|
| Week Ten March.
9--11 |
GROUP PRESENTATIONS |
|
|
|
|
Week "Eleven"
3/16--18 |
Evaluations
Closure |
|
|
|
|
| Final Exam Due:
Monday 3/23 at 1 p.m. (late exams will not be accepted) |
|
|
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