Media Economics Paper
Mass Communication Process – Fall 2002
Date Due: Monday, 7 October, at the beginning of lecture
Purpose: Our goal in this assignment is to get you to 1) demonstrate an understanding of key concepts from the lectures and readings on media economics and 2) to apply those concepts out in the real world. We want you to use a few concepts or terms from MassComm in this paper, but be sure you apply and develop them. Don’t just list words from lecture or the readings in your paper.
Product: A typed paper of 3 pages, double spaced. Typeface should be Times or Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1” margins. Pages should be numbered, and your name, day and time of recitation, name of your TA, and social security number should be in the upper right hand corner. You do not need a separate title page. The paper should meet the standards of academic style. Keep a backup copy of your paper for your records.
Collaboration: you may choose to collaborate with one other person currently enrolled in MassComm. If you do so, make sure both your names and recitation times/days appear on the first page of the paper. A collaborative paper is subject to the same requirements as a paper you write by yourself, but you get to work with one other person and you will both receive the same grade. Turn in only one copy.
1. Production: What concepts from lecture or the reading help you understand the production of your artifact? Explain how they help you understand it. What kinds of organizations and individuals stand to profit from the production of your media artifact? We’re more interested in roles than the names of specific people. Explain the different roles that people and organizations played in producing your artifact. Who did what and why? Did synergy play a role in the making of your artifact?
2. Marketing: What concepts from lecture or the reading help you understand the marketing of your artifact? Explain how they help you understand it. How was the media content marketed and to whom? What kind of audiences were targeted? What other marketing-related concerns impacted your artifact? Who stands to make money from the marketing of your media artifact? (Again, we’re less interested in people’s names than the roles that they play.) Are there other economic concerns that affect your artifact? How do they affect it?
3. Profit: This question requires a little more thought, but it’s important: In what ways has the need for media corporations to make a profit affected the production, marketing, or even the look and feel of your artifact? If your media artifact was produced for profit, how would it be different if it hadn’t been produced for profit or if profit margin had been less of a concern? Would it be significantly different? How? Would it have been made at all? Why?
If your media artifact was not produced for profit, or was produced without concern for a massive profit margin (for instance, by a small independent publisher), how does freedom from profit imperatives affect the production, marketing, or look and feel of your artifact? How would it be different if it had been produced for profit? Would it be significantly different? How? Would it have been made at all? Why?
Good luck, and have fun!