COMM 475
Issues for Newsroom Managers (3) Newspaper and television management, the state of the industry and topics that prospective employees should know about.
COMM 475 Issues for Newsroom Managers (3)
This is an upper level course for students with an interest in newspaper or/and television management. Issues that managers deal with and management approaches will be covered, emphasizing practical experiences. The basic text may be a packet based on professional experiences of instructor. There will be two papers of roughly 1,500 words. There will be one oral presentation, accompanied by a short summary outlining the main points. The class will consider major issues affecting the industry - the economy, the effort to attract younger audiences and how the look of a product forms the basis of what the audience thinks about the brand and whether it appeals to them. The class will consider how the Internet can be an asset to TV stations and newspapers, if used effectively. Students will evaluate some TV and newspaper Internet sites. The role of advertising and community relations for newspapers and television stations will be discussed. Newspaper opinion pages and public (or interactive journalism) will be covered. The importance of a good local report, and evaluating how effective local coverage is, will focus on state newspapers and television stations. The role of The Associated Press and other news agencies and their approach to coverage and how they relate to local media will be covered. Leadership, management and decision-making will be part of the course. The traits of effective leaders and managers will be discussed. There will be some in-class exercises on managing and ethics. Strategy focusing on the start-up of USA TODAY will illustrate how local newspaper can make strategic gains by following the same checklist. There will be occasional video on the topics covered.
Note : Class size, frequency of offering, and evaluation methods will vary by location and instructor. For these details check the specific course syllabus.