Oprah Says Goodbye in 2011

By Keri Waterhouse

"TheOprah Winfrey Show" began as a local Chicago talk show and grew over two decades into the foundation of a media empire worth billions, is going to end its run in 2011after 25 seasons on the air, Winfrey's production company said Thursday night.

Winfrey became a billionaire and one of the most powerful women in entertainment, plans to announce the final date for her show during a live broadcast on Friday, said Harpo Productions Inc.

Winfrey's 24th season opened earlier this year with a bang, as she drew more than 20,000 fans.

A lot of loyal fans and viewers will be devistated to see her go. She has touched so many lives and has a lot of followers.

http://www.kcci.com/entertainment/21668599/detail.html
http://indyposted.com/6396/oprah-show-going-off-the-air-in-may-2011/

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Advertisers Biggest Night

By: Amy Johnson

On Feb. 7, 2010, the annual Super Bowl will be held. Many people tune into the Super Bowl for a very different reason than watching the game – the commercials.

Advertisers pay dearly for mere seconds of ad spots for this big event. According to the network's head of sports sales, CBS is only 10% from having all of its ad space completely sold out. It is likely that there are only six to 12 30-second ad spots left out of the 62 that are typically sold for the event. CBS says that there are a few spots left to sell in the first half of the game, but that most of the remaining time slots are in the forth quarter of the game.

With the economy in as battered of a state that it is, will advertisers be less likely to pay millions of dollars for an ad slot during the Super Bowl? If last years numbers hold true, the answer is yes. No American automaker, nor did FedEx Corp., buy ad space for the game last year.

With 30-second ads going at a rate of $2.5 million and $3 million, is it worth it for advertisers? Yes. The Super Bowl is one of the few times that people actually turn the television on with the intentions of watching the commercials.

(Photo Credit: Flickr RMTip21)

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Sullivan Denies Spreading Palin Rumors

By Zach Jevne

Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue, continues to make news.

This time Atlantic blogger Andrew Sullivan is the target, but he's firing back. In her book, Palin writes, "formerly reputable outlets like the Atlantic ran with the loony conspiracy that I was not Trig's mother."

During the McCain campaign, Sullivan expressed skepticism in Palin's pregnency and wondered if one of Palin's daughters, Bristol or Willow, were the mother.

Sullivan responded by saying, "My blog never ran a story that Bristol or Willow was the mother of Trig. And I never aired any conspiracy stories."

During this point in the campaign, around the end of August in 2008, Sullivan began to inquire about the pregnancy and birth of Trig. He asked the campaign to prove that she was the biological mother of the 4-month old. He says now, in response to the book, that she "failed to produce any such evidence. If she hadn't used the baby as a central political argument in favor of voting for her, I would not have cared."

It's no surprise that Sullivan jumped at the chance to defend himself against her statements in the book. Clearly there is no love lost between the two.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

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By Taylor Finch

This week's cover of Newsweek displays a photo of Sarah Palin showing a little leg in running shorts, which has many people questioning whether or not this is a sexist depection of Palin.

Meghan McCain is one who believes it is sexist and offensive to women.

From one of her numerous blogs, McCain writes: "[The photo] is the most sexist thing I have ever seen...[Palin] has broad national appeal for a whole slew of reasons, very few of which having to do with how she looks in running shorts."

There may be an ample amount of coverage on Palin that could come off as sexist, but to most of the people reading her book and idolizing her, the Newsweek cover is not one of these sexist pieces.

This particular photo of Palin was not even intended for Newsweek, but was an extra photo left over from a recent Runner's World shoot that Palin, as a marathon enthusiast herself, willingly posed for.

For Palin to not only endorse herself as a politian, but a runner and mother who is, believe it or not, human, is actually rather empowering to all women.

This merely takes her political self and enhances it with the fact that yes, Palin is a feminine, female politician.

(Photo credit: thehollywoodgossip.com)

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A Bleak Outlook

By Tessa Leone

Time.com has just released a list of 10 major newspapers that are predicted to either fold or move to a strictly Web based publication within the near future.

On this list is: The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Philadelphis Daily News, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Miami Herald, The Detroit News, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Sun Times, The Daily News, and The Fort Worth Star Telegram.

" It is hard to imagine that when I am old I will have to explain to my children what a newspaper was," said consumer Gina Telaroli.

It looks like the economy and news industry are taking some hits, although with the forecasted discontinuation of all of these newspapers the environment is at least benefiting.



Photo Credit: photobucket.com

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Paying for Online News

By Ryan Franker

A survey was taken to 5,000 people in America and nine other countries, on whether they would pay for online news.

About half of Americans, 48%, said they would pay for online news and even news that is on their mobile phone, but said they would only pay about $3 a month for news on the Internet. The people in Great Britain tied with the same percentage of Americans willing to pay for online news, while Australians tied with the amount willing to pay for news with Americans.

Italians are willing to pay an average of $7 a month for the online news.

There is a large difference in how many news outlets the Europeans get their news and how Americans get their news.

In Europe there is a generally dominated by a couple large news outlets, where in America it is all over the place. Europeans are more willing to pay for news, just because they cannot go to a free news outlet like Americans do.

The people that are more willing to pay the money to read the news online, are the readers that have avid newspaper readers.

(Photo Credited: flickr.com)

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YouTube Direct

By: Chris Mars

In recent news we have seen the steady decline of old media. Following the same trend we have seen a decrease in students declaring Journalism as their major of choice. The news industry is changing but the opportunities to become a self-made journalist seem to be limitless.

With the capabilities of new media and new technology it's becoming apparent that anyone can report the news. You Tube Direct is a new platform that capitalizes on the abilities of You Tube by giving you the same features on your site.

This new feature allows news organizations to solicit and verify news footage on their web site, giving video makers the ability to participate in your news gathering process.

See the benefits and how You Tube Direct works here.

Photo Credit: You Tube Direct

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CBS Attempts New Project

By Brianna Carlson

"CBS Reports: Where America Stands" is the new series CBS plans to launch. Sampling of the series will take place within the first couple weeks of January.

This series will report topics concerning health care, the military, the economy and crime. It will not only discuss current events, but the show will also give reports as to what happened 10 years ago on the issue and what is predicted in the next 10 years.

One example of the show will be discussing military issues. How has the military changed in the past 10 years, and will it be strong enough in the next 10 years after the war we're currently in.

Diane Sawyer will be taking Charles Gibson's anchor position for ABC's "World News" during the same hour that the new CBS series will show. CBS is hoping the different audiences won't like Sawyer taking over at ABC and possibly look for other options to watch.

Photo Credit: (horizonspeakers)

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Online Media Proved to be a Success through Fort Hood Happenings

By Michelle Zimmerman

I first heard of the tragedies of Fort Hood through a text message from the Des Moines Register stating there had been a shooting killing at least 11 people, none of which were from Iowa. This text message was only one of the thousands of different ways the information of Fort Hood spread Nov. 5.

Internet media streams were filled with updates about the shooting and Twitter was a top Web site notifying the public of occurrences as they were happening. A few users of Twitter were actual soldiers on site of the attack that were tweeting information they knew. Many of the soldiers were unsure of what was happening but knew of some type of shooting.

As Web sites continued coverage over the tragic event, many topics covered the shooter, his affiliation with his Muslim religion, and possible motives. As the information was being spread over the Internet it is unsure where exactly the news became incorrect.

The Internet media was suddenly stating that there had been multiple shooters at the scene, and 1 shooter had been killed during the 7 minute killing spree. Although this is obviously a lie, it took some time for journalists to recover the truth and marks a weakness in the process of Online media. Sometimes it is possible for incorrect news to be stated and it isn't long before those lies are spread as truth.

On the positive side, the Internet medias all showed a strong connection. Many companies and journalists were streaming information as quickly as they received it and this was pleasing for the audiences they were reaching out to. People of the U.S. as I am sure around the world wanted accurate information immediately.

Working together these journalists were recognizing other journalists in the industry that were providing similar information that audience members might find useful as well. Together the Internet media proved why it is considered so efficient. People were given information in a timely matter, most of which was very accurate.

I believe the media on the Internet covered this tragic occurrence very well. As soon as I received the text message I was able to get to a Web site that was posting news feeds momentarily with the newest updates.

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Prescription Drug Prices Are On The Rise

By Keri Waterhouse

Drug makers promise to support Washington’s health care overhaul by taking off $8 billion a year after the legislation takes effect, the industry has been raising its prices at the fastest rate in years.

The industry has raised the wholesale prices of brand-name prescription drugs by about 9 percent, according to industry analysts. This is going to add more than $10 billion to the nation’s drug bill, which is on track to exceed $300 billion this year. By at least one analysis, it is the highest annual rate of inflation for drug prices since 1992.

The drug makers are saying that they have valid business reasons for the price increases. While some of the critics are saying that the industry is trying to establish a higher price base before Congress passes legislation that tries to curb drug spending in the next coming years.

Having prescription drug prices raised it’s going to make it difficult for people to afford them. Bad things could start happening because of this rise in prices.

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Is AOL in trouble?

By: Mallory Tandy

AOL recently cut 100 jobs and is making a drastic move by deciding to leave Time Warner Inc. Time Warner has said that AOL has had charges for restructuiring for as much as $200 million possibly due to work force.

Tim Armstrong, a former executive of Google Inc, took over AOL in March, has been trying to keep the optimism up for the workers, updating them regularly of what is going on with the company and what the future holds for them.

Time Warner approved the plans for AOL to spin off in May. This will make AOL an entirely separate company, which hopefully should lead to success after the failed merger between the two companies that occured in 2001.

I am not an AOL user, it never interested me. I am no sure if being it's own separated company will help them at all, it may continue to go down hill.

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Dell Tests Their Version of the Smartphone

By Meghan Vosberg

Dell has now officially joined the Smartphone family by launching their new Dell Mini 3.

Powered by Google's Android operating system, this new piece of technology will not be launching into the United States unlike Samsung, HTC, and Motorola. China Mobile, the largest phone company in the world, will be the first stop for Dell with its distributing of its new Android handset. The launch date has not yet been confirmed.

Rumors circulated earlier this year that the smartphone project had been postponed. There is still not much known yet about the Mini 3 as Dell has not released information other than the phones are thin touch screens with no visible keyboard.

Will the phone ever reach the United States? The answer is still unknown but Dell was sure to point out that the company currently sells 3G notebooks through AT&T and Verizon.

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Publisher in Portugal Picks a Fine Time to Start a Newspaper

By Laura Reid

A Portuguese publisher has decided to start up a newspaper during a time when newspapers are beginning to call it quits to print. João Palmeiro, the president of the Portuguese Publishers Association, has started up a newspaper called "i", which stands for "informação", or information in portuguese.

This newspaper is set up like a magazine, with it stapled in the middle. It also places op-ed pieces before business and political news, since many people already receive their main news over the Web. This allows for a fresher take on the news.

The paper has started in a good position, with their sales higher than expected with over 11,000 subscribers. Just like other papers, however, advertising sales are below expectations.

I find this very interesting that a publisher had the courage to start this when the entire industry is failing. There is also a Web version, which would be expected, but the hard copy is fairing well in this economy. Maybe this will prove that print newspapers will survive just a little longer than expected.

(Photo Credit: Alex Barth)

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"Modern Warfare 2" Craze

By:Chris Mars

Nov. 10 was just like any other day for everyone except the gaming world. The release of "Modern Warfare 2" had 4.7 million people happy after the first day of sales. My roommate was one of the dedicated 4.7 million who purchased the $59.99 video game the first day. His had been reserved but he still had to stand in line for two hours.

After seeing and playing the game for a very brief time I was shocked at how realistic the graphics are, its really does look like real life. After leaving the next morning and coming home late at night to find him in the same spot I realized why we are the most uninformed generation. Instead of paying attention to the news or keeping tabs on our political leaders, many youth spend hours or even days playing video games. After these long sessions of battling online or completing missions there is little time left to dedicate to news.

This is on top of the months of searching and researching the game prior to its release. It's amazing the time and energy our generation spends with video games and and what I like to call "zombie media." These mediums require little physical effort and no educational benefit either. Sure, games like "Modern Warfare" have so historical appeal to them but it's nothing significant and goes unnoticed a majority of the time.

I'll stay away from "Zombie Media" as much as possible.

Photo Credit: www.COD6.org

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Facebook Precident

By Tessa Leone

Rodney Bradford, a nineteen year old from New York City has won the first court case by using Facebook, a social networking unit as evidence.

Rodney was accused of robbing two people on October 17th in the Brooklyn housing unit where he lives. He was held for twelve days and was expected to be convicted.

Bradford had eye witnesses claiming his innocence but no hard evidence to prove his wear abouts, except a Facebook message posted on his girlfriends wall asking her where his pancakes were.

At 11:47 on October 17th the phrase "Where my IHOP?" was posted from Bradford's computer using his Facebook account.

This news was presented before the judge and Bradford won his case.

"This is the first case that I am aware of in which a Facebook comment has been used as alibi evidence. We are going to see more of that because of how prevalent social networking has become." said Dallas lawyer John G. Browning.

Picture credit: msnbc.com

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Journalism grad school applications on the rise

By Ryan Franker

Journalism grad schools have seen a rise in the number of people applying. New York University has seen a six percent increase in applications from last year.

NYU's increase is nothing compared to some other journalism schools, but with this increase it gives the schools hope that journalism is going to take off again. Stanford saw a 20 percent increase, while Columbia saw a 38 percent increase.

The students don't all intend on going straight to writing hard-hitting stories, one student said that he is wanting to work on documentary films or advertising. Those are still part of journalism and Associate Director Stephen Solomon tells his students to, "study other subjects that interest them in conjunction with journalism, and gives a competitive edge and a depth of knowledge."

There are a lot of different field that journalist can go into, Solomon also encourages his students to become broader in the journalism field, such as blogging.

The students believe that journalism is not going to die out, but you need to be open in what you want to do. "I think the value in journalism is communication, which is something that will not die," said Margaret Eby, a second-year graduate student.

(Photo Credited: flickr.com)

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Simmons' NBA Book Top Seller

By Zach Jevne

If you just picked up a copy of Bill Simmons' new book, The Big Book of Basketball, it might take you until the end of the NBA season to finish it, or longer.

Simmons, also known as the "Sports Guy," just released his second book, all 697 pages of it. The book is all about the NBA, features 1,032 footnotes and has just topped the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-seller list.

The popular Simmons attractes 1.4 million page views to his column, which is featured on his own ESPN Web site, "Sports Guy's World." His podcasts, "The B.S. Report," are downloaded two million times a month.

I wasn't much of a fan when Simmons first started gaining national fame with his column (c. 2002), which I was introduced through "ESPN The Magazine." His writing featured too much of a Boston-bias for my taste.

I began listening to "The B.S. Report" and reading some more of his columns a couple of years ago and began to enjoy his work a lot more. He is able to crack me up occasionally and his knowledge of the NBA is unrivaled. He is funny, but not hilarious. Sometimes I don't care for his pop culture references, especially the MTV ones.

One of his new platforms for his "well-informed, snarky" takes on sports is Twitter. Simmons has over 980,000 followers. A tweet on Tuesday night served as a reminder to watch ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series tonight, for which he is an executive producer.

His columns are usually too wordy for me to read on a consistant basis, but enjoyable when the time is taken to get through one. For that reason, his Twitter account, "sportsguy33," is my favorite way of keeping up with what he is thinking.

As a passionate fan of the NBA, I'm glad Simmons wrote a book about the league. I respect and admire his passion and the amount of information he has on the subject. I will enjoy his book, even if it takes me three years to get through it.

This is Simmons' second book. Now I Can Die In Peace was released in 2005, a year after his beloved Red Sox won the World Series. He recently appeared on the "Colbert Report" to talk about his book.

(Photo Credit: David Shankbone)

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New York Post Editor Gets Fired Over a Comment About a Cartoon

By Taylor Finch

A now former New York Post editor has decided to sue the newspaper, claiming she was fired unjustly after making a comment about the "racist" cartoon that appeared to compare President Obama to a chimpanzee.

Sandra Guzman, a black, Puerto Rican associate editor for the New York Post, filed the lawsuit Monday after being fired on September 29 for what she believed was retaliation for her complaints.

Though the New York Post Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, explained that the cartoon's image depicting a policeman shooting at a crazed chimpanzee was merely a play on an actual incident that happened in Connecticut, he later apologized for the inappropriate cartoon after Guzman's allegations of the cartoon's inappropriateness.

The newspaper claims that Guzman was fired on the basis that they were planning to cut the monthly insert that she edits, ultimately letting her go along with the insert, although she had worked there for over six years and had received "strong performance reviews."

Guzman plans to seek "compensatory and punitive damages" for the newspaper inflicting racist and sexist conduct, not only with the cartoon, but also for happenings within the office infrastructure, such as a senior editor constantly referring to her as "Cha Cha #1."

This is not looking good for the New York Post, especially during a very fragile time for the newspaper industry.

(Photo Credit: www.noquarterusa.net)

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Library Gets Hit By Media

by: Amy Johnson

The world of media is changing constantly. Radios still play a big role in giving people news, but it has been taken over by television that has video and more commentary to go along with it. Newspapers are seeing a decline in sales as more and more readers are getting their news from the Internet.

A change in the way people use the library is also in the works.

Google Book Search searches the full text of books that Google scans and converts to their database. Google has put a limit on the number of viewable pages in an attempt to prevent copying pages that are under copyright.

The publishing industry and writers' groups view this as infringement to copyrighted work. Many publishers and companies have sued Google over this, saying what they are doing is a massive copyright infringement.

A big step was made recently in the struggle Google has faced. A federal judge in Manhattan granted an extension for a revised settlement to legalize Google's plan to create its own library of digital books.

The original agreement arose from a lawsuit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers against Google, also claiming copyright infringement. After a settlement was reached in October 2008, it faced objections from people of every kind: authors were upset, librarians saw problems with the idea, and rivals were upset.

In September, the Justice Department recommended that the court reject the settlement in its current form. The department were hopeful that a new agreement could be reached as it offers many benefits to readers and scholars.

This is a big step in the world of media. People would be able to find the book they are looking for online, pay a small fee for it, and download it right to their computer. It's simple, and readers would not have to leave their home for a bookstore or a library. It would all be at the tips of their fingertips.

(Photo Credit: timetrax23 at flickr)

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Anita Dunn Steps Down Her White House Position

By Keri Waterhouse

Anita Dunn, the White House Communications Director is stepping down by the end of November. She will be replaced by her deputy Dan Pfeiffer.



Her departure was expected because she took the position on an interim basis early this year. The White House had thought Dunn may leave before the end of 2009.



She is leaving at a critical time for the White House, with the administration trying to get the Senate to follow the House of Representatives' lead to pass the health care reform.
She was a vocal critic of Fox News and last month accused the network of being a "wing of the Republican Party," will remain as an outside consultant to the White House and continue to be involved in strategy.



Pfeiffer has been most likely known to be the candidate to replace her. Pfeiffer worked on Barack Obama's presidential campaign and also for several Democratic senators, including Indiana's Evan Bayh.



Dunn assumed the communications post on an interim basis after Ellen Moran stepped down for a job at the Commerce Department.





Her stepping down at this time of the year will be hard for them. She has played a big role in the White House. They are in a tight spot right now with the health care reform. They could use someone like her to get this through. Hopefully he will be a good replacement for her position.

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