Post 5: Everybody Loves a Family Sitcom

I think that a lot of the comedy on television is broadcasted to help viewers relate to problems that they are facing, and entertain them by helping them laugh about it. All in the Family and Everybody Loves Raymond are both family-based TV situational comedies, but they differ in the situation of their comedy.  They relate by helping others cope with their problems through laughter, but are different in the problem of their time period.

All in the Family’s comedic scenes were written with the intention to show their audience problems that were being faced in the time period such as sex and sexual orientation. While the producers were looking to show their conservative audience that they resembled the fatherly character of “Archie” in a light where they should open their eyes to change and become more open minded, the conservative audience took a like to the show because they felt like they could relate to the conservative character who didn’t like the change happening around him.  In the show Everybody Loves Raymond, the comedy is geared towards the relationship of husband and wife. A lot of couples today watch this show and can relate to the marital problems of their modern time period. The difference between the two shows is that in All in the Family, the issues that were humored expressed serious issues that everyone could relate to at the time. Each audience member could see themselves as one of the characters and relate to the situation in the angle that their character went. The issues humored in Everybody Love Raymond are issues that only married couples can relate to. There is a family, and even the in-laws are included, but most of the time when the audience in the background laughs on screen, I can only hear my mom and dad laugh in my living room. Both of these shows target an audience and make fun of situations that people are afraid to talk about like sexuality in All in the Family, and marital problems in Everybody Loves Raymond.

All and all, I think that the issues dealt with in All in the Family are issues that are still mentioned in shows like Everybody Loves Raymond but because of the modernization of values, it is not seen from an “Archie” point of view as much as it was then. I think that television will always be a way to help people cope with their problems through laughter, but I know that over time those problems will evolve and change as society changes over time.

Photographs provided by:  http://www.kenthinks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/all-in-the-family1.jpg & http://www.dvdorderstore.com/images/upload/Image/1(260).jpg

Post 4: Radio

Technology helped shape radio in the 1920s as well as today by the developing new ways of listening to radio. I think that without technology advancement in radio, music genres and artists would not have been able to evolve, and people would not be able to listen to music whenever they wanted to.

According to Media Now, Radio was the first wireless communication medium. Radio waves were born in Hertz, and are now digitally mastered through internet radio sites such as Pandora. An example of technological advancement within internet radio today would be what Pandora uses to make a personalized radio station for their listeners. The algorithms that Pandora uses to set up your playlist are a great example for technology advancement. Pandora also lets the listener choose whether or not they like the song, which goes with making the radio experience more personal thanks to technology.

Another way that radio has advanced is how it is listened to. In the 1920s, most families were lucky to afford one radio “box” and today, we are surrounded by music everywhere we go. While we are walking to our car, we can be listening to a downloaded Podcast on our mp3 player. As we enter our car, we turn on the radio to listen to our local station, and we have radio on the road. Then we mobilize that radio even more by being able to download radio apps onto our cell phones and listen to internet sites such as Pandora while we work or exercise.

In the movie Radio Days we see the family listening to radio in the form of a “box” and also in the car. The main character explains how radio helped him to remember certain artists. Thanks to technology, I for one have discovered many new artists through the technological innovation of Pandora. I also feel like Internet radio helps to blend my favorite artists by grouping them into my favorite genres.

Radio has developed into a more personal level by personalizing music to one’s particular taste. Just like when people in the 1920s had their favorite radio show, today people have their favorite playlist.  

pictures provided by: Denviant Art

Post #3: Social Learning bridges societies

 The show The Secret Life of The American Teenager helps me to understand the meaning of the term social learning by giving an example of a teenage girl's life in American society according to the media. Social learning is a way to teach audiences about social issues. It gives a visual representation of the issue looks like within society, and helps to give an example to others where they can see that it should not be ignored. The media helps to teach others those social issues through the term social learning. This show airs on ABC Family and is shown to give other teenage girls how to deal with teenage pregnancy and sex issues. As times have changed, this show covers every possible taboo concerning sex to the conservative society. The image on the left shows the character's fears in bringing a baby into a teenage world. The show also incorporates public service announcements concerning parents and teenagers talking about sex. I think that this show is a perfect example of social learning because not only does it teach, but it bridges the conservative and modern societies to talk about an important subject in a modern teenager's life. Below is one of the service announcements broadcasted during their show segments.



Photo above provided by: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=Secret+Life+of+the+American+Teenager#/d26fi4f

Video provided by: YouTube

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVWipOKzQiA

Post #2: Hegemony made healthy

A simple apple helps me to undertand the meaning of hegemony. A symbolic snack that used to be given to a teacher on the first day of school, has now morphed into society as their computer model, mp3 player, and music store. With this company, I believe that society is accepting their agenda setting by chosing to help drive this logo into a media machine. The Apple Company is framing thier success on cosumer popularity. The saying of "Everybody's doing it" has been turned into "Everybody's got an apple." This logo is recognized  everywhere, and has given a culture icon to society. While media continues to grow and tries to catch up with Apple, the basic symbol still sticks to its core. Maybe Apple is simple just trying to show the world that they are better than Microsoft, but to me it seems like more and more people recognize Apple as the new status quo for their personal state of  media.

Picture provided by:

http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&q=apple#/dl6ggy

Artilce on Apple possibly becoming a monopoly: http://www.applematters.com/article/has_apple_finally_become_a_monopoly_like_microsoft/

Why is this class on my schedule?!

Hello to all!

My name is Monica Rodriguez, I am from Houston, Texas and I am a freshman here at UT. I am currently undeclared, but my plan is to transfer into the school of communications. While I was contemplating my major, I stumbled upon this course as an interest and as a requirement. While I found out more and more about all the classes that RTF had to offer, I felt like I would get so much out of them because they could improve my hobby of film, and turn it into a passion. I hope to further my desire to achieve my dream job: Director/Screenwriter by exploring the options in the courses I take. With that, I feel like RTF 305 can be the door to the many possibilities within choosing this major and being successful at it.

My favorite blog:
http://ethanjhernandez.tumblr.com/

This is one of my really good friends. I love how he tells you what he feels through his photography, and it is always themed to something he is thinking of throughout that day :)

Favorite commercial at the moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM

This is by far the best public service announcement you will ever see :)