Jess's final essay

JUA – The Media Group

What is the difference between the ways in which teenagers get their news and the ways in which adults get their news? What is the best way for me to get my news?

During JUA, the Media Group visited several different places. We toured NPR, ESPN, Emerson College, and NECN. Emerson College was especially impressive because of the advanced facilities. We asked many questions in all of these places and got a glimpse of what a future in Media looks like. It was a fun experience and I learned a lot about what a career in media involves. I also asked questions to answer my essential question.

To answer my question, I asked the different news and radio stations about their targeted demographics. NPR is mostly listened to by adults on their way to work. Ages range anywhere from twelve and up. There are between 100,000 and 150,000 listeners each day. The station is 90.9 WBUR. The topics generally discussed are politics, world news, real-estate, commerce, and local news. There are also commercials. As a Public Radio Station, there were strict guidelines about advertising on air. In each commercial, there could be no mention of price, no mention of competition, and no call to action. The unbiased advertisements and sophisticated discussions targeted an adult audience. There aren’t a significant number of teens who get their news through public radio.

ESPN targets a much wider demographic because it is listened to by sports fans. Both adults and teens listen to the station every day. The tour of this office wasn’t what I expected because the rooms were very small and the whole office was cramped. I learned about piecing together different sound clips to make commercials. Just like the other radio station, there were sound proof walls and an accurate clock with the exact time on the wall. This would be a good station to listen to for anyone who wants to be updated on sports events.

On the second day, we visited Emerson. We toured the school and the major communication and arts buildings. I was amazed by the Communications program the school runs. The radio station targets all audiences and plays all different types of music. I was particularly excited to see the Emerson Radio Station because I have been listening to 88.9 WERS my entire life. Interestingly, I’ve even heard one of our tour guides on the radio before. This tour was my favorite part of JUA and I hope I’ll be able to visit the school again.

Our last part of JUA was taking a tour of NECN. New England Cable News is a regional news network and is actually the largest regional news network in the country. As a news station, they must be neutral observers of current events and don’t share strong opinions. I learned the people who are seen on T.V. must be likeable. Their conversations and discussions must be interesting and stimulating to listen to. This news station seemed like a good one for me to listen to in order to keep up with current events.

Overall, I enjoyed JUA and am glad I chose to be in the Media Group. I was happy to see the movie Borat during the two days, and there was never a dull moment on our trip. I learned a lot about the media and the hard work it takes to run a news station and a radio station. I was able to answer my essential question by researching the different places we visited and asking questions.