KEITH FORREST

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Mass Media |Public Relations |Writing Scholarship

Welcome to Assignments Back to Mass Media
Avoid the Media Paper	In Depth Group Project	Interview Media Professional	Media Personality Paper	Quizzes

Introduction to Mass Media

Instructor: Keith Forrest

Interview with a Media Professional

•  Due Date: See Syllabus

•  Interview questions must be approved by instructor prior to the interview

•  Length: 3-5 Pages (plus a separate page that includes the questions you asked)

•  Must notify instructor of person you want to interview in advance because you cannot interview the same person as another student.

•  Format: Follow syllabus instructions for “Style for all papers” and “Standards for all papers.”

Planning

This paper is going to be incredibly exciting, but it is also going to require some planning. You need to get started as soon as possible . First, you have to schedule an interview with a media professional. This may take some time. The first person you call may say “no.” Or she or he may not be able to meet when you are available. You may have to call several potential interviewees before you get someone to agree. Second, you need to conduct some preliminary research to get ready for the interview. What can you find out about the person you are going to interview and the media organization she or he works for? What do you know about that media industry? This information will help you write your questions for the interview. Third, you have to actually conduct the interview. Fourth, you need to write a 3-5 page paper based on the interview.

Behind the Scenes

If you're a communication major, this assignment is for you. It's a chance for you to make a contact in the industry, and learn more about what goes behind the scenes from a communication professional. It allows you to get a first hand account of what it's like working in the field. Try to choose someone who is doing the kind of job you would like to do. You can interview a media professional anywhere in the world. If you are able to get an interview with someone in Philadelphia , New York City , Washington , or Los Angeles , that's great. But most of you will probably interview someone nearby.

The Real World of Media

This assignment is designed to take the media out of the abstract world of the classroom and introduce you to a living, breathing member of the media. You cannot interview the same person as another student . This will be done on a first come, first served basis so as soon as you know who you want to interview you need to let me know.

ACCC

Tell the interviewee that you are completing this interview as part of an assignment for your Introduction to Mass Media course at Atlantic Cape Community College . If you have a parent or family member who has a connection and can secure you access to a media professional, feel free to use their contact. But if your family member or friend is a member of the media her or himself, you should interview someone else . Being that close to the subject will create a problematic interview environment.

Mini Laboratory

It will be a mini laboratory where you can see some of the concepts we have discussed during the semester come to life, and to get analysis from someone who is on the inside . You may need to read ahead in the textbook chapters to formulate some of your questions, depending on when during the semester you do your interview.

Conducting The Interview

? When you request the interview, make sure to explain it is for a paper for a Mass Media course at Atlantic Cape Community College . The person or her/his representative will likely ask you how long it is going to take.

? Ask for 30 minutes. If you ask for more, your potential interviewee may feel it will be too time consuming. Keep in mind once you are in there and talking to the person, they may very well let things go beyond 30 minutes.

? Be aware that it may take more than one phone call to land an interview. You may also be asked to send a letter first. You need to be persistent. This is a good life lesson. Just like the working world that you all hope to enter when you graduate from ACCC, there are no rewards for just trying. You need to actually complete an interview. This may mean changing interviewees if the one you have selected is too difficult to track down.

? The day of the interview you should show up a little early (probably 5-10 minutes). Dress professionally (no jeans or tee shirts, no sneakers).

? Please realize that each media person has their own distinct personality. Do not take it personally if the person is difficult to get along with. But you should remain calm and polite regardless.

? Borrow a tape recorder to record the interview, but don't use it as a crutch. Take notes as you go. When you are doing the interview, use your questions as a guide. But don't feel you need to ask every one of them. Your face should not be buried in your question sheet. You should be making eye contact with the person you are interviewing. It should be comfortable, like a conversation. Don't be concerned if the interview takes on a life its own. It may not follow the exact path you had laid out ahead time. But spontaneous exchanges can sometimes provide the best material.

? If you want to practice ahead of time, you are welcome to do so with one of your group members or to make an appointment with me. Notice your surroundings. The place where you conduct the interview may give you additional information. For example, you are interviewing a news director and on the wall in her office is a picture of her with Aretha Franklin, that might be something you want to ask her about.

Potential Questions

These are just suggestions to get you started. You need to come up with your own list of questions.

? Background

How did you get into the media?

Why did you go into the media?

? What do you do in your job? What's a typical day like? Try to get as much detail as possible.

? What does your media organization or company do?

? What would you change about your job or the company you work for?

? How do they see the mass media from their vantage point?

? What kind of relationship do they have with other members of the media?

What are her or his own media consumption habits? What television, radio, etc. does she or he watch and why?

? What advice would they give to the students in our class when it comes getting a job in your field? Why would they tell us that we should be excited about working in this industry?

? What is different about the media from the inside that might not be fully understood in a mass media textbook?

Writing the Interview Paper

? Connect your interview to concepts in the textbook.

? You should also do additional research, and find background about your interviewee. Compare that background to what the person told you in the interview.

? Research the company that the interviewee works in. What's unique about their industry of the media?

? Your final paper should not be a transcript of the interview. It should be an analysis. It will require careful thought. It will require trip(s) to the library. Just hopping on the Internet is not going to be enough.

? Papers will be evaluated on content, form, and comprehension of the material

? You should also answer these basic questions in the process of writing your paper:

What is your interviewee's position?

What does that job entail?

How did she or he get into the media?

What does the institution or organization they work for do?

What concepts from the textbook are particularly relevant when analyzing your interviewee and why?

? Evaluate the interviewee based upon your interview, outside research and class readings and discussions.

Here are some places to look for potential interviewees:

Television Stations in Philadelphia and Atlantic City

KYW-TV WPSG WCAU WPVI-TV WPHL-TV WHYY-TV WTXF-TV WMGM-TV (Linwood)

Channel 6 has a bureau in Margate: Action News Jersey Shore Bureau Amy Brenholts, Bureau Chief 9701 Ventnor Ave., Suite 202 Margate, NJ 08402 [P] (609) 344-6661 [F} (609) 823-1215

Radio Stations That Have Listeners in the Atlantic City Market

WFPG-FM WZBZ-FM WAYV-FM WPUR-FM WTTH-FM WMGM-FM WOND-AM	WZXL-FM WTKU-FM WSJO-FM WJSE-FM WMID-AM WCZT-FM WCMC-AM	WIXM-FM WKXW-AM WKXW-FM WILW-FM WMGK-FM WMMR-FM WPHT-AM
WUSL-FM WXTU-FM WYSP-FM KYW-AM WBEB-FM WIP-AM WVLT-FM	WIOQ-FM WOGL-FM WSJQ-FM WFAN-AM WGBZ-FM WJJZ-FM WKOE-FM	WPST-FM WRDW-FM WWFG-FM WAIV-FM WDTH-FM WUSS-AM WBEN-FM

Newspapers in the Area

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/ http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/ http://www.thehammontonnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage http://www.hammontongazette.com/ http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage http://www.oceancitygazette.com/ http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/

There is an Associated Press bureau in Atlantic City c/o The Press Devins Lane Pleasantville NJ 08232-4199 (609) 645-2063 646-2282 Fax

Film

Films are sometimes shot on location in Atlantic City and Philadelphia . There are also some local production houses that produce film and videos. The best place to get information is to contact the Atlantic City or Philadelphia film offices:

http://www.atlanticcitynj.com/filmsports_film.asp (AC)

http://www.film.org/ ( Philadelphia )

Public Relations

Almost every decent-sized company has a public relations professional. For example, Shore Memorial Hospital has a Marketing/Public Relations Office.	ACCC and Stockton both have public relations departments. Stacey Clapp sclapp@atlantic.edu 5100 Black Horse Pike Mays Landing , NJ 08330-2699 College Relations Office (609) 343-4907 For example, Contact: Tim Kelly Stockton Public Relations (609) 652-4950
Most casinos have a marketing and public relations department. For example: PR CONTACT for AC Hilton: Marc DeLeo Director, Advertising & Marketing 609-340-7281 deleom@hiltonac.com	Most governments (local, county, state, federal) have a public relations professional on staff. Most elected officials have press secretaries.

Books

Books tend to be published in larger markets such as New York City and Philadelphia .	There are a handful of South Jersey publishers such as: Down the Shore Publishing http://www.down-the-shore.com/ Magic Image Publishing http://www.magicimage.com/
There are dozens of publishing offices in New York City such as: http://www.scholastic.com/ http://www.harpercollins.com/ http://www.randomhouse.com/index.pperl http://www.simonsays.com/	Also, the large universities in the region have their own book publishing wings such as http://www.temple.edu/tempress/ http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/

Advertising Agencies

You can get information about advertising agencies from

http://www.phillyadclub.com/

and also by checking in the phone book under advertising agency.

Record Companies

Most of the big record companies are located in New York City and Los Angeles . But if you research carefully you will probably find a few near by and in Philadelphia .

Jobs

People hold many different jobs in each of different industries in the media.

Here's a list of some of the job titles media professionals hold in different industries:

Television General Manager News Director News Producer Reporter Anchor Camera Person Assignment Desk Editor Technical Director Director Live Truck Operator Audio Person

Radio General Manager Program Director News Director Host Promotion Director Sales Manager

Newspapers Editor Reporter/Staff Writer Layout Editor Copy Editor Graphic Designer Newspaper reporters tend to have “beats,” where they are responsible for covering a particular subject area or geographic location (for example, education beat or Wildwood reporter).

Interview Paper Step by Step

Step 1: Conduct some research to find someone to interview.

Step 2: Let the instructor know who you plan to interview.

Step 3: Set up time and place for interview.

Step 4: Research your interviewee and the media organization she or he works for

Step 5: Create at least 20 questions to ask your interviewee; clear those questions with instructor prior to interview.

Step 6: Conduct actual interview: arrive early, dress professionally, record the interview if possible, but take notes even if you are able to record it.

Step 7: Go over the material from your interview

Step 8: Figure out what concepts from the course are relevant to your analysis of the interview.

Step 9: Write 3-5 paper about the interview with a separate page of your actual interview questions. Make sure to follow syllabus instructions for “Style for all papers” and “Standards for all papers.”