The Fairness Doctrine and Talk Radio

While talk-radio hosts certainly do attract large and loyal followings, the worry that the talkers have a huge or unfair influence on public policy is exaggerated, says DePauw Unviersity communications professor Jeffrey McCall. And he says the Fairness Doctrine would be an ineffective and perhaps unconstitutional remedy to limit the reach of such political-talk-show hosts as Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

Do Talk Show Hosts Get Too Much Credit?

Is the power of political talk-show hosts overrated? Jeffrey McCall, professor of communication at DePauw University, says a recent study showed that well over 80 percent of talk radio listeners say that their voting choices are not influenced by talk radio. "I believe that most talk radio listeners are independent thinkers who don't just want to get in line with the thinking of even their favorite talk hosts," McCall says.

Viewers Want Better TV Political Coverage

Numerous polls show that the public wants a different kind of television election coverage - with increased focus on where candidates stand on issues and more coverage of lesser-known candidates. This is not likely to happen soon, says DePauw University communications professor Jeffrey McCall. That's because it's easier and cheaper to cover elections by discussing the latest poll numbers and celebrity supporters and by showing and analyzing Hillary Clinton’s teary eyes.

News Sources: Writers' Strike and Jay Leno

"Tonight Show" host Jay Leno could face disciplinary action from the Writers Guild of America for writing his monologue while the nearly 2-month-old writers strike continues. The WGA has been on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers since Nov. 5, halting the production of many TV shows. Among other outstanding issues, writers and producers are fighting over how much compensation writers should receive when TV shows and movies are streamed or downloaded over the Internet. Reporters looking for experts to interview on this topic can find them online at the collegenews.org databse of news sources and subject matter experts from America's leading liberal arts colleges, including the following (click on names for contact infomation):

Jeffrey M. McCall - Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, DePauw University - A former broadcaster himself, Dr. McCall has analyzed the content of television news broadcasts, manages the student-run radio station and has written nationally on issues related to the media. His special area of interest is media coverage of politics.

Janet C. Goulet - Professor of Economics, Wittenberg University - Goulet is former director of Center for Labor Management Cooperation, and has been published in the Journal of Consumer Credit Management and the Journal of Behavioral Economics. She has servced as an arbitrator for the Ohio Employee Relations Board, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the American Arbitration Association.

Gary Chaison - Professor of Industrial Relations, Clark University - An expert in collective bargaining, labor movements and union organizing extensively, Chaison is one of the most widely regarded scholars on unions worldwide.

FCC Serves Up Corporate Welfare to Big Media

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Dec. 18 decision to "relax" media ownership rules opens the door to a new wave of consolidation that will further erode the quality of U.S. news media, says DePauw communications professor Kevin Howley. He says the ruling is corporate welfare allows big media to get even bigger, while discouraging competition, diversity and independent voices.

Kennedy Blasts Administration, Media

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accuses the Bush administration of overseeing more than 400 major environmental rollbacks "as part of a deliberate, concerted effort to eviscerate 30 years of environmental law." In a recent speech at DePauw University, Kennedy - who is senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and president of Waterkeeper Alliance - also lambasted the media for giving the public more information about Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan than about global warming.

Non-News-News

What kind of message does the media send with its wall-to-wall coverage of celebrity incidents like Paris Hilton's incarceration? DePauw University's Jeffrey McCall fears the message is: "This is the most important thing we have to tell you."

Local TV News Audiences Value Quality over Hype

The largest study of local television news ever undertaken bucks the conventional wisdom on what viewers want to watch. Wellesley College's Marion Just, one of the researchers who conducted the five-year study. says the study shows viewers aren't as interested as commonly believed in hyped story lines that emphasize danger, dirt, doom and gloom. She says local TV news could improve ratings by following the rules of good journalism -- putting in the effort to get good stories, finding and balancing sources, seeking out experts, and making stories relevant to the local audience.

A Ticklish Matter of "Law and Order"

NBC yanked episodes of its show "Law and Order" featuring Fred Thompson from its schedule after he officially announced his candidacy for president. Would running them violate federal equal-time regulations - even the syndicated reruns on lower rated cable channels like TNT and USA? DePauw University Communications Professor Jeffrey M. McCall says maybe not, and that anyone who presses such a claim runs the risk of looking like a whiner and giving Thompson even more attention.

Truth - A Wartime Casualty?

In today's military, you don't get truth from the top, says DePauw communications professor Ken Bode. A retired general retorts that military brass may not all be pillars of virtue, but the public still trusts the military more than the media.