The Limits of Freedom
This Study Guide covers readings and a video for Feb. 11 and Feb. 13. They are:

Core Readings/Video
• “Media/Society” text, pp. 61-71 in Chapter 2 (Economics of Media—please reread pages)
• “Madison & Vine: Why the Entertainment & Advertising Industries Must Converge to Survive,” by Scott Donaton (2004). On Canvas.
• “The Art of Manufactured News,” by Joe Mandese in Broadcasting & Cable. Online.
• “Super Bowl Freakonomics” video. On Canvas.

Example Readings
• “On Campus, It’s One Big Commercial,” by Natasha Singer in The New York Times. On Canvas.
• “Let’s Face It: It’s the Future of Advertising,” by Phyllis Furman in the New York Daily News. On Canvas.

• “When Ads Look Like Content,” by William Launder in The Wall Street Journal. On Canvas.
• “The News Is, That Pitch Was Paid For,” by James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times. On Canvas.
• “For Super Bowl, It’s Back to Basics for Anheuser-Busch,” by Stuart Elliott in The New York Times. On Canvas.
• “Sony’s ‘Talladega Nights’ Comedy Is a Product-Plug Rally,” by Kate Kelly and Brian Steinberg in The Wall Street Journal. On Canvas.
• “Are VNRs All Bad?” by Kevin Foley in Broadcasting & Cable. On Canvas.
Instructions: Open a Word document on your computer and save it. Type your name and student number at the top of the document. Type your answers to the required questions, numbering them to match the questions in the Study Guide.

Answer only the 10 required questions in your Study Guide. The additional questions (11 and above) do not need to be answered in your Study Guide. They are there to help you focus on other key points in the readings and to help you prepare for the Feb. 14 quiz.

The Core Readings and Video discuss the main points I want to make this week. The Example Readings provide examples of concepts in the Core Readings and Video. Several questions refer you back to these Example readings, which you should scan quickly in search of the relevant information.

Your Study Guide answers should be brief and direct. Many of the questions can be answered in a few words.

Upload your completed study guide to the appropriate Canvas location by 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11. (Canvas accepts files only in Word’s .doc or .docx format.) Then bring a printed or electronic copy of your completed study guide to class on Tuesday, Feb. 11, and Thursday, Feb. 13. This study guide may be used for in-class work those days.

We will not accept your Study Guide during class nor will we accept it by email. No exceptions. The only way to get credit for this assignment is to upload it to Canvas by the date and time it’s due.

Your Study Guide is worth up to 10 points. In grading the Study Guide, we will select one “3-point question” at random and evaluate its answer for correctness and completeness. You will earn three points for answering it correctly and completely. For the other questions, we will look for complete and thoughtful answers – not necessarily correct answers. A thoughtfully answered question is one that responds directly to the question posed, following the instructions within that question. Please see the grading rubric in Canvas for more information.

Required questions for your Study Guide

“Media/Society” text, pp. 61-71

1. What are businesses that have products to sell actually buying when they purchase an advertisement in a magazine, newspaper, television program or radio broadcast? You can answer this with a phrase.
2. Both the text and the Madison & Vine reading say that product placement and brand integration are increasingly common. Why? What makes them appealing to advertisers? Two or three sentences should answer this question sufficiently.
3. Social networking sites (discussed in the “Marketing Online and in Niche Media” section of the text) and the Intel kiosks (discussed in the New York Daily News article) have something in common that advertisers find valuable. What is that? And can you speculate why that would be valuable to advertisers? Answer this question in two or three sentences.
4. What is “niche media production”? And what impact is it having on media content? Give a real or hypothetical answer to clarify your answer.
“Super Bowl Freakonomics” video

5. The video discussed the value of the Super Bowl to advertisers. It makes the point that there are benefits that go beyond the fact that 100 million or so viewers see the ad during the football game. What are those benefits, and how does Anheuser-Busch intend to capitalize on its Super Bowl advertising outside of the game? Answer this in about three sentences.
6. Why is live sports programming particularly appealing to advertisers today? You may have to draw an inference from comments made by the business journalist.
“Madison & Vine” Chapter 1 and Chapter 2

7. One of the broad points of these chapters is that a change in control within marketing-communication processes is occurring. (Advertising is one type of marketingcommunication.) Who is losing control? Who is gaining control? Answer this question in about two sentences.
8. Define these terms:
a. Push or intrusion model
b. Pull or invitation model
You may have to draw inferences from what you read, as the chapters do not give formal definitions of either.
9. From among the Example Readings, find one example that meets the basic characteristics of the push model and one example that meets the basic characteristics of the pull model. Say which article your example came from, and explain in a phrase or sentence why it’s a suitable example for that particular model.
“The Art of Manufactured News”

10. Why are VNRs appealing to TV news operations? And why are things like VNRs and other sponsored content like “fake” newscasts or promotional information that looks like news stories appealing to organizations and individuals with products or causes to promote?
Additional questions that do not need to be answered in your Study Guide

“On Campus, It’s One Big Commercial”

11. Why do companies with products to sell want to reach college students, who typically are younger than 25?

“Madison & Vine”

12. What is causing this change in control referred to in Question 7? You can answer this question in a phrase.
13. On Page 16 of the readings, the author says, “The merging of content and commerce is happening in other media sectors as well.” From the Example Readings, find an example of something that illustrates this point. Say which article your example came from, and explain in a phrase or sentence why it’s a suitable example to illustrate the point in the sentence.