carliejeanmediacomms

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Conclusion: Where Next?

Global media is an ever developing concept. Centered around the points of digitization, commercialization, conglomeration and communication it works with new and old produced media, expanding the coverage and audience and impact of each. As technology advances I feel that digitization will be the forefront for new media, and old mediums such as newspapers and text will make less of an impact.

Advertisement may become integrated into new media while actors endorsements become more about them than the product. This is also key in communications with audiences as is social media and communication platforms with conglomeration paving the way for Media companies to use these concepts at their every will.

For future work I would be interested in exploring the effects of digitization further as it is something that is much more prominent In current and modern media and it is important to understand and work with the effects of digitization and what impact this will have on future media and technologies.

I would love to look more closely into how books and novellas have been digitised and if they have successfully made a global impact or if it has the opposites effect. This research would hone my understanding in on the impact of written mediums and if there’s a great difference between the original texts and the digital world it’s been created in, and if the digitisation process improved and added to the original text.

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International Communication

CNN; Cable News Network is ‘television’s first 24-hour all-news service’ (Erickson 2020) ‘created by maverick broadcasting executive Ted Turner’ (abid) in June 1980. The beginning of the first broadcast can be seen below;

‘CNN is the worldwide leader in news and information delivery online’ (CNN Worldwide Staff 2020) and is a network channel who stream 24 hour news across America and have branched out to the rest of the world.

CNN are known for ‘going where the audience is’ (NewsWhip 2016) and being available and active on ‘whatever platforms audiences are engaging’ (NewsWhip 2016) on. ‘Nearly six and a half million Twitter users around the globe depend on @CNNbrk to learn the facts quickly, along with links to images or videos to accurately report what is happening around the world’ (CNN Worldwide Staff 2020). ‘On Facebook it is the same with almost four million users interacting and engaging with CNN on Facebook’ (abid).

As well as Television their major platforms of CNN and CNN International are across platforms such as ‘Facebook and Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and messaging apps. That team is responsible for what we push out, and spans New York, Atlanta, Hong Kong and London. So [they are] 24/7 global social publishing’ (NewsWhip 2016).

Modern ‘People consume news channels in a very different way. They only want it for 10 or 15 minutes. They want their fix of what's going on, to check the world hasn't ended, and they [switch over] to something else’ (The Observer 2005) The CNN network understands the importance of having ‘different types of audiences and different generations using different types of storytelling’ (Fipp 2017). This can be done over different platforms such as social media and applications, in order to do this successfully they need to know their audience.

‘Primarily their audience consists of ‘college-educated woman between the ages of 25 and 54, who tends to lean to the political left—but prefers her news to be neutral’ (Hashmi et al 2012 p.2) while also being being and “on the go” and not having much time to sit and the news on the television, consequence of this the audience are more likely to receive ‘most of her news online or through her smartphone’ (abid).

‘CNN is expanding its international presence’ (BtoB 2005) by adding a channel in India which ‘will extend CNN's existing footprint in India well beyond the 10 million homes the network currently reaches via CNN International (CNNI)’ (Abid) which will be consistent in telling audiences what to think about (Groshek 2008).

Currently ‘CNN International broadcasts to 23 countries, reaching 150 million households worldwide’ (The Observer 2005) yet to widen their broadcast reach they will need to do more than broadcast. As well as expanding its network it has been noted that ‘CNN needs to cultivate its audience and presence on Twitter. Twitter has become an integral part of global news communication. Younger audience is already switching to Twitter from blogosphere’ (Hashmi et al 2012 p.17). Expanding its social media presence as well as its footprint will not only widen where the audience comes from but the age ranges in which the network currently covers, expanding its range to younger more technologically savvy audiences.

Bibliography

BtoB (2005) ‘CNN extends global reach; Network partners to launch 24-hour, English-language news channel in India’ Gale Academic, Crain Communications, 1530236, Vol. 90, Issue 16

CNN (2011) ‘CNN's first broadcast: June 1, 1980’ Published on YouTube, Available at: https://youtu.be/dqDopY5dMD8 [accessed 21/11/20]

CNN Worldwide Staff (2020) ‘THE GLOBAL NETWORKS OF CNN DOMINATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA’ Shorty Awards. Available at: https://shortyawards.com/4th/the-global-networks-of-cnn-dominate-on-social-media [accessed 21/11/20]

Erickson H (2020) ‘CNN’ Published by Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/CNN [accessed 21/11/20]

Fipp (2017) ‘CNN on social media and matching the right platform to the right audience’. Available at: https://www.fipp.com/news/cnn-social-media-platform-audience/ [accessed 21/11/20]

Groshek (2008) ‘Homogenous Agendas, Disparate Frames: CNN and CNN International Coverage Online’ Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Page 52-69

Hashmi, Humphries, LaForge & Song (2012) Audience Report on CNN. Published Online. Pages 1-33.

NewsWhip (2016) ‘"Creating A News Habit for Every Generation": How CNN Use Social Media’ Published by Digital Journalism, Interviews

The Observer (2005) ‘Business & Media: CNN's 25-year fight for eyeballs: Only balanced news can win a global audience, the international channel's British head tells James Robinson’ Publisher: Guardian Newspapers

[carliejeanmediacomms]

Digitization

Digitization explores ‘leveraging digital technologies and digitized data’ (Sen Gupta 2020) while also ‘creating a digital representation of physical objects or attributes’ (abid). This also applies to the progression and development of Television Shows, consequently allowing them to improve the ‘process or processes but doesn’t change or transform them,’ (Sen Gupta 2020). Allowing them to exist in different cultures and over different networks. I am going to explore whether this notion was successful in regards to the digital development of BBC’s Doctor Who.

(Doctor Who, Episode One - An Unearthly Child)

Doctor who is a UK based Television show which originally aired on ‘British television on 23 November 1963’ (Chapman 2018). The Character of the “supernatural” Doctor was first introduced on a ‘Saturday tea time’ (Browne 2019), ‘through the eyes of two humans [which] heightens the contrast between our everyday world and the Doctor's somewhat surreal existence’ (Browne 2019).

‘The Doctor’s first companions, Ian and Susan, were school teachers, whose role was to explain the science of the futuristic adventures and the historical contexts of the period stories’ (Chapman 2018). This Educational yet fun format communicates the ethos of the BBC both then and presently exploring how the platform acts ‘in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain’ (BBC 2020). Despite the message of the broadcasting channel staying the same even in the present date, the layout and production of the show has become more digitized. 

The original season began on ‘an older model of television, which… resembled a theatrical production’ (Zuckerman 2013). This 3 part act like structure is more loosely adapted in modern production and does not always feel compelled to follow it. As a result of this ‘Doctor Who effectively broadened its appeal through inclusion of different themes for different audiences’ (Haslop 2016). They did this through the use of diverse actors and ancients, with help from rise in technologies. Theorist Barker argues that 'Doctor Who' had to wait until technology was able to make it look right’ (Barker 2013) as its biggest fall in the original run ‘was simply its budget’ (abid). Consequence of this, new “Who’s” audiences grew and developed with the rise of digitization, a bigger budget and new technologies, allowing the show to ‘recapture the imaginations of the original series and ‘expanded universe’ fan bases’ (Haslop 2016).

When it was announced that Peter Capaldi was become the new “Doctor” the news made waves worldwide, dominating discussion on Twitter feeds and entertainment sites for days….such attention served as a testament to the Doctor's impressive renewal as an international brand, and to the commitment with which a few devoted Whovians have nourished it back to health’ (Barker 2013). This mainstream attention was helped by broadcasting and streaming services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer, which in turn allows Doctor Who to be viewed by audiences who differ from ‘Saturday tea time’ (Browne 2019) viewers. 

‘ABC in Australia has decided to put the sci-fi program online for users to stream before it airs...making the show accessible to the online community’ (Newsweek Media Group 2012), this adjustment was also adopted by WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max who believes that having it available in the US will ‘welcome a whole new slew of fans’ (Athena Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd. 2019) who are willing to do anything to see the show in different countries. This is evident in how ‘fans of "Doctor Who" had launched an online petition to keep the series available’ (CNN Wire 2015) to be streamed online in America.

Bibliography 

Athena Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (2019) ‘HBO Max Gains Exclusive Streaming Rights to the Current 'Doctor Who' Series in New Deal With BBC Studios’ Publication Targeted News Service (TNS) LOS ANGELES, California. 

Barker A (2013) ‘Prime time lord: 'doctor who' rides its show's global appeal as it travels toward its next 50 years’ Journal, Periodical. Volume 321, Issue 12, Start page 28, End page 31, Page count 3. Published Penske Business Media, LLC

BBC (2020) ‘Mission, values and public purposes’ Available at: https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/mission [accessed 02/11/20]

Browne N (2019) ‘DOCTOR WHO: Looking Back At AN UNEARTHLY CHILD’ Available at: http://www.warpedfactor.com/2016/09/doctor-who-revisiting-original.html [accessed 02/11/20]

Chapman J (2018) ‘Doctor Who through the ages’ Available at:https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/doctor-who-history-facts/ [accessed 02/11/20]

CNN Wire (2015) ‘'Doctor Who' to remain on Netflix’ Published CNN Newsource Sales. United States.

Haslop, C (2016) ‘Bringing Doctor Who back for the masses: regenerating cult, commodifying class.’ Publication Science Fiction Film & Television. Volume 9, Issue 2, Start page 209, End page 228. Journal, Periodical. English. 2016

Newsweek Media Group (2012) ‘ABC Puts 'Doctor Who' Streaming Online Early To Combat BitTorrent’ Published International Business Times. Accessed 2 Nov. 2020.

Sen Gupta M. (2020) ‘What is Digitization, Digitalization, and Digital Transformation?’ Available at: https://www.arcweb.com/blog/what-digitization-digitalization-digital-transformation[accessed 02/11/2020]

Zuckerman E (2013) ‘'Doctor Who' Newbies: Start with the Reboot’ Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2013/08/fifty-years-doctor-who-isnt-scary/312506/ [accessed 02/11/20]

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Commercialization

Jay Baruchel is once again the face of ‘The Royal Bank of Canada’ (RBC). originally appearing commercially for the bank in September 2018; 

(RBC take 20- ‘Squirrel Bank’)

After the original success which is called to attention by RBC’s Chief marketing officer, Alan Depencier who explains how “We’re back with Jay because we know he resonated with Canadians to deliver our message and encourage people to question the value provided by their bank” (Depencier cited in BBDO 2019).

Reunited with the bank in may of 2019, together they created a series of advertisements which were predominantly ‘designed to highlight how great the relationship can be between a client and their bank (and get a few laughs at the same time)’ (Anthony K 2019). The advertisement collection can be found bellow;

https://stimulantonline.ca/2019/05/22/rbc-banks-on-jay-baruchels-charms-again/

Baruchel is known for how ‘his work reflects the heart and energy of his country.’ (ACTRA 2019) Not only is this reflected in his representation of himself in RBC’s advertisement campaign, but also in his receival of the ‘2019 ACTRA National Award of Excellence’ (abid). As a Canadian actor ‘Baruchel is well-known to RBC’s target audience, many of whom grew up watching him’ (BBDO Toronto 2018). This creates a bridge between the characters in which he played, and the lovable friendly face giving you advice on banking, this connection allows the audience to trust him and be more inclined to take his advice.

The commercial is said to be ‘[a]imed at a millennial audience’ (BBDO Toronto 2019) and does this through the medium of comedy, which genre is the ‘clear favourite’ (TiVo 2019) amongst North American and Canadian audiences aged ‘18 years and older’ (abid).

Having Baruchel as the face of the advertisement campaign not only provides a friendly and well known Canadian persona, but also creates a wider appeal in the adverts themselves. This appeal is in consequence of his role in the ‘how to train your dragon’ series, which highlights his unique tone of voice. Studies show that ‘young children encode and have difficulty ignoring acoustic attributes of words’ (Spence M 2002 p.217). This study confirms how children ‘latch’ on to specific tones and can recognise voice actors, allowing them to draw their parents attention to the adverts.

Baruchel also highlights how he is ‘not the only person who deals with [anxiety]. Lots of people do’ (Baruchel 2019) providing comfort to his fans letting them know they are ‘not alone’ (abid). The succour nature of Baruchel’s celebrity appearance benefits RBC as it provides the audience with a face they know understands their struggles.

This particular celebrity endorsement is nationally successful in Canada but would not have the same effect elsewhere in the world. This is due to RBC being a Canadian national bank, and not being endorsed globally. Baruchel is also a Canadian actor adding to the personal aspects of Banking and localising the brand to Canada by representation. 

The actor is represented as comical and likeable, surrounding himself with friends and watching Ice Hockey; ‘recognized and declared to be the national winter sport of Canada’ (Justice Laws 2020), which he highlights in an interview how he can't ‘remember a time where that [sport] was not part’ (Stinson. S 2018) of him. Commercialising sport is globally popular and un restrictive, combining this with his comic approach juxtaposes the stereotypical nature of the boring necessities of a bank making it lighter and more fun, appealing to a wider audience.

Bibliography

ACTRA (2019) ‘Jay Baruchel to be honoured by Canadian performers with 2019 ACTRA National Award of Excellence’ Available at: https://www.actra.ca/news-release/2019/01/jay-baruchel-to-be-honoured-by-canadian-performers-with-2019-actra-national-award-of-excellence/ [accessed on 26/10/2020]

Anthony. K (2019) ‘RBC banks on Jay Baruchel’s charms again’ Published on Stimulant Online. Available at: https://stimulantonline.ca/2019/05/22/rbc-banks-on-jay-baruchels-charms-again/ [accessed 26/10/20]

Baruchel J (2019) ‘Jay Baruchel’ Child Mind Institute. Available at: https://childmind.org/blog/jay-baruchel-myyoungerself/ [accessed 26/10/2020]

BBDO Toronto (2018) ‘RBC Taps Celeb Jay Baruchel for Frank and Funny Millennial-Focused Ad Series’ Available at: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/rbc-taps-celeb-jay-baruchel-for-frank-and-funny-millennial-focused-ad-series-2 [accessed 26/10/2020]

Justice Laws Website Canada (2020) ‘National Sports of Canada Act’ Available at: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-16.7/page-1.html#:~:text=2%20The%20game%20commonly%20known,national%20summer%20sport%20of%20Canada. [accessed 26/10/2020]

Royal Bank of Canada (2018) ‘RBC Take 20 video collection’ Skin and Bones Production Company. Available at: http://glossyinc.com/2018/09/17/rbc-taps-jay-baruchel-new-campaign/ [accessed 26/10/2020]

Royal Bank of Canada (2018) ‘Squirrel Bank’ Youtube, Available at: https://youtu.be/Piac6ghpDIk [accessed 26/10/20]

Spence Melanie. J, Rollins Pamela. R, Jerger Susan. (2002) ‘Children’s Recognition of Cartoon Voices’ Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research • Vol. 45 • 214–222 

Stinson, S (2018) ‘'Why do I care about this the way I do?': Actor Jay Baruchel on hockey fandom, loving the Habs and not loving the Maple Leafs’ National Post. Available at: https://nationalpost.com/sports/born-into-it-tropic-thunder-actor-jay-baruchel-divulges-stories-of-lifelong-fandom-from-new-book [accessed on 26/10/2020]

TiVo (2019) ‘What TV Content Genres Do Viewers Prefer?’ Available at:https://www.marketingcharts.com/television/tv-audiences-and-consumption-110704 [accessed 26/10/2020]

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Conglomeration

(Official Authors Website: https://rickriordan.com/ )

Percy Jackson is a 5 piece novel series by Author Rick Riordan. The first book, “The Lightning Thief” follows the protagonist Percy; a young boy who is diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia as he journeys ‘across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction — Zeus' master bolt’ (Riordan 2020).

The Book was then adapted by 20th Century Fox in 2010 under the title “Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief” (IMBd 2020) and later into a ‘video game developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS by the company Activision’ (Riordan Wiki 2020).

You can also view the Merchandise store via Redbubble bellow which houses over 4000 results;

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/percy+jackson?gclid=CjwKCAjww5r8BRB6EiwArcckC4gtpZXqh6FCz9Zyyo_oFz4vtGfcFfDyqA9SDng9YixJ--lB9r81cRoChHsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Despite Riordan’s Novel being a success selling 1.8 million copies and being Available in ‘34 different languages’ (Weinman 2010) the Film adaptations general ‘consensus among critics and moviegoers was that the film spent too much time on computer-generated images and not enough on the story’ (Abid). Regardless of this outcome the film grossed ‘$223,050,874 worldwide’ (The numbers 2010).

In order to appeal to a larger and wider audience Riordan is partnering with Disney to create a ‘live-action series of the highest quality, following the storyline of the original Percy Jackson five-book series, starting with The Lightning Thief in season one’ (Riordan cited in Alexander 2020). The series is going to primarily be ‘targeted at a younger audience, so portraying Percy as a 12-year-old and not using vulgar language is an easy win’ (abid) which will be more popular also amongst fans as this was a key point of concern within the film adaptations. Consequence of having this streamed on the Disney plus platform also means it gets advertised and watched by a newer more modern audience which regularly use the streaming platform (Alexander 2020).

As a Transmedia narrative speaking directly to teens across the world ranging from Greek to American, this transcultural tale seems ‘very popular not only among young readers to whom it addresses, but also among adult readers’ (Mugijatna et al 2014) as it creates a ‘link between the western civilization and the Greek gods’ (Shrijith A 2012) as it is predominantly ‘a blend between Greek mythology and real American life’ (Mugijatna et al 2014) allowing it to speak to people of all different religions and cultures globally.

Percy Jackson and the lightning Thief not only appeals to a wide range of audiences from history buffs to young adults as discussed above, but also speaks to those affected by ADHD and Dyslexia. ‘Rick Riordan wrote his protagonists with learning differences as a tribute to his son, who, like Percy, was diagnosed with both ADHD and dyslexia’(Gelberg 2014). This creates a bridge between the characters and the real world as the protagonist Percy regularly ‘shifted to a new school because of his ADHD and dyslexia’ (Shrijith A 2012) which is a challenge many people with learning difficulties face.

‘There is a certain simple comfort in seeing parts of yourself – those parts you thought were different, strange, unacceptable – in the protagonists of a book. And Percy Jackson teaches us that heroes have ADHD’ (Gelberg 2014).

Bibliography

Alexander J (2020) ‘Disney Plus is getting a Percy Jackson series as Disney continues to mine its IP for new streaming shows’ Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/14/21259217/percy-jackson-disney-plus-series-rick-riordan-fox-streaming-books [accessed 29/10/2020]

Gelberg AM (2014) ‘Growing up With Percy Jackson’ Available at: https://www.tor.com/2020/06/29/the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-growing-up-with-percy-jackson/ [accessed 29/10/2020]

IMBd (2020) ‘Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief (2010)’ Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/ [accessed 29/10/2020)

Mugijatna; Habsari, Sri Kusumo; Putri, Yunita Ariani (2014) ‘Rick Riordan's Intention in Writing Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and the Reception of the Readers’ K@ta, Vol 16. No.2

Shrijith A (2012) ‘The world of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief’ Published by Madasamy S. Thirumalai (Vol. 12, Issue 3) Available at: https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=bsuc&id=GALE%7CA285994444&v=2.1&it=r&sid=ebsco [accessed 29/10/2020]

The Numbers (2010) ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)’ Available at: https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Percy-Jackson-and-the-Lightning-Thief#tab=summary [Accessed 29/10/2020]

Red Bubble (2020) ‘Percy Jackson’ Available at: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/percy+jackson?gclid=CjwKCAjww5r8BRB6EiwArcckC4gtpZXqh6FCz9Zyyo_oFz4vtGfcFfDyqA9SDng9YixJ--lB9r81cRoChHsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds [accessed 29/10/2020]

Riordan (2020) ‘Book 1 - The Lightning Theif’ Available at: https://rickriordan.com/series/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians/ [accessed 29/10/2020]

Riordan R (2020) ‘Rick Riordan’ Available at: https://rickriordan.com/ [accessed 29/10/2020]

Riordan Wiki (2020) ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (video game)’ Available at: https://riordan.fandom.com/wiki/Percy_Jackson_and_the_Olympians:_The_Lightning_Thief_(video_game) [accessed on 29/10/2020)

Weinman S (2010) ‘Will 'Percy Jackson' Author Rick Riordan Ever Reach J.K. Rowling Territory?’ Available at: https://www.aol.com/2010/06/26/will-percy-jackson-author-rick-riordan-ever-reach-j-k-rowling/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKLk-QoXPqPiJypzpT-hCVwjXpbLMuZdERVCNr4HGpOk7YU6w3FSpouFn8BUuQjSm7arbMNh1UfCDHrhQSjFN97rYsr4liWUG1RORRR9bGni6IKFujx5G0JDPcTzQ4UgUgbxRe1smFatoTgYQZKYk4EKMJl4ncqjE5wnFjov5PTM [accessed 29/10/2020]

Word count excluding bibliography: 542