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What We Can Learn From On The Media

OTM_logo_stacked_RGBI have been listening to On The Media for at least ten years now. If you are new to the media industry or an experienced expert, this show has something to offer you.

In case you’re not familiar with the show, here’s the lowdown from Wikipedia:

“On the Media (OTM) is an hour-long weekly radio program, hosted by Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone, covering journalism, technology, and First Amendment issues. It is produced by WNYC in New York City. OTM is broadcast Saturday mornings in New York City (with a repeat on Sunday afternoon) and syndicated nationwide through National Public Radio and other public radio outlets. The program is available by audio stream, MP3 download, and podcast. “

The show offers a great mix of law, media, and politics. I started listening to the program on NPR while driving in the car and eventually discovered the podcast. I find the show useful in dissecting what is currently getting the media’s attention and why. What and why a story gets coverage is often more important than how it is covered. I also really like the way they give a historical perspective to ownership and past behavior of media outlets.

As a professional marketer, it is important to understand the channels and brands you advertise on and what their goals are.  This should affect not only your ad placement and timing but also your ad copy and imagery.

This might sound a bit cheesy, but I believe understanding how the media works and who influences it is one of the most important duties of a country’s citizens. While it is also important to my work, it is also generally important to stay informed about our media, how it works, and who is sending us messages.

“Almost three out of four U.S. adults (71%) watch local television news, according to Nielsen data from February 2013.”

If you want to see which companies control the local news media click here. In the past, most of the local news was owned by a local wealthy individual or institution this has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Powerful corporations now control a significant portion of the local news channels. It is time that we the people demand more from our Fourth Estate or at least understand who is influencing what we see each day and why they are doing it.

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