January 1987

California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks CSUSB Magazine Arthur E. Nelson University Archives 1-1987 January 1987 CSUSB Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/alumni-mag Recommended Citation CSUSB, "January 1987" (1987). CSUSB Magazine. 59. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/alumni-mag/59 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Arthur E. Nelson University Archives at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in CSUSB Magazine by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. January 1987 Panorama 1 The Department of Communication, offering one of the newest and fastest growing majors at California State Cal State’s bustling University, San Bernardino, is deservedly proud of two distinctions achieved this year. The university’s first, year-long communication Fulbright scholar in residence, from Mexico City, joined the faculty. In its third year of operation, the department launched the university’s student-operated radio station, KSSB. The program on target station, presently heard only on one cable channel in northern San Bernardino, offers great potential as a vehicle for Interviewer: How much rewriting do you do? education, entertainment and community service. Hemingway: It depends; I rewrote the ending of Farewell The faculty, who bring diverse professional experience to Arms, the last page of it, 39 times before I was satisfied. to the university environment, seek to offer their students the Interviewer: Was there some technical problem there? practical information and the skills needed to succeed as What was it that stumped you? aspiring or working professionals in an information-oriented Hemingway: Getting the words right. society. — George Plimpton in Paris Match Interview, 1965 Mexican-U.S. media: a comparison By Tatiana Galvan When our goal is to fully understand a TELEVISA, the other major private net In Mexico, no such single agency as atmosphere of entertainment program mass communication system within any work, controls four T.V. stations. the FCC exists. Those functions are ming that has a wide, mass appeal, society, we must consider some essen The U.S. enacted several statutes in spread over a number of governmental which can easily be transplanted to dif tial factors, such as the culture in which 1927 and 1934 to regulate the allotment ministries. The major technical load falls ferent cultures. Most U.S. syndicated it is developed and the socio-political of frequencies, licenses, stations and all on the Ministry of Communications and shows are sold to developing countries structures in which it is based. forms of radio communications by both Transport, while the Interior Ministry which can’t afford to produce such The previous statement implies that wire and broadcasting. Other countries checks for compliance with the Federal expensive material. Translated language systems in each culture will be different, slowly followed suit. In Mexico, partial Radio, Television and Cinematography subtitling or voice overlaying is added. and also that the institutions involved in regulation was included within the con Law of I960, and other departments The sale of programs abroad follows communications will be organized stitution and in statutes enacted from handle grievances and fines. the U.S. motion picture industry’s efforts according to the importance they have the 1920’s through the 1940’s. It was not In the U.S., the ethical aspect of pro to export films to other countries for in the socio-political and economic until i960 that an organic law for broad gram contents is essentially controlled many years. In contrast, the Mexican structures. For that reason we view the mass media as political actors and as institu tions that play a significant role in the development of new policies and in the establishment of business procedures, legal boundaries and the cultural framework in which they operate, linderstanding the media in this sense involves, directly or indirectly, the influ ences of major decision makers or high office holders — such as the president, members of congress, the courts, citi zen’s groups and certain kinds of com missions (like the Federal Communica tions Commission [FCC] in the United States), that have the power to establish and rescind regulations and to interpret the public interests. World communication systems can be divided into commercial and government-sponsored interests. Most third-world countries in Asia and Africa rely mainly on government support, while in Latin America we find a mixture of both types with a slight edge on the commercial model. This brings about an easy adoption of USA patterns of adver tising, taste and content similarities within Latin American communications systems. In particular, Mexico was one of the first developing countries to initiate broadcasting under private ownership, following closely behind the USA, with radio in 1923 and television in 1950. Even in the U.S., we can find some exceptions to either financial support casting was established and until 1973 through “editorial discretion” and the Comparative systems — Fulbright scholar models, in the case of educational, cul that specific regulations were “fairness doctrine,” that guarantees cor Tatiana Galvan, seated at right, explains tural and religiously affiliated stations, implemfented. rective aaion. In Mexico, an extrapola differences between the communication systems in Mexico and the United States to three students, where support for operations is derived The Federal Communications Com tion of the print law adopted early in the from left, Adrian Lash, senior from Rialto: Heidi from widely diverse sources. mission represents a unique combina century guarantees equal coverage to an Dotson, Riverside, junior; and Kerri Hawkins, While in the U.S., the FCC has im tion of executive, legislative and judicial offended party in case one’s interests Redlands, senior. posed limits to the number of stations functions within a single independent were damaged by exposure in the owned by a single company, whether federal agency. It adopts and enforces media. radio or television, no such limit exists regulations as an executive function; it Commercial broadcasting in the U.S. movie industry was quite strong from in most other countries. In particular, adjudicates disputes in the manner of derives operating revenues mainly from the 1930’s through the 1950’s, when it the government of Mexico operates five the judicial branch and carries out a advertisements, program sales and ser was especially successful in reinforcing TV. stations in the UNIVISION network; delegated constitutional function of the vices. Public broadcasting relies heavily national identity and values. Since the legislature. Members are appointed by on government subsidy, grants, school I960’s, it has decayed to almost disap the president and confirmed by the funds and donations. In Mexico com pear in the I980’s. The introduction of Senate. It covers wire and wireless mercial networks follow roughly the movies in video cassettes and the prolif communications, technical and program same pattern as in the U.S., but public eration of'VCRs in Mexico in this decade regulations, station licensing, channel stations are wholly government sbp- have virtually wiped out the gasping assignments and hearing of grievances. ported and rarely obtain revenues from movie enterprises in Mexico, with the grants and donations. continued next page The competitive presence of three major U.S. networks has generated an 2 Panorama January 1987 Effective crisis communication By John Kaufman, PhD. to the publics that will be inwlved in preventing or responding to crisis.” Murphy’s Law is becoming a worry for Crisis communication is concerned corporations and government agencies with five basic objectives: in the United States, and it’s no laughing . Anticipating and analyzing potential matter. crisis situations; When things suddenly go wrong, pub . Identifying audiences that will be lics are demanding that they be kept in affected by, or who affect, that crisis; formed about the situation. They want . Establishing guidelines to manage to know what happened and what is the flow of events and minimize being done about it — Chernobyl adverse effects; comes to mind as the best example this . Assigning responsibilities in crisis year. situations; When something goes wrong, some . Developing the skills of individual one suffers. Increasingly, injured parties communicators and building confi are seeking compensatory satisfaction dence in their ability to handle the through the courts. Product liability communications role. suits, for instance, jumped from 1,579 in I have taken a personal interest in the 1975 to 10,745 in 1984 in the United dynamics of crisis communication for States. The growth of a “litigation indus some time — ever since I was 16, actu try” during the past 15 years, combined ally, and had to inform my father that I’d with the increased scrutiny and reach of crumpled someone’s fender with his the mass media, has prompted the de new Pontiac. I believe communication The tvrltten word — Public relations and components related to the study and velopment of two new fields in public departments such as ours have an obli journalism techniques are reviewed by Dr. John understanding of crisis communication communication — risk communication gation to become involved in the theo Kaufman with

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