At the first opening session of the Communication and Social Change: Exchanging Teaching Strategies and Professional Practices Conference, on Monday February 4, 2008,the guest speakers were John Weatherford and Tony Kidd. The conference was the second one of its kind,and was sponsored by the CAU Center for Excellence in Communication Arts. The first session of the conference was moderated by Shawn Evans Mitchell, an instructor in the Department of Mass Media Arts, who also serves as the faculty adviser to the student newspaper, The Panther. This conference was very important for students, but very few students were there. This conference opened a door for the professionals and instructors in the Mass Media Arts area to talk to students about issues and exchange advice and strategies that collectively deal with social change andcommunication.
The first speaker John Weatherford, is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Public Broadcasting Atlanta. Because his background mostly was consumed of radio broadcasting, this was his main focus. He made a very interesting statement when he said that “Public radio exists to serve minorities.” I didn’t understand it, and I was a little upset when he first made the remark, but later on he explained it. He stated that public radio was one of the main ways that minorities reach out to each other and receive and transmit information about what’s going on in their particular communities. He later said that “By pure usage, radio is the most widely used medium. In 93’ we moved to digital editing…” This too was interesting because when he asked how many people really listen to the radio, not many people raised their hands. This shows that although technology is rapidly changing, radio has still proved valuable and ageless to most people.
The last speaker of the opening session Tony Kidd has been in the broadcasting business for more than 27 years. He is the Vice President for the Atlanta based radio station KISS 104.1 and his career has proven to be very extensive. His speech seemed a bit more directed to the students,than did Weatherford’s. He advised the students to,“Get as much experience in the business as you can”and to “experiment”. You have lots of time to be very creative.” When Kidd was asked what initially appealed to him and what keeps him interested in radio, he responded “the fact that I could have fun while being paid.” This is an important point because more people should consider their happiness before they select a career or field of study. Not many people can say that they absolutely love their jobs.
Both speakers were very informative and gave a lot of valuable information. The quest speakers personal experience and advice is valuable to those students aspiring to be professionals in the world of mass media. Weatherford’s speech helped me learn more about the difference between public radio and commercial radio, while Kidd’s speech inspired me to be inquisitive and further investigate my field of study. Weatherford explained the importance of media in general when he made his closing comment , “We all in our own way are storytellers, and we need to stay connected through whatever mediums. It’s essential to the human race.” I think that couldn’t have been better said, because essentially, staying connected is what the media is all about.
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