Mike Roberts is Predicting My Future

It has been a well kept secret of mine that I have had a passion for weather. Ever sense I was young I have watched thunder storms with my parents wanting to know how everything worked. I have constantly keep an eye on the sky and on the television wishing and hoping that one day I will be the next Al on the Today Show. Meteorology has interested me for many years, and just recently have I had the pleasure of meeting a “real life” meteorologist. I was able to spend one on one time with Mike Roberts, the chief meteorologist for KRCG channel 13 in Jefferson City.

Mike has been a broadcast meteorologist for thirteen years. Mr. Roberts said that he went to many different colleges, but he got his meteorology degree at The University of Missouri. After getting his degree he started working at KOMU in Columbia. At KMOU he worked along with three other meteorologists, and a chief meteorologist. Mike said, “I loved working at KMOU, it showed me the ropes and was a crash course in everything that I would need in my future.” Next I asked him about his education and he said, “I really liked Mizzou, they have an excellent communication program and I learned a lot.” Unfortunately Mike had to put his meteorology career on hold so he could fight for the United States in the war in Iraq. He was overseas for fifteen months. “My job in the war was to detonated road side bombs.” After going through a very hard time in his life, he came back to the United Stated and started where he left off.

Mike changed stations and started working at KRCG channel 13 (the current station he is employed at). “The reason for the change of stations is very simple, my family lived in Jefferson City, and the drive to Columbia was difficult to make. That is why I moved to KRCG.” Mike is not only the chief meteorologist, but he also broadcasts weather reports for five other radio stations in and around Jefferson City. “Working on television and radio is very rewarding. I am looking into a lens, or talking into a microphone and reaching many people.” Mike “does not do mornings,” he works for the 5:00pm, 6:00pm, and 11:00pm broadcasts.

Mike told me a story about pulling “almost all nighters” when spring came around. “Working when there is potential for severe weather is always a challenge. There are many things that I have to look for and many split decisions that I have to make in order to try and save lives.” Finally Mike said, “I love my job, mostly because there is something different every day. Especially the weather in Missouri! One day it is snowing and the next it is muggy!”

Mike Roberts was a very charismatic person who had a lot of stories to tell me, as well as giving me advice on my future in meteorology. He worked very hard to get where he is. Right before Mike hung up the phone he said, “No matter what you do with your future, make sure that you are happy. Life is too short to be unhappy!” If you want to know more about Mike you can visit his website!

Just Because I Love Brittney

This is another ad that I really liked! Just for fun!! :)

BUSTED!

- The product being advertised in this commercial is the services of Amp’d mobile.
- This ad was introduced to televisions everywhere in 2005.
- The ad agency that helped create this ad was unable to be found.

Why I love this ad? The ad is the perfect blend of everything I like in a commercial; it caught my attention, made me laugh (hard!) and made me want to rewind my TiVo to watch it again! My favorite part of the ad is the cute little stubby man singing and then rapping! He really gets into it! The fact that the ad has a catchy song that sticks in your head doesn’t hurt either.

How it got my attention? This ad came out in 2005 and I still remember it, and when the assignment was giving to me I immediately knew that this was the ad I wanted to use. I think that the setting of the commercial is the first eye catcher. The man who is professionally dressed, and is in the bathroom at work, starts singing. If that does not have your attention, the professional man starts to rap… loudly.

Why is it so memorable? I am not sure why I can remember this ad after all this time. I have come to the conclusion that it is just plain funny and that is the main reason why people love it and are able to remember it for so long. Another reason could be that the song they used in the commercial became very popular. So maybe when the song comes on you automatically are reminded of the ad.

Puffery! The exaggeration used in this ad is minimal, but it can still be found. The main exaggeration that I found was the singing levels of the man. He starts singing in a low voice, but quickly goes into an over exaggerated rap with a change in his voice and crazy arm movements. Another form of puffery includes the way the other man in the ad acted, by not even making eye contact with the man singing and the rolling of his eyes many times on the way out of the restroom.

What was it REALLY selling? Obviously the ad is selling the phone services of Amp’d mobile, and saying how great it is compared to its competitors. But I also think that the ad is selling good times and a hard laugh.

Who was watching? The first time I ever saw this ad, I was at my boyfriend’s house and we were watching a football game. The first commercial break of the game and this commercial comes on. We then rewound and watched it at least three more times. I can also remember seeing it on MTV. I believe the target market that Amp’d wanted to reach was the younger males and females aging from 18-30ish.

Did I buy it? Because I already had a good phone service so I did not switch over. However, I still loved the ad!

Rift Fournier

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Fournier when he came and spoke for professor Falk’s Survey of Professional Media class. When he came in the room, he got my attention very quickly. He had a loud, booming voice and a confidence about him. I could really tell he was very knowledgeable and comfortable with what he was going to be speaking about.

He started off with an introduction of himself, as well as explaining his very interesting name. He explained that his mother and his father fought all the time. So when he was born, he was given the name Junior when he was baptized, and then they had it legally changed to Rift.
Mr. Fournier started out as a Pre Med major, needless to say, he changed his mind. He was in his junior year and fifth in his class and he decided that it was not for him and he quit. After leaving school, Rift had numerous jobs ranging from answering phones, working in a morgue, and working at a news station in Omaha Nebraska. He then left the Mid West to reach for his dreams in California. In California he started out by writing jokes for $5 a joke. Always moving, he moves across the country and ends up in big apple to become a comic writer. He then gave the class some great advice he said that if you are competing for a job you need to “Impress the hell out of someone!” This had me opening my eyes a little wider. In the field of communications you have to really know what you are doing, and prove that you are the most qualified for the job.

Rift defiantly succeeded in proving that he was the most qualified for the job. He dominated in the genres of drama, crime, adventure, and mystery. Writing for such shows like, Fox Grønland, High way to heaven, and even an episode of Matlock. He had the story lines that kept people interested and coming back for more. Rift was an amazing guest speaker and I learned a lot in the fifty minutes that he spoke to the class. The last thing he told the class was the hardest thing about being a writer is facing that blank piece of paper. He has done a great job of facing that piece of paper.

"Joe the Plumber"

Last night I sat down on my comfy chair with my notebook and my pen in hand, preparing for the third and final presidential debate. I was ready to hear a serious war of words, but instead of hearing the important issues I was very distracted by not only the huge smile on Senator McCain’s face when making a rebuttal, but also the number of times “Joe the plumber” was referenced. I believe that it would have been easier for me to really listen if I was hearing the debate on the radio, then all the physical distractions would have not been a factor. I have seen bits and pieces of each presidential debate and I do think that this was the best debate as well as the most entertaining. I believe that out of the three debates, this was McCain’s best. I thought with in the first thirty minutes he was doing a good job. He then took a slight turn for the worse. He seemed to be very emotionally driven (which is not always a bad thing) and somewhat hot headed, and when those are mixed together I do not think those are the best qualities that should be found in a leader. I do believe, and have seen on polls, that senator Obama was the winner of the debate. With all issues aside, I thought that senator Obama seemed way more personable and charismatic compared to his running mate. It almost felt like he would stop and talk to you know matter what your back round was. I also think that he had a certain confidence about him that I would like the leader of my country to have. So I know that is dose not sound like it, but I went into this debate with no bias, and I did not have the slightest idea on who I was going to vote for. If just going off the debate from last night, I would be voting for senator Obama. However, I do not know enough information about either of the candidates to say who I am voting for but I do plan on making my voice heard and voting. I am eight-teen years old and this will be the first time I am able to vote in a presidential election, and I could not be more excited about it. This is not only a mile stone for me, but for the whole United States. Not only do we have an African American running for president, but a woman could be vice president, and then could potentially become the president of the United States. I am very exciting to be able to vote in such a historic election because either way the cards fall this will be one for the books. After watching these debates I have decided that it is a good idea to do further research on both Senator Obama and Senator McCain so I am able to make an educated decision on who would be the best president of the United States. I hope that all the voters, no matter what the age, are doing the same and getting out there to vote! Hopefully I will see Joe the plumber at the poles!!

Do Preteens Really Have the Best of Both Worlds?

We live in a world were a size eight is overweight, and being pale is unacceptable. The media has such a huge influence on what preteens and teens look like, dress like, and act like. As soon as the TV is flipped on, you can see how perfect preteens and teens are expected to be. So how can we teach young girls that inner beauty is what counts, when the only thing they see is how beautiful they have to look on the outside. Do the children of this decade really have a chance for real self esteem, or will they just fake it?
What are the things you notice most when looking in a magazine? Do you really see how cute the hand bag is, or do you see the size two models holding it? Anorexia and bulimia are the two most common diseases found in girls 15-20 years old. These ages are going to shrink more and more as the younger girls are being affected by the media more and more. With hit shows such as Hannah Montana and movies like High School Musical, preteens are getting the impression that they must look and act like the girls that they see on their TV. With the pressure for perfection on the minds of all girls, preteens and teens have begun doing unhealthy things to their bodies so they can be skinny like the girls in the magazines and on TV.

The sad thing is the celebrities that the preteen’s look up to are being plucked, brushed, and polished into the people that we see. They do not wake up looking like a million bucks, but they have a team that has the job of turning them into the person we see. It is not just the young girls that are having problems with the “pressure for perfection” it is the older girls as well. I am nineteen years old and I can honestly say that when I see some of the girls in the magazines I do feel the pressures to try to always look perfect. One of the worst parts about the media showing girls what they should look like is that they are also showing boys the same thing. I believe that the boys are getting a “false hope” on what the girls they will date should look like. I mean what girl wants to be compared to a model!?

I believe that low self esteem is a huge issue for girls of all ages, and I believe that the media is behind this problem. I think that is it up to this generation to stop putting the focus so much on the outside, and a lot more on the inside. I think that it is important for girls to see real photos instead of the touched up ones that we seen in every magazine. We need to start teaching young people of all ages that no matter what color your hair is, what size you are, or how many freckles you have, you are beautiful! As long as that mission is accomplished I think that we can have the best of both worlds!

United States verses Canadian Media

Living in the United States I have only experience one type of media. So it was really interesting to hear about the media in another country. Going into this assignment, I figured that the media in Canada and the media in the United States would be somewhat the same but it would defiantly have its differences. I had the pleasure of talking to a very sweet girl named Jenelle, and she resides in the northern part of Canada. When I asked her about the differences between the medias she replied with “There really are not that many differences, we pretty much get the American media with some Canadian media thrown in.” So then of course my very next question was about the television shows that are most popular around her area. I was very surprised when she said that she and her girl friends love to watch The Hills, Gossip Girls, and One Tree Hill. Jenelle said that the only TV difference between the two places is that the television is Canada has more nudity and violence on the cable shows than we do in the United States. We began to talk about what books are popular and what type of music is most popular. She stated that everyone she loves the Twilight series of books (however with books, people read a plethora of books and there is not really one book that everyone reads) and the magazines Seventeen, Cosmo, and Vogue are very popular. The music everyone listens to is hip hop, pop, and the top 40 hits. Then she said that some of her friends do listen to rock and country. She told me that, just like in America, Canadian teens use their IPods, Zunes, and other Mp3 players. It was at this point in the “interview” where I had to bring up Facebook. If you went in a room in the US and asked all of the teenagers to raise their hand if they had a Facebook or a Myspace, there would be only a few teens that would not raise their hand. Jenelle said that she does have a Facebook and a Myspace. She said, “Being so far away from home it is easy to get on the internet and talk to my friends and family. I hate not being able to see them, so Facebook and Myspace helps a lot!” The last few questions that I asked Jenelle about had to do with movies. I asked her what movies were her favorite, and who her favorite Actors/Actresses are. She said that she sees the same movie trailers here as she did back home, and her favorite actor is Brad Pitt (now what girl doesn’t agree with that). I really enjoyed talking to Jenelle, not just about the media in her country but about the differences all together. It is funny to think about how much the media in this country completely affects the media in a different country. Looks like the United States is still the media leader! If you would like to learn more about Canadian media you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_in_Canada.