Over time mass media has changed immensely. Mass media has come to a point where it is fragmented; mass media fragmentation refers to all of the choices people have of where to get their news and entertainment. Every form of mass media from television down to newspapers is specialized and therefore it targets a certain demographic. Due to the segmentation of audiences through demographics there has been a change in the way America receives their mass media. This fragmentation has been well received and is an asset in the public relations industry.
The early 1930’s were considered to be the golden age of radio. This was a time when there were very few radio stations and radio was a primary source for entertainment. Families would sit around the radio and listen to things like news, music, comedy, quiz, and variety shows. Radio was not only entertainment as a domino effect it also provided quality time for families. However, the popularity of radio seemed to fade out by the 1950’s when televisions began to flood the living rooms of America .Families began to watch television together as opposed to listening to the radio. It was no secret that television was watched by all; therefore public relations practitioners could send out a message on one channel and get that particular message out to everyone at one time. As the Federal Communications Commission began to issue licenses for more television stations, the number of channel options began to expand as well as the audiences who watched them. At this point television did not diminish as radio had, it expanded.
Today there are several forms of television available to “John Q. Public” and the list is vast. Only a few areas can broadcast standard local television without the assistance of some form of paid communication firm. Some of the major cable and satellite companies are Direct TV, Dish Network, and Comcast Digital Cable. Another reason these companies are so popular is because of the hefty amount of channels they offer. Comcast Digital Cable offers their customers over one hundred channels, Dish Network offers over two hundred and forty channels, and Direct TV offers it’s customers over two hundred and fifty channels. Needless to say there is a channel that appeals to everyone. These channels are very audience specific, for example there is Nickelodeon for kids and the next channel up is Nicktoons which is nothing but cartoons twenty four hours a day. The movie channels have also become very specific; Direct TV offers plenty of variations of HBO. There is HBO East, West, Family, Comedy, Latino, Signature, High Definition, and HBO2. This sea of information and viewer’s choice carries the benefit of on demand information and entertainment; however there is a down side.
This separation of the audiences has led to the demise of the family circle around the television. Different demographics for the most part have different interests and tastes which is why it is so easy to target audiences today. Certain people have a tendency to watch certain channels. For example older crowds of people tend to watch CNN or ABC while the younger generation prefers channels such as MTV, VH1, and BET. Through these different channels people can watch news and shows that are of interest to them that they can relate to. With so many channels and multiple televisions in one household it is very common for the average family to be in separate rooms watching television. For instance the children may watch cartoons in the living room, while mom cooks dinner and watches the six o’ clock news. As that is happening dad is upstairs watching ESPN in the bedroom, as big sister is watching MTV in the family room. The role of public relations now enters this realm of “family time” in terms of families sharing information that other family members have not been exposed to and the information passes on can be considered current and accurate.
Segmentation of the media has made the job of being a Public Relations practitioner a lot easier. Now public relations practitioners can research their audience and match the audience they are targeting with what television station that group watches. Therefore the message can be pushed out to the audience that the story would get the most publicity from. When a popular rapper named Cassidy was involved in an accident the story was covered on MTV News. Due to the fact that public relations are presented as news it is easier to put “celebrity news” on MTV than it would be to have it featured on CNN. However, CNN tackles more world news and politics. When Governor McGreevy said “I am a gay American” the story was fully covered by CNN.
Celebrities are continually in the media which is why the best way to reach people from a public relations standpoint would be to have celebrities show interest in the event that is being publicized or the product that is being publicized; that way when that celebrity is in the spotlight so is the product or event that is being publicized. There are plenty of current and historical campaigns that have proven this method to be highly effective. One case is the De Beers “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign. The campaign started when a mass of diamonds was discovered in Kimberly, South Africa. De Beers felt that if people thought diamonds were only for the rich it would increase the demand for diamonds. The company gave movie idols De Beers’s diamonds and even had Queen Elizabeth accept a diamond from De Beers while on a publicized trip to Kimberly, South Africa. Another past example of celebrities boosting products would be the Pillsbury bake off, when the bake off started in 1949 Eleanor Roosevelt was a judge for the competition. The technique of using celebrities to get recognition to something is still used a lot today. Such as the Vote or Die campaign that P.Diddy started in an attempt to get young people to vote. Through his efforts people brought Vote or Die tee shirts and it became a movement. An additional instance is BET’s rap it up campaign. The campaign uses celebrities such as Lyfe Jennings and Alicia Keys to encourage people to use condoms and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
It is obvious that the above technique is very effective, but what if there was a better technique people could use that has not been thought of yet? There are several public relations cases that would have been handled differently if it happened in a different time period; one that stands out is the Miss America pageant. When the Miss America pageant first started in 1921 it was an attention-grabber to attract more tourists to Atlantic City. On the other hand today the pageant is viewed as classy, educated, gorgeous women from all across the country competing for the crown. Nevertheless if the pageant were to have been started and publicized today by public relations practitioners it would probably follow the latest trend; reality shows. It would feature a format similar to America’s Next Top Model. First there would be a woman from every state, these fifty women will have to complete in a talent and evening gown competition. After those two competitions only fifteen women would remain, throughout the reality show one contestant will be eliminated per week based on votes that people cast online. Changing the pageant will be better for all involved. The contestants on the show will constantly be publicized and so will certain products that the show will endorse. It also works out for those at home because after the show is done America will have chosen a woman they feel they connect to and love to be Miss America.
Americans are leading busy hectic lives and have very little time to decipher news and entertainment information. Public relations practitioners find things that relate to the public and then relay the information to those individuals, the process is in full swing and is very effective. As media changes so will the approach of public relations practitioners the field will chance as constantly as the public does. Practitioners will also find new ways to reach and research groups of people. However, for the time being fragmented delivery is working just fine, information has provided the public relations industry with
portals into the lives of every demographic in America.
