Mass Com Jobs: Changing, Not Gone

Students in college or university mass communication programs are worried, especially those who graduate this year and those within a year of graduation. They are worried there won't be many jobs open when they graduate.

Ironically, the news media has been effective telling the story of the collapse of newspapers, and the merging of jobs in other news media. These stories make it seem as though there are no jobs for students with good writing ability and well-honed visual communication skills.

Clearly, newspapers-- especially those that cling to the traditional ink and paper delivery system-- are having difficult times. Students hear about their colleagues who graduated a year or two before them and who are having trouble finding jobs. Or, of those that have found jobs in media, many are being asked to learn additional skills and do more.

This kind of information has caused current students to rethink their career plans. Most, thankfully, haven't given up on the idea of working in mass communication. Many are looking more seriously at combining other education programs-- a minor, second major, or graduate school-- that will hopefully give them additional skills and make them more valuable to a potential employer.

Though the economy has been in a downturn, I personally don't think the picture is all doom and gloom for most mass com majors.

In the mass communication program at Winona State University where I teach, each student in the major chooses a specific area of emphasis from among five options: advertising, broadcasting, journalism, photojournalism, or public relations. In the core of the major, all students take one class that serves as an overview of the media, a visual communication course, a journalism class, a course in issues and ethics in media, and then a variety of electives from across the department's catalog. They also follow a plan taking a series of courses in their particular option.

In mass communication programs like this, students get a broad education in the media field as a whole, and a narrow and deep focus in one specific area. This kind of program allows graduates greater flexibility to move more seamlessly between media-related positions, and makes them more qualified for newer hybrid positions in media.

Many media companies no longer have distinct positions such as writer, still photographer, videographer, sound technician or editor. An employee at a newspaper may shoot still images, capture video and write an article. They may also be edit the work-- words, audio and images-- and prepare the packages for the print edition or website.

Similarly, employees at traditional radio stations are capturing and posting video and still images to their websites. TV station newsrooms, well-versed in working with images, audio and video, are also combining tasks and are using more one-man band professionals who can do it all themselves.

The wild card in the media world, and the place where there is tremendous growth potential, is in web-based media not affiliated with traditional media outlets. Hundreds of new websites are developed each day. They all need content on their web pages and connect with their audiences.

Some of these new and developing sites may have a journalistic mission and rely on advertising support, like traditional media. Others may have a different business model, but still will rely on effective communication with a target audience. Skills taught in mass communication programs are perfectly targeted to these new web-based media. Well done websites need skilled professionals to write engaging copy and create meaningful images that communicate an intended message.

The material taught in mass communication programs is evolving and changing. The skills in mass communication remain the same, even though delivery methods are different and more technologically advanced.

There is still tremendous opportunity in the mass communication field. Due to the economic recession, growth is perhaps slower than it might have been. Nonetheless, use of the web and its new possibilities will continue to grow, and provide opportunity for mass communication graduates into the future.

Converge: In Media and the Academy

So much is being written about convergence in media that the word convergence is becoming a buzz term and losing its meaning. In the past few weeks articles about media convergence have been seen in a variety of scholarly academic journals, trade publications, and even popular mass media.

Students in mass communication programs are starting to notice and care about the fast-changing nature of the media in which they hope to find employment in the near future.

Faculty must envision, create and deliver a curriculum with value and meaning to our students. We must recognize changing trends and react. Classes should change and evolve at least at the same rate as the media to which we will deliver our graduates.

There is even the argument that university programs should evolve faster than the media so classes are ahead of the curve and prepare students for the jobs that will be available a few years in the future.

This is a problem for higher education. While not as bureaucratic and slow to action as some governments, academe has traditionally been slow to change. Partly this may be because rapid change has not been needed. In mass communication, in spite of changes in technology and speed of creation, production and distribution, the basic concepts have remained mostly unchanged for decades.

Until just recently, Newspapers hadn't changed dramatically in more than 50 years. Radio formats are essentially the same as they were in the 1960s and 70s. Television has evolved somewhat since its golden age in the 1950s, but now seems to be back-tracking to low-cost, high profit formats. One major change is there are now many channels for smaller niche markets, but they deliver similar content: weather, sports, financial news, soap operas, game shows, cartoons, etc.

Since the introduction of the Internet and the World Wide Web, early adopters in the media sought ways to capitalize and expand on the capabilities of new and developing information delivery systems.

In recent years, media outlets large and small have begun to experiment with combining technologies-- not just for whiz-bang affect-- but to more effectively deliver content to their audiences. Newspapers, formerly relegated to two-dimensions, ink on paper, now have web sites with natural sound audio, video and animation. Radio stations, formerly limited to through the air audio, also have web sites on which they post text, photographs and video. Television stations also have web sites where they combine text, audio and video to inform their audience while promoting their programs.

In each case, the media seek ways to increase their reach to maintain and grow their audience, always with an eye to maximizing profits through additional ad revenue.

The mass communication program here at Winona State University has a photojournalism program. Until recently, the curriculum was almost completely based on two-dimensional photographs. Recent graduates have found they need additional training in video and audio news gathering, as well as in developing web content and using content management software to upload work to their employer's web sites. The program is changing, now focusing on "visual journalism" and bringing more digital and web technology into classes and student projects.

Similarly, journalism students must know how to operate a camera to make themselves more valuable to potential employers. In tough economic times, many media are sending so-called One Man Band journalists on assignments, expecting them to return with text, audio, video and still images. The OMB journalist must edit work in all areas and post to the web with speed.

To be sure, some media will still have room for specialists who focus on excellent writing, compelling images, or dynamic video story-telling. More and more, as the media adopt convergence, mass communication professionals must be competent and proficient in more than one area.

To adequately serve students, university mass communication programs must change and adapt rapidly. Convergence in the academy is also appropriate: bringing the journalism, photojournalism, broadcasting, and information technology (web design and management) elements together.