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Blog #1 Why am I taking this course?

I am taking the Introduction to Mass Communications course because it is a foundation for my future.

After changing my major from music to mass communications with a concentration in Broadcast Media, my career opportunities became much greater. The reason Mass Communications and broadcasting are important to me is that I have a passion for helping people stay uplifted and positive. To me, staying positive minimizes negativity in life. My passion for helping people makes Mass Communications more of a beneficial major for me.

After completing this course, I am hoping to gain knowledge about how to strengthen my communication skills and enhance my talents for my professional career. Although I am going to be a part of the broadcasting industry as a radio personality, I also want to gain an understanding of the Broadcasting industry beyond being an on-air personality. I feel as though I will be able to learn the techniques and skills necessary that will enable me to have a lasting career in the broadcasting industry. Therefore, I want to be an on-air personality that engages with listeners with a wide variety of music.

Blog #2 Own the path you pave

Tyler Perry was a young man who grew up in the third ward of New Orleans Louisiana and wanted to retire his mother. Yet, his dream did not come true without sacrifices. He built his brand, invested in his brand, and did not run away from his cultural background to tell the stories of his culture.

First, Mr. Perry built his brand by putting his name on his professional creations. He took what he had and made his name known to diverse audiences all over the world. He refused to become apologetic for creating projects under his name. he knew his competitors did not explain themselves to anyone. Therefore, neither did he. As Mr. Perry build his brand, he always worked for what he wanted. To finance his dream he worked various jobs, such as a car salesman, and bill collector. Those jobs served him well. They financed the bigger mission he had for himself. It took several years for his mission to be realized. However, no matter what happened during the years of his career. He never gave up on himself. It fueled him to stay focused on his mission. He was determined to see his mission come to fruition.

Another way, Mr. Perry originally owned the path he paved is that he invested in his brand. He saved thousands of dollars to showcase his first screenplay. Though the hopes he had of displaying his gifts and talents through cultural messages to larger audiences at first proved to be a slight disappointment to him. Yet, he was okay with that. His drive is bigger than the disappoints he faced. He lost his home to eventually be able to set up to build his own production studio for him to direct, produce, and write his original productions He has complete ownership of the content he creates. His productions focus on relatable subject matters and provide messages of hope that can encourage everyone. He uses people around him as a source of inspiration for his productions in a variety of ways from either through stage plays. television, or in films. He uses his gifts to make a difference in the lives of the people around him and beyond his scope. He wanted the stories of black people to be recognized.

Lastly, Mr. Perry did not run away from his cultural background to tell the stories of black people. Tyler Perry built his production studio in an underserved community to show younger generations no matter what background they represent they can create an imprint their ancestors can be proud of. He gave the stories of the black community platforms because he knows every story has value and no one’s life story is greater than the other. He acknowledges that often the resources people are searching for are connected to someone within their culture. Whenever one of us has an opportunity, it’s essential to use the platform we are given to provide someone else with an opportunity to grow and develop a platform for their gifts to be seen.

In conclusion. Although Mr. Perry dream of retiring his mother eventually happened, he taught me that It takes the sacrifices of building my brand, Investing my resources into my brand, and not running away from stories of the black culture to allow yourself to own the path I am paving.

Blog #3 The change that is slowly arriving

The 1950s and1960s were significant decades in American history. Those decades were known for Black activist movements such as the Black Panther Party. Black Panther Vanguard of the Revolution highlighted how the Black Panthers helped Black communities, influenced the black culture of the ’60s and it provided a lesson to take away today.

The Black Panther organization was established on October 15th, 1966, in Oakland CA by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. It was an organization that was created to provide self-defense to protect black males who lived in black communities in Oakland from the Oakland police department that would discriminate against and harshly mistreat black males.

First, the Black Panthers helped black communities by establishing meal programs that fed 20,000 meals a week to low-income students from nineteen communities in local California schools to help black children have better academic achievements in the classroom, Another way the Black Panther organization helped black communities of Oakland is by creating a newspaper entitled The Black Panther Party newspaper for black Oakland residences that outlined the Panther’s ten-point program for the organization. Some of the points of the program included an end to police brutality, decent housing, and a decent education. The newspaper also highlighted who the Black Panthers were as an organization and what the organization believed in. It also provided illustrations often accurately describing what black people were going through in that era.

Secondly, the black Panthers influenced the black culture of the sixties by acknowledging that being an urban black person is beautiful. The Black Panthers continued to influence black culture in the sixties by embracing natural afros for men and women wearing black jackets, and shades. The black Panthers were a militant-style organization that believed in nonviolent protest. However, the members would carry weapons to intimidate the police when necessary.

Thirdly, the lesson that I took away from this documentary was that the same inequalities the Black Panthers fought for over 56 years ago, such as an end to capitalism, as well as better health care for black people, in addition to education for blacks, housing, freedom, and having equal employment opportunities as other races are the same inequalities that black people are dealing with in 2022

In conclusion, whether the black Panthers were helping the black communities in Oakland by establishing meal programs within local California schools, influencing black culture in the sixties with a message of encouragement for black people that being an urban black person is beautiful and it is okay to celebrate being proud to be black or providing black people with a lesson from which to continue to strive for equality until it happens for black people. The black Panthers tried to establish equality for their generation. Now, younger generations are doing the same.

Blog # 4 The Fundamentals of News Broadcasting Guest Blog A

One of the guests that I chose to write about was Mr. Rony Camille. Mr. Camille is a news director in television broadcasting. During his visit with North Carolina Central University Mass Communications classes, he spoke about taking advantage of career opportunities on campus. He also talked about creating a broadcasting reel and networking with people to establish business relationships. I found these topics particularly interesting

Mr. Camille mentioned taking advantage of the NCCU Campus Echo. The on-campus newspaper. It helped him strengthen his writing skills and helped him in the job market. He felt that working with the Campus Echo was a life-changing experience for him. That experience gave him the opportunity to cover campus events and write a narrative for others to read.

Another experience that he took advantage of was developing a broadcasting reel he could share with future employers and television broadcasting networks. Mr. Camille suggested that a great broadcasting reel is one that captures the attention of hiring managers or news directors of a potential employer within the first five minutes. Doing this will help me stand out from other applicants competing for the same position. He acknowledged that competing in the job market is unavoidable. Therefore, it is important that I equip myself with all the necessary skills before I graduate. Including my broadcasting reel in my career portfolio will help me be competitive to gain my first job opportunity. Lastly, Mr. Camille also highlighted the importance of networking. Building relationships with producers is essential because they are the lifeline of a broadcast. He also suggested building relationships with other potential colleagues. I thanked Mr. Camille for visiting with me and my classmates and look forward to future networking opportunities.

Blog # 5 The Elements of Podcasting Guest blog B

The guest that I chose for this blog was Mrs. Camille Kauer. She is a podcaster that hosts, The E-Spot with Camille on various digital media platforms. During her virtual lecture with the Mass Communications class at North Carolina Central University, she spoke about her podcasting experiences. She also suggested the type of podcast I could create and the importance of owning my spotlight as a podcaster.

One of the experiences Mrs. Kauer had that prepared her to be a podcaster was doing a podcast-style entertainment segment for a radio station. Her radio segments allowed her to listen to the stories of people within the entertainment industry to learn how they overcame their challenges and setbacks. They also shed light on how to continue to progress forward in their careers. Knowing how other entertainers overcame setbacks was a big source of inspiration for Mrs. Kauer. Having that knowledge motivated her to continue to help people pursue podcasting as an outlet of expression. I also learned the types of podcasts format I can create for myself. Mrs. Kauer suggested that some of my podcasting formatting choices could include interview style, fictional storytelling, and reaction style podcasts responding to various forms of media. For my first podcast, I chose to do a storytelling-style podcast. I chose to share a portion of my life story with the judges of a National Public Radio podcast to bring awareness to the great quality of life that people living with disabilities can have. With a positive attitude towards their life experiences, individuals with disabilities can live successful lives regardless of their personal challenges. Lastly, Mrs. Kauer mentioned the importance of owning my spotlight if I decide to continue podcasting. She suggested that I build up a target audience of listeners. I must also make the audience aware of any podcast achievements I have on my digital sharing outlets because it could lead to networking opportunities for me as a podcaster.