The USC football team’s Head Coach vacancy has been a hot topic in the sports media world over the past couple months, with much speculation of who will fill the vacancy. The University of Southern California football program is historically one of the best in the country and is one of the best coaching jobs in college football, but as of late, they have struggled to remain a college football power, or even find consistent success. They have just hired one of the best coaches in college football, Lincoln Riley, who comes from a very successful Oklahoma football program, where he held a record of 55-10 in his five years there. This story is huge for sports media because it now makes college football return to relevancy in Los Angeles and brings USC to potentially become a national power again and gain more national media coverage.
This story interests me because I am a huge football fan and when I was growing up as a child, USC had great football teams, produced notable NFL players, and were an exciting program to follow and watch on TV. As of late, they have not played well, produced as much NFL talent, and do not get talked about as much in the sports media world. This move is great for the sports media landscape, as they have already been talked about a great deal because they have brought in one of the best available options, arguably the best, and many anticipate to program to return to being a contender within the next five years, which is great for football fans.
IMAGE: A SCREENSHOT OF AN INSTAGRAM STORY INCLUDED IN THE COURT DOCUMENT.
Gangbangers and Instagram- Two of my favorite things!
I kid.
But the use of the Instagram and other social media platforms as tools violence and intimidation is growing. One specific occurrence comes out of Milwaukee Wisconsin. The issue is between two rival gangs, the “Wild 100’s” and the “Ghetto Boys Clique”. Catchy names for violent crews. The rivals air out their grievances with each other on the Instagram platform. With threats, visible weaponry and illegal tender amply shown has caused an uptick in violence in the area.
These public displays of violence haven’t gone unnoticed by law enforcement. The Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms division in Atlanta better known as ATF has taken noticed. With agents following, watching, and taking note on all the online activity and connecting the dots to real world violence. Instagram has been subpoenaed for targeted accounts information. All in attempts to get warrants approved for the targeted individuals. There is a variety outcomes and charges that could befall the targeted individuals. Anything from misdemeanor charges to RICO charges.
So, what have we learned here? It would be wise to keep your illegal activity off the internet.
Disney’s “Encanto” and Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” have been box office hits- a optimistic premise for theaters trying to get back on their feet post-pandemic.
With the amount content offered throughout the various streaming services we have access to, it’s easy to forget about the theater-exclusive films that are released. But with families together for the Thanksgiving holiday, heading out to the movies is once again an activity worthwhile- and thank goodness there are two films that are neither franchised or rebooted that both adults and kids can enjoy this holiday. CNN Business reported, “Disney’s ‘Encanto,’ an animated film featuring music written by ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, is expected to have a $35 million domestic opening over the five-day holiday — enough to win the weekend. As for MGM’s ‘House of Gucci,’ a true crime film starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, that film could slide into the No. 2 spot.”
This is welcome news for The Motion Picture Association. The 2020 global pandemic hit the entertainment industry particularly hard. According to Forbes, movie theater turnout had dropped from the billions in yearly attendance to only about 240 million in 2020- an all-time low. Now that businesses are back open and much of the country is fully vaccinated, people are flocking back to theaters for the full over-priced experience. Alright, alright- that may have been a little cynical, but I’ve never gotten over the fact that I had to pay $6 for Milk Duds when I went out to see the Dune reboot. Speaking of reboots (smooth transition), it’s theorized that both “Encanto” and “House of Gucci” have been so successful for not being connected to any other films. In the past decade, viewers have been bombarded with films that further a story; Star Wars, Marvel, James Bond, and even a live action Clifford the Big Red Dog has it the big screen. However, “Encanto” and “House of Gucci” are giving audiences a breath of fresh air by having their story stand on their own, and the impressive box office numbers should serve as a lesson for film executives- originality is key! That’s not to say that those are the only two movies worth watching in theaters right now. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” have both been commercial and critical success in the mainstream thus far.
With so much content striving for our attention right now, as well as aspects of the lockdown still impacting business, it’s easy to see how movie theaters have struggled. Though, these box office numbers are promising in getting back to that normality that we all crave. So now may be the perfect time to grab your friends, hide some snacks in your bag, and enjoy a film on the big screen again! (Not Clifford though, no one needs to see that.)
Will their business plan start a trend among others?
While many companies are ramping up their social media presence this Black Friday, Lush Cosmetics has removed their Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. According to Lush’s official site, this change is a result of the revelations from the Facebook’s whistleblower, Frances Haugen, who exposed how Facebook prioritized profit over the safety of their users.
This was no doubt a difficult decision for the cosmetic company- they even admitted that they have attempted to remove themselves from social media before, but were held back by FOMO. Though at the end of the day, they want their customers to know that all their business decisions are in line with their mission. A statement from Lush’s Chief Financial Officer read,
“As an inventor of bath bombs, I pour all my efforts into creating products that help people switch off, relax and pay attention to their wellbeing. Social media platforms have become the antithesis of this aim, with algorithms designed to keep people scrolling and stop them from switching off and relaxing.”
Lush has vowed not to return to these platforms until they address and resolve all the issues with their users. The question that’s on everyone’s minds: Will Lush continue to be successful despite the change? Well, so far the news of their leaving social media has created a lot of positive buzz for the company’s reputation. And it is worth mentioning that they will still have a small presence on Twitter and YouTube as they explore healthier ways to connect with their audience. According to ABC News, Lush is planning to invest more into opening stores in more locations, hosting physical events, community activation, and more traditional forms of marketing; that means you may star seeing those paper catalogs in your mail.
In 2017, Amazon bought the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings- a fantasy book series turn movie trilogy with a massive critical and commercial success that continues to be rampant in nerd culture to this day. Scheduled to air in September of next year, this series will take place thousands of years prior to the events in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies. Like the prior movies, this series is being filmed in New Zealand. Though, a recent release from the country’s government’s official information act revealed the staggering costs behind the show. Production costs alone have reach up to 650 New Zealand Dollars, which converts to about $465 USD. But that’s just production. After factoring in costs like marketing, distribution, and merchandising, the projected cost may be closer to $1 billion USD. To put that in perspective, one season of HBO’s Game of Thrones costed around $100 million to produce.
Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ TV Series First Look- Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
With such large budget, naturally, expectations among the public are high, but some more dedicated fans of Middle Earth (including yours truly) are a bit skeptical to assume that budget size will equate to quality and success. There’s no doubt that the production team will be adding all the bells and whistles to the show’s special effects. It will likely be a visual masterpiece. However, it was a comment made by Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos that he wanted The Lord of the Rings TV series to be the next Game of Thrones. On the outside, that comment could make sense, with Game of Thrones being a fantasy series with success in a global market, why not attempt to make the new The Lord of the Rings TV series similar in style? It’s been reported that Amazon will be adding more violence and nudity to their new series in the hopes to gain the interest of the same demographic as Game of Thrones. However, this is where some fans started to criticize Amazon executives for not acknowledging the key differences in the two shows that made them successful in their own rights.
Aragorn & Arwen- Courtesy of Middle Earth Film Saga Wiki
Excessive sex and gore do not have to be present in a story to make it successful. The Lord of the Rings was wildly successful without a major dark undertone in the narrative. You didn’t need to see two characters like Aragorn and Arwen getting intimate to understand their strong romantic chemistry. By using elements from other shows as a template for success, its easy to overlook the characteristics that make the original so iconic and popular. However, there is cautionary tale that they should be following from the progression of Game of Thrones: Game of Thrones season 8 is known in the mainstream as being a critical failure. Without getting into a rabbit hole of details, season 8 of the show presented issues when the show writers were left without any new material from the author of the Song of Ice & Fire author, George R. R. Martin. In lieu of that material, season 8 was written by a team that seemingly missed the mark on a lot of the story structure and narratives that Game of Throne fans loved from Martin’s Novels. The Lord of the Rings TV series will not be based on any existing stories from J.R.R. Tolkien, but writers employed by Amazon. Many fans have claimed that one of the major reasons for Lord of the Ring’s past success was because the stories remained so faithful to the source material, so Lord of the Rings TV show will have a lot to live up to.
Earlier this month, YouTube officially removed the dislike counter on every video on their platform. The dislike button will still be active, but the number of dislikes on a video will be private, only to be viewed by the creator through the YouTube analytics tab. YouTube’s publicly stated reasoning for this change was the result of an experiment performed back in March of 2021. “…we experimented with the dislike button to see whether or not changes could help better protect our creators from harassment, and reduce dislike attacks — where people work to drive up the number of dislikes on a creator’s videos” From the experiment they concluded that, “they [creators] were less likely to target a video’s dislike button to drive up the count. In short, our experiment data showed a reduction in dislike attacking behavior.” Matt Koval, head creator liaison at YouTube, released a video addressing the change, explaining that the removal of the dislike counter was necessary to combat creator harassment since, “half of YouTube’s mission is to give everyone a voice”. But it’s statements like that, that a majority of the YouTube community feels that the company’s decision was both tone-deaf and inauthentic.
Matt Koval, Head Creator Liaison at YouTube, explains the change in his announcement video
YouTube claims that this meant to help out the smaller creators, but a quick glance at the comment section on Matt Koval’s announcement video reveals that almost every creator, regardless of audience size, is against this change… everyone except for the most powerful. The majority of YouTube videos that have a massive ratio of dislikes to likes tend to be mega corporations and brands, political press conferences and news networks, and somewhat ironically, YouTube’s own official content. In fact, the most disliked video on the platform to date was YouTube Rewind 2018.
It is key to remember that the reactionary functions on a YouTube video (the comment section and like/dislike buttons), are a form of the public sphere; a space that can be metaphysical, where people can come together and exchange options and ideas. Any comment section or online forum is a public sphere, but by removing the dislike button, YouTube is removing a tool of expression that helps the public communicate in this metaphysical sphere. By limiting access within this sphere, we have less of an authentic understanding of public opinion. Matt Koval briefly stated towards the end of his announcement video that many other platforms don’t even have a dislike button, therefor we’ll probably all get used to this change in no time. Right?
Well, take a look a video on Instagram that a majority of viewers didn’t enjoy. It’s very likely that the top pinned comments from users that read something along the line of “use me as the dislike button”, are overwhelmed with upvotes. When in doubt, we want our opinions to be heard, so we’ll always find ways to communicate that within the public sphere. I predict that it won’t be long before pinned comments take the place of the dislike button, and YouTube either has to reassess their decision to remove the dislike counter, or decide to disable comments altogether.
For the last couple months, Ozy Media has been the center of a variety of scandals relating to the validity of their business practices and claims. The digital entertainment company was founded in 2013 by Samir Rao. The aim of Ozy media was to cover trends and topics in entertainment that were both appealing to a young adult demographic, as well as new and fresh in terms of coverage. Their varied programming includes podcasts, digital courses, and some Emmy Award-winning TV shows. Though, it was not their content that landed them in hot water, but rather false claims to investors that garnered financial support under false pretenses. It was a series of articles by The New York Times that began with reporting that Rao was falsely claiming to be a YouTube executive. His impersonation was meant to convince investors that Ozy media was very successful on YouTube, having a wide, dedicated fanbase on the platform.
This was followed by false claims made by Ozy’s co-founder and producer for The Carlos Watson Show; Carlos Watson claimed that the show was scheduled to air on A&E, when in fact, no such agreement has ever been made by the network. After that, a 2019 interview with Watson resurfaced, where he had claimed that celebrities, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, were investors in Ozy Media. Another lie that was publicly debunked by the Osbourne family as reported by CNBC. What could be described as a slow-motion car crash eventually caused Ozy’s investors, including one of their chairmen, Marc Lasry, as well as key investor, SV Angel, to give up their shares and step away from the company. BBC anchor, Katty Kay, who had worked for Ozy for the last year had also decided to resign.
“Calling Ozy Media a Dumpster Fire is an Insult to Dumpsters and Fires”
Colby Hall- Mediaite Founding Editor
With the number of reports regarding Ozy’s deception stacking up, both the Securities Exchange Commission and Department of Justice have began investigating for more instances of Fraud. What they uncover could potentially lead to criminal charges. In the meantime, this is an important reminder that nothing ruins the truth like stretching it. Ozy Media was more focused on the perception of success, rather than taking the steps to achieve it. The amount of time that was spent fabricating the lies making Ozy Media seem popular among their demographic, could have actually been spent doing market research to understand the audience that they claimed to have.
People Magazine was a success within 18 months of its inception. Despite the fact that many people wrote it off as an illegitimate gossip column, it has only grown in popularity. They were one of the first publications to cover celebrities in America and have expanded on that idea ever since.
The popular publication has undergone multiple ownership changes over the years. People’s publisher, a company called Meredith, is in the process of being acquired by digital media company Dotdash for 2.7 billion dollars. The result of this merger will be a new media powerhouse. Unifying these two companies seems to be a no brainer to many, as each has what the other lacks. Meredith has great magazine content and readership and Dotdash has the ability to make it widely available in a digital space.
Many people may be familiar with Dotdash, they are a sub division of the company that runs applications like Tinder. After this acquisition, they will have more than 50 publications. Some examples of these are Better Home & Gardens, Real Simple, and Southern Living. Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel claims that this new merger will result in a major challenge from a digital advertising perspective to big names like Facebook and Google.
Although Vogel seems to think the two companies can unite harmoniously, many wonder if the same readers interested in Dotdash’s usual thought provoking content will be as fascinated by the tabloid style writing in People. This, coupled with the fact that Dotdash is not familiar with the level of print circulation that is required to keep People afloat, has lead many to raise an eyebrow.
How two of YouTube’s most popular content creators are utilizing their massive fanbase to clean up the ocean.
While most influencers with over a million followers may be trying to sell makeup or weightless shakes, two of YouTube’s most influential creators, Mark Rober (20.3 million subscribers) and Mr. Beast (74.1 million subscribers) are calling upon their viewers to aid in a mission to remove 30 million pounds of garbage from the ocean by the new year. This global campaign, named #TeamSeas, was launched on October 29th, with the promise to remove one pound of trash from the ocean for every one dollar that was donated to the campaign. As of now, they have amassed over $15 million in donations. Barely a couple weeks in, #TeamSeas is already halfway to their goal. So how did they do it? Well, let’s start with who these two guys actually are.
Shown Left: Mr. Beast – Right Mark Rober
Mr. Beast (real name, Jimmy Donaldson) runs a YouTube channel that center on expensive stunts. Some of his most popular uploads titled, “Tipping Pizza Delivery Guys $10,000”, “I Put 100 Million Orbeez In My Friend’s Backyard”, and “I Gave A Homeless Man A Home”. With most of his subscribers being under the age of 18, his content has been considered a positive influence on Gen Z. He is one of the highest paid YouTubers to date, and his ongoing donations to various people and charities has coined him the title of “YouTube’s biggest philanthropist”. Mark Rober, is also a very successful humanitarian. He is a former engineer of NASA, that now spends his time making videos related to science and inventing. His entertaining yet educational videos are wildly popular, with some of the most viewed including, “Glitter Bomb vs Porch Pirates”, “Backyard Squirrel Maze”, and “World’s Largest Jello Pool”.
Video: Glitter Bomb vs Porch Pirates
Rober and Mr. Beast are no strangers to charity, in fact, this isn’t even their first rodeo together. Back in 2020, they launched a similar campaign to raise $20 million to plant 20 million trees. With the success of #TeamTrees, they decided set a higher goal for #TeamSeas. These are the ways in which they spread awareness so efficiently. First, they teamed up with over a hundred influential YouTubers. #TeamSeas is not only backed by famous creators that include Hank Green, Physics Girl, MKBHD, Colin and Samir, and Safiya Nygaard, but every creator has made their own video, in their own signature style, to raise awareness for the campaign. Rober and Mr. Beast have also partnered with The Ocean Cleanup, where half of the donations will be allocated to. Rober featured their non-profit in his campaign’s announcement video titled, “This Robot Eats Trash”, to show off the company’s invention called, FRED, a solar-powered, semi-autonomous marine robot capable of collecting marine plastic pollution without the need for fossil fuels or a human crew. It can optimized to clean trash from any type of water, and #TeamSeas are hoping the success of their campaign will also bring these inventions to the forefront of environmental activism.
FRED
If you’d like to donate to the cause, visit teamseas.org.
Aaron Rodgers is one of the best players that the NFL has to offer, and a large aspect of the 2021 season has been COVID-19 and all of the rules, issues, and debates that come along with it. In this instance, all of these topics collide, as Aaron Rodgers contracted COVID-19 and was unvaccinated, but in August he gave the impression that he was vaccinated, which caused a roar. Many people are ridiculing him for this occurrence, which caused him to lash out on the NFL, the media, and “cancel culture.” In August, when asked about the vaccine, he claimed that he was “Immunized,” and would not judge teammates who did not receive the vaccine, which many took as the implication that he was vaccinated. He received homeopathic treatment from a doctor in the offseason and says he is allergic to an ingredient in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and did not get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of issues with blood clots. In his efforts to defend himself this week, he called out the NFL for “draconian measures” in their philosophies with the COVID-19 cases, as well as media for trying to “cancel him” in light of this controversy and other statements he has made in the past. His choice of wording in August was very technical and the media took it as he was vaccinated, but he was not, and is now not happy with the media trying to accuse him of lying and people trying to “cancel” him for not getting the vaccine, when that is deemed by many as the right thing to do for society.
Aaron Rodgers is a very smart, outspoken individual, in many cases, and this occasion is very interesting. He has an issue with the media for scorning him because of decision to not get the vaccine, as some have called him selfish or deem him to not being doing the “right thing,” by society’s standards. He also has an issue with the ridicule from the media for lying about getting the vaccine, but technically, he did not lie, he just chose his words carefully. Although he did give off the impression he was vaccinated, it is not safe to assume, which as a member of the media, there is an argument they should have not falsely reported or believed he was vaccinated. On the other hand, the media could have an issue with Rodgers because of this false impression, in which he could now lose his credibility with the media and they could no longer trust him with other statements he makes in the future. Rodgers has been accused of being sensitive in the past, which could be pointed out in this case, as he tries to defend himself against the “woke mob” and has put out many claims to defend himself for not getting vaccine. Although, not many people in media or on social media platforms are trying to cancel him, they are just ridiculing him for his loose wording and false impressions he made, as well as his choice to not get the vaccine. Overall, I understand some of Rodgers’ frustration because he technically never said he was vaccinated, but somebody with his proven intelligence should know the implication he gave off and how it may backfire if he were to get into a sticky situation like this. In reality, this will likely be brushed off into past news as the NFL season gears up for a playoff run, but Rodgers and the media both lost trust in each other in future encounters.
Current Issues In Media Management 