Want to earn one credit?

• Be a deejay
• Announce sporting events
• Anchor TV news
• Write for the newspaper
• Write for the magazine
• Make a movie
• Work on the yearbook
• Be a talkshow host
• Produce a TV show
• Create a Web site

Arrendale Library

The Department of Mass Communications at Piedmont College provides a foundation based on professional, ethical, and global perspectives of the study of communication media and related industries.

A primary focus of our mission is the study of current trends in news, business, and marketing aspects of the operation and execution of various media enterprises. The following references constitute only a representative sample of the many sources our faculty rely on expose students to the most media up-to-date information.

It is estimated that approximately one-third of the audience receives a majority of its news and information from the Internet.

Listed here are some of the most used Web sites in various content areas:

General News Sources; Newspaper Related Sites; Magazine Related Sites: Media Industry Sites; Broadcast Rating and Audience Data Collection Sites; Adverstising and Public Relations Sites; Entertainment Related Sites; Major Radio and Television Web Sites; Streaming Radio Web Sites; Ethics and Philosophical Issues of Journalism Sites; Major Federal Regulatory Sites; and Aids for Preparing to Write Research Papers.

These are some of the most popular sources of general news. The list includes broadcast related sites (CNN and Fox), international services (British Broadcasting Corporation and Reuters), and a domestic news service (Associated Press)

http://www.cnn.com
http://www.foxnews.com
http://www.reuters.com
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://ap.tbo.com/ap

Virtually all U.S. daily newspapers and the majority of weeklies have an Internet service. Listed here are some of the most popular newspaper owned sites.

http://www.nytimes.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com

http://www.ajc.com (The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

http://www.latimes.com

http://www.usatoday.com

http://www.timesonline.co.uk (The Times of London)

http://english.pravda.ru (English language version of Pravda, Moscow)

http://www.ipl.org The Internet Public Library offers links to newspapers and broadcast stations around the globe.

Like newspaper, most major magazines have an associated Web site.

http://www.newyorker.com

http://www.sciam.com (Scientific American)

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream

http://www.nationalgeographic.com

http://www.forbes.com

http://www.canadianbusiness.com

Many of the major media trade associations maintain Web sites that provide current information about the state of their industries. Some of these sites are available only to members, but a number can be accessed by the general public. Here are listed some of the major sites available for students and researchers as well as members of the individual industries they serve.

http://www.tvb.org The Television Bureau of Advertising (TvB) provides information about local station advertising sales and marketing procedures.

http://www.magazine.org The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) is the primary trade association for the consumer magazine industry and provides in depth data about all phases of the magazine industry.

http://www.nna.org The National Newspaper Association (NAA) provides advertisers and the industry with information about the marketing and advertising features of the newspaper industry.

http://www.oaaa.org The outdoor industry is represented by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) which is both a research and lobbying organization for the outdoor industry.

http://www.rab.com The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) serves all aspects of the marketing and business functions of the radio industry.

http://www.nielsenmedia.com Nielsen Media is the major research organization for television ratings. These include overall household ratings for both networks and local stations as well as a number of specialized reports including those for minority and ethnic populations.

http://www.arbitron.com Arbitron is the primary organization that collects radio ratings and other marketing information.

http://www.accessabc.com The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is the largest company gathering print media audience information from newspapers, magazines, farm journals, and business publications.

http://www.riaa.org The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) provides complete information about the recording industry including latest sales data and legal challenges to on-line music controversies.

http://www.mpaa.org The Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) is the primary group representing all phases of the motion picture industry.

http://www.adage.com Adweek magazine is a leading publication reporting on all areas of advertising and marketing.

http://www.adweek.com Advertising Age covers the advertising industry including articles on international marketing and creativity.

http://www.the-dma.org The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) provides information about direct response, Internet, and other forms of direct response advertising.

http://www.clickz.com The Click Network provides information about Internet and interactive marketing and advertising.

http://www.prsa.org The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the largest organization of public relations professions and its Web site offers extensive information about industry trends.

http://www.prmuseum.com The Public Relations Museum provides extensive information about the history and early leaders of the field.

http://www.cnn.com CNN Entertainment provides information concerning all phases of the entertainment business including television, movies, and recordings.

http://www.hollywood.com Hollywood.com covers all phases of the contemporary motion picture industry.

http://www.variety.com Variety is one of the oldest sources of information about the entertainment industry.

http://www.cbsnews.com The CBS News site offers up-to-date information concerning breaking news as well as information about upcoming news programming and personalities.

http://www.c-span.org This web site is an extension of the not-for-profit C-Span cable service that offers in-depth coverage of news, politics, the arts, and contemporary literature.

http://www.npr.org National Public Radio (NPR) was founded in 1970 as a non-profit organization to provide programming to a network of non-commercial radio stations. The NPR Web site offers news and commentary on a host of issues of public interest.

http://wsbradio.com WSB radio in Atlanta is an example of a number of radio stations that provide breaking news as well as streaming audio of current programming.

http://www.radio-locator.com This Web site locates on-line music services by location and musical format.

http://www.radio-locator.com/

http://www.freedomforum.org The Freedom Forum is a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the journalism profession. The site offers information about First Amendment issues.

http://www.aim.org Accuracy in Media offers critiques the performance of the news media.

http://www.spj.org/resources_main.asp The Society of Professional Journalists is one of the leading organization of profession news persons. Its site offers resources concerning journalism ethics and newsroom diversity.

http://www.rcfp.org The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press site offers court decisions and other information relating to a free press.

http://www.fcc.gov The federal Communications Commission has responsibility for oversight of the nation’s broadcast industry. The FCC site contains a abundance of information concerning contemporary broadcasting and future trends.

http://www.ftc.gov The federal Trade Commission enforces the laws and regulations governing interstate business practices including advertising, telemarketing, and consumer protection.

http://www.fda.gov The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides oversight of the labeling, promotion, and marketing of drugs and medical remedies.

Clear, concise, and well-documented writing is the hallmark of all journalists. The mass communications program at Piedmont emphasizes writing as an essential skill for all our majors. Listed here are three references to aid in the preparation of research papers and other writing assignments. Please note that none of these web sites should be considered a substitute for the style booklets produced by these organizations.

THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION

http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml This web site was prepared by Professor Arthus C. Banks of Capital Community College. It provides information about the preparation and documentation of papers according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) standards.

THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html A second leading style source is the American Psychological Association (APA). Since more and more information is coming from Internet sources, this site offers valuable information about the use of electronic sources in the preparation of research papers.

http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/apa_index.htm This web site, prepared by members of the humanities faculty at Capital Community College, offers insights into the use of the APA style format.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Many news organizations follow the Associated Press style in the preparation of stories. Below are two site that offer information about this writing format.

http://www.longleaf.net/newsroom101/ Prof. Gerald Grow of Florida A&M University and Ron Hartung of the Tallahassee Democrat have prepared a number of exercises using the Associated Press style that can be valuable guides for both students and professional news writers.

http://www.usu.edu/communic/faculty/sweeney/ap.htm This site, prepared by Dr. Michael S. Sweeney at Utah State University, introduces some of the primary questions of writing style addressed by the Associated Press.