People Magazine, one of the most well-known and most read "store-houses'" in today's magazine industry, makes a strong attempt to interest the female demographic. However, going further into it and targeting a much more narrow margin of that female audience, People Magazine aims for the 25-50 age range of the female demographic which is rather large. Statistically speaking, People Magazine had a circulation of 3.73 million and its revenue is topped $1.5 billion this as of 2006(Variety). It also reeled in approximately 13.5 million people according to Wikipedia making it incredibly successful.

The new issue of People Magazine, entails the "Triumph &Tragedy" of the late Whitney Houston.(1963-2012) Further investigation throughout the magazine reveals many advertisements. Clinique moisturizing lotion, Olay and Covergirl makeup, Dawn hand renewal, and certain dental products such as Colgate and Trident gum. One specific advertisement caught me off guard, that being Sun Chips. However, the ad reads "I like eating a little bit better. I also like eating a lot bit deliciouser". It suggests a healthy and delicious snack for women who may be dieting or watching their weight on the most minuscule of levels without deterring from eating a healthy snack. What proves this to be a woman's magazine in one certain demographic as an advertisement for Always Infinity Pads. Yeah...that explains alot.

People Magazine is renowned for delivering celebrity news and relaying a certain status for A-list celebrities all the way to those who've lost their fame. Certain examples include a plethora of female celebs, ranging from Rihanna to Nikki Minaj, showing off their apparel at the 2012 Grammys.

Many articles consist of celebrity jargon and hoo-ha. Brangelina at the Berlin Film festival, Jennifer Anniston's 43rd Birthday party which consisted of charitable donations rather then gifts for herself, and a full-page article about ARICEPT, a medicine for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease with a free trial to assist in its advertisement. Due to the recent tragedy of Whitney Houston, excerpts of articles and pictures were used in the edition of People Magazine to further honor the Queen of Pop's life.

People Magazine is a prime example of  pass-along circulation which means that several or more people other than the subscriber or buyer read it. Most magazines fall under this definition but what separates People Magazine apart is that its demographic is so big and the fact that it doesn't necessarily segment a specific audience, its circulation is wide-ranging.

Michael Winerip wrote of People Magazine stating that "Most celebrity coverage skews young, but People has attained something unusual, attracting the young (18- to-34-year-olds are its biggest constituency, 38 percent of readership) while holding on to aging boomers (45 to 59 are second, 28 percent of readership).
The main demographic of readers is 70% percent of female with the median age of readers being 38. 80% of readers however are college students with 66% of readers being employed. A interesting fact to is that 42% of readers have at least one child in their household which is ironic because if you read towards the end of the magazine, you notice two ads for Johnson's baby lotion and Luvs heavy duty diapers, along with a brief article of Blue Ivy, the newborn child of pop-artist Beyonce and Rapper/Entrepreneur Jay-Z.

People Magazine, though successful and incredibly well-known, is not discrete about its target audience nor its demographic strategy. It's targeting style is far from subtle but hey, it's working for them and if its far from broke, then why fix it? Through specific statistics and factual evidence, the hypothesis announced at the beginning of the blog is right on target, as People Magazine becomes world renown for women of all demographics and will continue to do so, for years to come.

SPE/WRI 212-010 MASS COMM

SPE/WRI 212 MASS COMM BLOG #3

Dante Moyer SPE 212 010

I chose a similar topic between CNN and Al-Jazeera on the city of Homs in Syria and ultimately the entire conflict or "war" in Syria as a whole. I read Aljazeera first at first, it was somewhat tricky to understand or comprehend where the story was going and the format they were using to relay the story to its readers. It seemed almost as if it was an amatuer writer or editor constructing the story whereas in CNN's version of the story, I was interested in finding out more of the situation in the Middle East involving Syria. CNN gave a more in-debth coverage of the story whereas Aljazeera, did not. I'm not necessarily bashing Aljazeera but it would not be my first choice to find and consume information. CNN however fed details and facts that increased my intrigue for the story.

Basically, Syria has been in a civil conflict or "war" (whichever you prefer) for roughly 11 months. The United Nations has yet to come to a full or complete agreement on a resolution to solve the issues at hand in Syria and therefore, make this conflict much more intriguing. While reading most of the article from each source, I noticed no political or international bias whatsoever which made them, in my point of view or persepctive, credible sources regardless of how good their stories were and how well they did relay there information to the world.

Through information learned in class, such as "Al-Jazeera dwarfing FOX and CNN with 40 million viewers" and "giving a broad, Arab version of news rather than out of one single country such as just Syria, I do notice the controversy in terms of viewers from the West. To reiterate, I noticed no bias, neither political nor international until the last paragraph or excerpt of each article. CNN ended with this quote.

         
        "If there is military intervention, then yes, there will be a lot of bloodshed. But it's going to be over a lot quicker," one young activist said. "If there isn't military intervention, there is going to be even more bloodshed, and it's going to take a lot longer to bring down the regime."

Al-Jazeera ended with certain sources from Russian, Chinese, and French officials promoting a non-violent excursion into the Syrian conflict. A Western source, the British foreign secretary William Hague, said any peacekeepers should come from non-Western nations.

Al-Jazeera has an unclear message stating that they feel their should be no violence or action, especially from the Western world whereas CNN, unclearly disagrees and suggests that action, militarily if necessary, should be issued for the greater good.

Technically speaking, both are similar news articles with just dissimilar perspectives. It is a bit ironic how both articles were un-biased through the entire story until the last paragraph or excerpt. I'm not sure if other people noticed that in particular but I saw it clear as day. However, I would consider them credible sources nonetheless. The stories were accurate and precise. They gave the information in a specific manner and both gave a clear coverage of the conflict. Ultimately, I suppose everyone, including stories have a bias. Some are just easier to comprehend and pick up rather then others.

Blog 1 - SPE 210 Persuasive Speaking

"A means of persuading someone to do or believe something; an argument or inducement." (Dictionary.com) Persuasion is a tool for everyday life. From Sunrise to sunset, the practice and usage of persuasion is common in every and all aspects of life in which you encounter. Persuasion is such a simple communication technique although, persuasion can be used for the most complex and sophisticated situations with an size audience. But what exactly is persuasion? What does it entail exactly and what is its primary need for communication in intrapersonal and interpersonal communication?

Persuasion is basically to have everyone, whether coercing or simply stating the facts, believe your opinion or your side of the story. Whether your opinion has facts to back it up or not, even the best public speakers sway any audience who may be unwary and not question the speaker and his statement. To handle persuasion, as I have said time and time again, you must take everything you hear with a grain of salt. Understand  that every idea you've ever heard, every radio broadcast you've ever encountered, any television show or movie you have ever witnessed are all an opinion on any certain topic that must be taken lightly. It sends a message which you may or may not agree with. But you must use your own opinion, your own facts, and your own perception and incorporate a message thoroughly. Most people do not understand this method which makes persuasion infamous and sometimes and evil commodity.

Persuasion differs between people completely. Although the definition is universal and remains the same for all people, to persuade is more effective for some people more so than others. Communication skills which have been enhanced through education and experience help others get a leg up compared to others. To reiterate as well, we have been using this concept at a very young age so needless to say, we all have are feet wet and know how to methodically get what we want through our persuasive tactic.

Most arguments we encounter and involve ourselves in issue some sort of opinion. Now whether we agree with that opinion or not is where we persuade others to see our view through evidence or sheer strength in our voice. When an argument or situation has a serious issue which is much more personal than others, you have reached and progressed to another level. Some arguments may have your emotions get the better of you or a stubborn attitude may sneak in to the point where your credibility in the argument is tarnished, following ultimately, into a losing conversation of your opinion.

Persuasion is an invaluable tool which is used each and everyday. Imagine the possibilities if you were to use reasoning and logic to basically get what you want. To have people see it your way. Looking back throughout history, many people have persuaded for the betterment along with the suppression of mankind. It is a powerful tool and technique which must not be taken lightly, but can serve for the greater good for generations to come.

First blog of many.