An occasional collection of items from mass media news.
That’s the Ticket!
Here’s an idea: rather than pay the same movie ticket price for an small independent film as you do for a blockbuster, why not pay based on the likely demand? Ticket prices would be set based on cost of production and the anticipated demand for the product, like any other commodity. That’s the idea in this article by James N. Markels at the liberal America’s Future Foundation site, Brainwash. I’m sure Edward J. Epstein or some other smart student of Hollywood’s finances might be able to explain the pros and cons of such an idea, but Markels seems to be onto something.
My, How You’ve Shrunk!
Amid fears that the movie box office has shrunk this year comes this fascinating analysis demonstrating that audiences for all media are shrinking. Writing in the Lincoln, Nebraska, Journal Star, l. Kent Wolgamott reports that, “the mass audience in the United States is splintering and dividing into ever more specialized and personalized niches.” This doesn’t bode well for the uniting effect of a common culture.
The Church of iPod Choice
Speaking of niches, this article from Focus on the Family’s Plugged-In magazine, discusses the possibility that the technology of downloadable choices feeds the mentality that we can avoid the committment to the whole “album,” i.e., orthodox faith, and just pick and choose the doctrines we like. This text version of the piece is thought-provoking– does technology shape the way we think about the content of our faith?
