Colloquium Abstracts

Abstracts from the four presenters at the inaugural APW mass media colloquium, June 5, 2010.

Impact of the Extension’s Soybean Podcast Alerts: A Case Study, by Rebecca Norman.

Since 2004, podcasts have steadily emerged as valuable communication tools in both industry and academia. As an educational provider to the agricultural community, the Cooperative Extension Service (the Extension) strives to stay on the forefront of new communication technology. In 2009, the Communications department of the Arkansas Extension developed a series of video podcast alerts for Arkansas soybean producers. These podcast alerts were intended to alert producers of potential weed and disease problems during the soybean growing season. A correlated case study survey was conducted with members of three participant groups to assess the impact of the podcast alerts from the perspective of each group and to determine opportunities for improvement in future podcast alerts. Case study interviews were conducted in one-on-one interview sessions using a digital voice recorder. Participant groups included: 1) four Extension specialists, 2) six Extension county agents, and 3) five Arkansas soybean producers. The goals of this case study were to determine how well the podcast information was disseminated and applied into practice among the soybean producer participants. Case study survey findings suggested that the podcasts contained valuable information for producers during the growing season, but that the podcasts were not timely enough to impact most producers’ farming practices. The Extension specialist participants offered the following suggestions for enhancing future podcasts: 1) reducing podcast length, 2) increasing availability of video podcast equipment, 3) implementing a standardized format to be used by featured podcast speakers, 4) creating an online image library, and 5) increasing the amount of support from video podcast equipment experts. These suggested practices would improve the efficiency and quality of the Extension’s future podcasts alerts, thereby increasing their value for soybean producers. Findings from this case study may provide guidance for organizations that are interested in incorporating podcasts among their communication tools.

The Revival: The “New” Arkansas State Press, 1984-1988, by Rachel Grant

Historically, the Black press served as a voice to its community, but after the heat of the Civil Rights died down many publications struggled to find their purpose.  As a result of the equality it fought for the Black press declined after the 1970s. Despite the recent media trend in 1984, Daisy Bates reopened the Arkansas State Press after a 25-year absence. Since 1941, Bates and her husband, L.C., were the owners of the weekly State Press until 1959 when it suffered a backlash from the White community. Because of their involvement with the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School and being mentors to the nine black students known as the “Little Rock Nine,” White businesses stopped advertising in the newspaper. The purpose of the study was to analyze how the Arkansas State Press survived through the steady decline of the Black press. The study questioned whether the paper continued the tradition of the black press or moved in a different direction. All issues from April 1984 to January 1988 were studied. Findings revealed that Bates continued to covering racially-driven issues and news. The publication developed its own form style by using the term “Afro-American” instead of “Black.” The State Press followed the layout and format of regular White daily newspapers, for example, the publication had a classifieds and sport section. Also, the publication covered national and local news. Overall, it seemed that the Arkansas State Press wanted to be the only newspaper a Black Arkansan would need.

Our Democratic Faith: The Arkansas Gazette’s Coverage of the Dixiecrat Revolt in 1948, by Doc Harper

New editor Harry Ashmore came to the Arkansas Gazette at the dawn of the civil rights movement.  The first major event of his tenure was the 1948 presidential election.  This was different than most elections in the Solid South because many Southern Democrats broke away from the national party because of anger over a platform that included civil rights.  The Southerners that revolted formed the “Dixiecrats” and campaigned to have every Southern state support them in the national election instead of incumbent Democrat Harry Truman.  The fate of Arkansas’ support was undecided, so the framing of the election by the Gazette would have some influence on the ways Arkansas voters perceived the people and events of the election. It is also possible that this coverage provided a foundation for stances Ashmore and the Gazette took when other civil rights issues would arise in later years, most notably in the famous pro-integration editorials during the 1957 Central High crisis.

Promoting the Frontier: The First Years of the Arkansas Gazette, 1819-1821, by Kathryn Heller

This study explores the first two years of the Arkansas Gazette from November 1819 to late 1821 while it was published at Arkansas Post. It examines how Woodruff promoted the new territory through his newspaper, how he acted as a leader in his community, and what content he provided his readers.  William Woodruff printed the first edition of the first paper in Arkansas territory on November 20, 1819. The Arkansas Gazette was in production years before any conventional intracontinental communication methods, including the Pony Express and the telegraph. After leaving the east for a new frontier and transporting his second-hand printing equipment by crude methods, Woodruff set out to take advantage of a new territory without a newspaper called Arkansas. Most historical counts of the Arkansas Gazette focus solely on Woodruff and what his first edition contained; they also cite content that typical frontier newspapers printed. This study will examine Woodruff’s first two years of newspapering for information on how he presented the newspaper and Arkansas Territory.  The findings are examined in the context of other historical accounts of Woodruff and his career as a business person and newspaper publisher.