NBA Markets Competition

   It was an ordinary evening watching the NBA playoffs accompanied by the usual banter concerning who the best basketball player is and whether they will make it to the finals or not. The conversation shifted as someone mentioned the full partnership between the NBA and ESPN as the reason that the networks have control over what days the playoffs take place. Questions of whether or not the playoffs are altogether set-up filled the room changing the atmosphere from calm to edgy and showed the energy many students have invested in this sport.

   Many of these questions included the marketing strategy that appears to be used by the NBA in many advertisements in order to capitalize on the competition of Kobe Bryant of the Las Angeles Lakers against LeBron James of the Cleveland Caviliers.

   “You hear people talking about it all over the media,” said Mark C. Guzman, a WSU student and NBA fan. “It’s almost like the WWE because they are trying to set up the most marketable match-up.”

   Advertisements by Vitamin Water and Nike have also been focused on Kobe and LeBron using their pseudo-rivalry as the focal point.

   Dream Season: 23 & 24, a film that dictates the possible contact of Kobe and LeBron in a future championship, has been consistently promoted by the NBA. Even Dwight Howard explained on his blog the frustration he has with referees and constant publicity for Kobe and LeBron.     

   “Every time I look at TV, it seems like that’s all anybody is talking about,” said Howard. “I’m not going to lie – I’m frustrated with the calls that we’ve gotten in this series, but I can’t let it take me away from my focus.”

   Though the possibility of a Kobe-LeBron final series magically disappeared on Saturday night, bad calls throughout the playoffs have become even more of a signal that things are skewed in the NBA.     

   Anthony M. Balingit, a WSU student and NBA fan, finds it hard to believe that the playoffs are rigged, but noted that the officials have been making some very controversial calls lately.

   “The refs are trying to protect LeBron,” Balingit said. “It’s ridiculous when he only gets one or two fouls a game when he is the second best defensive player this year. That just doesn’t add up in my mind.”

   Ex-referee Tim Donaghy, who claimed that the 2002 and 2005 playoffs were rigged and that the NBA encourages bogus fouls, brought forth statements that caused questions to be raised about the association. Though Donaghy was allegedly at the center of a gambling scandal his testimony on the issue makes people wonder whether more NBA officials are setting up teams for a full seven game series and a close game. 

   Andrew A. Donabauer, a WSU student and NBA fan, believes that there is no way that the playoffs or finals were set-up.

   “There are too many eyes on the NBA for a conspiracy like that to take place,” said Donabauer. “It’s also hard to believe every referee out there is purposely giving bad calls.” 

   Stiff competition between Kobe and LeBron however may be the reason that the media is trying to capitalize on such a relationship as what was done at the 2009 NBA Dunk Contest.

   The contest is another event that many fans have also had suspicions about as even the costume designs with Superman for Dwight Howard and a green New York Knicks outfit for Nate Robinson thus making “Krypto-Nate” symbolizing superman’s weakness. Not only were there two other, almost unknown, participants in the contest, but no publicity was given to their actions as compared to the competition that was played up between the superhero and his nemesis. 

Feeding the Beast

The beast is a term used in the movie to represent the constant cyclone of news that is being fed to the public. In other terms the beast is the information that is being sought by people all over the world. Because people are constantly searching for more information the media must keep up with current information and present it to the public for consumption. In doing this the so called "beast" is fed, as long as the truth is presented. 

Some compromises that might be found in production for the 24-hour news cycle are the switch from one story to another dependent on many different factors. What may be relevant one minute may be completely obsolete the next so in order to adapt to this compromises have to be made. 

Special Leads

CONTRAST

http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/22/technology/lashinsky_palm.fortune/index.htm?

postversion=2009052604

NARRATIVE

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30946143/

Old Housing Annoys Students

   Students looking for housing in Pullman are having a hard time finding a good deal as many apartment complexes and homes are suffering from years of mistreatment and lack of maintenance.

   Usually settling for a good location many students have resorted to renting housing that could possibly be a risk to them. The majority of houses located close to campus are substantially older than many of the other housing developments located around Pullman.

   Peter J. Ludwig, a WSU student, recently experienced a fire within his rented unit on Spalding St., which may have started due to outdated electrical wiring within the walls.

   “The fire chief was really ambiguous when we asked him what started the fire,” Ludwig said. “I don’t know if he was trying to cover something up or just to keep things simple, but he did say something about the electrical wires and that it started 30 minutes before we noticed. He said it was lucky the whole place didn’t go up in flames.”

   He also stated that the incident made him upset because of previous problems concerning his apartment and getting outlets in his kitchen fixed by DRA Real Estate.

   College students, and 25 years of extreme weather patterns are likely the contributing factors to the dilapidation of these properties and the reason they must be inspected for safety.

   Barbie A. Wilson, a DRA Real Estate employee, explained that certified maintenance man is hired to check their units for any problems.

   “We have our units inspected every semester,” she said.

 

   Maintenance work however, that many students request to be done to their rentals, never seems to get done according to many who have held a lease in Pullman.

   Casey R. Reeves, a WSU student, tried to have his porch fixed by property management, shortly after moving in, because it was falling apart. Spending no more than 10 to 15 minutes working on the porch the workers left without a word.

   “I was confused because all they did was nail a few boards underneath it,” Reeves said. “ I thought they were going to come back and actually fix it, but they never did.”

   Lack of repair to rentals have also made students question the amount of money being paid for rent and whether they are paying too much as compared to housing in other regions.

   According to Chapter Six of the Comprehensive Plan for Pullman City, the housing market has drastically changed over the years due to an oversupply of housing stock in the 1980s, resulting in relatively low costs. After population increased in subsequent years the housing supply was absorbed causing prices to rise and in turn aggravating students who already are struggling to pay for college.

   Though students have had trouble from time to time with Pullman rental agencies, many regard the policies that these companies hold as fairly lenient. Allowing for late rent payments and not charging an extra fee is one of the reasons that students have remained neutral about the service that they receive from these companies.           

   Sam K. Funsinn, a WSU student, lived in the Emerald Downs apartment complex last semester and described his experience with their services.

  “I paid my rent late every single month and didn’t get charged at all for it,” Funsinn said. “That was great except for everything that kept falling apart in our townhouse that never got fixed.”

   Finding it hard to rent prime real estate in Pullman many students put up with living in an older house or apartment because it is what’s available and within walking distance of WSU. 

 

Summary News Lead

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=7624170

Story Pitches

Dear Editor,

Living in Pullman is becoming more and more expensive every year and with the current economic status it is probably only going to get worse. The current price for housing in Pullman is hard for many students as the amount of people seeking housing is very large. Most of the property's are owned by either Dabco, DRA, Helenes and Highland and can charge competitive rates as they own a vast amount apartment complexes as well as houses. What is interesting is the condition of many of the houses that are rented out to students.

 

A house near where I live recently had an electrical fire within it's wall and almost caught a kid by surprise as he was sleeping. Looking at the many houses owned by these companies I question the integrity, condition, and safety that is provided, given the age of many of these properties, as well as the amount of rent that is charged by these property owners. Are students and other's who rent from these agencies getting swindled? I believe further investigation and reporting on this issue would enlighten many about the current conditions surrounding a large portion of Pullman residents. 

Sources: -The Property Owners- -Student Renters- -Other Renters- -

Dear Editor,

A recent dilemma has occurred in my mind concerning the battle between whether the dunes or the cliffs are a better place to spend a hot summer day in Pullman. Some may argue one way and some another but there is quite a bit of evidence supporting both as the the best. 

Knowing many individuals who enjoy attending events at these secluded locations I was thinking that reporting on this issue would be influential to students trying to find the best possible place to spend their hot summer days. I would plan on reporting the differences and commonalities as well as the opinions from both sides of the fence.

Sources: -Dunes Student- -Cliffs Student- -Personal Experience (for description purpose only)-

Dear Editor,

Finding parking in and around school is relatively difficult even if you have a pass to one of the lots. Many students do not live within walking distance and some do not even live near a bus stop. Tickets for parking in a lot that you do not have a pass for usually runs you around $20 which in turn  can really ruin your day. Parking at the library or the CUE is also expensive as a 15 minute expenditure can cost you 50 cents. 

Residential roads as well as apartment complexes also suffer from overcrowding and most likely contribute to a large proportion of the accidents that happen here in Pullman. 

Understanding that there is a lack of parking space for such a large school I was going to write about the conflict and what has been done and is being done to "curb" this issue. 

Sources: -WSU Parking- -Students- -Pullman Residents suffering from same issue- 

Drudge Report, CNN, MSNBC: Comparing and Contrasting Agenda and Style

Comparing and contrasting the Drudge Report, CNN, and MSNBC it is easy to see the differences between each websites agenda or "news judgement" and their overall style. CNN and MSNBC shared a main headline, as of today, concerning Obama and the release of detainee photos from prisoners in Iraq and in Afghanistan. However on the Drudge Report I could not find any article referring to this supposed "top story" as on CNN and MSNBC. Although all of these sites had reporting on the Hubble space telescope and the recent Craigslist fiasco with 'erotic service' advertisements it seems that MSNBC and CNN seem to outline more news with a democratic twist as the Drudge seemed more along a conservative line of thought. When addressing whether these sites were fair and balanced in their news it was fairly easy to see that each one was biased in some way or another. It is hard to find any news material that is truly neutral in its stance, but MSNBC seemed to have a wider variety of news that was not as objectively chosen as the other two websites. Personally I enjoy reading the Drudge Report as it is laid out so that that I have easy access to every story on one page and I don't have to scroll very far to get new information. Convenience is nice when I am trying to look for new information and the Drudge Report compared to CNN and MSNBC is less technical and not as flashy. Overall these websites are also quite similar in that they would most likely post very important news, but are also selective when it comes to what makes the top stories as well as the headlines to those stories.  

Texaco/Chevron and Ecuador

Reviewing the video's on the recent events taking place in Ecuador it is not hard to see that they are somewhat biased in one direction or another. Looking at the CBS report, which put's the Chevron/Texaco Corp. in a negative light, the damages done to the environment seem to be very serious and dangerous to the lives of many within the region. With a continued lawsuit against Texaco filed in 2001, for its previous practices in Ecuador, the stance that CBS follows is more in line with the environmentalists and those who are suffering from the pollution caused by harvesting oil. In line with the traditional style of journalism the CBS report does present both sides of the issue as they interviewed both members of the plaintiff group as well as those defending. Though the Chevron manager was made to look  rattled during the interview questions CBS still addressed both sides of the issue and worked towards a more neutral stance consistent with traditional journalism. When looking at the video response that was put forth by Chevron only one viewpoint is shown, and all evidence given is inconclusive. This video was meant to look as if it was actually informative and balanced, yet it was advocating Chevron's side of the story through it's bias interviews of Chevron's consultants as well as evidence about the conditions in Ecuador. I believe that each of these video's are biased in one direction or another, yet Chevron's response video is not news, but rather a viewpoint on the issue.