Mass Comm Week to showcase changes in media industry

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
October 20, 2009

The annual Mass Comm Week at Texas State University-San Marcos will be Oct. 19-22 at both the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses.

The annual event, which is free to the public, is presented by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State. Mass Comm Week will address how the field of mass communication is rapidly changing. Some sessions will be live streamed at www.txstatemcweek.com.

The theme for this year’s Mass Comm Week is “A Whole New Media: Keeping Up with the Changing Field of Mass Communication.” While the event will look at new media, it will also examine traditional media, such as television and newspapers, and how their roles have changed.

“Right now there is a lot of discussion on the evolution of media,” said Bruce Smith, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “Mass Comm Week allows us to bring this discussion to our students and our community.”

Some of the event highlights include:

  • Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Crush It! and host of “Wine Library TV” will present “Making a Name for Yourself with Social Media,” 3:30-4:40 p.m. Oct. 21
  • Brian Cuban, Dallas attorney, will present “The 1st Amendment, the Internet and Hate Speech,” 2.-3:20 p.m. Oct. 21
  • Patti Smith, KVUE President and GM, will present “Past, Present and Future of Television News,” 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. Oct. 20.

Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, will also speak at Texas State on Wed., Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. His talk, part of the university’s Common Experience program, will discuss how creativity and innovation are the way of the future. It is also free and open to the public.

During Texas State’s annual Mass Comm Week, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication brings in professionals to speak to students about issues, trends and working in mass media. This year’s event will present media professionals in more than 30 sessions. For more information, visit www.txstatemcweek.com.