T E M P L E TIPSHEET
A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD DECEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 10, 1999
UNIVERSITY NEWS BUREAU (215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403 [email protected]
MALL BROWSING, ONLINE BUYING -- Will the popularity of online shopping mean that stores will be less crowded this holiday season?
Not necessarily, says Temple psychologist Dr. Donald Hantula, who has studied online shoppers. The malls may still be packed, but folks may be buying less in person, says Hantula. "People seem to be using real-life stores as sort of a test ground," he says. "It looks like they're going to the malls to check things out and then buying online."
Cyber stores generally have the supply shoppers demand, Hantula notes. "The Gap in the mall has a finite amount of storage space. If you need a sweater in medium and they only have extra large, you're out of luck. For the most part, retail web sites will have what you want." Sites that are quick and easy to use are most popular with shoppers, his studies have shown.
"If it takes people 27 clicks to do something simple, like add an item to a shopping cart, they'll just give up," says Hantula, who advocates buying things online that you don't have to "actually touch, feel or interact with," such as CDs, books, software, videos or a replacement pair of your favorite Levi's. Reach Dr. Hantula through the News Bureau, (215) 204-7476.
TV NEWS ALERT: STOP CHASING SIRENS -- Results of a survey of local television news coverage are disproving the "if it bleeds, it leads" theory of ratings success.
The study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism ranked the content quality of 59 stations in 19 cities and then compared that to their ratings. The findings: the best-scoring stations were also succeeding with audience share and on the rise in the ratings.
"Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call to local stations who feel obliged to fill their newscasts with stories of crime and violence," says Patricia Bradley, chair of Temple's journalism, public relations and advertising department and herself a former broadcast news journalist.
"The study suggests that moving away from the fast-paced, sensational tabloid news format to more in-depth coverage and pro-active, enterprise reporting can actually build viewer loyalty and boost ratings."
The best television reporting, Bradley noted, was probably in the 1970s when stations were required to serve the community in their news coverage in order to retain their licenses. Reach Dr. Bradley at her office, 215-204-1751, or through the News Bureau.
This Week at Temple"¢
Friday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 5, 3 p.m.: MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR -- Temple Opera Theater's production of Otto Nicolai's comic opera offers a campy sendup in a 1950s TV studio sitcom setting, with scenes shifting from a beauty parlor to suburban living rooms to a shiny chrome diner. (Tomlinson Theater,
13th and Norris Sts.)
Saturday, Dec. 4, 1-5 p.m.: CELEBRATING SONIA SANCHEZ -- The nationally known poet and activist, who is retiring this fall, will be the focus of a symposium recognizing her contributions to both women's studies and African American studies. Participants will include scholars who have studied Sanchez' works, former students, Black Arts Movement activists and writers, and Sanchez herself, who will take the stage to close the symposium. (Feinstone Lounge, Sullivan Hall, Broad St. at Berks Mall)
Monday, Dec. 6, 1:30 p.m.: GUARNERI STRING QUARTET -- The famed musical artists--all original members of the 35-year collaboration--will give a master class featuring works by Schubert, Haydn and Mozart. (Rock Hall, Broad St. above Cecil B. Moore Ave.)
nb-343 *** December 3, 1999
VISIT THE NEWS BUREAU's WEB SITE: http://www.temple.edu/news_bureau/
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