2019-2020 Annual Report of the Media Management, Economics & Entrepreneurship Division (MMEE)

Prepared for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)

Q1: Division Officers

Division HeadRonen ShayFordham University

Vice Head/Program ChairJiyoung ChaSan Francisco State University

Research C0-Chairs (Annual Conference & Midwinter Paper Competitions)Miao Guo - Ball State UniversityAnthony Palomba - University of Virginia

Immediate Past Head/Named Awards ChairSabine BaumannJade University

SecretaryArien RozelleSt. John Fisher College

Communications ChairTodd HolmesCalifornia State University Northridge

PF&R Committee ChairAllie KosterichFordham University

Teaching Committee Chair

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Jenna GrzesloSUNY New Paltz

International Service/Outreach ChairMohammad YousufThe University of New Mexico

Graduate Student LiaisonSohana NasrinUniversity of Maryland

Q2: Balancing Research, Teaching and PF&R

The MMEE division continues to maintain a balanced approached towards programming research, teaching, and PF&R sessions for the annual convention. Cumulatively, the division is sponsoring or co-sponsoring three teaching panels, three PF&R panels, two research panels, and two half-day pre-conference sessions on “Getting Your Research Published: A Conversation with Editors and Authors” and “Big Data, Content Development, and Media Branding: Practices, Challenges, and Ethics”. Both pre-conferences were made available to all conference registrants free of charge.

We also awarded the 2020 Barry Sherman Teaching Award to Krishna Jayakar, Pennsylvania State University, and continued to promote our division at other national and international conferences/virtual conferences including BEA, ICA, and EMMA’s virtual speaker series.

Q3: GoalsGoals for the upcoming year:

Grow student engagement. Growing student engagement is one MMEE’s top priorities. Student engagement is essential for the division to sustain and grow in long-term. With this in mind, the division aims to increase student membership and paper submissions. Division officers will reach out to schools that offer graduate programs in media management, economics, and entrepreneurship several months before the

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conference to promote the conference and division. Specifically, we will demonstrate how graduate students could benefit from membership and participation in the annual paper competion. The division continues to offer free membership for graduates students, and will keep highlighting this student-friendly benefit.

Engage diverse faculty members in conference activities. Another goal of the division is to engage diverse faculty members in conference activities. Exchanging ideas with individuals from different backgrounds and experiences is key to growing academically. Some faculty members are active in joining conference sessions as presenters, panelists, or moderators, whereas other faculty members are more passive, choosing to participate in conference sessions as audience members. The division will encourage diverse faculty members to participate in PF&R, research, and teaching sessions, and all conference activites.

Grow international networks. In recent years, the division has been conducting international outreach, developing a close relationship with the European Media Management Association (EMMA) and World Media Economics and Management Conference (WMEMC). The three organizations often share information about paper calls and conference activities. Recognizing the globalization of the media industry, it is essential to connect with scholars, educators, professionals, and students in other countries to learn their perspectives and practices. Thus, the division will continue to reach out to associations for media management, economics, and entrepreneurship scholars based in other countries and engage them in the division’s conference activities.

Enrich partnerships with the media industry. The division recognizes the importance of a close link between academia and the media industry. Considering the rapidly changing media landscape, it is critical for media scholars to keep updated on industry changes and adapt to the latest industry practices. PF&R, teaching, and off-site sessions will reflect the dynamic changes that

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are occurring in media industries by engaging industry professionals in the division’s conference activities.

What goals did you set that you were unable to reach?

The MMEE division is proud that the unexpected transition to a virtual conference did not disrupt our goals, as we accomplished all of the goals, we set for the 2019/2020 year. In last year’s annual report, we outlined that our division would focus on student engagement, alumni engagement, and our annual paper competition. This year MMEE received 8 student-only submissions, approximately a 167% increase over last year’s 3 student-only submissions.

This year’s virtual conference will also be well attended by many seminal scholars in media management, economics, and entrepreneurship who are MMEE alumni. Examples include Ann Hollifield (University of Georgia), Sylvia Chan-Olmsted (University of Florida), Bozena Mierzejewska (Fordham University), Mike Wirth (University of Tennessee Knoxville), and Krishna Jayakar (Pennsylvania State University).

Finally, our paper competition remains a primary destination for new research in media management, economics, and entrepreneurship as we reviewed a total of 27 papers for competition (matching last year’s 2018/2019 Toronto numbers). This consistency is encouraging as it demonstrates the transition to a virtual format did not affect the health of our paper competition, and because we’ve maintained our growth since the 2017/2018 competition in Washington D.C., when we reviewed a total of 2o papers.

How may any or all of the Standing Committees help you to achieve your goals in the coming year?

The aforementioned goals of the MMEE division for the upcoming year align with the missions of the research, teaching, and PF&R standing committees. Accordingly, MMEE will continue to partner and collaborate closely with the standing committees to ensure our goals are met.

Research

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For the 2020 conference, the MMEE division received 29 submissions, and one additional paper was transferred to MMEE from another division. Of the aforementioned 30 papers, two papers were transferred to other divisions, and one paper was disqualified for not following the paper call. A total of 27 papers were reviewed for competition.

Research- Q4: Faculty PapersOf the 27 papers reviewed for competition, 19 were faculty or faculty/student combined papers. We do not have a separate submission process for students, as all papers compete on equal footing. Accordingly, the division accepted 14 papers of the 27 reviewed, resulting in an acceptance rate of 51.8%. Of the 14 papers accepted, 10 were faculty or faculty / student combined.Research- Q5: Student Papers

Of the 27 papers reviewed for competition, 8 were student-only papers. We do not have a separate submission process for students, as all papers compete on equal footing. Accordingly, the division accepted 14 papers of the 27 reviewed, resulting in an acceptance rate of 51.8%. Of the 14 papers accepted, 4 were student-only.

Research-Q6: Judging Process

Each of the 27 papers reviewed for competition received three reviews, with care given to avoid any conflict between reviewers and the anonymized submissions. Reviewers scored each study on 10 rubrics (clarity of purpose, literature review, clarity of research method, appropriateness of research method, whether evidence supported the purpose of the study, was presented clearly, and supported the offered conclusions, the writing and organization of the study, its relevance to the MMEE Division, and significance to the field - attached). Each reviewer also checked whether they thought the study should be accepted or rejected.

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Figure 1: Judging Rubric for San Francisco / Virtual Conference

Reviewers were also able and encouraged to write detailed notes to authors and were also able to write notes to the research chairs. For the third time, MMEE offered an award to the top reviewer (Ann Hollifield, University of Georgia) in an effort to encourage more substantial reviews for authors in the division.

Of the 27 total qualified submissions, 14 were accepted from the open competition. A clear demarcation appeared in the scores within the All Academic paper management system. In the end, the 14 accepted studies were distributed across four panels over three days of the conference (August 6, 7 and 8). Three studies will receive top faculty paper awards. Two studies will receive top student paper awards. The top faculty papers will all be presented at a panel the evening of Friday, August 7, immediately before the division’s business meeting. The top student papers will all be presented at a panel the morning of Thursday, August 6.

Research-Q7: Number of Judges

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Total number of judges (30); number of papers per judge (2-3).

Research-Q8: Other Refereed Competition

There were no other refereed competitions for the 2020 AEJMC conference.

Research-Q9: Convention Activities Related to Research

1. Thurs. Aug. 6th @ 8:15 to 9:45 a.m. / T000

Media Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship Division

Refereed Paper SessionContemporary Media Consumption Behaviors

Moderating/Presiding:Ginger Blackstone, Harding

Predicting the Consumption Behaviors of Foreign Broadcast Programming in the Age of Global Over-the–Top (OTT) Video Streaming Market

Kenneth C. C. Yang, Texas El Paso and Yowei Kang, National Taiwan Ocean University

Media Repertoires of Chinese Young Users: An Exploratory Study Based on 2010-2015 Chinese General Social Survey*

Weijia Li, Tsinghua/Purdue Who Cut the Cord?: Factors Which Predict Cord-Cutting Behavior Across Generations**

Ashley Spiker, Kent State

DiscussantMichael Wirth, Tennessee, Knoxville

* First Place Student Paper** Second Place Student Paper

This session will explore a diverse array of contemporary media consumption behaviors including cord-cutting, foreign program consumption, and media habits of Chinese youth.

2. Fri. Aug. 7th @ 10 to 11:30 a.m. / F000 Media Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship Division

Refereed Paper SessionManaging News Media Outlets

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Moderating/Presiding Jiyoung Cha, San Francisco State

Concentration of Journalistic Output Across Media Outlets and Outlet Types: An Analysis of 100 Communities

Jessica Mahone, Qun Wang, and Philip Napoli, Duke and Matthew Webster, Minnesota and Kathleen McCullough, Augustana

Public Service Mandate Versus Profit-Making Motive: A Study of the Daily Graphic Newspaper in Ghana

Paul Koomson and S. Senyo Ofori-Parku, OregonAlternative and Mainstream Local News Competition and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Computational Content Analysis

Angela Powers and Yuxi He, Iowa State We Are the People – Audience Engagement as Catalyst for Newsroom Unionization

Karin Assmann, Georgia

DiscussantPatricia Phalen, George Washington

This session will focus on a variety of different managerial scenarios for news media practitioners, including public service mandate versus profit-making, journalistic output, unionization, and competition during COVID-19.

3. Fri. Aug. 7th @ 5 to 6:30 p.m. / F000 Media Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship Division

Refereed Paper SessionTop Faculty Paper Session

Moderating/Presiding Ronen Shay, Fordham

The Effect of Emotional vs. Informational Message Appeals on Crowdfunding Campaign Success: Testing Product Type as a Moderator*

Ying Cheng and Yongseok Jang, California State, San BernardinoDrivers of Merger and Acquisition Activity: A Quantitative Investigation of the Telecommunications Industry**

Yang Bai, Ryan Wang, Rachel Peng, and Krishna Jayakar, Pennsylvania State

Working Together in Global Media Markets: The Sustainability of Western-China International Joint Ventures***

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Qian Yu and Peter Gade, Oklahoma

DiscussantAnthony Palomba, Virginia

* First Place Faculty Paper** Second Place Faculty Paper*** Third Place Faculty Paper

This year’s top faculty papers focus on the effect of emotional and informational message appeals on crowdfunding campaigns, drivers of merger and acquisition activity, and the sustainability of Western-China international joint ventures.

4. Sat. Aug. 8th @ 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. / S000

Media Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship Division

Refereed Paper SessionNew Approaches for Managing Media Enterprises

Moderating/Presiding Su Jung Kim, Southern California

Crowdfunding & Cryptocurrency – A New Conduit to Film FinanceJ. Chris Hamilton, Syracuse

Exploring the Dimensions of Media Brand Trust: A Contemporary Integrative Approach

Sylvia Chan-Olmsted, Florida No One Knows What I Do: Strategic Hires and Emerging Professions in the Context of Organizational Absorptive Capacity

Renee Mitson, Minnesota

DiscussantLouisa Ha, Bowling Green State

This session will examine new approaches for managing both legacy & new media enterprises. Topics covered include applications of crowdfunding & cryptocurrency for film financing, developing trust for media brands, & enhancing absorptive capacity.

Research-Q10: Out of Convention Activities Related to Research

The MMEE division actively participated in the 2020 AEJMC Midwinter Conference. We received seven papers. Each of the seven papers received three reviews, with care given to avoid any conflict between reviewers and

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the anonymized submissions. Of the seven papers reviewed for competition, the division accepted 4 papers, resulting in an acceptance rate of 57.1%. The top paper award was given to Mary Brooks and Heidi Huntington (West Texas A&M University) for their submission, “Framing Multilevel Marketing on Corporate Websites and Consultants’ Instagram Posts”.

Division officers and members also participated in other national and international conferences/virtual conferences. This included the Broadcast Education Association (BEA), International Communication Association (ICA), and the European Media Management Association (emma), who hosted a virtual speaker series. Our paper call was shared with these organizations.

The research co-chairs also identified graduate students in the fields of media management, economics, and entrepreneurship, and contacted them to encourage submissions.

Research-Q11: Research Goals & Activities

The primary research goals specific to 2019-2020 included: facilitating improved graduate student outreach to increase student submissions to our annual paper competition and establish either stability or growth in the number of overall submissions. These are in addition to annual research activities which include co-sponsoring two research panels, top faculty paper awards, top student paper awards, a top reviewer award, and the aforementioned participation in AEJMC’s Midwinter Conference (see Research-Q10: Out of Convention Activities Related to Research).

Improving student submissions, while stabilizing last year’s competition growth (2018/2019 achieved 27 papers reviewed, when 2017/2018 had a total of 20 papers reviewed), was facilitated through increased push communication and interpersonal sharing and promotion of the MMEE paper call. The call was shared with national and international communication associations as well as with graduate students studying in a relevant field. The specific communication associations that the research chairs and other executive officers contacted include the International Communication Association, European Media Management Association,

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World Media Economics and Management Conference, and the Broadcast Education Association. The research co-chairs also identified graduate students in the fields of media management, economics, and entrepreneurship, and contacted them to encourage submissions.

In response to the aforementioned efforts, the number of student submissions increased to 8 in 2020 from 3 last year, and the division’s reviewable submissions stabilized at 27 for the second year in a row (after having 20 reviewable submissions in 2018).

The division also co-sponsored two research panels. The first is with the Sports Communication Interest Group and examines the evolution of business models in online sports journalism. The second is with the Advertising division and will discuss innovative approaches to audience and consumer research, as it relates to measuring behaviors and emotions.

Finally, the division’s annual research awards will be presented at our members’ meeting on Friday, August 7th @ 6:45pm. They include:- First Place Faculty Paper: Ying Cheng and Yongseok Jang, California State, San Bernardino- Second Place Faculty Paper: Yang Bai, Ryan Wang, Rachel Peng, and Krishna Jayakar, Pennsylvania State - Third Place Faculty Paper: Qian Yu and Peter Gade, Oklahoma- First Place Student Paper: Weijia Li, Tsinghua/Purdue- Second Place Student Paper: Ashley Spiker, Kent State- Top Reviewer Award: Ann Hollifield, University of Georgia

Teaching

Teaching-Q12: In-convention activities

Our thoughtful collaboration with the Commission on the Status of Women unpacks the issue of harassment and assault through a discussion of how to teach and prepare students for the workplace. The panel participants are innovative leaders, recognizing that in order to have deep and challenging discussions with our students, we must first be able to have them amongst our peers. The goal of this panel is to inform curriculum and instruction as

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well as help shape internship programs. We anticipate a lively discussion, especially as the blurred boundaries of remote work have uncovered new challenges for junior media workers.

The division also has a panel session co-sponsored with the Magazine Media division on preparing students for the changing business of magazines. Lastly, we have a panel session co-sponsored with the Mass Communication and Society division on how to better prepare students to become the next generation of media entrepreneurs. These activities fulfill the Teaching Standards Committee's focus on leadership, course content, and teaching methods.

Teaching-Q13: Out-of-convention activities

This year, the division organized a pre-conference session that targets the teaching needs of graduate students and junior scholars. Specifically, our morning pre-conference brings together journal editors from the International Journal on Media Management and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, as well as seminal scholars in media management, to discuss best practices for getting research published. While the target audience is graduate students and junior faculty, all conference registrants will be encouraged to attend this free session and learn best practices from established scholars. The decision to focus on the teaching needs of graduates students assisted our division in fulfilling our goal of improving graduate student outreach.

Teaching-Q14: Teaching goals and activities

The division coordinated three co-sponsored teaching panels for the 2020 conference. Our morning pre-conference also focused on teaching graduate students and junior faculty how to get their research published. These sessions were made possible by encouraging our members to set and achieve their teaching-oriented conference goals by networking across the AEJMC community and preparing cross-division teaching proposals. Eight teaching proposals were submitted by our membership for consideration, with three proposals being accepted for the annual conference. While our main goal was to coordinate sessions that lead to the betterment of our

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students, we also recognize that en route to that goal faculty need to invest time and energy into their own pedagogical training. Accordingly, we believe our sessions fulfill the Teaching Standards Committee’s focus on curriculum, course content, and teaching methods.

Krishna Jayakar of Pennsylvania State University was this year’s recipient of our Barry Sherman Teaching Award.

Professional Freedom & Responsibility (PF&R)Q15: In-Convention Activities Related to PF&R

This year the division is holding a panel session co-sponsored with ICIG titled, "Career Potential and Growth Opportunities Within the Newsroom for those with Innovative Skills." The panel's focus is on journalists with a nontraditional mix of skills, who are essential for the future of news. Panelists will be discussing these innovative roles, how we can train future journalists, and what managers can do to retain them. In covering these essential topics, the panel fulfills several of the PF&R Committee's goals including a focus on media criticism & accountability and racial, general, and cultural inclusiveness. This panel brings together academics and an invited speaker from industry: Connie Guglielmo, Editor in Chief of CNET (and VP of CBS Interactive).

The division also has a panel session co-sponsored with the Communication Science, Health, Environment and Risk division on making sense of technology buzz words associated with A.I., automation, and robotics. This panel brings together academics and two invited speakers from industry: Dennis Goggin, Freeform, Disney Television and Jim Pasquarella, HISTORY.

Lastly, we have a panel session co-sponsored with the Communication Technology division on television content strategy, and how to program media content in a ubiquitous and multiplatform era. These activities fulfill the PF&R Committee's focus on media criticism and accountability, as well as free expression.

Q16-Out-of-Convention Activities Related to PF&R

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This year, the division organized a second pre-conference panel session that brings together academics and two invited industry speakers to discuss big data, content development, and media branding. This includes Timothy Park, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and David Boyle, Audience Strategies. The widespread impact of big data has presented media professionals with a variety of operational and ethical challenges. This panel will attempt to identify best practices to use big data to better understand audiences, while doing so in an ethical fashion. The target audience of this pre-conference is not limited to those in the fields of media management, entrepreneurship, and economics, as the effects of big data can be felt in all areas of journalism and mass communication. Accordingly, all conference registrants will be encouraged to attend this free session and learn from this unique combination of academics and industry professionals. The decision to address both the operations and ethics of big data ensure this activity fulfills the PF&R Committee's focus on media criticism and accountability, free expression, and ethics.

Q17-PF&R Goals & Activities

The division coordinated three co-sponsored PF&R panels for the 2020 conference. Our afternoon pre-conference also focused on learning from media professionals who are familiar with the ethics surrounding the applications of big data. These sessions were again made possible by encouraging our members to set and achieve their PF&R oriented conference goals by networking across the AEJMC community and preparing cross-division PF&R proposals. By co-sponsoring panels with ICIG on "Career Potential and Growth Opportunities Within the Newsroom for those with Innovative Skills"; CTEC on “Television Content Strategy and Programming in a Ubiquitous Content and Multiplatform Era”; and SHER on “Making Sense of Technology Buzz Words: Automation, Robotics, AI”, our division was able to meet our goal of co-sponsoring an array of PF&R panels with other divisions and interest groups. Cumulatively, these professional development sessions fulfill the PF&R Committee’s focus on media criticism & accountability, racial, general, and cultural inclusiveness, free expression, and ethics. We also plan to continue promoting a greater awareness of the five key areas that represent PF&R and encourage nominations for our division’s PF&R award.

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General Information

Q18- Newsletters and Other Items

The division no longer prints a formal newsletter but maintains a blog at https://mmedivision.wordpress.com/ as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts that are maintained by the Communications Chair.

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