10 // LISTENING POST

The original concept of a listening post is a bit different than how journalists might use the term today.

Originally used to describe any station that intercepted enemy intelligence, listening posts in the world of journalism comprise the many places one might pick up on gossip and rumors. These haunts can include barber shops, churches, campuses, anywhere where people are likely to discuss recent news and events.

(The OG listening station. Taken by Jeff Geerling)

My listening post of choice is Magnolia's very own KZHE Broadcasting Station. I don't mean simply tuning my radio into their frequency (100.5 for those interested in classic country music); rather, I am a frequent, in-person visitor of the very station. Every Tuesday and Saturday, I sit in the booth and record a few commercials, either for the local university or various local stores.

This is a great method for learning about the tons of activities taking place in town. Some information can be a tad irrelevant to me, but the information about Southern Arkansas University and its sister school Southern Arkansas University Tech can be interesting enough for me to remember. Off the top of my head (can such a thing exist in digital form?), the latter's aviation mechanics and barbering program come to mind, as well as the week's weather forecast.

While a bit unconventional, these topics would be something I hardly care to think about if not for my circumstance and good-standing with the station.

(The interior and stage of the KZHE Radio Station)

Every journalist will have a different location for their listening post. But what matters the most, as least as far as most news outlets are concerned, is how valuable and bountiful the information that spot yields is.

- C. Thomas Bailey

Comments

20 // WILDCARD

Magnolia is happy to announce that the Christmas parade will take place today (December 8th) at 5:30 p.m. in the Magnolia Square. Originally planned to occur last Thursday, the parade was delayed due to poor weather conditions. However, complete omission of the event was out of the question, as the parade is a lively Magnolia tradition. Monday's weather was expected to be far more acceptable, with clearer and cooler skies as the the sun and temperature drops. (An advertisement for this year's Christmas Parade) The parade will make one cycle around the square , starting at Calhoun before heading down North Jackson to Southern Arkansas University's campus. The procession will complement SAU's own Celebration of Lights, which is the institution's own festive custom. In the spirit of giving, three awards are going to be given to a few lucky recipients. These awards include the Knock Your Socks Off, Christ in Christmas, and Sugar Plum Award. More information can be f...

17 // OPINION (NATIONAL)

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the busiest day of the year for most retail chains is Black Friday, a corporate holiday signified by its discounted prices and frantic customers. This holiday has been a tradition since 1869, when it was originally used to describe an American financial crisis caused by a lack of gold. It only gained the customs we associate with it now sometime in the 1950s. The day marked when companies expected their revenue to venture from the "red" (a net loss of money)" to the "black" (a profit); thus, the name "Black Friday" was made. (Image of a Rural King Black Friday ad. I would link to the original ad, but I'm not getting paid, am I?) As reported by the Cable News Network (CNN) , this Black Friday saw an increase of retail sales by nearly 4% from last year's report. However, economists claim this percentage is slightly exaggerated due to recent inflation. Economist and Pinpoint Press writer Rick Newman est...

19 // CLASSMATE BLOG CRITIQUE

Currently, I am one of eight students in Southern Arkansas University's (SAU) 2025 "Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media" class. This class is somehow both solitary and cooperative in nature; while all of our work is done on our lonesome, we are exposed to each other's progress on a semiweekly basis. A lot of good work has gone into most of our blogs, but I wanted to highlight one in particular. Madisyn Morphew is sophomore at SAU, majoring in mass communication as well as being a member of the Phi Mu Fraternity. She has an evident eye for styling as well, if the the presentation, layout, and content of her blog is anything to go by. Her website is undoubtedly one of the more appealing in the class. (A poor screenshot of Morphew's blog) Aesthetically, Morphew utilizes a monochromatic theme for her blog, intermingling the likes of various whites, grays, and blacks (with a neutral sepia on occasion). This makes her website feel very classy, and probably the mo...

MM 2003 // C. Thomas Bailey

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