University of Guelph-Humber

A new and innovative area of specialization will soon be available in UofGH’s Media Studies program.  Media Business will focus on marketing, branding, advertising and leadership.

“This is perhaps the most underserved and, arguably, one of the most important aspects of media – the business side of it.  It involves those who generate revenue for the media establishments, so that they can continue to produce and create original content,” says Jerry Chomyn, program head of media studies.

Chomyn says the majority of media education among academic institutions focuses on what the outsider can see.  In other words, the content:  the images, the writing, the broadcasting. 

Many of these positions, he says, are being consolidated in order to save money.  “So you’ll have one person now filing for radio and for television.  We’ve seen a reduction in the content creation aspects of media – but not in sales and marketing.”

He adds:  “Those on the business side of media, whose titles include account executive, sales representative, or vice-president of marketing – they often come to these positions in one of two ways.  Either from a career as a journalist, or from a business background.  But we’ve seen challenges arise in both cases, either because the manager lacks a thorough understanding of the content creation part of media, or because the manager lacks business and management skills.”

“We’d like to help produce a skilled workforce, who are proficient in both arenas.  We’d like to help people become excellent media management candidates, and have transferrable skills, both in content creation and in business.”

The new area of specialization will be added to the existing four:
Image Arts
Journalism
Public Relations
Digital Communications 

It is scheduled to begin in 2016. 

Media Studies