Communication and Media Studies Faculty Book Series

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Obsessed: America's Food Addiction-- And My Own

Mika Brzezinski and Diane Smith

With insights from notable people in medicine, health, business, the arts, and politics, Brzezinski breaks through the walls of silence and shame we've built around obesity and food obsession and talks openly about how our country became overweight, and what we can do to turn the corner and step firmly onto the path of health.
Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture

Elizabeth Christian

Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture, edited by Elizabeth Barfoot Christian, is an edited collection that explores how different genres of popular music are branded and marketed today. The book's core objectives are addressed over three sections. In the first part of Rock Brands, the authors examine how established mainstream artists/bands are continuing to market themselves in an ever-changing technological world, and how bands can use integrated marketing communication to effectively 'brand' themselves. This branding is intended as a protection so that technology and delivery changes don't stifle the bands' success. KISS, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Phish, and Miley Cyrus are all popular musical influences considered in this part of the analysis. In the second section, the authors explore how some musicians effectively use attention-grabbing issues such as politics (for example, Kanye West and countless country musicians) and religion (such as with Christian heavy metal bands and Bon Jovi) in their lyrics, and also how imagery is utilized by artists such as Marilyn Manson to gain a fan base. Finally, the book will explore specific changes in the media available to market music today (see M.I.A. and her use of new media) and, similarly, how these resources can benefit music icons even after they are long gone, as with Elvis and Michael Jackson. Rock Brands further examines gaming, reality television, and social networking sites as new outlets for marketing and otherwise experiencing popular music. What makes some bands stand out and succeed when so many fail? How does one find a niche that isn't just kitsch and can stand the test of time, allowing the musician to grow as an artist as well as grow a substantial fan base? Elizabeth Barfoot Christian and the book's contributors expertly navigate these questions and more in Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture.
A Connecticut Christmas

Diane Smith

A Connecticut Christmas is a full-color celebration of the spirit of Christmas in a quintessentially New England state.
Seasons of Connecticut: A Year-Round Celebration of the Nutmeg State

Diane Smith

Seasons of Connecticut is a full-color, season-by-season celebration of the Nutmeg state by celebrated television and radio reporter Diane Smith, who has told the stories of the people and places of Connecticut for two decades. She presents more than sixty vignettes—inspiring, warm, funny, and sometimes downright strange—that will make you feel good about living in Connecticut, or make you want to visit. From a springtime kite-flying festival to country fair cook-offs in summer, and from fall wine tastings to UConn Huskies basketball in winter, the stories reveal the beauty and the personality of the state throughout the year.
Summer in Connecticut

Diane Smith

A celebration of Connecticut's many summer delights from broadcast personality Diane Smith.
Christmas in Connecticut

Diane Smith

A full-color celebration of the spirit of Christmas in a quintessential New England state. Author and TV journalist Smith highlights the most joyful things to see and do during the holidays. 200 photos.
Absolutely Positively Connecticut

Diane Smith

Following in the footsteps of the highly successful book "Positively Connecticut" Smith has selected 60 more vignettes about Connecticut's dreamers, doers, characters, and heroes both celebrated and unsung. Illustrated with hundreds of color photos, the book is fun reading for Connecticut Yankees and visitors alike. 300 color photos.
Positively Connecticut

Diane Smith

TV reporter and news anchor Diane Smith collects her favorite vignettes from her long-running "Positively Connecticut" segment. Richly illustrated throughout with more than 200 color photos, this makes a perfect memento for anyone in love with the true spirit of the Constitution State.