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7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION We are surrounded by the richest, most glamorous people; there’s trays of champagne and mixed drinks, and the only way to survive in this business is to not get taken down by those things. –Kelly Cutrone, Kell on Earth People love or hate public relations, and its fragmentation across the world makes it hard to harness in a single study (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2008, pp. x – xi). Despite its mystique, there has been a steady increase of public relations practitioners in the recent years. In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 211, 395 people who declared public relations as their job (“Census 2000 EEO”). The Bureau of Labor statistics also predicted growth within the industry from 2008 to 2018, projecting 24% and 12.9% increases in public relations specialists and managers. (“Selected Occupational Projections,” 2008). Even internationally, there is an influx of people entering the field. In China, the annual growth rate of public relations is over 30%, and Russia and Turkey have seen growth around 40% and 60%, respectively (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2008, p. 1). There is also a heightened interest in PR among students at universities. According to CollegeBoard.com, a non-profit organization that connects students with college options and opportunities, there are now 275 colleges that offer a degree in public relations (“College Matchmaker,” 2011). As these numbers continue to rise, the number of women entering the communication field is also increasing. The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) boasted a 70/30 female to male ratio in 2002, where every three out of four members were women (Taff, 2003, p. 10). This trend is also prevalent in the communications niche of public relations. Frohlich and Peters (2007) stated that public
Object Description
Title | Power party girls, good looking crowds and one hellish boss: The portrayal of the female entertainment publicist on reality television |
Author | Hashem, Camille Renée |
Author email | chashem@usc.edu; chashem87@gmail.com |
Degree | Master of Arts |
Document type | Thesis |
Degree program | Public Relations |
School | Annenberg School for Communication |
Date defended/completed | 2011-04-01 |
Date submitted | 2011 |
Restricted until | Unrestricted |
Date published | 2011-05-03 |
Advisor (committee chair) | Thorson, Kjerstin |
Advisor (committee member) |
Floto, Jennifer Saltzman, Joseph |
Abstract | This thesis is an examination of the portrayal of the female entertainment publicist shown in reality television. With the large success rate of Samantha Jones from Sex and the City in the 1990s, female interest in public relations has increased, and good or bad, Jones has served as one of the predominate images of the publicist in the entertainment industry. Those who have performed critical analysis of the image of the public relations practitioner have deemed these representations as showing negative characteristics of those in the profession. While there has been previous research on the image of public relations in media, analysis of the female entertainment publicist in reality television has been left untapped.; The project consisted of a content analysis as well as interviews with various women in entertainment public relations. Three reality television shows featuring female entertainment publicists were watched: MTV's PoweR Girls (2005), Bravo's Kell on Earth (2010) and E! Network's The Spin Crowd. After conducting this analysis, the author found that the female publicist is put in one of two gender categories, the masculine bitch or the overtly sexy "PR Bunny." Other findings inferred that the dominant images within each series suggested that public relations is overall an easy field to enter, with little or no experience or professionalism needed. Finally, although the three series had some subtle differences, public relations is still shown as a glamorous job.; Interviewee responses showed that the negative representations of entertainment publicists on reality television are not indicative of the real life job itself, but that media's representation of it has led others to believe false or skewed images of the profession. Since these three shows' target demographics include young women about make a career decision, the impact they may have on this demographic, and how it may affect the future of public relations and the expectations of those about the enter the industry, is also discussed. |
Keyword | communication; entertainment; media; public relations; reality television |
Geographic subject (country) | USA |
Coverage date | 1990/2010 |
Language | English |
Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
Type | texts |
Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3875 |
Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
Rights | Hashem, Camille Renée |
Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
Filename | etd-Hashem-4503 |
Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Hashem-4503.pdf |
Description
Title | Page 7 |
Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
Full text | 7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION We are surrounded by the richest, most glamorous people; there’s trays of champagne and mixed drinks, and the only way to survive in this business is to not get taken down by those things. –Kelly Cutrone, Kell on Earth People love or hate public relations, and its fragmentation across the world makes it hard to harness in a single study (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2008, pp. x – xi). Despite its mystique, there has been a steady increase of public relations practitioners in the recent years. In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 211, 395 people who declared public relations as their job (“Census 2000 EEO”). The Bureau of Labor statistics also predicted growth within the industry from 2008 to 2018, projecting 24% and 12.9% increases in public relations specialists and managers. (“Selected Occupational Projections,” 2008). Even internationally, there is an influx of people entering the field. In China, the annual growth rate of public relations is over 30%, and Russia and Turkey have seen growth around 40% and 60%, respectively (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2008, p. 1). There is also a heightened interest in PR among students at universities. According to CollegeBoard.com, a non-profit organization that connects students with college options and opportunities, there are now 275 colleges that offer a degree in public relations (“College Matchmaker,” 2011). As these numbers continue to rise, the number of women entering the communication field is also increasing. The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) boasted a 70/30 female to male ratio in 2002, where every three out of four members were women (Taff, 2003, p. 10). This trend is also prevalent in the communications niche of public relations. Frohlich and Peters (2007) stated that public |