1. Divide into teams of three or four students.

Use the following scenario to answer items a and b.

Sam, Kaito, and Meg have just started publishing TV Highlights, a weekly magazine. Sam sells the advertising.

Kaito, a graphic designer, is responsible for the artwork. Kaito’s uncle is the owner. He makes most of the decisions but often defers to Kaito’s opinions. Meg is the accountant.

Think about the role each person performs in this small company. How do each person’s responsibilities affect decisions? How does each person’s role affect how he or she communicates with the other people in the company? Also, who is the target audience for TV Highlights?

a. Kaito wants a four-color cover on glossy paper for the first issue because he thinks the first issue should look impressive. Meg,

on the other hand, believes a four-color glossy cover is too expensive. Sam says the advertisers do not care how many colors are on the cover. They want only the local high school’s blue and red colors to be represented. Meg decides to write a report to Kaito’s uncle recommending a twocolor cover for the first few issues. Who is Meg’s audience for the report? What should she remember about her audience? What kind of information might she include to convince Kaito’s uncle (and Kaito)? Should she include information about Sam’s concerns? Why or why not?

b. Franz Bohm, a freelance writer, has written to Kaito, asking what topics interest the magazine’s readers. The magazine is written for a rural audience in New England. The average reader is a teen-aged girl. In what types of articles do you think the readers of TV Highlights are interested?