ARGUMENT235[spring小组]第13次作业

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ARGUMENT235
“Several factors indicate that radio station KNOW should shift its programming from rock-and-roll music to a continuous news format. Consider, for example, the number of older people in our listening area has increased dramatically, while the total number of listeners has recently declined. Also, music stores in our area report decreased sales of recorded music. Finally, continuous news stations in neighboring cities have been very successful, and a survey taken just before the recent election shows that local citizens are interested in becoming better informed about politics.”
    若干因素表明KNOW 电台应该把它的节目从摇滚乐转成连续的新闻节目。举例来说，我们覆盖范围内的老年人数量显著增加，而总的听众数量最近减少了。 而且，我们地区音像店中录制音乐的销量下降。最后，邻近城市的连续新闻节目非常成功，最近大选前组织的一次调查显示，本地居民对于及时的政治报道很感兴趣。
WORDS:  545                        TIMES:  2hours
    The general manager recommends that the radio station KNOW should shift its programming from rock-and-roll music to a continuous news format. To support this assertion, the author point out that the number of the older people in our listening area has increased dramatically, while the total number of listeners has recently declined. The author also cites the evidence that the recorded music sales has decreased, and a poll showing that local citizens pay more attention on the politics because a recent election. However, this argument is flawed in several critical respects.
    First, the author assumes that the radio station should change its program based on the fact of the number of older people of our listeners is increased while the total number is declined. Yet, the author offers no evidence to substantiate this assumption. There is no evidence to show that the older people tend to listen to the continuous news even they don’t like to listen to the rock-and-roll music. The increased number of older people and declined of total number don’t make any sense, because we even don’t know the statistics of the number of people. It is possible that the music program has gone off recently, caused the total number of listener declined.
    In the second place, the author also takes the decreased sales of recorded music as a factor of the program changing. Nevertheless, the author provides no evidence that this is the case. The recorded music store has no direct relation with radio station’s program. Music stores are different to the radio station, because you will pay to have the music in the store while you can listen to the music for free from the radio. It is entirely possible that the declined sales of store maybe because of the economic depression lead to the people don’t have the purchasing power, or perhaps there isn’t published any new records recently. This situation may cause the people tern to listen to the radio music.
    In the third place, based on the fact that continuous news stations in neighboring cities have been very successful and a survey about local people before a recent election, the author infers that the radio station KNOW will be successful and increased the number of listeners if they prefer to programming the continuous news. However, this is not necessary the case. News programming is success in neighboring cities doesn’t mean that it wills also in our city. The survey before a election is under a special situation, hence, it also doesn’t represent that the listeners will like to listen to the continuous news when the election is over.
    In conclusion, the recommends of radio station KNOW should program the continuous news instead of rock-and-roll program is not well supported. To convince me that there are enough local people like to listen to the continuous news, the author must provide clear statistics evidence that the older people among our local listeners like to listen to the news rather than music, and the declined sales of recorded music is because of our citizens doesn’t like listen to the music. To better evaluate this recommendation, I would need more information about the radio stations in our neighboring cities have comparability with our city on the type and number of listeners.