ANNOTATED: Athens Bookstore Files First Amendment Rights Lawsuit

As part of my graduate assistantship at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, I highlighted exceptional work by undergraduate students that was published on Grady Newsource, the journalism college’s newspaper.

ANNOTATED: Zero Waste Athletics At Georgia Soccer Score Goal

As part of my graduate assistantship at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, I highlighted exceptional work by undergraduate students that was published on Grady Newsource, the journalism college’s newspaper.

ANNOTATED: Historian, Educator Explores Sustainability, Eco-Consciousness Through Lens Of Fashion History

As part of my graduate assistantship at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, I highlighted exceptional work by undergraduate students that was published on Grady Newsource, the journalism college’s newspaper.

College Connect: Why students should start building credit in college

During my senior year as an undergraduate journalism major, I took a Business of News class. One of my assignments for this class was a personal finance article for the Society for Advanced Business Editing and Writing’s (SABEW) College Connect blog:

What does Florida House Bill 999 mean for Black history?

History is being rewritten again.

Black history has been under attack through Florida House Bill 999, a piece of legislation that, according to Florida news organization WFLA “would ban majors or minors in critical race theory and gender studies and subjects like intersectionality.” DEI programs are also being targeted, which is apparent in the University of Texas pausing diversity, equity and inclusion policies in its hiring and the same Florida bill prohibiting college spending on activities that promote DEI, Reuters reports. 

This is nothing new; the National Coalition Against Censorship says that “books by Black authors are among the most frequently banned.” Books by Black authors like Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker have all historically been banned in schools and libraries because of their themes of racial injustice and the experiences of Black Americans.

University of Georgia librarian Amber Prentiss says that mass banning of books with similar themes undermines free thinking.

“In universities, one of our core values is intellectual freedom. And so when you say ‘all of this is off-limits,’ that can circumscribe a researcher’s intellectual freedom,” Prentiss said.

Florida HB 999, coupled with increasing book bans that disproportionately target Black authors and books with themes of race, paints an Orwellian picture of the gradual erasure of Black history. Robert Howard, second-year finance major at the University of Georgia and newly elected president of UGA’s chapter of NAACP, expressed concern about how HB 999 will be interpreted.

“I think that with the cutting of the funding in Florida, which could eventually move to other states, it kind of raises the question as to what constitutes as diversity funding, who gets to make the calls, what gets covered, what gets to stay,” Howard said.

Prentiss said that the main concern is how HB 999 will be interpreted and applied.

“I think all of those concepts are honestly pretty wide and fairly nebulous, so are we specifically talking about things that are dealing with diversity and inclusion, or are we just talking about anything that talks about race or gender or sexuality regardless of whether there’s also that diversity and inclusion initiative lens,” Prentiss said. 

Two UGA faculty members said they wished more people viewed Black history as American history.

“I wish that more people knew that [Black history’s] not an attack,” said Tracey Johnson, an assistant professor of history and African American studies at the University of Georgia.

“Black history is America’s story…it’s a story of belonging. It’s a story of community. It’s a story of creating ideas that challenge and enable us to grow,” said Barbara McCaskill, an English professor whose research is in African American literature.

As far as continuing to learn about Black history amidst book bans and legislation that targets Black history, McCaskill said the trick is in taking initiative. 

“What’s stopping you?” McCaskill said.

Johnson recommended students search for events and resources that highlight Black history. She said she enjoyed the book “To ‘Joy My Freedom” by Tera W. Hunter, which includes a chapter on blues and dance in the post-Civil war Black community. 

“I think a lot of times people think if you’re going to go take a class in AFAM (African American) studies, or a Black history class, it’s going to be slavery, civil rights, and things that are all kind of depressing. Those stories are important to tell, but also, there’s a lot of Black joy,” Johnson said. 

Howard said that going beyond reading books or researching on the internet could look like attending meetings of multicultural student organizations like NAACP or others like the Black Alumni Council, African Student Union or Hispanic Student Association.

“No matter what that looks like, whether it be for people of color, whether it be for just history in general, I think that it’s important to have the education be accessible, and programs be able to be highlighted and publicized just to keep it on everyone’s mind. Don’t let people try to erase all the work and progress that people have made throughout decades upon decades, years upon years,” Howard said. 

Gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss: “Girlboss” marketing and its glorious failure

Feb. 21, 2023

The term “girlboss” rose in 2014 after the release of entrepreneur Sophia Amuroso’s memoir, #Girlboss, in which she tells the story of how she established the fast-fashion empire that is Nasty Gal. Just a year later, Nasty Gal was sued by a former employee, who claimed that she was terminated due to her pregnancy and need for maternity leave. Nasty Gal was also included in class act lawsuit claims of false sales that reached a settlement in September 2022.

Since then, the “girlboss” has risen in popularity both on social media and in stores. Studies have shown that women are a lucrative market segment, and many brands have launched initiatives geared toward women, like Always’ #LikeAGirl campaign. Other brands have taken the approach of releasing products with taglines like “Girl Power” or “Boss Babe” in order to attract female consumers. The “girlboss” trend, when taken seriously, promotes a workaholic and hyper-consumerist lifestyle and fails to consider the reality of minority groups.

Why is the “girlboss” narrative harmful?

Kaley Terlep, a third-year double major in political science and criminal justice major and director of WSSO’s Take Back the Night event, says that the “girlboss” narrative simplifies feminism and doesn’t fully encapsulate the movement’s purpose.

“I feel like it really emphasizes the white women portion of it, where it’s really easy to be empowered as a white woman because you already have power,” says Terlep.

Timeko McFadden, a Hispanic studies doctoral student with a certificate in Women’s Studies, corroborates Terlep and criticizes the picture-perfect ideal the “girlboss” narrative promotes.

“Black women have always had to hustle. Latinas have always had to hustle. And the curated image — our hustle isn’t always pretty. Our hustle isn’t always Instagram-able,” says McFadden. 

Harini Tirumala, a second-year women’s studies and political science major and event director for the Women’s Studies Student Organization (WSSO) at the University of Georgia, says the “girlboss” narrative reinforces the workaholism mindset and sets an unrealistic standard for what a “powerful woman” looks like.

“I think it kind of can reinforce norms within capitalism and the idea of “work hard, play hard,” which isn’t something that’s accessible or representative of a lot of feminist communities in general,” says Tirumala.

How are corporations using the “girlboss” in their marketing?

A Bloomberg study found that women drive 70-80% of consumer purchasing decisions. Women’s influence on the consumer market, combined with the rise of women in the workforce and their subsequent increase in disposable income, has made women a lucrative market segment. The steadily decreasing gap between male and female labor force participation may explain why brands are taking a “girlboss” approach in finding new ways to market their products to women.

But “girlboss” marketing doesn’t seem to resonate with its intended audience. Terlep says that companies incorporating “girlboss” narrative into their products is cringeworthy and out-of-touch.

“I’ve never called myself a ‘boss bitch’ before, but you could find a million T-shirts of that,” says Terlep.

Niyati Patel, second-year journalism and political science major and Communications Director for the WSSO at UGA, suggests that companies could avoid a cash-grab appearance with more effective market research.

“There’s so many ways that they could appeal to their audience with crew necks or laptop stickers especially if they want to appeal to college students, but even with those types of ideas, they’ll just have the weirdest stuff with sayings and quotes on it,” says Patel.

So what?

Gender marketing isn’t going anywhere, so how do feminists live alongside it? Tirumala says women should be knowledgeable consumers and steer away from blatant marketing ploys and cash-grabs when possible.

“I feel like it’s important to be aware and if you can, obviously maybe not directly support them, but I wouldn’t also blame them. I feel like it is something that a lot of people don’t have a choice to do as well,” says Tirumala.

As far as what the “girlboss” trend means for the future of feminism, Patel and McFadden agree that it keeps feminists sharp.

“It doesn’t overshadow the true message as much as it used to just because we just live in an era where we have access to so much more information and so many people are talking about these sort of important topics,” says Patel.

 “I think that there are enough of us out in the world creating discourse, asking questions and rocking the boat so that no matter how good something looks we’re always going to ask the hows and the whys and we’re always going to ask the hard questions. Oddly enough, I think the impact of trends like ‘girlboss’ are actually beneficial to feminism because it causes us to work smarter and to ask harder questions,” says McFadden.

A dog gone good career change: The master behind Athens’ beloved hot dogs

Trava Barnett stands behind the counter of Trava’s Dog Gone Good Cafe in Lexington, Georgia. (Photo/Chloe Savan)

To find a good midnight snack in downtown Athens, Georgia, all a customer has to do is look for a bright yellow umbrella and a gathering crowd.

Trava Barnett’s hot dogs have become a staple in downtown Athens over the past year, as is apparent by the ever-increasing line trailing behind her cart on any Saturday night. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Barnett parks her hot dog cart at the corner of College Avenue and East Clayton Street. She and her employees play music through a speaker and work like a well-oiled machine, each with their own job for the night. 

While running a hot dog stand in the middle of Athens nightlife is no easy feat, Barnett said she loves what she does.

“People tell me that that makes their night, that they look forward to the hot dog. Making them happy makes me happy,” Barnett said.

Barnett, born and raised in Milwaukee, worked as an over-the-road trucker for 10 years and then as a yard junkie for six years before she decided she wanted to try something new. She researched easy and cost-effective ways to start a business and landed on selling hot dogs. She started her hot dog stand in Wisconsin and brought it with her when she moved to the South in 2018.

“It was trial and error. I made mistakes, but I figured it out,” Barnett said of the beginnings of her hot dog stand.

But once she moved to Georgia, she struggled to gain momentum due to Georgia laws that require food trucks and stands to have a kitchen. Barnett looked to South Carolina for her start in the South and began catering events.

“Because I couldn’t get going, I was pulling my hot dog stand to South Carolina three times a week,” Barnett said. 

Eventually, Barnett circumvented Georgia’s rule around food stands by opening her cafe, Trava’s Dog Gone Good Cafe, in Oglethorpe County.

“That’s the roadblock for a lot of people, and that was my roadblock. And then when I finally got [the cafe] open, they approved me to go downtown,” Barnett said.

Georgia’s strict rules posed another obstacle; Barnett said that while she was able to use a gas grill in Milwaukee, Georgia laws around food trucks prohibit gas and charcoal grills. Dean “Dino” Palazzola, who has worked with Barnett since May 2022, confirmed that the hot dogs from the downtown cart are cooked with a propane grill. 

Barnett opened Trava’s Dog Gone Good Cafe in November 2020 and started her cart downtown in May 2022. Two inspections from the Georgia Department of Public Health in 2022 give Barnett scores of 91 and 96

Barnett’s marketing rests solely on the taste of her hot dogs. Barnett said that what sets her hot dogs apart are the unique menu items.
“We didn’t really market, it’s just that our hot dogs are really good and unique. No one has bacon jam, hot Cheeto dog, things like that,” Barnett said.

Although Barnett plans to create a TikTok account for her hot dog stand and cafe, word of mouth has been the main source of her success.

“Everyone tells me that they tell all their friends,” Barnett said. 

Longtime employee Olivia Yager will take charge of the cafe and stand’s TikTok account.

Yager’s favorite menu item is the Hot Cheeto hot dog. However, her favorite is exclusive to the downtown location. Barnett knows her customer demographics in Oglethorpe County and downtown Athens differ and has adjusted her menus accordingly. She offered a sloppy joe hot dog at her cafe in Oglethorpe County, but quickly realized that the customers at her cafe have different tastes from her customers in downtown Athens.  

“The [sloppy] joe dog didn’t sell here (the cafe)…that’s why we don’t have Hot Cheeto here. I know that wouldn’t do well. But I’m going to try the joe dog downtown,” Barnett said. 

Barnett’s main problem is the limited space in her hot dog cart.

“I got a million dogs but only so much room in our cart,” Barnett said. 

Because of this, Barnett keeps the downtown Athens menu short, optimizing her cart’s efficiency. 

“Smaller is better, and being good at what you do,” Barnett said. 

Barnett also makes her downtown location efficient by assigning each of her employees a station for the night. While she takes orders, one of her employees cooks the hot dogs while another dresses them and adds toppings. 

“Even though the line’s long, we try to get [customers] through quick,” Barnett said.

Barnett said the chili cheese hot dog, available at both locations, far outsells her other menu items.

“If I sell 100 hot dogs, 70 will be the chili cheese, then maybe 20 will be bacon jam, and then 10 will be just ketchup, mustard, whatever,” Barnett said of her bestsellers in downtown Athens.

Barnett plans to feature an exclusive “dog of the month” with new flavors that aren’t on the menu. 

“People have been asking for the Chicago dog, so maybe next month I’ll feature that,” Barnett said. 

She enjoys her brick-and-mortar restaurant, Barnett said the heart and soul of her work is in downtown Athens. 

“I feel blessed because I always wanted to do this, and I get the best spot you could ever have,” Barnett said of her location in downtown Athens.

Barnett’s infectious passion for what she does spreads to her employees. 

“Working with her, everything is great,” said Palazzola while slicing hot dog buns for another busy Friday night in Athens, Georgia.

College Connect: Student health insurance when a parents’ plan isn’t the best option

During my senior year as an undergraduate journalism major, I took a Business of News class. One of my assignments for this class was a personal finance article for the Society for Advanced Business Editing and Writing’s (SABEW) College Connect blog:

Swiftie Spinning: The one cycling class Jake Gyllenhaal can’t attend

An hour before the class starts at 4:30, a couple students are already sitting outside Studio E in the Ramsey Student Center to secure a bike. Frankie Barnes balances a tray of Taylor Swift-inspired cookies while she clocks in and turns on some music — Taylor Swift’s new album, of course.

Attendees filter in, claim their bikes and catch up with each other. Shortly before the class, Barnes turns off the studio’s overhead lights and switches on the blacklights, casting the room in a hazy glow while attendees stretch and warm up with “Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)” in the background. 

Frankie Barnes, a graduate student studying integrated advertising and public relations, combines her love for exercising and Taylor Swift’s music in her weekly cycling class, Swiftie Spinning. 

When the world shut down in 2020 and the Ramsey Student Center at the University of Georgia restricted classes, Barnes started running through her neighborhood to exercise while listening to Taylor Swift’s music to keep her going. She created running playlists full of Taylor Swift songs that motivated her. Her friends encouraged her to teach a class at Ramsey, and she decided to give it a try. When Ramsey re-opened in 2021, Barnes earned her fitness instructor certification through Ramsey, and a week later she taught her first class. 

“I made flyers and I tried to promote it on campus. I was so nervous, and then my first class was sold out,” said Barnes. “I was like, ‘Wow, this might be something.’”

Two years into Swiftie Spinning, Barnes’ classes have consistently been full. Attendees line up early to make sure they get a spot.

“I love the way she teaches, I love the way she coordinates everything,” said Sarah Lashley, a senior marketing major and one of Barnes’ regulars. “And she’s also a big Swiftie, too, so you can tell she enjoys it.”

Barnes’ passion shines through in her monthly themed classes. The themed class of October 2022 was a celebration of the release of Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, “Midnights.” Attendees wore all black and Barnes’ playlist consisted of songs from the “Midnights” album. 

Just two days after the release of “Midnights,” attendees already had favorite tracks and sang along while cycling.

“My favorite is “Anti-Hero,” said MaiLynh Jensen, a second-year biochemical engineering major and one of Barnes’ regular attendees, after the class. “When we were sprinting to it, I didn’t even realize.”

Barnes lists “Maroon,” “Midnight Rain” and “Lavender Haze” as her three favorite songs on the album, all of which she included in the day’s playlist.

“I’m obsessed with ‘Midnight Rain’ right now…I was taking notes, and I was like ‘out of the gate, a banger.’ And I wrote that,” said Barnes.

Quiz time! How well do you know the “Midnights” album?

Case study: Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc.

Company overview

Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. (BBGI) is the parent company of 61 radio broadcasting stations across the United States under the name Beasley Media Group (BMG), as well as the digital advertising branch Beasley Digital. BBGI was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Naples, FL. 

BMG radio stations are located in 15 markets across the United States and consist mainly of music stations and talk radio. BMG says that “nearly 41% of Beasley radio properties are located in the nation’s top 50 markets such as Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Las Vegas, and New Jersey. The remaining stations are primarily in vibrant regional centers like Central North Carolina, Northeast Georgia and Southeast Florida.”

On Oct. 6, BBGI announced that it entered into an exchange agreement with Audacy, Inc. “whereby Beasley will exchange the radio station 720 AM KDWN-AM and the translator for 101.5 FM for Alternative 107.5 KXTE-FM, in Las Vegas,” to be closed in the fourth quarter of 2022. Chief executive officer Caroline Beasley explains that this asset exchange is intended to diversify station operations and “complement our Las Vegas market presence.” 

BBGI also supports a digital advertising branch, Beasley Digital, that serves brands in different mediums of advertising like social media, video, audio and email. Beasley Digital is a marketing and advertising company that, instead of serving the consumers themselves, serves companies in marketing to consumers. 

The company’s two investment ventures are Quu, Inc. and SpokenLayer. Quu, Inc. is a company that enables radio stations to control stereo display, fitting perfectly with BBGI’s work in radio broadcasting. SpokenLayer is an audio production company that distributes short-form audio content to streaming services and other online platforms.

Audience and Customers

BBGI is not a news outlet. While some of BMG’s radio stations may cover current events or Beasley Digital’s clients may advertise on news sites, BBGI works mainly in entertainment media.

BMG owns 61 radio broadcasting stations in 15 markets across the United States. Their target market is likely members of Generation X and older, who gravitate toward radio instead of streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. A CBS News poll in February 2021 shows a strong correlation between consumer age and where they listen to music; while consumers ages 18-44 are most likely to listen to music through streaming services, consumers above the age of 54 are most likely to listen to music through the radio. On average, streaming services are overtaking radio broadcasting, with 41% of consumers answering that they usually listen to music through streaming services as opposed to 31% answering that they usually listen to the radio.

BMG’s 61 radio stations are in states all over the country and are mainly talk radio or music stations. BMG claims that they have diversified their radio station portfolio to draw in diverse audiences:

“Beasley stations, which reach more than 20 million consumers on a weekly basis, are home to a diverse range of formats, featuring top on-air personalities and programming that appeal to a wide range of audiences and demographic groups. These include Country, Oldies, Adult Contemporary, Sports, Talk, CHR and Rock, among others, reflecting a diversity that translates into a broad revenue base. No format or targeted demographic group represents a disproportionate share of the company’s revenue.”

While serving diverse tastes, radio broadcasting is still becoming an outdated form of media that is being pushed to the side by streaming services. This means that BMG essentially only serves one demographic — consumers averse or lacking access to streaming services — fragmented into different personal tastes.

On the flip side, Beasley Digital serves companies rather than consumers themselves. Beasley Digital has worked with brands like Coca-Cola, Dunkin’ Donuts and Honda. According to their website, Beasley Digital’s mission is “To help businesses of all sizes thrive, achieve their goals with proven results, and connect with their community through digital marketing.” This contrasts BMG’s radio branch, which serves a more traditional vein of the media.

Key issues

BMG’s social media strategy involves mainly Facebook and Twitter. Given their place in radio broadcasting, they’re likely appealing to older generations in their social media marketing. While they do have a presence on LinkedIn and Instagram, their accounts on those platforms remain relatively inactive.Many of the radio stations owned by BMG also have social media presences on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The stations that do have social media accounts use Facebook and Twitter to interact with listeners and Instagram to post about events. This general lack of social media activity suggests that BMG radio stations are not actively marketing themselves to consumers.

As a primarily radio broadcasting company, BBGI has had to reckon with the migration of audio journalism from radio stations to streaming platforms. While BMG claims that they have diversified their radio stations to draw in different groups of listeners, they have to acknowledge that simply in being a radio broadcasting company with no presence on streaming platforms, they are inherently drawing on a specific portion of the population.

BMG falls behind competitors in the radio broadcasting industry. A 2021 Triton study shows that, between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, iHeartRadio and NPR member stations lead the industry with 390,838 and 99,583 average active sessions, respectively. BMG falls seventh on the list, with 27,047 average active sessions. iHeartRadio and NPR set themselves apart by developing mobile apps that act like streaming services. Although their radio stations have separate mobile apps, BBGI has not created a BMG app housing all of their stations in one spot like iHeartRadio has.

However, BBGI has developed their digital advertising brand, Beasley Digital to offset this migration to streaming platforms.

“Digital remains a key component of our revenue diversification strategy. Digital revenue increased 23.1% year-over-year representing 16.0% of total third quarter revenues, while our digital margin improved,” said chief executive officer Caroline Beasley in the company’s 2022 third quarter report. 

BBGI is aware that their future success hinges on their digital brand. If they rely solely on their radio broadcasting branch, they will eventually lose their audience. However, digital advertising is more popular than ever and is only growing.

Financial performance

The Wall Street Journal reports that, in the last three months, BBGI has had no purchases or sales.

According to The Wall Street Journal, share prices in BBGI have been steadily decreasing over the last 10 years. These decreasing prices reflect a low demand for BBGI shares that, in turn, reflect a decrease in perceived value of BBGI. 

On Sept. 14, the Radio & Television Business Report said that, at $1.12, BBGI’s shares had dipped lower than mid-pandemic prices in 2020, marking the lowest share prices since March 2009. Since then, BBGI’s shares have dropped even lower. The Financial Times reports that, as of Wednesday, Nov. 16, BBGI shares closed at $1.07, “10.16% above the 52 week low of [$]0.9713 set on Oct 13, 2022.”

Despite these dropping share price levels, analysts suggest that BBGI’s stock prices will recover over the next year. CNN reports that two analysts’ 12-month forecasts for BBGI stock prices “have a median target of [$]2.25, with a high estimate of 3.00 and a low estimate of $1.50. The median estimate represents a +114.29% increase from the last price of [$]1.05.”

MarketWatch analysts corroborate CNN’s forecast, estimating that BBGI’s share prices will rise by $0.11 through 2024. MarketWatch’s analysts were accurate in their 2022 estimates, only failing to forecast a $0.44 drop in the second quarter.

This second quarter dip may not have been reflective of BBGI’s performance but instead a product of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The New York Times reports that social media platforms temporarily halted advertising to avoid distracting from information or monetizing the crisis itself. Similarly, Digiday reported in March that “content discussing the conflict saw CPM rates down by approximately 20% compared to average.” Although this does not explicitly mention Beasley Digital, it suggests that the unforeseen share price dip in the second quarter may have been a delayed impact of advertising halts on some platforms.

Is BBGI a good investment?

Yes, BBGI is a good investment because it is undervalued in the current market. BBGI’s current status as a mediocre-performing underdog gives investors the perfect opportunity to get a good deal before BBGI increases in value.

While the historical performance of the company leaves room for risk, BBGI’s share price is expected to rise in 2023. Given analysts’ historical accuracy in estimating BBGI’s stock prices, BBGI shares could give shareholders a return on investment even in the short term.

The Nasdaq index shows BBGI’s P/E ratio for 2022 as 11.56, compared to the overall 2022 Nasdaq P/E ratio of 24.45. To narrow it down even more, the average P/E ratio for the broadcasting media and cable TV industry this year is 13.55. This alone shows that BBGI shares appear to be a relatively good deal. Morningstar says that the fair value of BBGI stock is $2.16, but stocks closed at $1.04 as of Friday, Nov. 18.

Most importantly, BBGI is a good investment because of its acquisition potential. Because it is a mediocre performer in the broadcasting industry but has nationwide reach, it’s plausible that a better-performing company like iHeartRadio could acquire BBGI in the future. If this happens, BBGI stock prices would skyrocket, giving shareholders the perfect opportunity to sell high the stocks that they bought low.

Whether or not another company acquires BBGI, the CEO has made it clear that the company sees the need to shift their resources toward digital advertising and follow consumer trends. When BBGI makes itself invaluable by marketing to younger generations and adapting to consumer shifts toward streaming, the company will secure its spot as a media staple.

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