From world news to advertising and the Top 40 countdown, entertainment and mass communications encompass both live and recorded audio or visual programming that is disseminated to a mass audience.

While the primary agenda of each program may be to inform, educate, entertain, or influence, most communications today are multi-faceted. Increasingly the two industries have grown in similarity and taken on characteristics of the other. At the end of the day, a television news station’s success will depend on its ability to entertain its audience as well as satisfy its hunger for information; a business will attract customers by presenting its message in eye-catching advertisements; and a Hollywood movie will extend its influence by addressing political, religious, or social ideas.

The entertainment and mass communications field is projected to be a fast-growing but extremely competitive industry through the year 2008. Projected growth will be attributed to the public’s increased desire for news, information and entertainment, as well as rapid expansion of the Internet. There will be ongoing demand for talented and skilled broadcast journalists, photographers, actors and other entertainment and mass communications professionals.

Professionals in these industries must be good communicators who are self-confident, determined, motivated, and often persuasive. Creativity, organization, and stress-tolerance are also important.

There are several courses of study that would help make someone successful in this career field. Some suggested courses are: English, music, band, speech/theatre, art, keyboarding, and journalism.

Work settings are diverse, ranging from a baseball field to a television news set. In general, the culture of the entertainment industry is more casual, while the mass communications industry is more sophisticated. Both environments are often hectic and stressful due to tight deadlines, ego conflicts, the need to perform under pressure, and the pace required to keep up with changing cultural tastes.