Dr. Ray Gamache will give a talk entitled “ESPN: The Implosion of Meaning and the Ecstasy of Communication” at 3:40 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, in room 4119 of Tower Hall on The College of St. Scholastica campus. The public is welcome to this free event; refreshments will be served.

Since its initial broadcast in 1979, ESPN has changed how people receive sports information, said Gamache, an associate professor in St. Scholastica’s Department of Communication, Theatre and Art and coordinator of the College’s new journalism major.

Before ESPN began televising, viewers depended on the three broadcast networks and their local affiliates to receive sports coverage. According to Gamache, ESPN estimates that an average of 94 million Americans now spend 50 minutes per day or almost six hours per week engaged with ESPN media.

“Having almost no broadcast competition on a national level has given ESPN elite control and mass acceptance,” said Gamache. “Viewers are promised exhilaration in the daily menu of highlights, Top Ten plays, and player interviews in exchange for brand recall.

“This leads to a commodification of what’s important in sports, a devaluation of traditional sports values and constant co-promotion with athletes and leagues as opposed to genuine journalism.”

The talk is part of a faculty colloquium series developed last year by the College’s School of Arts and Letters to highlight diverse faculty research projects. The presentation will last one hour and include a 40-minute lecture followed by 20 minutes of questions and answers.

For more information contact Nathan Carroll at (218) 723-6144 or ncarroll@css.edu.