MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract: Shark Week has been one of the most significant attempts by the scientific community to not only gain public support, but educate the general public about these misunderstood creatures. People tune into the Discovery Channel™ every summer to learn and be awestruck by the majesty and power of this fascinating creatures. However with the advent of the internet and the increasingly repetitive programming, people have become less and less interested in this educational, yet stale and sensationalized, programming. My paper proposes that the Discovery Channel™ continues to air Shark Week but also begins a new annual block of programming called Dinosaur Week or Days of the Dinos. Much like Shark Week, Discovery Channel™ will air hour-long documentaries focusing on the more sensational and recent discoveries and theories in the paleontological community, much like the programs aired during shark week. These shows could even feature modern paleontologists at the forefront of their field, like John Horner or Thomas Holtz Jr. The show that I am proposing for this new “Days of the Dinos” week would be about the evolution of the most iconic dinosaur: Tyrannosaurus rex. Not only is the T.rex one of the most famous dinosaurs, but it is also one of the most extensively studied dinosaurs and its clade, the tyrannosauroids, are also one of the most developed of the dinosaur clades. This program would discuss new discoveries in New Mexico, Mongolia, and Mexico and the impact they have on the tyrannosauroid clade.
WC: 245
Reader’s Profile: I imagine the readers would be producers and executives at Discovery Channel™ trying to determine new programming for the upcoming year.
Reader’s Response: Interesting perspective. Dinosaurs are also an interesting topic, although the computer graphics needed to render these dinosaurs on screen could be expensive, the childish wonder and awe surrounding these animals could be a good way to increase viewership. Also, it appears this intern did a lot of background research into these tyrannosauroid clades which could be a surefire way to grab the attention of various audiences and start off this block of programming with the attention it deserves.

Also, I will be natural language citation with complete sources at the end of the document as my citation style since I am writing for producers and other executive market clients.