The following is a memorandum from the business manager of a television station.
"Over the past year, our late-night news program has devoted increased time to national news and less time to weather and local news. During this time period, most of the complaints received from viewers were concerned with our station' s coverage of weather and local news. In addition, local businesses that used to advertise during our late-night news program have just canceled their advertising contracts with us. Therefore, in order to attract more viewers to the program and to avoid losing any further advertising revenues, we should restore the time devoted to weather and local news to its former level."
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
The business manager suggest that the television station should restore the time devoted to weather and local news to its former level. To support this, he emphasizes that during the period where the late-night news program put more attention on national news, most of the complaints they received were related to the station's coverage of weather and local news. In addition, he also states the fact that a local businesses that used the news program have just abandoned their contract with the station. I sympathize with the manager's intention to prevent losing more advertising revenues, but more evidence is need to help us evaluate the manager's argument.
To begin with, the manager states that most of the complaints received from viewers were about lacking coverage of weather and local news. However, we still don't have the information about the preference of the viewers. To be more specific, what if more complaints will come if they restore the time devoted to these two kind of news. For example, they can conduct a survey covering most of the audience about their preference. If the survey indicates that the station will probably receive more complaints if the restore the time, then there's no need for the station to make a change, and the manager's argument will be weakened. If, however, it turns out that most of the audience are fond of this restoration, then the manager's argument will be fortified.
Granted that most of the audience prefers this restoration, we still need to examine the reason why the local businesses canceled the contract. The station may have different competitors, and there may be several stations negotiating with the local businesses at the same time. And if one of the station can offer them a lower advertising fee and a higher viewing rate, then there's no reason for the local businesses to not sign with that station. Therefore, we need further evidence about why the local businesses canceled the contract. If it turns out that it is really because of the station are losing viewers, then the manager's argument is strengthen and the suggested actions should be immediately taken. On the contrary, new evidence revealing the local businesses is going to sign with a better station, then the manager's argument is weakened and other actions may be taken.
To sum up, while the manager's argument seems reasonable in some sense, we still need further evidence to prove that the station really need to restore the time for weather and local news.
Comments
Essay evaluation report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.5 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 17 15
No. of Words: 418 350
No. of Characters: 2042 1500
No. of Different Words: 172 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.522 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.885 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.513 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 144 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 126 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 77 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 43 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 24.588 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 6.878 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.882 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.397 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.555 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.222 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 319, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'stations'' or 'station's'?
Suggestion: stations'; station's
...aints they received were related to the stations coverage of weather and local news. In ...
^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 414, Rule ID: A_PLURAL[2]
Message: Don't use indefinite articles with plural words. Did you mean 'business'?
Suggestion: business
...n, he also states the fact that a local businesses that used the news program have just ab...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 527, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'managers'' or 'manager's'?
Suggestion: managers'; manager's
...with the station. I sympathize with the managers intention to prevent losing more advert...
^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 641, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'managers'' or 'manager's'?
Suggestion: managers'; manager's
...vidence is need to help us evaluate the managers argument. To begin with, the manager...
^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 158, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: don't
...ather and local news. However, we still dont have the information about the preferen...
^^^^
Line 3, column 511, Rule ID: A_INFINITVE[1]
Message: Probably a wrong construction: a/the + infinitive
...ill probably receive more complaints if the restore the time, then theres no need for the s...
^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 538, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: there's
...omplaints if the restore the time, then theres no need for the station to make a chang...
^^^^^^
Line 3, column 595, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'managers'' or 'manager's'?
Suggestion: managers'; manager's
...r the station to make a change, and the managers argument will be weakened. If, however,...
^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 722, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'managers'' or 'manager's'?
Suggestion: managers'; manager's
... are fond of this restoration, then the managers argument will be fortified. Granted ...
^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 376, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: there's
...ing fee and a higher viewing rate, then theres no reason for the local businesses to n...
^^^^^^
Line 5, column 625, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'managers'' or 'manager's'?
Suggestion: managers'; manager's
...he station are losing viewers, then the managers argument is strengthen and the suggeste...
^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 646, Rule ID: BEEN_PART_AGREEMENT[1]
Message: Consider using a past participle here: 'strengthened'.
Suggestion: strengthened
... viewers, then the managers argument is strengthen and the suggested actions should be imm...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 822, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'managers'' or 'manager's'?
Suggestion: managers'; manager's
...to sign with a better station, then the managers argument is weakened and other actions ...
^^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 22, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'managers'' or 'manager's'?
Suggestion: managers'; manager's
...s may be taken. To sum up, while the managers argument seems reasonable in some sense...
^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, however, if, may, really, so, still, then, therefore, while, for example, in addition, kind of, on the contrary, to begin with, to sum up
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 15.0 19.6327345309 76% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 17.0 12.9520958084 131% => OK
Conjunction : 11.0 11.1786427146 98% => OK
Relative clauses : 12.0 13.6137724551 88% => OK
Pronoun: 33.0 28.8173652695 115% => OK
Preposition: 48.0 55.5748502994 86% => OK
Nominalization: 31.0 16.3942115768 189% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2085.0 2260.96107784 92% => OK
No of words: 417.0 441.139720559 95% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.0 5.12650576532 98% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.5189133491 4.56307096286 99% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.55187427053 2.78398813304 92% => OK
Unique words: 177.0 204.123752495 87% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.424460431655 0.468620217663 91% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 654.3 705.55239521 93% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 9.0 4.96107784431 181% => OK
Article: 3.0 8.76447105788 34% => OK
Subordination: 3.0 2.70958083832 111% => OK
Conjunction: 4.0 1.67365269461 239% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 6.0 4.22255489022 142% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 17.0 19.7664670659 86% => OK
Sentence length: 24.0 22.8473053892 105% => OK
Sentence length SD: 38.5760382445 57.8364921388 67% => OK
Chars per sentence: 122.647058824 119.503703932 103% => OK
Words per sentence: 24.5294117647 23.324526521 105% => OK
Discourse Markers: 8.70588235294 5.70786347227 153% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 5.15768463074 78% => More paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 14.0 5.25449101796 266% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 4.0 8.20758483034 49% => More positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 9.0 6.88822355289 131% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 4.0 4.67664670659 86% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.34131042387 0.218282227539 156% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.123104055452 0.0743258471296 166% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.104009753372 0.0701772020484 148% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.237721704384 0.128457276422 185% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.109706901623 0.0628817314937 174% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.4 14.3799401198 100% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 47.12 48.3550499002 97% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.7 12.197005988 104% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.02 12.5979740519 95% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.74 8.32208582834 93% => OK
difficult_words: 77.0 98.500998004 78% => More difficult words wanted.
linsear_write_formula: 14.0 12.3882235529 113% => OK
gunning_fog: 11.6 11.1389221557 104% => OK
text_standard: 14.0 11.9071856287 118% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 50.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 3.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.