"To reverse a decline in listener numbers, our owners have decided that WWAC must change from its current rock-music format. The decline has occurred despite population growth in our listening area, but that growth has resulted mainly from people moving here after their retirement. We must make listeners of these new residents. We could switch to a music format tailored to their tastes, but a continuing decline in local sales of recorded music suggests limited interest in music. Instead we should change to a news and talk format, a form of radio that is increasingly popular in our area."
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.
In the memorandum from the manager of WWAC radio station, the author comes to the conclusion that they should switch to a more popular 'news and talk format' - a form of radio - in an attempt to reverse the decline in listener numbers. The author sees a need to change from its current rock-music format but, quickly debases it by citing the evidence of declining local sales of recorded music. While it may be true that the existing rock-music format is linked to the decline in audience, it over-relies on the assumption that a news and talk format will reverse the fortunes. The series of assumptions rallying to the conclusions are not strong enough to support the author's standing.
The author's conclusion of changing the music format traces its roots to the assumption that the decline in listeners is attributed to a change in taste of music listeners. However, the memorandum doesn't consider several other potential factors that might have contributed to the decline. For example, the quality of the music they cater to their audience may have lowered over the time. The author goes on to account for the apparent lack of strength in the argument by citing that a decline in local sales of recorded music suggested limited interest in music. Volume of local sales of recorded music is too narrow a basis to assess the music interest of a particular locality. It seems even more illogical in times of digital marketing, when music can be purchased and listened to online. Unless it can be asserted that the decline in listeners' number is due to the change in music taste or interest, the author's argument cannot be supported.
Keeping into consideration disparate music tastes between residencies, the author offers to cater music tailored to the taste of new residents, which he/she negates suggesting limited music taste from the implications of declining local sales of recorded music. However, the author fails to acknowledge that the music taste of the native residents might too have evolved over the past. The argument clearly lack enough evidences regarding the music taste and interest of local residents and the newer ones. Also, not acknowledging the fact that new comers to the residencies around the station could be from diverse fields, communities and states, and which makes the tailoring to their taste extremely arduous, the author only appears to be desperate to increase the number of listeners.
Another assumption building up to the conclusion is that a news and talk format will help in increasing the audience. While the increasingly popular form of the radio might help the cause, it doesn't warrant a sure-shot increase in listeners' numbers against the likes of services of established radio runnig in that format. Furthermore, the radio would not necessarily have an easy time forming and growing its own listeners group. To further weaken the claim, by the time the radio switched to and operated under the format, the format might well be outmoded by an another one. To strengthen his/her arguments, the author would like to find out whether the radio newly switched to the popular format were having a increasing flow of listeners. In other possibilities, the radio might even lose the audience they have already built in a quest of increasing the listener numbers through unwarranted attempts. The author'd his/her best did he/she checked if the decline in the number could be due to the transfer of audience to the radio operating under similar format.
While switching to the popular form of radio can attract a greater audience, the evidences presented by the author in support of his/her conclusions are inadequate. Full of assumptions, the argument needs more research and information is needed in order for the radio take the decision against the current rock-music format.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.5 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 15 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 11 2
No. of Sentences: 24 15
No. of Words: 638 350
No. of Characters: 3132 1500
No. of Different Words: 254 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 5.026 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.909 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.608 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 231 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 177 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 117 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 69 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 26.583 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 7.74 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.5 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.346 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.534 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.145 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 4, column 5, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...to support the authors standing. The authors conclusion of changing the music format...
^^^^^^^
Line 4, column 197, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: doesn't
...usic listeners. However, the memorandum doesnt consider several other potential factor...
^^^^^^
Line 4, column 908, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
... change in music taste or interest, the authors argument cannot be supported. Keepin...
^^^^^^^
Line 6, column 129, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... to cater music tailored to the taste of new residents, which he/she negates sugg...
^^
Line 6, column 356, Rule ID: TOO_TO[1]
Message: Did you mean 'to have'?
Suggestion: to have
...sic taste of the native residents might too have evolved over the past. The argument cle...
^^^^^^^^
Line 8, column 193, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: doesn't
...m of the radio might help the cause, it doesnt warrant a sure-shot increase in listene...
^^^^^^
Line 8, column 563, Rule ID: AN_ANOTHER[1]
Message: One of these determiners is redundant in this context. Choose only one: 'a one' or 'another one'.
Suggestion: a one; another one
...t, the format might well be outmoded by an another one. To strengthen his/her arguments, the a...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 8, column 713, Rule ID: EN_A_VS_AN
Message: Use 'an' instead of 'a' if the following word starts with a vowel sound, e.g. 'an article', 'an hour'
Suggestion: an
...tched to the popular format were having a increasing flow of listeners. In other ...
^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, furthermore, however, if, may, regarding, so, then, well, while, for example
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 17.0 19.6327345309 87% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 19.0 12.9520958084 147% => OK
Conjunction : 13.0 11.1786427146 116% => OK
Relative clauses : 14.0 13.6137724551 103% => OK
Pronoun: 35.0 28.8173652695 121% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 107.0 55.5748502994 193% => OK
Nominalization: 18.0 16.3942115768 110% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3198.0 2260.96107784 141% => OK
No of words: 630.0 441.139720559 143% => Less content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.07619047619 5.12650576532 99% => OK
Fourth root words length: 5.00997013923 4.56307096286 110% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.67888111378 2.78398813304 96% => OK
Unique words: 261.0 204.123752495 128% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.414285714286 0.468620217663 88% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 1007.1 705.55239521 143% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 3.0 4.96107784431 60% => OK
Article: 19.0 8.76447105788 217% => Less articles wanted as sentence beginning.
Subordination: 5.0 2.70958083832 185% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.67365269461 60% => OK
Preposition: 5.0 4.22255489022 118% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 24.0 19.7664670659 121% => OK
Sentence length: 26.0 22.8473053892 114% => OK
Sentence length SD: 47.3594228275 57.8364921388 82% => OK
Chars per sentence: 133.25 119.503703932 112% => OK
Words per sentence: 26.25 23.324526521 113% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.625 5.70786347227 64% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 8.0 5.25449101796 152% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 12.0 8.20758483034 146% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 8.0 6.88822355289 116% => 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: 0.228990608308 0.218282227539 105% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0769984474671 0.0743258471296 104% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0610113369315 0.0701772020484 87% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.139789050785 0.128457276422 109% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0696882930037 0.0628817314937 111% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 15.6 14.3799401198 108% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 45.09 48.3550499002 93% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 13.4 12.197005988 110% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.48 12.5979740519 99% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.66 8.32208582834 104% => OK
difficult_words: 149.0 98.500998004 151% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 17.5 12.3882235529 141% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.4 11.1389221557 111% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.9071856287 76% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Write the essay in 30 minutes.
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 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.