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René
Weber
renew@msu.edu
Principal Investigator, Comm Tech Lab
Assistant Professor, Communication & Telecommunication, Information
Studies and Media
René received his Ph.D. for his work on the theory and methods
of TV audience prediction. He has developed a system that can predict
ratings and market shares of TV programs and helps to optimize program
decisions. His system was tested by media research professionals
over a period of nearly two years. With his dissertation he introduced
modern artificial intelligence approaches (e.g. neural networks)
in communication research in order to model complex dependencies
(e.g. transactional, dynamic structures). In his recent research
projects he concentrates on using brain imaging techniques (fMRI)
to explore media effects (especially video games’ effects)
and also on how to define and measure “Television Quality”.
René joins the Comm Tech Lab in fall
2004 when he returned to MSU as an assistant professor of both Communication
and Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media.
As an academic expert on audience prediction he worked for the
SAT.1/PROSEVEN networks in Germany as well as for NBC New York/Los
Angeles. He founded "OpinionNow!", a media research start-up
company. The company's main product is a data collection software
system for use with new technology including mobile media. He was
Assistant Professor in Research Methods and Statistics at the University
of Technology in Berlin and an Associate/Guest Professor in Media
Research at the University of the Arts in Berlin. He also worked
as Post Doctoral Associate in the Entertainment program at the USC's
Annenberg School for Communication, Los Angeles, where he served
as PI for a German Research Foundation grant to do research on "Quality
of Entertainment" and as PI of studies using brain imaging
techniques (fMRI) to explore media effects (especially video games’
effects).
He earned several awards and honors, e.g. the first prize of the
TL Foundation, University of Tuebingen, Germany, for the study "Violent
Computer Games. The Impact of Different Perceptions and Modes on
Brain Activity", or the first prize for his dissertation in
the 2000 Annual Awards of the German and Swiss Marketing Societies.
Current Projects:
Television quality - entertainment
programs in the US. Indicators of quality and success.
Violent computer games, aggression and brain activity. A functional
magnetic resonance imaging study.
Products:
ProTv (TV audience prediction/optimizing
tool)
Opinion Now! (Mobile survey tool)
Publications:
Weber R., Kostygina A., Ritterfeld U. (in press): Aggression and
Hostility as Effects of Playing Violent Games. In: Vorderer P.,
Bryant J. (eds.): Playing Computer Games - Motives, Responses, and
Consequences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Weber R., Gehrau V (in press): Spielverlauf und Spielausgang im
Erleben der Zuschauer aus unterhaltungstheoretischer Sicht. In:
Schramm H. (Edt.): Die Rezeption des Sports in den Medien. Koeln:
Halem. English title: Watching Soccer in TV. An Empirical Study.
Gehrau V., Weber R. (in press): Ergebnisrelevanz als Anreiz zur
Nutzung von Medienspielen. In: Scherer H., Rössler P.: Nutzung
der Medienspiele – Spiele der Mediennutzer. English title:
The Relevance of Results and the Attraction of Media Games.
Ritterfeld U., Weber R. (in press): Interactivity, Enjoyment, and
Learning. In: Vorderer P., Bryant J. (eds.): Playing Computer Games
- Motives, Responses, and Consequences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Smith S., Tamborini R., Wilson B., Pieper K., Weber R. (in press):
Brandishing Guns in American Media: Two Studies Examining How often
and in what Context Firearms Appear on Television and in Popular
Video Games.
Vorderer P., Bryant, J., Pieper K., Weber R. (in press): Playing
Computer Games as Entertainment. In: Vorderer P., Bryant J. (eds.):
Playing Computer Games - Motives, Responses, and Consequences. Mahwah,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Weber R. (2004): Statistik mit SPSS. In: Bortz J.: Statistik für
Sozialwissenschaftler. 6. Auflage. Berlin: Springer. English title:
Statistics with SPSS.
Ritterfeld U., Weber R., Fernando S., Vorderer P. (2004): Think
science! Entertainment Education in Interactive Theaters. In: Computers
in Entertainment, 1, Issue 2, Educating Children Through Entertainment
(Part II).
Weber R., Gardini F. (2003): TV Entertainment Programs: Validation
of Quality Indicators. In: Sartori C., Pinelli L. (Edt.): Television
Quality and Product Innovation in the Digital Age. Rome: Rai. 152-177.
Vorderer P., Weber R. (2003): Unterhaltung als kommunikationswissenschaftliches
Problem. Ansätze einer konnektionistischen Modellierung. In:
Früh W., Stiehler H.J.: Unterhaltung – ein Reader. Köln:
Halem. 136-159. English title: Entertainment as a Problem in Communication
Sciences. First Ideas of a Connectionist Approach.
Weber, R. (2003). Methods to Forecast Television Viewing Patterns
for Target Audiences. In: Schorr, A., Campbell, B., Schenk, M. (2003).
Communication Research and Media Science in Europe. New York, Berlin:
De Gruyter. 271-285.
Weber, R. (2001). Datenanalyse mittels neuronaler Netze am Beispiel
des Publikumserfolgs von Spielfilmen. In: Zeitschrift für Medienpsychologie,
13, 4, 164–176. English title: The Success of Movies. Data
Analysis with Neural Networks.
Boger Z., Weber R. (2000). Finding an Optimal Artificial Neural
Network Topology in Real-Life Modeling. In: The ICSC Symposium on
Neural Computation, Article No. 1403/109.
Weber, R. (2000). Prognosemodelle zur Vorhersage der Fernsehnutzung.
Neuronale Netze, Tree-Modelle und klassische Statistik im Vergleich.
München: Reinhard Fischer. English title: Models to Forecast
Television Usage. A Comparison of Neural Networks, Tree Models and
Classical Statistics.
Bretz, H.J., Weber, R., Gmel, G., Schmitz, B. (1999). The Time of
the “Wende”: Social Change and the Reception of Political
Broadcasting in the German Democratic Republic. Time-Series Analysis
of News Usage. In: Silbereisen, R.K. & Von Eye, A. (eds.): Growing
Up in Times of Social Change. New York, Berlin: De Gruyter. 203-223.
Weber R. (1999): SPSS-Beispiele zu den vorgestellten Methoden. In:
Bortz J.: Statistik für Sozialwissenschaftler 5. Auflage. Berlin:
Springer. 703-738. English title: SPSS Examples of Selected Statistical
Methods.
Weber, R. (1998). Statische und dynamische Evaluation von Prognosen.
In: ZA-Information, 43, 111-123. English title: Static and Dynamic
Evaluation of Forecasts.
Presentations (Selection):
Weber R., Gardini F. (2004): TV Entertainment Programs: Validation
of Quality Indicators. International Communication Association (ICA).
New Orleans, May 27-31, 2004.
Gehrau V., Weber R. (2004): Evaluations of TV Quality as a Tool
to Predict TV Actions. International Communication Association (ICA).
New Orleans, May 27-31, 2004.
Weber R., Gardini F. (2003): TV Entertainment Programs: Validation
of Quality Indicators. Invited Presentation. Prixitalia –
International Competition for Radio, Television and Web. Catania,
September 13-20, 2003.
Weber R. (2003): Prognosis Methods on Television Viewing Patterns
for Target Audiences. New Findings. International Communication
Association (ICA). San Diego, May 23-27, 2003.
Weber R. (2003): Entertainment Programs in TV - Indicators of Quality
and Success from Professionals’ Viewpoint. International Communication
Association (ICA). San Diego, May 23-27, 2003.
Gehrau V., Weber R. (2003): Published Advertising Price as Indicator
of Success? International Communication Association (ICA). San Diego,
May 23-27, 2003.
Weber R. (2002): Methoden zur Optimierung von Erklärungs- und
Prognosemodellen der Fernsehnutzung. Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Psychologie. Berlin, September 22-26, 2002. English title: Methods
for an Optimization of TV Usage Models.
Gehrau V., Weber R. (2002): Ergebnisrelevanz als Anreiz zur Nutzung
von Medienspielen? Fachgruppe „Rezeptionsforschung“
der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik und Kommunikationswissenschaft.
Hannover, October 25-26, 2001. English title: The Relevance of a
Result as Motivation to Use Media Games.
Weber R. (2001): Prognose und Simulation der Fernsehnutzung. Internationale
Funkausstellung. Berlin, September 25-30, 2001. English title: Prediction
and Simulation of TV Viewing Behavior.
Weber R. (2001): Prognose und Simulation der Fernsehnutzung. Cebit
Computermesse. Hannover, March 21-28, 2001. English title: TV Audience
Prediction and Simulation.
Weber R. (2000): Prognosemodelle zur Vorhersage der Fernsehnutzung.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medienwirkungsforschung. Stuttgart,
October 1-2, 2000. English title: Models to Forecast TV Usage.
Weber R. (2000): Neuronale Netze und ihre Anwendung in der Medien-
und Kommunikationsforschung. Fachgruppe „Methoden“ der
Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik und Kommunikationswissenschaft.
Loccum, October 28-31, 2000. English title: Neural Networks and
their Applications in Media- and Communication Research.
Weber R. (2000): New Models to Forecast and Simulate TV Usage. International
Association for Media and Communication Research. Singapore, July
17–20, 2000.
Weber R. (2000): Techniques for Forecasting, Simulating and Explaining
TV Use Based on Telemetric Data. International Association for Media
and Communication Research. Singapore, July 17–20, 2000.
Weber R. (2000): Prognosemodelle zur Vorhersage der Fernsehnutzung.
Neuronale Netze, Tree-Modelle und klassische Statistik im Vergleich.
Deutscher und Schweizerischer Marktforschungs-Berufsverband.
Basel, May 28-30, 2000. English title: Models to Forecast TV Usage.
Neural Network, Tree-Models and Classical Statistics in Comparison.
Weber R. (1999): Models to Forecast TV Usage. Neural Networks, Tree-Models
and Classical Statistical Models in Comparison - First Overview.
International Association for Media and Communication Research.
Leipzig, July 27–31, 1999.
Weber R. (1994): Nachrichtennutzung. Der Einfluss herausragender
Ereignisse auf die Einschaltquoten der Tagesschau vor dem Hintergrund
des dynamisch-transaktionalen Modells. Deutschen Gesellschaft für
Psychologie. Hamburg, September 25-29, 1994. English title: News
Usage. Effects of Outstanding Events on News Ratings.
Bretz H.J., Weber R., Gmel G. (1994): Politische Destabilisierung
und Rezeption der „Aktuellen Kamera“ in der DDR während
der Wende. Zeitreihenanalysen der Nachrichtennutzung. Deutsche Gesellschaft
für Psychologie. Hamburg, September 25-29, 1994. English title:
Political Destabilization and the Reception of “Aktuelle Kamera
(news)” in the German Democratic Republic during the Breakdown
of the Wall. Time-Series Analysis of News Usage.
Related URLs:
http://www.comm.msu.edu/people/faculty/389
http://www.dr-rene-weber.de
Course Offerings:
Spring 2005: CAS 992/892
Credentials:
MA in Communication, Berlin University of
Arts
MBA/Econometrics & Statistics, Berlin University of Technology
PhD in Psychology/Research Methods, Berlin University of Technology
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