Archive for June, 2004

Words from my inner geek

Posted Saturday, June 26th, 2004

From time-to-time, my inner geek rears his four-eyed head to say, “Hello.” It’s my duty when that happens to pass along information that may help my readers live more hassle-free lives with their computers. Real geeks likely already have this info, so if that describes you, you may exit now.

Today’s lesson involves Java, a display technology owned by Sun Microsystems. Those of us who use Microsoft products, especially Internet Explorer, have taken this little guy for granted over the years, because it was included in Internet Explorer as the Microsoft® Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM). Well, there was this court battle. Sun won. And now, the MSJVM can’t be included in Internet Explorer. Actually, the license was extended until December 31, 2007, but that only allows Microsoft to continue supporting the technology. What does this mean for you and me? If you’ve downloaded the latest version of IE for any reason, you’ll soon discover that certain Website pages won’t display properly. That’s because they contain a Java application, and your browser can’t read it anymore. So what’s a non-geek to do?

Go directly to Sun Microsystems and download their software. It’s free, and soon you’ll be on your merry way again.

An inner geek rant
Email is now less than useless, thanks to spammers and relentless attempts to make it a mass marketing tool. And now the law of unintended consequences strikes at software attempts to “fix” the problem. Case in point. In a former life, I ran a rather lively Internet community and made some friends around the globe. I still function as Webmaster for the company, and I got an email from one of these former community members asking for assistance. She had the same AOL address as always. I deleted a file for her and hit the reply button to let her know and to answer a few questions she had asked. AOL rejected the email as one that wasn’t on her approved list. She wrote again, wanting to know who was still around. Sigh. I’ve no easy way of reaching her.

Same thing with an old friend who works as an ABC correspondent. When the network went to an anti-spam email system, it began rejecting my emails with a message saying I needed to contact him and ask to be put on his list. It’s been over five years since I spoke with the guy, but we’ve exchanged dozens of emails. Another sigh. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to make a phone call to get clearance for email access.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Words from my inner geek

Posted Saturday, June 26th, 2004

From time-to-time, my inner geek rears his four-eyed head to say, “Hello.” It’s my duty when that happens to pass along information that may help my readers live more hassle-free lives with their computers. Real geeks likely already have this info, so if that describes you, you may exit now.

Today’s lesson involves Java, a display technology owned by Sun Microsystems. Those of us who use Microsoft products, especially Internet Explorer, have taken this little guy for granted over the years, because it was included in Internet Explorer as the Microsoft® Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM). Well, there was this court battle. Sun won. And now, the MSJVM can’t be included in Internet Explorer. Actually, the license was extended until December 31, 2007, but that only allows Microsoft to continue supporting the technology. What does this mean for you and me? If you’ve downloaded the latest version of IE for any reason, you’ll soon discover that certain Website pages won’t display properly. That’s because they contain a Java application, and your browser can’t read it anymore. So what’s a non-geek to do?

Go directly to Sun Microsystems and download their software. It’s free, and soon you’ll be on your merry way again.

An inner geek rant
Email is now less than useless, thanks to spammers and relentless attempts to make it a mass marketing tool. And now the law of unintended consequences strikes at software attempts to “fix” the problem. Case in point. In a former life, I ran a rather lively Internet community and made some friends around the globe. I still function as Webmaster for the company, and I got an email from one of these former community members asking for assistance. She had the same AOL address as always. I deleted a file for her and hit the reply button to let her know and to answer a few questions she had asked. AOL rejected the email as one that wasn’t on her approved list. She wrote again, wanting to know who was still around. Sigh. I’ve no easy way of reaching her.

Same thing with an old friend who works as an ABC correspondent. When the network went to an anti-spam email system, it began rejecting my emails with a message saying I needed to contact him and ask to be put on his list. It’s been over five years since I spoke with the guy, but we’ve exchanged dozens of emails. Another sigh. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to make a phone call to get clearance for email access.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Words from my inner geek

Posted Saturday, June 26th, 2004

From time-to-time, my inner geek rears his four-eyed head to say, “Hello.” It’s my duty when that happens to pass along information that may help my readers live more hassle-free lives with their computers. Real geeks likely already have this info, so if that describes you, you may exit now.

Today’s lesson involves Java, a display technology owned by Sun Microsystems. Those of us who use Microsoft products, especially Internet Explorer, have taken this little guy for granted over the years, because it was included in Internet Explorer as the Microsoft® Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM). Well, there was this court battle. Sun won. And now, the MSJVM can’t be included in Internet Explorer. Actually, the license was extended until December 31, 2007, but that only allows Microsoft to continue supporting the technology. What does this mean for you and me? If you’ve downloaded the latest version of IE for any reason, you’ll soon discover that certain Website pages won’t display properly. That’s because they contain a Java application, and your browser can’t read it anymore. So what’s a non-geek to do?

Go directly to Sun Microsystems and download their software. It’s free, and soon you’ll be on your merry way again.

An inner geek rant
Email is now less than useless, thanks to spammers and relentless attempts to make it a mass marketing tool. And now the law of unintended consequences strikes at software attempts to “fix” the problem. Case in point. In a former life, I ran a rather lively Internet community and made some friends around the globe. I still function as Webmaster for the company, and I got an email from one of these former community members asking for assistance. She had the same AOL address as always. I deleted a file for her and hit the reply button to let her know and to answer a few questions she had asked. AOL rejected the email as one that wasn’t on her approved list. She wrote again, wanting to know who was still around. Sigh. I’ve no easy way of reaching her.

Same thing with an old friend who works as an ABC correspondent. When the network went to an anti-spam email system, it began rejecting my emails with a message saying I needed to contact him and ask to be put on his list. It’s been over five years since I spoke with the guy, but we’ve exchanged dozens of emails. Another sigh. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to make a phone call to get clearance for email access.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Words from my inner geek

Posted Saturday, June 26th, 2004

From time-to-time, my inner geek rears his four-eyed head to say, “Hello.” It’s my duty when that happens to pass along information that may help my readers live more hassle-free lives with their computers. Real geeks likely already have this info, so if that describes you, you may exit now.

Today’s lesson involves Java, a display technology owned by Sun Microsystems. Those of us who use Microsoft products, especially Internet Explorer, have taken this little guy for granted over the years, because it was included in Internet Explorer as the Microsoft® Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM). Well, there was this court battle. Sun won. And now, the MSJVM can’t be included in Internet Explorer. Actually, the license was extended until December 31, 2007, but that only allows Microsoft to continue supporting the technology. What does this mean for you and me? If you’ve downloaded the latest version of IE for any reason, you’ll soon discover that certain Website pages won’t display properly. That’s because they contain a Java application, and your browser can’t read it anymore. So what’s a non-geek to do?

Go directly to Sun Microsystems and download their software. It’s free, and soon you’ll be on your merry way again.

An inner geek rant
Email is now less than useless, thanks to spammers and relentless attempts to make it a mass marketing tool. And now the law of unintended consequences strikes at software attempts to “fix” the problem. Case in point. In a former life, I ran a rather lively Internet community and made some friends around the globe. I still function as Webmaster for the company, and I got an email from one of these former community members asking for assistance. She had the same AOL address as always. I deleted a file for her and hit the reply button to let her know and to answer a few questions she had asked. AOL rejected the email as one that wasn’t on her approved list. She wrote again, wanting to know who was still around. Sigh. I’ve no easy way of reaching her.

Same thing with an old friend who works as an ABC correspondent. When the network went to an anti-spam email system, it began rejecting my emails with a message saying I needed to contact him and ask to be put on his list. It’s been over five years since I spoke with the guy, but we’ve exchanged dozens of emails. Another sigh. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to make a phone call to get clearance for email access.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Only the educated should vote?

Posted Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

The Seattle Weekly’s Knute Berger sent a missive down from his pedestal today that ought to piss off anybody who seriously studies the news media and the political process. Let me repeat something I’ve written previously. Historian Christopher Lasch said it best. You can track the decline in participation in the political process in this country with the rise of the professionalization of the press. Mr. Berger proves Lasch’s point:

It’s not the job of the media to try to improve voter turnout. Our job is to inform, not implement. In this country, you’re free to vote or to not vote. And Americans want it that way. An ABC News poll in June asked voters if they liked the idea of a small fine being imposed on people who don’t vote, like they do in some countries. The results: 72 percent said such a law would — what’s the technical term? — suck. That’s right. Our right not to vote is sacred, too.

Besides, shouldn’t it be the accuracy and quality of the vote that concerns us, rather than the amount of voting? More voting doesn’t necessarily mean better government. And youth voting certainly doesn’t. Richard Nixon lowered the voting age to 18 and guess what? Young people voted for Richard Freaking Nixon. Every time I hear some bozo talk about the importance of the youth vote, I remember that fact.

What a self-serving bunch of crap! He’s concerned about the “accuracy and quality” of the vote. Walter Lippmann would be proud. Lippmann believed the people were (mistakenly) being led around by myth and stereotype and needed a professional elite — among which would be the press — to show them the way. In other words, the people are too stupid to play any role in running their own lives. This despite the fact that we’re a government of the people, one in which everybody has a voice. Let’s face it. Lippmann’s social beliefs were designed to serve himself and his elite cronies. They are the ones for whom the “accuracy and quality of the vote” are paramount, because, after all, that means the only people voting will be the ones who agree with them. Oh boy.

Read the rest of Berger’s rant. It’s entertaining, if nothing else.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Only the educated should vote?

Posted Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

The Seattle Weekly’s Knute Berger sent a missive down from his pedestal today that ought to piss off anybody who seriously studies the news media and the political process. Let me repeat something I’ve written previously. Historian Christopher Lasch said it best. You can track the decline in participation in the political process in this country with the rise of the professionalization of the press. Mr. Berger proves Lasch’s point:

It’s not the job of the media to try to improve voter turnout. Our job is to inform, not implement. In this country, you’re free to vote or to not vote. And Americans want it that way. An ABC News poll in June asked voters if they liked the idea of a small fine being imposed on people who don’t vote, like they do in some countries. The results: 72 percent said such a law would — what’s the technical term? — suck. That’s right. Our right not to vote is sacred, too.

Besides, shouldn’t it be the accuracy and quality of the vote that concerns us, rather than the amount of voting? More voting doesn’t necessarily mean better government. And youth voting certainly doesn’t. Richard Nixon lowered the voting age to 18 and guess what? Young people voted for Richard Freaking Nixon. Every time I hear some bozo talk about the importance of the youth vote, I remember that fact.

What a self-serving bunch of crap! He’s concerned about the “accuracy and quality” of the vote. Walter Lippmann would be proud. Lippmann believed the people were (mistakenly) being led around by myth and stereotype and needed a professional elite — among which would be the press — to show them the way. In other words, the people are too stupid to play any role in running their own lives. This despite the fact that we’re a government of the people, one in which everybody has a voice. Let’s face it. Lippmann’s social beliefs were designed to serve himself and his elite cronies. They are the ones for whom the “accuracy and quality of the vote” are paramount, because, after all, that means the only people voting will be the ones who agree with them. Oh boy.

Read the rest of Berger’s rant. It’s entertaining, if nothing else.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Only the educated should vote?

Posted Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

The Seattle Weekly’s Knute Berger sent a missive down from his pedestal today that ought to piss off anybody who seriously studies the news media and the political process. Let me repeat something I’ve written previously. Historian Christopher Lasch said it best. You can track the decline in participation in the political process in this country with the rise of the professionalization of the press. Mr. Berger proves Lasch’s point:

It’s not the job of the media to try to improve voter turnout. Our job is to inform, not implement. In this country, you’re free to vote or to not vote. And Americans want it that way. An ABC News poll in June asked voters if they liked the idea of a small fine being imposed on people who don’t vote, like they do in some countries. The results: 72 percent said such a law would — what’s the technical term? — suck. That’s right. Our right not to vote is sacred, too.

Besides, shouldn’t it be the accuracy and quality of the vote that concerns us, rather than the amount of voting? More voting doesn’t necessarily mean better government. And youth voting certainly doesn’t. Richard Nixon lowered the voting age to 18 and guess what? Young people voted for Richard Freaking Nixon. Every time I hear some bozo talk about the importance of the youth vote, I remember that fact.

What a self-serving bunch of crap! He’s concerned about the “accuracy and quality” of the vote. Walter Lippmann would be proud. Lippmann believed the people were (mistakenly) being led around by myth and stereotype and needed a professional elite — among which would be the press — to show them the way. In other words, the people are too stupid to play any role in running their own lives. This despite the fact that we’re a government of the people, one in which everybody has a voice. Let’s face it. Lippmann’s social beliefs were designed to serve himself and his elite cronies. They are the ones for whom the “accuracy and quality of the vote” are paramount, because, after all, that means the only people voting will be the ones who agree with them. Oh boy.

Read the rest of Berger’s rant. It’s entertaining, if nothing else.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Only the educated should vote?

Posted Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

The Seattle Weekly’s Knute Berger sent a missive down from his pedestal today that ought to piss off anybody who seriously studies the news media and the political process. Let me repeat something I’ve written previously. Historian Christopher Lasch said it best. You can track the decline in participation in the political process in this country with the rise of the professionalization of the press. Mr. Berger proves Lasch’s point:

It’s not the job of the media to try to improve voter turnout. Our job is to inform, not implement. In this country, you’re free to vote or to not vote. And Americans want it that way. An ABC News poll in June asked voters if they liked the idea of a small fine being imposed on people who don’t vote, like they do in some countries. The results: 72 percent said such a law would — what’s the technical term? — suck. That’s right. Our right not to vote is sacred, too.

Besides, shouldn’t it be the accuracy and quality of the vote that concerns us, rather than the amount of voting? More voting doesn’t necessarily mean better government. And youth voting certainly doesn’t. Richard Nixon lowered the voting age to 18 and guess what? Young people voted for Richard Freaking Nixon. Every time I hear some bozo talk about the importance of the youth vote, I remember that fact.

What a self-serving bunch of crap! He’s concerned about the “accuracy and quality” of the vote. Walter Lippmann would be proud. Lippmann believed the people were (mistakenly) being led around by myth and stereotype and needed a professional elite — among which would be the press — to show them the way. In other words, the people are too stupid to play any role in running their own lives. This despite the fact that we’re a government of the people, one in which everybody has a voice. Let’s face it. Lippmann’s social beliefs were designed to serve himself and his elite cronies. They are the ones for whom the “accuracy and quality of the vote” are paramount, because, after all, that means the only people voting will be the ones who agree with them. Oh boy.

Read the rest of Berger’s rant. It’s entertaining, if nothing else.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Newspapers and TV News: Different sides of the same coin

Posted Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

I keep running into situations and people that remind me of this truth as expressed in the Project for Excellence in Journalism report on the state of Journalism earlier this year:

Online, The Washington Post will not be a newspaper company but a text, picture and video news provider. CBS News will not be a broadcaster. It, too, will be a text, audio and video news organization.
As I’ve written in the past, this idea has profound ramifications at the local level as well, and it’s why I continue to emphasize to my broadcasting brethren that their biggest competitors downstream will be the local newspaper, not necessarily other broadcasters. The question is who’s going to get there first.

I’m reminded of this again today in a wonderful commentary (registration required) by Kathleen Parker of the Orlando Sentinel, who also shares some insight for all the television news people who’re moaning about what a mess the business has become. Apparently, we’re not alone.

It is a depressing time for lovers of newspapers and the old world of print journalism. It is also hard not to wonder whether, in seeking explanations and solutions, we’re suffering from self-delusion and denial.

Let me be blunt. Newspapers bite. The work isn’t much fun anymore, thanks to the soul-snatching corporate culture that has euthanized newsroom personalities. Most papers reflect that numbers-crunching, cubicle-hunkering mentality. We’re boring, predictable, staid and out of touch with the folks with quarters.

With television offering headlines — and Internet blogs offering inspired commentary — why do people want to get their hands dirty reading stale stories that fail to ring the chime of truth?

Declining reader confidence isn’t just about high-profile scandals such as the Jayson Blair/New York Times and Jack Kelley/USA Today debacles. Distrust is also tied to the reality “disconnect” between those who produce newspapers and those who read them.

Sigh. Despite commentary like this, I’m very upbeat about the future. Nostalgia will always be nostalgia, but the new world is so filled with opportunity and hope that I have trouble feeling sorry for anybody. Reinvent yourself! And climb onboard the digital new world train today. This is the most exciting time in the history of journalism to be alive.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Taking issue with Tim Hanlon

Posted Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

David Card and Gary Stein of JupiterResearch have both linked to my Interview yesterday with Starcom’s Tim Hanlon about the future of television advertising. Stein notes that the piece contains juicy quotes for PowerPoint presentations and is especially fond of the idea of advertisers using the Internet as a “proving ground” for concepts.

Card, on the other hand, takes issue with Hanlon and defends the broadcast reach/frequency model.

…Hanlon fails to acknowledge that, as audiences fragment and absolute reach per program or network declines, relative reach will continue command a premium…And, if Hanlon’s so smart, why is Starcom still buying media based on GRPs?
This is an interesting discussion and one I hope will continue. For the record, I don’t think Hanlon (and certainly not this reporter) is suggesting online will replace broadcast, per se. But regardless of the “relative” the reach of the broadcast model, in the end, it simply cannot compete with the precision that online offers. And since the two are slowly (but surely) merging — and Video Over IP is the rising sun on the horizon — Hanlon is absolutely correct in suggesting advertisers need to be learning all they can about that precision.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

10 Questions for Tim Hanlon

Posted Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004

Tim Hanlon is Vice President and Director of Emerging Contacts for Starcom MediaVest Group and one of the most knowledgeable insiders in the advertising industry. He thinks the television industry is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and I asked him why in this informative and provocative interview. Here’s an excerpt:

“I think any advertiser — local or national — should be actively embracing the Internet as their chief marketing vehicle, with the recognition that many of the skills learned there will eventually port over to the other traditional mass media (TV, radio, print).”
Here’s the interview: 10 Questions for Tim Hanlon

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Everybody’s a news photographer

Posted Monday, June 21st, 2004

Here’s a great example from KOMO-TV in Seattle.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Newsweek discovers OhmyNews!

Posted Monday, June 21st, 2004

MSNBC/Newsweek Online has a nice article today on OhmyNews!, the South Korean news experiment that is defining participatory journalism for many. Here’s an excerpt:

Critics from traditional news publishers in Korea charge that OhmyNews confuses message board posting with news, and that getting to the truth in any story requires painstaking reporting and editing by trained professionals. But OhmyNews’s audience—primarily in their 20s and 30s—may not agree. When some Yonsei University students recently met with a visiting reporter to discuss the future of news, one psychology major put it simply: “How can you ever get truth from one source? The Internet allows us to check multiple sources, to explore message-board postings, to debate issues with others—that is the only way to find truth. And besides, what good is information if you can’t react to it?” “We’re not stupid,” added a business student. “We know that there is a difference between a message board, a traditional journal and OhmyNews. But by putting them together, our understanding is better. We can piece together truth.”

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Building a strategy on reruns

Posted Monday, June 21st, 2004

In another attempt to squeeze profit from the golden goose, the New York Times is reporting that the TV networks are building rerun strategies into their weekly offerings as a way to get more bang from their production costs.

“Now, with reality shows costing more, I think networks have to find a way to repeat them,'’ said Kelly Kahl, the executive vice president for program planning at CBS.

For years CBS tried to stand out on Saturdays by sticking with scripted dramas, fare that might have run on any other night, like “The District” and “Hack.”

Now CBS has shifted to a less expensive reality series, “Amazing Race,” and a newsmagazine, “48 Hours” to go with its crime series repeats.

“CBS tried the original series strategy for five years,” Mr. (Jeff of NBC) Zucker said, “Tell me, did it work?” He predicted that by relying more on repeats, CBS would turn a money-losing night into a money-maker.

Mr. Kahl of CBS said the network would be able to deliver a more attractive audience to advertisers next fall, “and for one-tenth the cost.”

I’m tempted to call this another pathetic attempt to ignore the realities of what’s really happening, but it’s actually a pretty smart delaying tactic. However, the only way I’ll give it my blessing is if there is evidence the networks are doing other things in the realm of Video On Demand that will serve the marketplace downstream. Otherwise, it’s just another move away from quality content that will eventually doom the whole industry.

Network programming is a Wooly Mammoth headed for the scent of food offered by the tar pits. The network upfront brought in $9 billion and for what? This? I continue to maintain that 2005 will be the year of greatest stress for broadcast television and that preparation must be made today. Growth and profitability will exist only in a multimedia marketplace, and those who put their faith in the good old days are going to be hurt the most.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The end of mass marketing

Posted Monday, June 21st, 2004

I’m back from Houston, and one event last week bears comment. According to Reuters, McDonald’s is making large ad money shifts away from television. Larry Light, McDonald’s global chief marketing officer, told reporters at an advertising conference on Wednesday, “It’s a little here, a little there. Cable has been a big beneficiary.” But he also noted something many of us have been saying for years.

“The time has come for us to agree that mass media marketing is over.”
A lot of people who read this blog know in their hearts that this statement is true, but they continue to operate as though it isn’t. That’s why when the whole thing collapses, it will seem sudden. The truth is — as Jeff Jarvis puts it — “The mass market started dying with the inventions of the remote control, cable, Internet, and VCR. But it’s still news when McDonald’s wakes up and smells it.”

So I’ve been thinking that a basic primer might be helpful. We’re so deeply entrenched in a mass marketing mindset that it’s hard to see things from a distance.

1. The disruptive innovations to which Jeff refers are part of a epochal change in western culture, one that is moving us from top-down institutional structures to those where consumers are increasingly calling their own shots. I call this Postmodernism, in part, because it defies Modernist hierarchical logic. This fundamental understanding is critical to not only accepting the end of mass marketing but also to knowing what to do about it. Human nature itself is at the wheel of this new engine, people who’ve found that technology can be used to give them more control over their own lives — especially their time. This is not a passing phase, and it’s occurring with profound acceleration among younger demographics — out of the view of those “in charge.”

2. This new culture is increasingly aware of the blue smoke and mirrors of mass marketing, and they’re armed with technologies that allow them to pick and choose within the mass market paradigm. Hence, the twin gods of reach and frequency don’t apply anymore. Meanwhile, people are discovering other ways to find consumer products. This is the energy empowering, for example, the value of Google. Efforts by mass marketers to interject disruptive messages into the World Wide Web, such as pop-up ads, are like rubbing a porcupine the wrong way and ultimately rejected.

3. The opening assumption of The Cluetrain Manifesto (if you haven’t read it, you should) is “Markets are conversations.” This is the new reality. Ignore it at your own peril, and this applies to any business that relies on mass marketing for sustenance, such as television. All of the traditional rules of conversation apply. You may begin one, but after that, it’s up to everybody else to join in and participate. If you wish to dominate the conversation, be prepared for others to walk away. There is no captive audience in this marketplace.

4. Postmodernists (Pomos) organize via the concept of tribes, although these must also be viewed with new eyes. Those who look for tribal leaders, for example, must understand that this position is not hierarchical…is often unspoken and unacknowledged…and exists purely on the trust of the tribe. Attempts to “market” to such leaders in the hopes of a trickle-down effect may or may not be successful. It’s being done with some success through bloggers, although it’s largely experimental.

A lot of the people I encounter are looking for “the new model” or “the new formula” to follow, and they cringe when I tell them there isn’t one, nor will there likely ever be one. Those days are over. Your brand may give you access to the conversations or the wherewithal to begin some that are unique, but the business of buying and selling in this new post-mass market era means getting your hands dirty in the marketplace alongside those to whom you used to lecture.

For the sunset in the Age of Mass Marketing is the dawn of the Age of Participation.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

In Houston for the week

Posted Monday, June 14th, 2004

I’ll be leaving in a bit for a research project in Houston, so I may not be posting much this week. However, the hotel has high speed Internet service, so I’ll give it a try. I’m looking forward to watching the news in the Houston market and visiting with old friends.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Another nail for the coffin

Posted Monday, June 14th, 2004

The folks at Starcom MediaVest Group are supporting a Nielsen plan that would provide minute-by-minute ratings for television. MediaDailyNews reports that the new system would fundamentally alter television advertising.

The new Nielsen service would provide average minute ratings, and may ultimately evolve into a system that provides ratings for 30-second units that could be used to measure the audience flow of both TV programming and commercial intervals. The data would be made available via respondent-level data tapes that would plug directly into the data systems used by SMG and others to process Nielsen ratings.

Currently, TV ratings are based on the mid-minute of every quarter hour. Nielsen currently allows customers to conduct similar analyses through its so-called N*Power system, but that system is considered slow, cumbersome and expensive to use and most agencies do not consider it a practical solution to analyzing TV commercial ratings.

The new system won’t be cheap either, and even with SMG’s support, Nielsen will still need the backing of at least two other big clients - either major ad agencies, or TV networks - to move forward on the service.

Don’t expect TV networks to jump on the bandwagon soon, because this would mean real problems for them. Presumably, the meters would show surfing during commercial breaks. If and when it does ever come about (and I believe it will), it will drive more ad dollars to the Internet, whose precision in delivering real eyeballs far exceeds that of television. This, folks, is one to watch.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Of Liberals and Networks

Posted Sunday, June 13th, 2004

Here is the latest in my series of essays, “TV News in a Postmodern World.” This one is called “Of Liberals and Networks” and may seem off-topic to some, because it ventures out into the world of politics. I don’t think so, but you can be the judge. I’m simply trying to state why I believe liberal media attempts like Air America and Al Gore’s TV Network won’t work, especially in terms of influencing the culture. Here’s a sample:

The enemy of the left isn’t Fox News or Rush Limbaugh. The enemy of the left is the establishment press, who would like to see a “real” liberal press come along, so they could point a finger and say, “See, we told you we were in the middle.” There is no middle, because there is no such thing as objectivity — journalism’s artificial hegemony that has governed the “professional” press for nearly a century. People intuitively know this, and each time CBS or The New York Times criticizes Fox News, they wave a banner to the public acknowledging they are on the other side. Therefore, attempts to create a “liberal voice” are anti-intuitive, foolish and extremely counterproductive.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

FCC moves WiMax forward

Posted Friday, June 11th, 2004

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday took the first step towards reassigning frequencies to enable high-speed, wireless broadband in the U.S. This is a major development in wireless communications here, although there are conflicting opinions as to how it will be used. It’s called WiMax, a wireless broadband capable of competing with cable and dsl. There is considerable muscle behind WiMax development. Nextel and Sprint already own about 2/3 of the spectrum, and WiMax is the rising star for chip giant Intel.

Dailywireless.org has a thorough overview, including a suggestion that WiMax may actually not be the target.

Since 5.5 MHz harmonizes nicely with 5 Mhz requirements of W-CDMA “3G”, perhaps WCA (Wireless Communications Association) members really just want to sell out. And perhaps what the FCC really wants is to auction unused frequencies to cellular carriers. What’s it worth…$50 billion? Would cellular carriers “buy out” Wi-Max spectrum holders before it becomes a competitive threat? Will the “low power” bands be enough to provide competitive Wi-Max service in the United States? Will the new unlicensed TV band prove viable?
These are all excellent questions. My belief is that the U.S. is already so far behind in 3G technology that the logical competitive jump is to go straight to WiMax, and that’s what this order allows. Wireless broadband is hot, hot, hot, and while 3rd-generation cellphones come close, they don’t have all that WiMax portends.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Blogs “not perfect” as a source for daily news

Posted Thursday, June 10th, 2004

Here’s a link we all need to read: Excellent analysis by Poynter’s Steve Outing on blogger Steve Rubel’s week-long experiment to only get his news from blogs.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »