More handwriting on the wall
The table below comes from the Gallup Organization via Lost Remote. It tells a story that I’ve been screaming for the past two years. Local television news, while still on top of the heap, is sliding down a slipperly slope — one that I believe will only get steeper in the months ahead. The only media to show growth is the Internet. Everybody else is going down, down, down. Why on earth can’t people see this and find the balls to act on it?
News Source: 2002 2004 Change Local television news 57% 51% -6% Local newspapers in your area 47 44 -3 Cable news networks 41 39 -2 Nightly network news programs 43 36 -7 Morning national news programs 29 27 -2 News on the Internet 15 20 +5
I’m writing my thoughts for the year 2005 — which I’ll publish soon — and I think we’re going to see broadcasters morphing into two groups: those who wish to move forward and, as a result, embrace the Internet, and those who cannot or will not see the future and, as a result, wind up with disgruntled shareholders and ultimately as fodder for bottom feeders with cash.
Bonus link: Tom Hespos thoughtful prophecies for 2005. Excellent stuff. I especially like this one:
The FCC Exceeds Its Mandate - Michael Powell and crew will attempt to enforce indecency standards on either cable TV or satellite radio and will be taken to task for overstepping its bounds. The resulting controversy will result in either further clarification of the FCC’s rules (what constitutes an indecency violation) and boundaries (which media are subject to FCC regulation and which are not) or an overhaul of the legislation that created the FCC in the first place.
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