Web Producer(s), KTVI/Fox 2
St. Louis
Read the full post 5 comments July 22nd, 2006
Archive for July, 2006
MSNBC.com celebrates ten years on the web
I’m still recovering from last night’s MSNBC.com 10th anniversary bash in downtown Seattle. I was lucky enough to get an invite after MSNBC.com graciously asked me to speak at a session earlier in the day on the state of the media industry. Some prominent alums were in attendance at the party, from founder Merrill Brown and former editor-in-chief Dean Wright to former MSN GM Scott Moore. It was great to meet many MSNBC folks in person after trading emails for so long. Congrats, MSNBC.com!
20 comments July 22nd, 2006
NBC signs popular YouTube show
Remember that pilot of Nobody’s Watching that was created for WB, rejected and then posted on YouTube? It’s been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and now NBC is has signed the show. Says co-writer Bill Lawrence (who created Scrubs), “If network TV doesn’t embrace the internet as both a place to launch and test shows but also as a place where shows can live, they’re going to fall further and further behind.” Amen to that. Click below to watch the first part of the pilot… (Via Buzzmachine)
5 comments July 22nd, 2006
‘MySpace the Movie’ getting lots of looks
Speaking of YouTube success that’s getting Hollywood’s attention, the young guy who created an 11-minute parody of MySpace and posted it on YouTube has “spawned a high-profile feeding frenzy,” reports the NY Times. A quote from the story:
Mr. Lehre, who is 21 and lived at his parents’ home in Washington, Mich., when he created the video, shot it there with friends. He scored the music himself so he wouldn’t have to deal with copyright issues, designed the graphics and Googled any technical questions he had. This development and distribution process makes even independent films, with their retinue of maxed-out credit cards and frenzied film festivals, look positively mainstream in comparison.
Whaddya mean you don’t have to be a Hollywood producer with a mountain of cash to create something popular? Impossible!
4 comments July 22nd, 2006
Lost Remote’s RSS feed updated
I’ve updated Feedburner to point to the new RSS feed. If you still subscribe to our pre-Feedburner feed (if you signed up more than a couple years ago), please switch the URL to http://feeds.feedburner.com/LostRemote. Sorry for the inconvenience.
2 comments July 22nd, 2006
Microsoft’s answer to the iPod: Zune
Microsoft announced that it will introduce a new entertainment and music player later this year under the brand name “Zune”. Apple’s iPod currently claims 50% of the digital media player market and 70% of all digital media sales pass through iTunes. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft comes up with to put a dent in that market share! At CTAM earlier in the week, MTV chief Judy McGrath admitted to getting a sneak peak at Microsoft’s new music player. MTV and Microsoft recently launched Urge, a new online music store. The new device will supposedly have a web connection and WiFi access. She offered few other details, but did say, “We were impressed.”
3 comments July 22nd, 2006
NBC guarantees proof of engagement for Toyota ads
During its upfront negotiations with NBC, Toyota not only wanted a minimum-audience guarantee, but proof that NBC viewers were engaged with its commercials. NBC obliged, teaming up with IAG Research, to measure viewers’ response to both programs and ads. ABC recently announced it would provide ratings for its commercials. The 30-second spot isn’t dead, but fuzzy ratings math is about to meet its demise. TV can no longer compete on audience size alone, it now has to provide accountability to survive and thrive. I say throw out those silly hand-written Nielsen diaries and focus on developing new engagement measurements instead. You’ll make more money over the long-term. (First link: paid sub. req.)
6 comments July 21st, 2006
Apple iPod phone in the works
There have been many rumors swirling around about the development of an iPhone. During Apples’ earnings call yesterday, CFO Peter Oppenheimer signaled that something was indeed in the works, “As regards cell phones, we don’t think that the phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is. But over time, that is likely to change. And we’re not sitting around doing nothing.” Would you buy an iPod phone? I would. Fewer gadgets to carry around!
3 comments July 21st, 2006
Google beats expectations yet again
Google released its Q2 earnings report today: $721 million, more than double the $343 million from a year earlier. Revenue is up 77 percent. “We’re very, very happy with having such a strong quarter in a seasonally weak period for us,” CEO Eric Schmidt told investors on a conference call. He added “it looks like our model continues to work extremely well.”
17 comments July 20th, 2006
NBC10.com teams with MotionBox for video
Through the partnership, WCAU’s website can now receive video uploads from users’ PCs and cell phones in a YouTube-like presentation. NBC10.com is using the new feature in its “Celebrate Summer” section. “From videos of your backyard barbecue to a trip to the shore or even a quiet family gathering on a hot summer night, NBC 10 wants to see it!” reads the press release. “Who knows? Your video may even be picked to air right here on NBC 10!”
3 comments July 20th, 2006
Welcome to the new Lost Remote
Surprise! Due to technical issues on the old site (that’s an understatement), we were forced to launch the new design well ahead of schedule…
Read the full post 41 comments July 20th, 2006
Elizabeth Smart handles Nancy Grace like a pro
Every once in a while as I channel surf on land on Nancy Grace. I’m not a fan. Elizabeth Smart recently agreed to be on her show to talk about a new sex offender bill she is trying to get passed in Congress. She did not agree to an interview to talk about her abduction. She politely, but coolly answered Grace’s first few questions and then put her in her place. Check out the video for yourself. Bravo Elizabeth for taking the high road when you had every right to let Grace have it. And no, this isn’t a case of being a good journalist. It’s knowing when to stop beating a dead horse and respecting someone’s privacy. Has someone found a cure yet for Grace’s “missing white-girl syndrome”?
44 comments July 20th, 2006
ABC World News Tonight drops ‘Tonight’ from title
To be more reflective of the on-demand consumption of news, ABC has decided to drop the reference to the time of day from its evening broadcast. It goes without saying we applaud the move. Sometimes it’s those little changes that demonstrate an organization’s commitment to real change. Now will CBS and NBC follow?
7 comments July 20th, 2006
Merrill Lynch: Time to pull plug on Mobile ESPN
Merrill Lynch analysts Jessica Reif Cohen and Michael Kopelman say “it’s time for Disney to pull the plug on Mobile ESPN,” the media company’s branded phone service. They estimate ESPN will sign up 30,000 subs over the course of this financial year, well short of estimates of 240,000. Meanwhile, ESPN says they have no plans to shut it down. “While sales have been slower than expected, we have added retail distribution outlets, introduced a new thin handset and have enhanced marketing efforts,” an ESPN spokesperson said.
Add comment July 19th, 2006
Televisa sues Univision over internet rights
Televisa, the world’s largest Spanish-language broadcaster, maintains its programming agreement with Univision does not allow the U.S. network to post the video on the web.
2 comments July 19th, 2006
Making money with VOD: it can be done
New LR friend-for-life John Higgins at Broadcasting & Cable summarizes a theme of CTAM2006: what content monetizes best on new media platforms. He found “three important steps necessary to turn VOD from a fledgling business into a profitable enterprise.” Give it a read. Higgins brings a missing element to journalism: scrutiny.
4 comments July 19th, 2006
Yahoo stock drops to two-year low
It fell 19 percent Wednesday after a disappointing earnings report that has some analysts wondering if the search ad business is slowing — except for Google. Industry experts estimate that Google pulls in 40 percent more revenue than Yahoo for each search. Wow. Now all eyes are on Google as it releases its earnings report on Thursday.
2608 comments July 19th, 2006
Million-Dollar idea: Convention SmartTags. Steal this now!
At CTAM, Stephen Warley and I were musing that convention tags could be so much more. Let’s bring social networking offline! Embed an RF chip into a tag along with a small amount of memory and an OLED display, and you have an ID badge that could change the way we interact at conventions. It could sense the people around you and change colors according to their relationship to you, (BLUE: This person can help me, YELLOW: This person once worked with me, RED: This person must be avoided at all costs, etc.) If you want to exhange information, throw out the business cards - the RF chip already has your info and all you’ll have to do is tap the badge (a la Star Trek: The Next Generation) to save the information. A little GPS in there, and you can always find your friends and co-workers. All the ribbons that hang below the badges indicating “Speaker,” “Member,” “Founding Member,” “Chair,” Founding Chair,” “Empty Chair,” etc? Give ‘em a special color at the bottom. Maybe something that blinks. I’m telling you - get on this. Then see what you can to to resolve the heartbreak of FTS (floppy tag syndrome) that turns every tag over backwards.
5 comments July 19th, 2006
The eternal struggle: Flash vs Windows Media
First, my bias: I go with Flash. The end. No, wait. LR pal and streaming media genius Dan Rayburn breaks down the differences between Windows Media and Flash video in a considerably more mature and fact-based article. Downsides to Flash: No live encoding, no DRM, no way to download the file to the desktop (without some sneaky programs you can find, anyway), doesn’t scale up too well. Downsides to WM: you need the plugin, it’s mean to Apple, Linux and other vociferous computer users, DRM haterz hatez it, Mo’Money to Redmond. Looking forward, Rayburn is right to frame the streaming debate in terms of WindowsMedia vs Flash. RealVideo is losing steam (more desk popups, please!), QT, despite Mac users unlimited love, will not be the standard. It’s WM vs Flash, and my money’s on Flash as it has been for several years. (This is where I would put the self congratulatory link to an archived story from the early ’00s where I predicted Flash as the next coming of video. Curse you, old platform!)
11 comments July 19th, 2006
Netscape offers cash to steal Diggers
You remember how Netscape relaunched a couple months ago with a site that’s nearly a direct copy of Digg? Now Netscape chief Jason Calcanis says he’ll pay $1,000 a month to Digg’s top contributors if they switch to his site. Why? Because Netscape’s user-created content is dragging. And much of Digg’s content, Calcanis explains, is posted by a small group of Digg fans. So he wants to steal up to a dozen of them, as well as top posters on sites like Newsvine. While the money is certainly attractive, Netscape is missing the point. Digg succeeds because it has built a community of loyal early adopters who thrive on Digg’s innovation, coolness and the Kevin Rose/Alex Albrecht effect (former TechTV hosts with a following, and now their Diggnation podcast is more watched than many cable TV shows.) So to succeed, Netscape should stop stealing and start innovating.
1 comment July 19th, 2006
ESPN making a ‘ton of money’ on video ads
In a roundtable discussion at CTAM, Andy Sippel, SVP Sports and Product Management for ESPN said they are “making a ton of money” off their video ads. They typically use prerolls. He characterized the “auto start” video ads on the ESPN homepage as “controversial.” I was honest and told him I didn’t like them. I don’t mind watching prerolls, just give me a chance to click on the video I want to watch first. Regardless of what I think, 60% of their video ads are viewed. I also found it interesting that ESPN sells “holistically” seeking the best opportunity for their clients regardless of the platform. All the account executives from each platform report to one sales manager. He said they have seen, “a lot of cross over sales.”
1 comment July 19th, 2006
DirecTV’s mosaic channels
Today the term “mosaic channel” can up in a roundtable on sat in on at CTAM. I never heard of them before, but DirecTV squeezes multiple channels onto your screen. It’s kind of like your own personal feedroom. They have themed mosaic channels like sports, news, etc. In our discussion, ESPN said they “leased” one of DirecTV’s mosaic channels to provide 6 feeds of the Indy 500. They reported seeing 350,000 unique viewers and 500,000 impressions. OpenTV developed the application. If you have DirecTV, do you ever use these channels? If so, what do you like about them?
9 comments July 19th, 2006
Netflix to offer previews of NBC shows
Netflix subscribers will be able to watch the inaugural episodes of NBC’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and “Kidnapped” a full six weeks before the premiere date. Cool idea. But as News.com points out, it’s also a confident move: if the shows don’t meet expectations, bad reviews may put a damper on the TV premieres.
7 comments July 19th, 2006
