Archive for October 30th, 2006
I don’t see why everyone is getting so worked up about DisclosurePolicy.org. I’ve been playing it all day, and it’s a ton of fun. Just like in Mad Libs, you fill in your own blanks and – whammo! – instant party game. I’d like to thank the makers of the site for this hot new game that’s sure to spread around like crazy. I know everyone thinks it’s serious, but come on – it’s way too crass and cynical. It also has some grammar issues which are pretty funny. Nobody would seriously think you can just check off a couple of buttons and get instant credibility, right? Anyway, after the jump is my own wacky disclosure. (Disclosures: I think a boilerplate disclosure policy is a useless, stupid and debasing idea. I have a financial stake in this matter: I’ve bet one beer that PayPerClick will collapse on itself. One really good beer.)
Read the full post October 30th, 2006
Reuters quotes a Viacom source confirming the company did ask YouTube to take down “some” clips as part of “ongoing negotiations on how the companies can work together.” So a negotiating ploy, perhaps? Many Comedy Central videos are still available after Friday’s purge. Meanwhile, a Colbert Report fan site writes:
The glory days of YouTube are officially over. I knew it would happen, but I never thought it would happen only three months after I started up this website. (sigh) Now, all is not totally lost. Comedy Central does have Motherload. However, one cannot post Motherload clips onto a blog, or bookmark them and save as favorites, or actually play them with any relative ease. But at least it’s something.
Exactly what I’ve written before in explaining why Lost Remote links YouTube for Comedy Central clips. (Via MediaShift)
October 30th, 2006
Months ago we gave high marks to Revver, one of the first video sites to share ad revenue with video producers. Now Google Video has joined its ranks with a revenue sharing program of its own. So is YouTube next? “Until the deal closes, we’re continuing to operate as two separate companies,” a Google representative said. Meanwhile, Revver is starting to gain some traction among amateur video producers.
One of the first deals Google made is with the crazy Coke and Mentos guys. This is a screen grab of an ad for Coke that runs after the clip. Notice the lower third graphic with a link to Coke’s site and the “Ads by Google” graphic in the upper right.
October 30th, 2006
The startup has received a $40 million round from CBS, Interpublic Group, Lachlan Murdoch and other heavy-hitting investors. SpotRunner identifies unsold inventory on cable and broadcast networks and puts the spots up for sale, especially to small businesses. Ads are surprisingly inexpensive, especially when they’re targeted to local communities. For example, a 30-second spot on E! in Berkeley, CA costs just $23. Buyers can even create their own ads via an online tool for $499 and up. SpotRunner says it’s going to use the new investment to expand into online video, among other projects.
October 30th, 2006
Using content-identification technology licensed from Gracenote, MySpace says it will soon start deleting user accounts from people who repeatedly try to upload copyrighted music. Also, MySpace will soon begin selling downloads from nearly three million unsigned bands.
October 30th, 2006
The latest semi-annual report is out from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and the numbers are what many of us would expect. The LA Times saw daily circulation drop 8 percent over the last six months. The NY Times lost 3.5 percent in daily. The Boston Globe is down 6.7 percent. The Miami Herald lost 8.8 percent. Even USA Today is down, although just 1.3 percent. The only major daily to see growth? The NY Post, which grew 5 percent. All in all, significant losses all around. “The figures appear to be the steepest in any comparable six-month period in at least 15 years,” explains the NY Times. “Papers in major metropolitan areas, where more homes are wired for broadband, fared worse than those in smaller markets.”
October 30th, 2006
WVII, the ABC affil in Bangor, Maine, and its sister station (a Fox affil) are taping their 10 pm and 11 pm newscasts a couple of hours ahead of time. WVII VP and GM Mike Palmer says “Not a whole lot happens in Bangor, Maine, late at night… we can save some efficiency that way by sending everyone home a couple hours earlier and still have an 11 o’clock newscast.” There will be a note on the screen that the news was taped earlier. Of course, when there is news that has happened in the hours since the show was taped, WVII won’t have it. Story is from Oct. 13, just noticed it now. (Via Heaton)
October 30th, 2006
Fans of NBC’s The Office submitted 367 video entries on YouTube for the network’s contest to create the best promo, but one submission got the ax. Called “Pam & Jim Uncensored,” it featured sexually explicit language edited under an actual scene. YouTube removed the clip after a request from NBC.
October 30th, 2006
It’s one of a handful of slimy, new services that pays bloggers to write positively about new products, and disclosure is optional. TechCrunch points out that PayPerPost just added a “disclosure policy” of sorts, but it’s displayed on a separate page and really doesn’t explain what’s going on. Blogs have a hard enough time gaining respect as it is, especially in media circles, so it’s certainly disheartening to hear companies like PayPerPost getting plenty of funding to do this.
October 30th, 2006
Good timing - I’m in San Francisco today, and LR friend Andrew Lindenauer alerts me to the launch of KYOU Radio, a San Francisco broadcast station completely driven by the listeners. The site is very cool - going way beyond the usual “listen live online,” it lets you submit podcasts and search for tons of programs by topics. The station is on the AM dial, which will be a drawback from the audio quality standpoint. But will the major interactivity be a draw? I’m really interested in seeing. CBS Radio’s Lindenauer has taken it upon himself to challenge our notions about the future of radio, and I welcome the debate. (The station is owned by CBS Radio.)
October 30th, 2006
