Web Show Producer (PT), FoxNews.com
New York, NY
Read the full post January 26th, 2007
Archive for January, 2007
‘Wii News Channel’ to launch this weekend
I love this idea. On Saturday, the “Wii News Channel” is slated to start up. Wii users with an online connection will be able to get AP news and pictures, with the news displayed on an interactive map. You can bet video isn’t far down the line. Talk about an innovative way to distribute information. Imagine offering your local content on that map. You’d have a captive audience and a niche market all at once. People are getting news through their gaming consoles. That’s a breakthrough.
5 comments January 26th, 2007
McCain using paid video and search ads for ‘08 feeler
It’s very interesting to see how the presidential hopefuls are dipping a toe in the web. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards all announced their runs online. They have various degrees of blogs and sites now. Republican Sen. John McCain is taking a different approach: he’s going with sponsored search text and paid video ads along with more traditional display ads. A Google search for “John McCain” turns up the paid ad that leads to exploreMcCain.com, the site for his exploratory committee. However, a search for “Campaign 2008″ turns up the Giuliani exploratory site as the paid ad. And nobody comes up for “presidential campaign 2008.” Free advice for campaigns: don’t just buy your own name for a keyword. Buy as many variations on “president,” “campaign,” “2008″ and more.
3 comments January 26th, 2007
No surprise: broadband video is fertile market for ads
Nielsen Analytics says broadband video is the hot space for ad revenue right now. From ClickZ:
The study, conducted in partnership with Scarborough Research, suggests that broadband video actually extends the reach of traditional television and provides a perfect place to target advertising to a “young, affluent, highly educated” consumer with round-the-clock access to high-speed Internet.
After years of worrying that online video would “cannibalize” their viewership, stations and networks are starting to get it. The more you put your stuff out there, the more people will watch.
1 comment January 26th, 2007
$2.6 million Super Bowl spots a bargain?
How to justify spending $2.6 million for a single Super Bowl commercial? Amortize it across the web, in email and over mobile devices. Think of it as a viral jump start.
1 comment January 26th, 2007
Google Video searches now yield YouTube results
If you conduct a search through Google Video, as of today you’ll receive results from YouTube, as well. Click on a YouTube result and it takes you straight to YouTube. It’s the first bit of integration so far between Google and its new acquisition, but Google says don’t expect too much more. The sites will be kept separate for now, with most of the “premium licensed” content, such as CBS, staying on YouTube. However, Google says YouTube will benefit from Google video innovations, which includes its video advertising network, which is now in a trial phase.
Add comment January 25th, 2007
Tapping revenue from the local web
Terry Heaton’s latest column insists the local media companies tap into advertising dollars by creating and nuturing local web communities — social arenas built around valuable local information. And if local TV stations need any motivation to get there in a hurry, there’s this quote from a Yahoo SVP: “We believe the local segment is largely untapped and provides significant opportunities to expand audience engagement and grow local advertising.” Sounds like Terry and I are on the same page.
4 comments January 25th, 2007
Philadelphia Inquirer boosts its web smarts: will it help?
You’ll recall the Guild staffers at Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News came very close to going on strike late last year. They had even set up a website they were going to use so they could still report. Well, the sides settled, but it appears the web bug has caught hold. The old strategy of making everyone go to Philly.com appears to be giving way to custom sites with custom URLs. Want a car in Philadelphia? Go to PhillyCars.com. PhillyForRent.com and PhillyForSale.com take care of the housing ads for you. NOW they’re starting to think programming instead of the giant umbrella. It’s a lot easier for me to remember PhillyCars.com than philly.com/sections/transportation/automotive/. (Not their old URL, but an example we all know too well.) Still, all is not well at the Inquirer: about 70 employees lost their jobs this month.
3 comments January 24th, 2007
No, I will not make you my homepage.
There are still too many news sites out there with the exhortation to “Make Us Your Homepage.” No. My homepage is Google Reader. I aggregate hundreds of headlines from around the world, catered to my own interests. I get far more information about the world than I could from your site. I’m used to scanning headlines to pick out stories that interest me. It’s much easier than trying to wade through any news site. Instead of the “Make Us Your Homepage” strategy, you should offer to be a part of my homepage. Earn a few pixels of my attention. Earn the right to my subscription. You won’t do it with car accidents and house fires, so you better have some damn good custom options. You may win me over with a good RSS reader that is catered to my local tastes, too. I’d download it if it truly reflected my interests. Your site is on the right track if you can answer this question, truthfully, to yourself: Would I subscribe to my own RSS feed?
6 comments January 24th, 2007
Fox subpoenas YouTube to find uploader’s identity
Intrepid reporter Steve Bryant at eWeek has found out that Fox has subpoenaed YouTube in hopes of uncovering the identities of a user who uploaded episodes of “24″ and “The Simpsons.” The subpoena identifies the crafty criminal as “ECOtotal,” and seeks that person’s real name. You knew Fox was gonna get p.o.’d when those episodes of “24″ sneaked onto the web. That the shows did terrific ratings in spite of (or because of) the leak doesn’t seem to matter. This is Fox’s second scrape-up with YT this week. Cory reported earlier that Fox ordered YT to remove the clips of Paula Abdul appearing to be intoxicated while interviewed on morning news programs.
Add comment January 24th, 2007
LA Times editor: Web is primary vehicle for news
New LA Times Editor James E. O’Shea unveiled a major web initiative on the heels of a report conducted by the paper’s own journalists that found the newsroom to be “web stupid.” Among the findings of the report: lack of leadership, too few web employees (18), slow response time by Tribune Interactive to their needs and “creaky” technology. O’Shea told the newsroom that they should view the web as the primary vehicle for news, and that an increased emphasis on the web will happen without extra funding. “We will need to divert some resources to this effort at a time when no one is going to give us any more resources,” O’Shea said. “If anything, we might be looking at less.” Great points all around, and not just for newspapers.
1 comment January 24th, 2007
MBA blogging from inside the Scooter Libby trial
For the first time, bloggers are reporting from a major court trial thanks to the efforts of Robert Cox, the founder of the Media Bloggers Association. (Disclosure: I am on the board.) Bob has spent much of the past year working within the system to get accreditation for bloggers at major news events. The Scooter Libby trial is the first big test. The MBA has set up ScooterLibbyTrial.com to aggregate its coverage. The MBA is partnering with the Associated Press to distribute its reports. Here’s a CNN report on the bloggers at the trial:
7 comments January 24th, 2007
Dueling iPhone announcement parodies
Both SNL and MadTV sent up the Steve Jobs iPhone speech. SNL went with a dead-on parody of Jobs, while MadTV’s take pokes fun at the often evangelical feel at a MacWorld conference. The SNL one is a bit funnier, but the MadTV skit is decidedly more biting. So it gets the embed:
COMPARE: Watch the SNL iPhone Sketch
Add comment January 24th, 2007
