News Team Leader, TBO.com

Tampa

Read the full post February 27th, 2007

‘Media that can’t be manipulated is almost useless’

The Hollywood Reporter’s Steve Bryant says he’s been a huge fan of the movie Borat. He’s IM’d video clips to friends, linked to deleted scenes on YouTube and blogged about it ad nauseam. The DVD will be released next week, but Bryant says he won’t buy it. Why? “The cultural moment has passed. What can we do with that DVD that we haven’t already done?” Very good point, but Bryant isn’t finished. “Media is changing from entertainment into utility. Media that can’t be manipulated is almost useless,” he writes (frame that quote). “Those tiny transactions I make online make a greater imprint on my psyche than any single media event inside a theater — or inside a DVD — could have. It’s simple reward/response psychology. Online, I can track who watches my clips, who reads my posts, who liked my mash-up. The Internet flatters us with attention in a way Hollywood no longer can.” Wow. Well said.

Adds Erik in comments: “I think it would be a bit premature to think that Bryant represents the zeitgeist. ‘Media that can’t be manipulated is almost useless’ packs a punch, but it assumes a great deal. It assumes that all media output should be hackable in the way that Borat is. While one-liners and quick outtakes are fun to play with, that doesn’t mean that Flags of Our Fathers or Chocolat or A Fish Called Wanda are inferior cultural products because they aren’t so amenable to IM/Digg/YouTube hackability…”

11 comments February 27th, 2007

Like the retro Lost Remote logo?

I’m trying to figure out the logo for the Lost Remote T-shirts, which got me thinking about the old logo from 2000-2006. So I popped it up on the site to see what you think. Here’s the one that was there before. So which do you like? Vote here.

16 comments February 27th, 2007

Comedy Central to bring ‘Web Shows’ to TV

The cable network experimented with some video shorts on MotherLoad, and now it’s bringing the best together along with video from Viacom’s AtomFilms in a new late-night TV show called Web Shows. Why will it air at 2 a.m.? The animated web short Baxter & Maguire is about a pair of testicles who are best friends. Hmmmm. There’s also Balloon Heads, a parody of celebrity; I Love The 30s, a spoof on the VH1 nostalgic countdown show; and Tiny Hands, a live-action show about a man whose hands are the size of a baby’s. “As we start to develop more of these [broadband shows], it’s our hope and goal to get linear-TV plays out of our short-form content,” said MTV VP of production Tim Healy.

Add comment February 27th, 2007

Men 18-34 are key online video viewers

Some interesting but not surprising stats from Leichtman Research Group: Men ages 18-34 make up 41 percent of people who view online video but make up just 14 percent of the online population. The same group accounts for two-thirds of adults who watch user-created video online. And just 8 percent of men 18-34 who watch online video strongly agree they now watch less TV.

1 comment February 27th, 2007

Gibson chokes up (a little) after Woodruff piece

Tonight’s World News Tonight just showed a piece on Bob Woodruff’s long climb back from the brink of death. I had no idea the extent of damage to his brain and how far Bob has come. Bob’s speech center was destroyed. It’s gone. And Bob had to teach himself to talk again. The brain is amazing. And seeing Bob’s own children teach him how to say “diamond” is enough to bring a tear to anyone’s eyes. Following the piece you could hear a slight clutch in Charles Gibson’s voice. That he could hold it to that is astonishing. I’ll be watching the full special tonight.

7 comments February 27th, 2007

MSNBC.com launches ‘First Person’

As promised last year, MSNBC.com has launched a citizen journalism section, and it’s called “First Person.” Users can upload video, photos and stories in response to suggested topics. MSNBC.com used First Person earlier this month with the NBC Nightly News series, “Trading Places: Caring for Your Parents,” and the site received over 6,000 stories, photos and videos. Current topics range from “unsung Americana” to silly dog photos. “This release is the first phase in an ongoing investment of surfacing user generated content onto MSNBC.com,” said Travis McElfresh, VP of technology for MSNBC.com. “Rather than creating just another free-for-all posting site, we have equipped the MSNBC.com editorial team with automated tools and filters so that they can easily and quickly identify offensive or non-relevant content before it is published. Automation and integration with relevance technology will further enhance the First Person experience and allow us to scale to some very interesting scenarios.” Of course, some of the best submissions may end up on NBC News and MSNBC.

One of the photo pages. Pics with the most votes are highlighted as user favorites.

9 comments February 27th, 2007

Slick new feature on Yahoo Finance

While I was checking a few stocks to see how hard they were hit with today’s precipitious market drop, I noticed Yahoo Finance’s new streaming quotes feature. As a stock rises and falls, the data updates dynamically in the page. Very cool.

Also, you’ll notice I added Yahoo’s new stocks widget in the right sidebar with a handful of media stocks (I can only display ten). I’m going to give it a try, especially now as the stock market is getting a lot of attention. Your thoughts?

4 comments February 27th, 2007

Stocks drop on slow growth fears

Update: The Dow closed down 415 points (-3.3 percent) and the NASDAQ dropped 97 points (-3.9 percent) today after a slide in Chinese stocks and concerns the U.S. economy is decelerating more than anticipated. Yesterday, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the economy may be headed for a recession. Nervous investors are beginning to shift their money to more dependable ground. Clearly too early to see where all this is leading, but it’s certainly not very comforting for media companies that depend on advertising growth.

Another update: Right after market close here, WSJ.com is loading verrrry slowly.

Add comment February 27th, 2007

Bob Woodruff’s story airs Tuesday

“To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports” airs on ABC at 10 p.m after an appearance on Oprah earlier today. “I remember driving along in the tank, up that road, and standing up outside through the open hatch at the top,” he said. “When the IED actually exploded, I don’t remember that,” Woodruff continued. “But I do remember at that moment I saw my body floating below me and… a whiteness… I just saw something.” Update: Lots of video, photos and stories on ABCNews.com.

4 comments February 27th, 2007

YouTube inks deal with the NBA

The NBA has created its own channel on YouTube as part of a revenue-sharing deal. Users can upload and rate their best basketball moves, and the best will be compiled into a top 10 list on the site. The NBA has also uploaded selected game highlights. Press release after the screen grab…

Read the full post 8 comments February 27th, 2007

Media job cuts accelerating

U.S. media companies cut 17,809 jobs in 2006, up 88 percent over the year before, and the cost-cutting shows no signs of slowing. Meanwhile, hiring for digital media positions is running at a rapid pace to meet high demand. I’m still amazed at how most (but not all) people who work in TV are oblivious to the connection between their job security and their digital skills. Most don’t even know what “RSS” means. Most would rather read TVSpy over Lost Remote. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

10 comments February 27th, 2007