Former TV execs start web video company
Cory Bergman March 8th, 2007
Among the founders of Next New Networks include former Nickelodeon exec Herb Scannell and Fred Seibert, the first creative director at MTV. They plan to launch a series of websites featuring niche video. For example, ThreadBanger.com covers do-it-yourself fashion. FastLaneDaily.com is a daily show for auto enthusiasts. The company has $8 million in seed funding, and former AOL CEO Jonathan Miller is on the board. “The nature of big media companies is about incumbent brands and repurposing and refashioning their material for the web,” said Scannell, the chief executive. “We have no incumbent brands. We’re a white sheet for creative people.” Sounds like a smart idea.”
Folks, this is what TV needs to do — especially local TV in local niches.
6 Comments Add your own
1. thelosangeleschannel | March 8th, 2007 at 6:37 am
is that w or dracula in the upper left corner of that shot?
2. The Tony | March 8th, 2007 at 8:20 am
“Ooh, THREADBANGER is totally for me! I’m giving up watching real TV, like, FOREVER! lololol!!11″
ThreadBanger? That’s the NAME?! What, was “FabricHumper.com” already taken?
That whole young, hip, trendy fashion culture is supposed to just give up watching MTV or whatever and sit on this site all day? No way.
I get the idea. It just feels like such forced “cool” that I immediately want to call BS on it. My impression of local TV is that no one has ANY idea what they’re talking about at any point in the average newscast. So, when the people behind a local TV station start to create these little “expert niche insider” sites, I smell a rat.
I get that it’s more interesting than the usual local TV station website, but it’s asking a lot about people who are way too used to coasting. This is a culture based around cramming important stories into 20 seconds of incoherent, 6th-grade level copy! I don’t believe these people understand 3/4 of what they’re saying. I barely believe the WEATHER GUYS know anything about weather that I couldn’t look up on weather.com!
There’s a lot of change that needs to happen, and I don’t know if it’s going to be such an easy thing. NBC has a good model going right now with Heroes…the internets have a lot of support materials that flesh out the show. I like that. But local TV stations are lucky to cobble together their crappy newscasts in time to go live as it is, let alone worry about creating “The Local Source for What Local People Care About Locally.”
Maybe the staff and talent and interest for that are big market luxuries.
Fight the good fight, though. And, hey…have fun over at freaking ThreadBanger…I hear they have lots of xtreeeem black and yellow graphics.
3. Steve | March 8th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Hehe. See, if you could design a site powered solely by that kind of snark, I’d go there.
4. The Tony | March 8th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
THANK you!
If only I had any discernable talent besides snarking.
5. aidian | March 8th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
My incoherent :20 stories are packed full of 10th grade level copy. That’s why we’re where the news comes first.
6. zqoudokmov | June 18th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! wnilztwimgtk
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