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Former Disney chief Michael Eisner has inked a deal with MySpace to provide episodes of the web drama Prom Queen a day before they appear elsewhere on the internet. Eisner’s digital media studio Vuguru launched earlier this month. Press release…
Read the full post Add comment March 28th, 2007
The annual Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner featured President Bush with such jokes as, “A year ago my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the Supreme Court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had shot someone. Ah, those were the days.” Karl Rove busted a move to big laughs (video). And an excellent new animation from the talented folks at JibJab called, “What We Call the News,” premiered at the annual event. Very well done. In fact, maybe too well done for a TV news audience, but they could use the reality check.
Related: In unusual step, Bush cites Iraqi bloggers
7 comments March 28th, 2007
A new study from the Knight Foundation, Investing in the Future of News (PDF), finds that fewer outlets are, well, investing in the future of news. Nine in 10 news execs say they need more training. Nine in 10 journalists say they need more training, too. Only 30 percent of news outlets have increased their training budgets since 2002, and 97 percent of news execs say their new hires don’t have the training they need. And there’s this: “Lack of training is the top source of dissatisfaction among journalists, ahead of pay and chances for promotion.” Writes Tim Porter at First Draft:
Keep in mind that news industry training is already pathetic compared to the averages of all U.S. industries — 0.4 percent of payroll for the news biz to 2.3 percent industry average, so when I see only three in 10 newsrooms spending more on their staffs I can only conclude, to borrow a pointed phrase from Eric Newton of Knight, only 30 percent of newspapers intend to survive.
The one bright spot - multimedia and new media training are increasing.
2 comments March 28th, 2007
It was bound to happen sooner or later. A mediocre singer on American Idol is getting more popular by the day, thanks to an audience that loves him (mostly tweens) and another audience (Howard Stern and VotefortheWorst.com) that just wants to see a “loser” win. Sanjaya Malakar “would ruin the show” if he wins, predicts one loyal viewer. Worst singers with great producers have gone on to make millions, but Idol does run the risk of losing a little credibility if he wins.
Adds Charles in comments: “Please… there’s a bad person that lasts forever EVERY year. Scott, Constantine, Kevin, Ace… This happens EVERY season. It’s annoying, but true. And whenever the talent pool starts to thin out, people vote more based on actual real talent than on crushes. If he makes the Top 4, I’ll be surprised.”
Adds Evan: “Before you start preaching about the end of civilization, remember that the votes aren’t made public. I seem to recall a few times in the past a cry has gone out for a recount after a popular singer has been voted out. The producers will eliminate him when the story has played itself out.”
28 comments March 28th, 2007
The announcements from CTIA keep coming. Coming in April, Sprint will debut three linear video channels with programming from MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. Also, MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central are debuting new WAP sites. More in the release…
Read the full post 2 comments March 28th, 2007
RTNDA has announced the list of Edward R. Murrow award winners for excellence in journalism. Here are the TV website winners, followed by a link to the full list. Congrats, all!
KING5.com, KTVB.com, NBC4.tv, KUAM.com, KSL.com, KARE11.com, Channel3000.com, KSDK.com, 49ABCNews.com, KHOU.com, KVUE.com, 10tv.com, 14WFIE.com, WCNC.com, WBIR.com, NBC13.com, WAFF.com, TheBostonChannel.com, NBC10.com, 9WSYR.com, WVEC.com, WSLS.com, FirstCoastNews.com, CityNews.ca
Read the full post 3 comments March 28th, 2007
YouTube will launch a mobile site in June of this year with 800 “editorial picks” of video. YouTube has been already working closely with mobile carriers, and handset makers such as Nokia on the mobile version of their video service, reports GigaOM.
3 comments March 28th, 2007
Bloomberg is reporting that Tribune “will probably accept” real estate billionaire Sam Zell’s $8 billion takeover offer by the end of the week. Zell said he intends to keep the company intact and not split off the TV stations, including stakes in the Food Network and CareerBuilder Inc. The takeover would take the company private. Tribune’s auction has stretched on for six months, and the company’s stock price has dropped 8.4 percent over the same period. The company’s self-imposed deadline on a decision is March 31st.
1 comment March 28th, 2007
Xbox Live has added more video content available for download. Paramount and Warner Bros. will offer movie downloads in high definition, and A&E Networks and National Geographic will offer TV show downloads. Also, Microsoft unveiled Xbox Elite, a premium version of the Xbox 360 with a built-in 120GB hard drive and an HDMI output for $479.99. Those of us with the earlier 360s can shell out $179 and snap on the expanded hard drive.
6 comments March 28th, 2007
The massive online ad firm DoubleClick is in “active talks” with Microsoft as well as other suitors, reports the WSJ. DoubleClick is aiming for a $2 billion selling price, and it remains an open question whether the company will move ahead with a sale. (Sub. req.)
Add comment March 28th, 2007
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