Clear Channel launches social networking sites
A dozen Clear Channel radio stations are launching separate social networking sites based on their respective local communities. For example, San Francisco’s KYLD is launching The Wild Space, and WKSC in Chicago is debuting The Mob (screen grab below). The technology company OneSite is handling the back-end for the sites. “The indicators are that people [...]
WKRN GM Sechrist steps down
Just days after praising WKRN’s progress online at NAB-RTNDA, WKRN GM Mike Sechrist announced he’s leaving to go after “other opportunities he would like to pursue in this new digital world.” No word on what they may be, but in true style, Mike posted news of his departure on his own blog. (Thanks for the [...]
Google fires back, will meet Viacom in court
In a response to Viacom’s lawsuit against YouTube, Google said the suit was unfounded and it was ready to go to court, asking for a jury trial. “We are not going to let this lawsuit distract us,†said Michael Kwun, managing counsel at Google. “We feel pretty confident about the case.” In a court filing, [...]
VH1 launches new site, VH1Classic.com
Called an “immersive, online extension of the TV channel,” VH1Classic.com features thousands of music videos from songs released in the 70′s, 80′s and early 90′s. Press release follows below…
Newspaper circulation falls 2.1 percent
That’s over a six-month period, according to new numbers from the Newspaper Association of America. Meanwhile, the NAA said the audience for newspaper sites grew 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2007.
CBS stations tap Microsoft for user video
Just announced at MIX07 in Vegas, CBS’ owned-and-operated stations are partnering with Microsoft and its new cross-browser video technology Silverlight to power user-created content on the sites. Explains the press release:
The new local initiative will allow users of the CBS-owned stations’ sites to view, upload, share, rate, comment, sort and search video, images, audio and text submissions. A key component of the application is its full integration into the existing content publishing workflow of the CBS Television Stations’ digital media groups. It allows the community-generated content to be managed alongside the station’s professional content in a single workflow.
The video detail page. You can see more screen grabs here. The functionality is expected to launch in select markets later this year. Press release below…
Video ads coming to YouTube this summer
We’ve heard that YouTube is experimenting with video ads — pre-rolls and post-rolls among them — but this is the first time we’ve seen a date. YouTube says it will begin rolling out video ads this summer. But the question has always been: will people put up with pre-rolls on user-submitted clips? Brightcove’s Jeremy Allaire [...]
MTV may rename ‘TRL’ to ‘URL’
MTV plans to launch a revamped Total Request Live (TRL) this summer with a hefty amount of viewer/user participation, and execs say the leading candidate for a new name for the webified show is URL. TRL has lost over half its viewers since 1999. Earlier: MTV.com unveils ‘radical’ new strategy to attract teens
Yahoo buying rest of Right Media
Yahoo is buying the remaining 80 percent share of Right Media, an open advertising exchange company, for $680 million. Press release…
Dallas tops DVR markets
Wow, how times have changed from the old days when hardened TV execs proclaimed that DVRs were growing too slowly to take seriously. Today, DVRs households have reached an average of 17.2 percent of the U.S. population, with the Dallas-Fort Worth market topping the list at 26.5 percent (LA is second at 25.9 percent, San [...]
Yahoo News adds video to search results
Do a story search on Yahoo News, like “mall shooting” for example, and you’ll now find photos and video clips prominently displayed at the top of the search results. This is part of Yahoo’s ongoing efforts to integrate video throughout the site. This particular clip is from ABCNews.com, but local video clips from partner CBS [...]
News sites quick to buy search keywords
The WSJ has a terrific article on how national news sites are increasingly buying search keywords that relate to topical stories. For example, on the day of the Virginia Tech shootings, phrases such as “Virginia Tech” and “Virginia Tech Shooting” jumped as high as $5 per click (they’re now down to .06-.08 a click). While [...]
‘The Blotter’ celebrates first year
ABCNews.com’s investigative team blog, “The Blotter,” celebrated one year on the web with an impressive list of accomplishments: “We have logged more than 36 million page views, broken dozens of important stories and won several major journalism awards.” You may remember the blog broke the Mark Foley story, which led to his resignation.
Joost lands 32 advertisers for launch
The online video site Joost — which has yet to launch — has secured 32 advertisers including Electronic Arts, Kraft, Lionsgate, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and United Airlines. I’ve been part of the private beta, and I’ve been impressed with the interface and the video quality (as I write, my wife Kate is trying to [...]
Briefs: A&E, NBC Universal, Google
– A&E prepares to launch two new broadband sites – NBC Universal acquires RSS email startup Rmail – Google beats Microsoft as world’s most visited site
‘My Name is Earl’ in smell-a-vision
In a network first of sorts, viewers who snag the scratch-n-sniff card from this week’s issue of TV Guide and watch My Name is Earl will be able to experience — for better or worse — smell-a-vision. Numbers will appear throughout the “scent-sensational” episode that correspond with various odors on the card. “I did not [...]
ABCNews.com relaunches with clean look
With its 10th anniversary coming this May, ABCNews.com has relaunched with a simple, tabbed design and a short, clean home page. “We think that’s the best way to showcase the signature reporting and storytelling of the team here at ABC News. Terrific content deserves great packaging, and with the new Web site we’ve cleared up [...]
MSNBC.com tweaks its font style
As we’ve been reporting, MSNBC.com is undergoing a staged relaunch. The first change was a new logo and top nav. Now today I noticed new font styles for the headlines and category headers. A snippet from the home page…
