Archive for May 15th, 2007
Walter Hussman Jr., publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, argues the best way to sink a newspaper is by offering its content online for free. Sigh. Haven’t we been through this already? Read his analysis here and then tell us what you think below…
Adds Jake in comments: “Did you guys cry when you read the article? Seriously man, give it 5 years. His slim margins will be gone and he’ll be forced to rethink the generation that has already ignored him.”
Adds Matt: “While the numbers documented in this editorial support his decision to force people in Little Rock to pay for content either through a paid subscription or a purchase of a single copy, I realize that this publisher doesn’t get how ‘free content’ could support his news staff. And, the trend towards the use of Internet news sources has grown so much that eventually reading a newspaper is something that will become obsolete.”
May 15th, 2007
MySpace is adding video from National Geographic, New York Times, Reuters and action-sports group Studio 411, as well as several others.
May 15th, 2007
Prior to the latest Republican debate last night, MSNBC.com rolled out a new interactive called “Rate the Candidates” that allowed you to watch video clips of the Republicans and vote whether you had a positive or negative response. Then after the debate, you can vote again, this time with the clips from the Fox News debate. After submitting your results, you can compare the before and after votes. Very slick.
May 15th, 2007
Microsoft and Bungie promise the release of Halo 3 will “shatter day-one entertainment sales records” and “set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming” when it’s released on September 25th. And given Halo’s history, it probably will. Release…
Read the full post May 15th, 2007
The network has picked up a comedy called “Cavemen” based on those Geico commercials. The show will feature three modern cavemen who battle racism to find their place in the world. So… hit or miss?
May 15th, 2007
Minneapolis
Read the full post May 15th, 2007
There are some very impressive video solutions here at Streaming Media East. There are streaming products that are HD quality or darn near it. There is such a range of high-quality presentation software here that it’s a revelation to anyone who spends time on local TV news sites: This is what our online video could look like? What are we waiting for? In response to the inevitable “It will cost too much” reply, I’ve even inquired about pricing. High quality is more affordable than ever. Cost is no longer the barrier: the willingness to change is.
May 15th, 2007
TechCrunch reports that MySpace News, which works off of a digg/pligg/Reddit-type model, is not getting much traffic.
I agree with TechCrunch’s Marshall Kirkpatrick, how can the news area get traffic if there’s no link to it anywhere on MySpace?
While some people diss MySpace users as kids who don’t care about news, this isn’t the problem. MySpace’s has to improve their design in order to lead existing users to auxiliary features. Why not drop a few “top headlines” onto everyone’s profile page? If one of those headlines was about Britney Spears, you’d bet MySpace News would get plenty of clicks.
May 15th, 2007
We’re on the ground at Streaming Media East today. Rich Warner and I are presenting at 4pm, and I’ve been walking the floor. No official numbers, but my observation is that things are busier than in years past. Spoke with Andy Plesser from Beet.TV, Bart Feder from FeedRoom, and longtime LR pal Jose Castillo from ThinkJose. LR Freebie Index is up this year: more squeeze balls and giveaways than in previous years. Oddest freebie: permissionTV’s lip balm sticks. Still - as a lip balm addict, I approve, and have even broken my usual high-horse ethic against taking freebies in this case.
May 15th, 2007
The programming announcements are coming fast and furious in New York as the networks put on a song and dance for media buyers and critics. The LATimes.com is blogging it here.
May 15th, 2007
Thomson Corporation and Reuters have agreed to a $17.2 billion merger which will create one of the world’s largest financial providers. Thomson will control about 70 percent of the new company, and Reuters chief executive Tom Glocer will be CEO. “For Thomson this deal puts them into a different league,” Justin Urquhart Stewart, a money manager in London. “Combining with Reuters gives them an international brand name and global strength.” Thomson offers a range of products including Westlaw, a legal information service, and MedStat, a health care information company.
May 15th, 2007
Gwen Kinsey, the GM of Young Broadcasting’s WATE-TV in Knoxville, will also assume the responsibilities of GM of WKRN-TV in Nashville. The job opened up a couple weeks ago after Mike Sechrist’s departure.
May 15th, 2007
