The WSJ has a good story (sub. req.) on what may happen if the strike drags well into 2008, which is sounding more likely by the day. “There’s a huge transition in our business,” said mega-producer Steven Bochco. “This may hasten the demise of the model that we’ve all worked under.” For starters, the practice of the networks ordering up more than 60 pilots every season at a tremendous cost — only to air a handful of them — is likely to change. And then there’s the upfront. NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker said that a “grand presentation” in the spring may not make sense if the strike continues. “I don’t think there is any rule that says we have to do it that way,” he said. And you have to wonder how an extended strike could permanently change viewing behavior, especially with younger audiences. Stay tuned…
Paid Content has a nice quick hit interview with Associated Press editor Tom Curley. He touches on the Google deal (”not affecting anybody”), the way the AP’s structure is changing, the Yahoo consortium and more. Curley says if people want to use AP content, they should pay for it. “This nonsense that you can just take the first paragraph or use the picture small doesn’t really fly with us. People die trying to take those pictures.”
With so much news and content floating around, Curley says breaking news sits at the top of the heap. We believe that breaking news is worth more these days than it ever was. So breaking news is a premium business.”
Curley also broaches the idea of the AP becoming a news aggregator with sharing between members. “The joy is not in searching, the joy is finding the content that you want. Well, we think we can make that much better and also that sets up a lot of possibilities in terms of revenue, especially around behavioral advertising.” Fifty newspapers are currently participating in a trial, and the AP hopes as many as 3,600 orginizations would eventually participate.
The Chicago Tribune’s recent story on a company that told store Santas not to say “ho ho ho” because it could be demeaning to women is one that would generally attract an avalanche of comments. But the site’s bad word filter threw most of the comments out the window because if you write “ho,” your comment won’t go through. “The program includes a ‘heat index’ that polices profane language,” editor Timothy J. McNulty wrote. “If the program detects a high percentage of profanity or words that suggest violence, it automatically kills the comment.” I guess it’s a three hos you’re out rule.
This 90 second segment of a recent WESH/Orlando newcast makes my fillings hurt: blonds make men dumb, shouts out to their family members - and Sesame Street toys. Oy.
Doug Anmuth, the internet analyst from Lehman Brothers, estimates that 1% of TV ad revenue (about $491 million) may shift to the web due to the writers strike. Most of that money would go to the big players, such as Yahoo, AOL and MSN. And you have to wonder if it will ever go back to TV.
The King in King World Productions, Roger King died Saturday from complications of a stroke. King was responsible for the syndication success of Oprah, Dr. Phil, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Rachel Ray and Inside Edition — a true titan in the entertainment industry. “Roger was the best sales executive this industry has ever known,” said Oprah Winfrey.
Paid Content has a nice 
The King in King World Productions, Roger King 
