“Everybody is a network”

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“Networks are about sharing now; they used to be about control. Networks are two-way; they used to be one-way. Networks are about aggregation more than distribution; they are about finding and being found. Networks are now open while, by their very definition, they used to be closed. You join networks and leave them them at will; you can join any number of networks at once and content can be found via any number of networks, there is no practical limit. Networks used to be static. Now networks are fluid.” — Jeff Jarvis

You need to read the full post to appreciate the point Jarvis is making. I’ve been thinking about how it applies to the various networks our company owns. And what does it mean to “own” a network? We have contracts with the radio stations that make up our networks. We own the satellite uplink and the downlink receivers that distribute our programming to those radio stations.

Our company has purchased other, smaller networks. And it was the affiliation contracts and the contracts with advertisers that we perceived to have the greatest value. Has that changed? Is it changing? Stay tuned.

“It isn’t broadcasting anymore.”

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In the early 70’s, Clyde Lear and Derry Brownfield founded the company I work for. It’s really a pretty cool story. In a recent blog post, Clyde demonstrates that he understands the seismic changes going on in the media world, and how they apply to our company.

“Affiliate radio stations are an important part of the mix. But farmers and other ag interests have so many ways to receive the message: print, podcasts, computers, etc. What remains is the message. It is the reporting and story-telling of … smart, discerning reporters who can effectively communicate. That is the message–not the media!”

I’m of the opinion that all established media companies must reinvent themselves to a greater or lesser degree. Some won’t make it. I’d like to think we will. And it’s a good sign that the top guy is clued.

Down the food chain a link or two, a couple of our reporters asked me to set up blogs for them this past week. They’re both veteran radio reporters (and writers). Bill Scott has been covering Wisconsin sports for a loooonnng time. Kay Henderson is one of the most respected political reporters in Iowa and has been at since the late 80’s.

Here’s the exciting part: read a couple of Bill’s stories here and Kay’s stories here. Now, read the first couple of posts on Bill’s blog…and Kay’s blog. I’m not suggesting that one is better than the other, just different. And, for me, one is much more interesting to read. I’ll let others argue about what is –and isn’t– journalism.

If Bill and Kay stick with the blogging thing, I predict that in a year, they will have far more readers of their blogs than of their “real” news and sports stories. And, for what it’s worth, they’ll be having more fun doing it.

Tattoo: “Do Not Resuscitate”

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A great grandmother wants to make it absolutely clear where she stands should she ever become incapacitated. So, at age 80, Mary Wohlford of Decorah, Iowa, has had the phrase “DO NOT RESUSCITATE” tattooed on her chest. In addition to the tattoo on her chest, Wohlford has a more binding document in a prominent place. She has signed a living will and has hung it on the side of her refrigerator.

Sorry, Mary, but it doesn’t matter what you want. The Pope and Jerry Falwell and some dicks in Washington will decide this matter for you.

JPod

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The flyleaf describes Douglas Coupland’s new novel as “a lethal joyride into today’s new breed of technogeeks.” I very much enjoyed two of his earlier works, Microserfs and Girlfriend in a Coma, and offer these nuggets from the introduction to his latest novel:

Life is a contest between you and everyone else.

Workshops and seminars are basically financial speed dating for clueless poor people.

TV and the Internet are good because they keep stupid people from spending too much time out in public.

You can’t fake creativity, competence or sexual arousal.

Nobody has ever been happy in a job they obtained by first handing in a resume.

After a week of intense googling, we’ve started to burn out on knowing the answer to everything. God must feel that way all the time. I think people in the year 2020 are going be nostalgic for the sensation of feeling clueless. — pg. 248

I think computers ought to have a key called I’M DRUNK, and when you push it, it prevents you from sending email for twelve hours. — pg. 386

The Notorious J.E.F. (Jeff McVey)

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Jeff McVey is the son of long-time friends Terry and Nancy McVey. Like many young men his age, Jeff has kicked around and tried a few things. His latest is studying martial arts in China. From his MySpace page:

Deborah and I got into China on May 12. … We’ve found our new home at a martial arts academy in a remote mountain village. I’m pretty sure it used to be some sort of industrial complex, and to call our accomidations meager would be a huge understatement. However, we do have a place to live and good food to eat. We live here with about a dozen other students from all over the world.  There are people from America, England, Germany, Indonesia, Scotland, New Zealand, and other countries (I haven’t quite met everyone).  Fortunately, all the students I have met speak English, which makes a nice little oasis in a land where I can’t comunicate with anyone.  So, we’ve been treated quite well, and we start our training tomorrow.  Everything seems a little daunting right now, but at the same time more than a little exciting.

His mom says this is something he has always wanted to do…and he’s doing it. Now, the person I want to meet is his wife, Deborah.

Jeff: “You know, I’ve always wanted to study martial arts in a remote mountain village in China. Whadya say?”

Deborah: “Cool. I’ll go pack.”

iMovie vs. Studio 9

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I created a little video this afternoon, primarily to get some experience with Apple’s iMovie (on the MacBook). I’ve been using Pinnacle’s Studio 9 (Windows) for a few years and like it a lot. And I’m comfortable with it. And I can’t say the same for iMovie (Mac) so this really wasn’t a fair comparison.

Having said all of that, I find that I can do more with Studio 9. There are probably features in iMovie that I haven’t discovered yet. But my sense is that iMovie is great for making a little DVD of the Easter Egg Hunt or some after-work fetch with your pups (below), but if you want to do much more than a title, some transitions and a music bed… you’ll want something a little more feature-rich. Which I find Studio 9 to be.

But like I said, I’m just groping around here. The video runs 14 minutes and the file is a hefty 21 meg. I optimized for very small screen (about the size of the image to the right). If you expand this to full screen it will look like shit. Keep it small for best results.

Mark Cuban: “Blogging is personal, traditional media is corporate.”

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“Traditional media has become almost exclusively corporate while blogging remains almost exclusively personal. (People in traditional media) get hired for a specific job and they have to do that job. They get hired by a corporation that is most likely public, which means their senior management , the people they ultimately report to, have to put getting the stock price up above all else. That is really what blogging vs traditional media in 2006 has come down to. Bloggers drive blogs, share price drives traditional media. Blogging is personal, traditional media is corporate. Which is exactly why blog readership is going up, while traditional media is consolidating, if not contracting. Traditional media goes to work, bloggers live their work.”

I encourage you to read Mr. Cuban’s full post. Say what you will, Mark Cuban has always been about five minutes ahead on the old “Information Highway.” And he understands blogging as only a blogger can. [via Scripting.com]