Edward Wasserman: “The Next Rebirth of the Media”

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Edward Wasserman titled his piece “The Next Rebirth of the Media” but I came away wondering about the future relavence of networks as we know them. Wasserman is a professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA.

“TV will migrate to the Net, and if networks can reach a national audience online, why bother with costly affiliation contracts? By cutting out the needless re-transmitters they keep the entire advertising dollar. But what becomes of broadcast affiliates once theyre no longer affiliates  indeed, once theyre no longer broadcasters either, since their audiences wont be getting them over-the-air either? When you click on to your online news and entertainment options, why will you choose your local ex-ABC affiliate? You wont, unless it has something unique to offer  namely, the very content that has been most sorely neglected in the current era of non-regulation: local programming.”

Four our five years ago I described the Web as a meteor, far out in space, headed toward earth. We don’t know how big it is… when it’s going to get here… or whether it will miss our little planet or smash ut so bits. But we better start building spaceships. Just in case. Don’t know how to build a spaceship? Better start learning. The meteor is big…and it’s close.

Blane Mays update.

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Blane reports he and the family were out of town (Bandar Lampung) when the earthquake/tsunami hit and didn’t realize it had happened until they returned. That seems pretty amazing. His organization is sending disaster relief teams to assess needs but foreigners are not currently allowed into the province of Aceh due to the civil war going on there. He thinks the disaster will open some doors. Bottom line for the Mays family: Blane, Tonya and kids safe and sound.

No Escaping the Blog

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“According to blog search-engine and measurement firm Technorati, 23,000 new weblogs are created every day or about one every three seconds. Each blog adds to an inescapable trend fueled by the Internet: the democratization of power and opinion. Blogs are just the latest tool that makes it harder for corporations and other institutions to control and dictate their message. An amateur media is springing up, and the smart are adapting.”

— Fortune.com (Why There’s No Escaping the Blog)

Rollin’ my own.

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I never read local newspapers. I know, I know. I’m just not interested no matter how much I should be. As a result, I’ve been reading USA TODAY for years. I could barely get through breakfast without something to read and USA TODAY was my paper of choice. No longer. The bump to seventy-five cents is part of it but there are too many stories I don’t care about. (Yes, I know I should care about them, but I don’t) So I’m reading less of the paper and paying more.

But recently I’ve been surfing with my finger on the print key. In five or ten minutes I have more than enough stories to get me through my Malt-o-Meal. Sort editing my own newspaper. And this process will get more automated but I enjoy browsing and printing and will probable keep rolling my own daily. And I’m saving almost $200 a year.

8-point-9.

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From Reuters report: “The tsunami — a menacing wall of water — caused death, chaos and devastation across southern Asia. The tsunami, up to 30 feet high, was triggered by an 8.9 magnitude underwater earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.”

My brother Blane and his family live in Bandar Lampung, about 1,000 miles to the southeast of the quake’s center. I sure hope that’s far enough. If you check out the Reuters story above, take 90 seconds to watch some scary video. The link is about half-way down the page on the left. Still waiting for a “we’re okay” email from my baby brother.

Turn the page

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I’m a long-time fan of the novels of Lawrence Block and have read most of them. From time to time I come across one that had been out of print. Spotted two Matthew Scudder novels yesterday (A Stab In The Dark, and Time To Murder And Create) and snapped them up. Matt Scudder is a New York private investigator (no license) with a serious drinking problem. He’ll go on a bender and then suffer nasty hang-overs. In later novels, Matt joins AA and, finally, gets his act together.

Time To Murder And Create was written in 1976 and Matt is still boozing. When I first read these stories, it was almost painful and certainly depressing to “watch.” Having read all of the later Scudder novels, I know that everything works out for Matt. He gets sober. Meets the perfect woman (for him). And finds some peace.

It’s nice to think that someone is re-reading our stories and knows what happens to us down the road. Our Cosmic Author simply has no way to tell us everything is going to be all right. Or that it isn’t. Or, maybe we aren’t listening. I choose to believe my author prefers happy endings.

Lucy and Ripley: Christmas Card

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This year’s card captures our mood perfectly. Lucy –the newest addition to our family– spent September through November in a small, wire crate and wasn’t inclined to “stay” for Barb’s annual card shoot. But the tradition continues and while there’s not quite enough peace in the world, there’s a small patch in front of our fireplace for which we are truely grateful.

Music Choice, Sprint launching music service

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“Music Choice and Sprint are launching a music service that allows mobile phone users to view short videoclips and listen to radio-like programming on their handsets. For $5.99 per month, users can listen to a range of genres and formats, including R&B/hip-hop, pop, country and rock. Earlier this year, the company announced Sprint PCS Vision Multimedia Services, which delivers streaming audio and video content from NBC, CNN, ABC News, Fox Sports, the Weather Channel, Discovery, E Entertainment, and others.” (Reuters/MSNBC.com)