I♥RADIO

It's mixed news for terrestrial radio, certainly mixed for non-Clear Channel Radio properties. CCR recently announced their “iheartradio” iPhone application has hit one million downloads (there’s a beta version for Blackberry users currently being offered as a freebie, the apps usage is growing an average of 13% per week). iheartradio delivers 750+ radio stations to your cell phone or desktop, you can think of it as a nationwide AM/FM tuner. The application also offers videos, live performances, ringtones, song lyrics, etc. etc. Great news if you’re a local Clear Channel Radio programmer now considering your “nationwide” potential audience – bad news for anyone who believes that over the air radio will exist as is five, ten, fifteen years down the road.

Obviously, radio must move the internet, the same way that TV, cable, etc. must. However, iheartradio is great example of radio leapfrogging the web and getting to the distribution channel that really matters… digital mobile phones. To be fair, iheartradio.com is a website delivering content to PCS, it’s not an application dedicated entirely to the portability marketplace. Does it matter how the app is delivered? Local radio just went hand-held, affordable, and nationwide – it’s a new broadcasting model for 2009 (if I were Mel Karmazin, I’d probably start working overtime on that XM/Sirius satellite radio iPhone app).

All things considered, is iheartradio good news or bad news for terrestrial radio? Portability is nothing new to radio, but local stations delivered nationwide to cell phones is very fresh. Is iheartradio a catalyst for local radio programmers to reinvest in personality radio, is the app signaling an imminent doom for the music utility radio station? Local radio on cell phones sounds like more audience fragmentation, is there any silver lining on the horizon? Anyone with an iPhone or Blackberry can walk around with DC101 in their pocket… how cool is that?

Chime in…

http://www.iheartmusic.com/main.html

Twitter and second graders

Many of us in CSU-Pueblo's Mass Communications Department & Center for New Media are probably tired of the Twitter topic following our panel discussion at today's conference of the Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this Twitter tidbit.

Some second graders in Maine are using Twitter to communicate with pen-pals and to learn about grammar, spelling, math, online security and digital citizenship.

Do you think these students are too young to be exposed to Twitter -- or is it never too early to start educating children on social (and other) uses of technology?

What's Next for Newspapers?

The future for print newspapers is not looking good as the recent demise of the Rocky Mountain News reminds us. While no one wants journalism to disappear, it is clear that ink squirted on wood pulp has run its course and we need to look at viable alternatives. The problem is, the obvious alternatives are not looking very viable. Sure, we can report and publish the news online--but so far subscription and advertising revenue streams have been unable to support these efforts.

So what are the options. Here are a few ideas that I've heard recently. 1) Switch from commercial to non-profit and ask wealthy patrons to endow the organization to cover operating expenses. Universities use this model and many believe that there are well-to-do benefactors who would hate to see newspapers disappear. 2) Increase subscription prices and sell papers/newsletters to those who value news and can afford to pay a premium price. 3) Charge a small fee per news story (similar to an iTunes model) for content. Even music fans are starting to "pony up" even though free downloads are often just a few clicks away. 4) Allow readers to "contribute" a small fee to websites where they find content of value. This approach is being promoted by companies like Kachingle, a micro-payment service that hopes that people will voluntarily give if given the opportunity. 5) Get in line for a government bailout. Some would argue that newspaper are too important to let them fail.

It's clear that some of these alternatives have more promise than others. It's also likely that the final solution may be some combination of the above, or something else entirely. There are some journalists whose jobs depend on figuring it out, and the sooner the better. To find out what they're up to, check out the I Want My Rocky website, or the San Franciso Post Chronicle wiki. At the Rocky website journalists who are out of work are continuing to publish stories as they try to figure out their future. At the SFC wiki, journalists who may soon be out of a job are trying to be proactive as they face the future. In both cases there is much at stake and little time to waste.

Personal Reputation: What is Chris Brown's these days?

The reputation of a product or service helps determine whether target audiences will purchase or use it. The same goes for individuals. Famous people, such as entertainers, sports celebrities, or elected officials, are their own brands and have an accompanying reputation perceived by the public. Generally speaking, in our society, "good" reputations are consider preferrable to "bad" reputations. Then again, some celebs intentionally promote "bad boy' reputes because they think it makes them more famous. Case in point: Chris Brown, an entertainer with a "good boy" reputation is accused of domestic assault on his equally famous "good girl" girlfriend, Rihanna.
Apparently they are reconciling as this post is being written. Some questions to ponder: how will this domestic incident impact Chris Brown's reputation? If Rihanna returns to Chris, how does it impact her reputation? Are there sports or entertainment celebrities whose careers have actually thrived on a "bad boy" or "bad girl" anti-social reputation? Can you become famous and successful for challenging what is perceived to be decent and good in society? And if you can, what does that say about our society? Or about the entertainment or sports celebrity industries?

Factoid of the Day: Radio Legend Gone

Besides the Rocky Mountain News, the media industry witnessed another tragic loss this weekend. A radio superstar who had more listeners than anyone in radio history died on February 28th at the age of 90. Few of you will recognize his name, but your grandparents probably would. He was Paul Harvey, and his signature tag line was, "and now, the rest of the story."

DTV delayed...

Congress has postponed the shutdown of analog television signals to June 12th, the only thing left to seal the deal is Barack’s signature. Why the holdup…? A little over 5% of U.S TV households are not ready for this inevitable future. The DTV delay impacts commercial PCS and emergency response among others. Critics say not moving forward with the previous February 17th stop date will only create confusion. Consider the FCC has mandated broadcasters provide DTV Consumer Education gratis… (the commission order came in March of last year, most broadcasters have been talking about February 17th for years).

So… is the DTV delay a good move for consumers, a good move for broadcasters? Did you apply for converter box coupons, have they arrived? Are you watching TV though cable, satellite, or rabbit ears… does any of this DTV stuff matter?

A suggestion for lawmakers… please consider delaying the presidential election in 2012 by four months, just in case we find that 5% of American households are undecided, still trying to figure out whether they should vote for Clinton or Palin…

Chime in…

Factoid of the Day: Online Piracy

How much time, after a new network TV show premieres, before it is available online, via a peer-to-peer network such as BitTorrent, with the commercials removed?

Answer: About 17 minutes!

Are we entering a new era of openness in government? And are journalists up to the challenge?

President Barack Obama issued a memo on Jan. 21, expressing his adminstration's support for the Freedom of Information Act.

The memo included this statement: "The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to serve."

In light of his support for open records and the Freedom of Information Act, do you think other public, governmental bodies will follow suit and be more willing to open their records for the public? And will journalists be emboldened to make open records requests and demand government accountability?

Are we entering a new era of openness in government with the Obama presidency as a role model?

History in the making

Today we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and in two weeks we will pause to celebrate 200 years since the birth of another former Illinois legislator--Abraham Lincoln. With less than 15 hours until the swearing-in ceremony for the first black President of the United States, it is worth noting that the 44th president is standing on the shoulders of giants. Those giants include President Lincoln and MLK Jr. Few other historical figures capture such intense devotion to the themes of freedom and justice while celebrating the strength of human character.

The Inaugural Address is expected to be yet another masterful demonstration of Obama's rhetorical skill. He will most certainly continue his themes of hope and change...while squarely acknowledging the daunting challenges that await his presidency. Previous inauguration addresses have reminded us that, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" (FDR) and challenged us to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" (JFK).

Mass media have historically allowed us to celebrate our finest moments, and witness our greatest tragedies, via the miracle of instantaneous community. Whether we're watching the Superbowl or witnessing planes flying into skyscrapers, TV, and now the internet, brings us together in ways that defy the imagination.

For those of you on campus Tues morning, you can watch the Inauguration and related festivities on big-screen TVs in BRH and the OUC. If you're near a computer you can watch the live stream at a variety of sites including Hulu and Current TV, where they will reprise their debate coverage with a live Twitter stream superimposed over the live video of the inauguration.

You owe it to your children to give your attention to this historic event. The country is awash in optimism, hope and faith in the ability of this yet untried president. Let's join together to wish him, and this nation, the best.

Factoid of the Day - Gone to the Dogs

By now you may have heard of the latest web video sensation, the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam at Ustream.tv. It has just become the most viewed video stream of all time, with more than 18 million views, for a combined 790 viewer-years. Yup, that's right, according to NBC News web surfers have spent a combined 790 years watching puppies instead of, oh I don't know, working, doing homework...hey, aren't YOU supposed to be doing homework!

Interactive Media and the Stock Market's Volatility

It's been my opinion for a while that online trading and the increase in information available to stock traders has contributed to an increasingly volatile stock market.

Think about it for a second, before the rise in online trading, selling off your stocks required a call to your broker. Theoretically, your broker was someone who you trusted to know what he/she was doing when it came to buying and selling your stocks. More importantly, your broker (other than a brokerage fee) wasn't financially involved in the sale or purchase of your stocks.

There's a good chance that if you'd called your broker to sell your stocks during a downturn in the market, he'd tell you that now was not the time to sell off the stocks and lock in your losses, now was the time to buy more for the inevitable upswing in the market that follows any sell-off.

Unfortunately, for a large number of Americans, the broker is a thing of the past. There's very little standing in your way when you log into your E-Trade or ScottTrade account to sell off that stock that's tanking... meaning there's no one there to talk some sense into you before you commit one of the biggest rookie mistakes of stock trading (selling near the bottom).

In addition, we're bombarded (especially lately) with information about how bad the economy is doing right now. The economy is really a trust-based system that thrives when consumers have confidence in it and doesn't when they don't. Sure, there are some issues with the fundamentals of our credit markets, but they pale in comparison to the mental specter of recession and how we react to it.

Just like shark attacks, SARS, the Asian Bird Flu, and other over-hyped crises, the mass media is doing a bang up job of making sure everyone in the U.S. is scared. After all, if people are scared they'll buy more newspapers and watch more TV to monitor the situation. In the current media environment, sensationalism sells.

Combine these two things and you have a perfect storm for market volatility. When you log into your online brokerage account, you're probably presented with the performance of the shares you own as well as news items relating to them. As you read about how badly IBM is doing, it's all too easy to click a few buttons and sell off your IBM stock. While it's a boon to usability and it makes the online trading companies money (they make money on every trade whether you do or not), is it the best thing for our stock market?

For Sale: Rocky Mountain News

Denver may soon lose its distinction as one of the few remaining cities with two operating daily newspapers. The Rocky Mountain News was officially placed on sale Thursday. Do you think anyone is going to come forward to purchase this nearly 150-year-old Colorado institution or is Denver's fate as a single daily newspaper town now sealed?

Is the older-than-50 TV news anchor a relic?

Back when I was a youngster, some of the most respected TV news anchors were the seasoned veterans -- trustworthy types like Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor. But is the era of the older-than-50 TV news anchor over now? And if it is, do you think it's going to have any kind of impact on the audience's perception of the reliability of TV news anchors?

Factoid of the Day - Filling up YouTube's Servers

How much video is being uploaded to YouTube?

Answer: About 13 hours of video each minute!