Meet the Press move to rotating hosts avoids unfavorable comparisons to Russert
NBC is apparently giving up on the idea of a one-for-one replacement of Tim Russert as Meet the Press host. According to a well-placed source, instead they will rotate through an ensemble of hosts that will include NBC political director Chuck Todd and correspondent David Gregory. Brilliant. Chances are, any single individual selected for this...
CBS shows why we may be shifting from newspapers to news conglomerates
CBS’ CEO Leslie Moonves says his network is becoming a “one stop shop” for news and information that is now competing effectively against newspapers. Of all the recent bad news for newspapers, this may be among the worst. To survive in a world without paper editions, online newspapers will need high rates for online ads,...
News going hyperlocal or hyperglobal?
Should the metro newspaper industry survive, which at this point is looking increasingly doubtful, it might only be because of its unique ability to create original content that directly affects our lives. But the media industry is going the other way, toward global brands. In the Hollywood Reporter in regards to video, Times Warner chair...
GoogleCreep: From News Aggregator to News Channel?
News outlets were told they had nothing to fear from GoogleNews. Google would simply aggregate their stories and drive traffic to their sites — not create its own, competitive, original news content. But this convention season, that line is becoming a blur. When GoogleNews provided live streaming coverage of the Republican convention this week, wasn’t...
Pregnant Palin stories point to a future of more salacious political stories
The future vetting process for salacious political rumors is taking shape. Those most beyond-the-pale will often start with partisan blogs, which are unteathered by journalism standards and motivated to find the worst in their adversaries. For example, liberal bloggers reported that VP candidate Sarah Palin faked a pregnancy for a fifth child to cover up...
Will Local TV News Survive Web-TV Convergence?
Forrester Research reports that in the next decade your TV will deliver most programming on-demand, and ads will be targeted based on your location and your behavior. Which begs the question of whether networks will continue to support a local affiliate structure with primetime programming when their content can be delivered direct-to-consumer. Perhaps networks would...
Will the ad-revenue-generating power of TV vs. online advertising increase Rupert Murdoch’s influence over the national conversation?
We have another indication, as if we needed another, that online ads do not attract ad revenues like their counterparts in television. Based on Olympics ad spending, TV video ads may be 100x more valued by advertisers than online video ads. Video ad spending on NBCOlympics.com was only $5.75 million, just 1.1% of the $505...
Google replacing mainstream media with bloggers?
The Motley Fool reports that Google is sponsoring a headquarters for about 500 bloggers at the Democratic convention, and will do the same for the Republican convention. This is about the opposite of the traditional news model, in which a proprietary outlet pays for the facilities and the reporters, and controls the content. For a...
Is porn the answer to newspapers’ woes?
Business Week reports that German papers are doing well despite the web, in sharp contrast to the U.S. The article quickly dismisses the fact that one of Berlin’s dailies shows nude women on the first page, before giving a host of seemingly more legitimate reasons they have avoided the U.S.’ slump. For example, a crisis...
NBC Olympics coverage changes the rules — mass media to fragmented media
In Olympic games prior to the Internet, America was riveted to a handful of big events selected by the TV networks. But NBC, presenting its 11th Olympics, is changing all the rules by taking advantage of the fragmenting power of cable and the Internet. Summing it up is 22-year-old Jonathan Mays who notes, “NBC has...
