Local Media in a Web 2.0 World

Entries from July 2007

Will Newspapers beat TV at local video ?

July 31, 2007 · Leave a Comment

I am on the road today in NYC.  That being said, I will simply highlight a very important post today by Michael Gay  of www.LOSTREMOTE.com ……. mel.

Newspapers beat TV at local video. That headline got your attention. So should the latest blog entry from Bill Adee, the associate managing editor for innovation at the Chicago Tribune.

While he might have an awesome title, he’s coming right at you with a challenge: “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be the main online source of video for Chicagoland users.” And to get there, he says the Tribune has 31 staff photographers with video cameras, and the multimedia team has video cameras. Let’s be conservative and say that’s 40 video cameras shooting video around Chicago.

After working in Chicago, I can tell you with certainty that there is no TV station with that many cameras out on the streets. Take a look at some of the videos in Bill’s blog post and ask yourself how long until this post’s headline is reality.

Categories: Newspapers · Online Video · Television · Traditional media

Hairbands and the ‘Personal Media Revolution’

July 30, 2007 · Leave a Comment

Stopped into the Borgata in Atlantic City this past Saturday night. Making my way thru this very popular casino, I peered into the window of a small club there, called the Gypsy Bar. Well whadd’ ya know.  It’s CC Deville, hairband guitarist and Vh1 reality star from 80’s rock band; Poison. He was playing a handful of songs with the local band performing.

As luck would have it, I had with me, my trusty digital still camera. Canon Powershot SD 800. Really good still camera, with a 2gb memory card. As a bonus, this little beauty also has video capability. Not great, but pretty damn good for a still camera. Click video above to see the footage that I took.

Where am I going with this story of casinos, rockers and digital cameras ? Well, it really hit home for me, that the Personal Media Revolution is in full swing, and has only begun to seriously alter the media landscape.

Here some of the things that this video potentially represents.

  • I captured a somewhat rare performance, with no preparation ( other than having a camera in my pocket).
  • Used a piece of equipment valued at only $400.
  • Was able to upload and host/distribute this video a no cost, using YouTube.
  • MTV, Radio or other music media entity did not cover this, or have the smarts/minimal resources to cover.
  • The Borgata casino is still not aware of how to leverage this type of unique situation online. Ex: having this clip on their site, could potentially encourage more people to visit in the future.

What is your company doing to leverage the Personal Media Revolution ?

Categories: Online Video · Traditional media

Viddler & the Growth of Social Video

July 26, 2007 · 3 Comments

The Pew Internet & American Life Project’s first major report on online video is out. The viral and social nature of online video is off the hook. Duh, but it’s nice to see this fact become “official”.

If you want to download a copy:   http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Video_2007.pdf

Or some quickie facts for ya……

  • 57% of internet users have watched videos online, most of them share what they find with others

  • 75% say they receive links to watch video that others have sent to them.

  • Young adults are the most active participants in this space.

While this new report underscores the online trends that some of us have been keeping an eye on, I wonder whether traditional media, marketers and agencies are fully aware of what’s going on here.

I remember that it was only about 2 years ago, that it was cost prohibitive to stream my personal videos online. And when I did spend the money to have these vids hosted, I was limited to what I could do with them. (And a very cumbersome process to boot)

Jump ahead to 2007, and the online video world is awash in free choices. Sites like Vimeo, Blip.tv, Revver, and a somewhat better Youtube. But let me direct your attention to a Philly area start-up. (Bethlehem, PA., to be precise). They are called Viddler. I had a chance to meet president; Robert Sandie, while attending the Blog Philadelphia conference a few weeks ago. 

In short, Viddler allows video file uploads, up to a whopping 500mb. You also get embedding, tagging, video response and commenting tools. Quality is quite good ( better than YouTube), along with a larger screen size. I understand that there will be premium services available soon, which will provide for a revenue model.

One of the things that really impressed me, was the interesting way people were always starting their personal, diary-like video with the opener: “Hi Viddler”. Try to imagine a social video network, with an actual personality.

While this vid platform is really nice, I think there is a bigger story here:  local, small entrepreneur getting into a space that was once the domain of big media.

As the Web becomes THE platform, where 16-34 yr. olds consume video, sites like Viddler are poised to potentially uncover the next video hit/superstar/content play. 

Click video above, to get a quick lesson on how to use the unique features of Viddler.

Categories: Online Video · Philadelphia · Traditional media

NYC Travels

July 25, 2007 · Leave a Comment

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When I was a Radio DJ ( back in the 80’s & 90’s), I used to love getting pictures taken with various rock stars.

Today, I still like getting my photo taken with rock stars. It’s just that today, it’s the ‘rock stars’ of our online media industry.

Yesterday, while working out of the NYC offices of WorldNow’s Local Media Network, I got to spend some time with uber-consultant; Gordon Borrell.

Gordon is a rock star.

Borrell Associates is the top research and consulting firm that tracks local advertising, and helps online companies develop executive strategy. Their main focus is on interactive advertising and marketing.

Disregard his findings at your own peril.

http://www.BorrellAssociates.com

Categories: Traditional media

Blogs & Fishing in Atlantic City

July 23, 2007 · Leave a Comment

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Just back from I spending some time in Brigantine and Atlantic City, NJ.

The weather? Doesn’t get any better. The fishing? Could have been alot better. (shark, seabass, and some baby flounder that we had to throw back) 

And while sitting in a boat, waiting for what seems like forever for a bite, you get to do alot of thinking. You ponder stuff like: why do some guys wax their eyebrows, how can I lower my cholesterol, and why do old school journalists look down their nose at bloggers ?

Ever since I attended the Blog Philadelphia conference a few weeks back, I’ve been focusing alot of my limited brain capacity on these little buggers called blogs. To the snooty, blogs are just amateur writings, one level above a message board rant, and likely written in your mom’s basement, while you were wearing pajamas.

Some foolishly believe that to truly be a journalist, you would need years of schooling, and be published in a print product that can be bought at a newsstand. At one time, this was certainly true. Getting a job at the newspaper wasn’t easy, printing presses were tough to get your hands on, etc. Even if you had phenomenal knowledge of a particular subject (like deep sea fishing for instance), it was a long shot that you would get published.

But today, with free and easy blogging tools and the ability to “publish” online, an expert in deep sea fishing (with some half decent wrting skills and a computer), could likely find a boatload of online readers that would love to follow his posts on a regular basis.

This scares the bejesus out of newspaper and magazine folks. They have lost their choke hold on the printed word.

Same thing with video. No need for a TV broadcast tower. YouTube or Viddler will do just fine. Who would you prefer to engage with…….an expert videographer with limited knowledge of the subject matter, or an expert in that subject matter with OK video skills ?

I would take the latter. How about you ?

How about one more analogy: would you prefer to listen to hi-definition, CD quality audio of stale top 40 tunes, or would you rather have an acceptable audio quality (128k) mp3 collection of any and all available music ?

Niche and choice, wins out all the time. We are willing to sacrifice super quality, for super choice.

Getting back to my blog on blogs………Scott Karp over at Publisher 2.0 writes: The word “blog” has way too much baggage — it’s too often equated with opinion. But a blog is just a content management system, and you can use it to publish shrill opinion, or you can use it to publish traditional journalism…or you can use it to publish journalistic reporting with a bit more point of view.

Most newspapers are actually using blogs as platforms for daily online publishing — platforms that allow one person to publish a “mini-publication.”

This got me thinking — maybe what newspapers should become in the digital media era is a network of local bloggers — some of whom are staff writers and some of whom are freelancers.

 Read more of Scott’s analysis here:

Categories: Philadelphia · Traditional media

Using LOCAL to Win on Web

July 20, 2007 · 2 Comments

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Didn’t get a copy of the new Philly Ad Club Magazine? Here’s my latest article that they published.

Using ‘Local’ to Win on the Web 

“The action on the local media battlefield is focusing on the Web.Newspapers are scrambling to make up losses in classified advertising.TV stations are scrambling to cover declines in automotive and political ads. Radio operators are worried about a future in which audioprogramming comes from computer speakers and iPods instead of radios”   (Borrell & Associates. What Local Media Web Sites Earn: 2007 Survey ) 

As I read the latest report from industry expert; Borrell and Associates, it validates what I have been seeing first hand. The competitive environment for local media has dramatically changed. It’s not a down cycle as some say. Rather, it’s a full blown paradigm shift, where new rules are being written, and old ones being thrown away.  

More similarities, than differences

For more than half of my 15 year media career, I’ve been helping local Broadcast, Newspapers and advertisers move online, and build new revenue streams from these efforts. One of the biggest takeaways I’ve learned is how these traditional media platforms have more in common than originally thought. And maybe more importantly, the competition is not just the other TV station across the street, or the competing Newspaper, but rather, it’s the outside of market competitor called Google, and other “pure play” companies. Depending on which research you prefer, GOOGLE, YAHOO, MSN, and AOL take well over 60% of online media dollars out of the local marketplace. Is it because they are better at reaching local consumers? Not necessarily. Maybe it’s that they have been focused on Internet advertising longer than most, and by default, have captured a sizable amount of local dollars.  

Still crazy after all these years

We are all familiar with the rock radio wars of WMMR vs. WYSP, the newspaper skirmish between The Inquirer and The Bucks County Courier Times, and WPVI’s Jim Gardner vs. all other Philly TV news anchors. Ahhh, the good old days. But those days my friend, are slowly coming to a close. It borders on insanity how many local media companies still beat each other up over an advertising buy, only focusing on taking share from other local media outlets. It’s like fighting over a bigger slice of a shrinking pie. Everyday we see those celebrating the fact, that they took a few dollars from the other station in town, yet ignored a big chunk of money that was looking for a local online home. Those dollars likely got scooped up by one of the portals. Maybe it’s time for local media to start getting more serious about keeping local online dollars…local. How best to accomplish this? Quite simply, maximize everything ‘local’.  

Local; the secret weapon.

Most would consider going head to head with Yahoo to be suicide. But by focusing on what local media can do best, it has the best chance at getting back into the game of growing online media share. Local media’s greatest strength is not just in the local platforms of broadcast towers and printing presses, but rather in its unique local attributes: local relationships, local database information, local reporters, local sales reps, local video, local content, etc. These are assets that the Googles and Yahoos of the world only wish they had more of. To be sure, I am not anti-Google. I use it everyday. But I do believe that the local advertising community should be aware that taking a passive, wait and see attitude towards the web, will likely marginalize the local advertising business, and allow the pure-play interactive companies to gain an even bigger, more sizable lead in this space. By then, it could be too late. 

To win with local online, here are some items for traditional media to consider:  

  • Adhere to Internet Advertising Bureau standards. ( see http://www.iab.net) Avoid odd-sized banners, button and logos. There should not be an overload of advertising/marketing messages on any one page.
  • Build up online video, audio and other multi-media assets and resources. Big bandwidth and hi-speed connections are now the norm. Take advantage in order to tap into growing online video advertising budgets, and other streaming/rich media opportunities.
  • Realize that poor site design, layout, navigation and ‘advertiser friendliness’ can affect your online success.
  • Teach your offline staff the basics of online programming and advertising. They will be surprised to find out that 95% of their current skills apply to the Internet.
  • Thinking of a broadcast or newspaper website as just a brand extension is short sighted. In the very near future, these sites will be a primary way the next generation will engage in what local media companies have to offer.
  • Simply putting TV/Radio/Newspaper content online is not enough. There must be web-only content as well; deep, hyper-local and always up to date.
  • The Internet has its own set of rules. What works offline, won’t necessarily work online. Learn the basics of Web 2.0. Hire those who get it. Dismiss those that fight it.
  • Traditional media buyers are being urged by clients to explore and buy online. Budgets, whether TV, Radio or Print, are being replaced simply by “marketing budgets” that will be sliced, diced and allocated in any which way. More and more of it will go online. Is your staff ready for this?
  • Understand how to leverage, or become part of, a ‘network’ of similar websites. This will allow local media/niche sites to get on the radar of media buyers looking for scale, reach, and contextual relevancy. Centrally served online campaigns, with one point of contact/one invoice, will allow both the buy and the sell side, to enjoy a more effective, efficient, and successful experience.

Categories: Newspapers · Online Video · Philadelphia · Radio · Revenue · Staffing · Television · Traditional media · Training

Working your Radio website like WXPN

July 18, 2007 · 2 Comments

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I spent 15 years in Philly Radio, doing a mixture of on-air, sales and programing stuff. Once I got a whiff of this Internet thingy, I knew the jig was up, and headed to the nearest exit sign. Since my departure from WYSP in 1998, I’ve always had a creepy fascination with Radio’s fumbling of the Internet. To be sure, some Radio companies do better than others ( Emmis, Greater Media ). Although for the most part, most Radio groups take half measures at trying to leverage digital.

And please, don’t get me started on HD Radio.

In order to keep up with how Radio is working the Web, I usually have my morning cup of joe, reading up with some Radio experts, who just so happen to have really good sites/blogs.

One of them is Mark Ramsey, president of Mercury Radio Research. Mark provides perceptual research, format discovery, brand development, and focus groups. He is also the head of hear2.0, an audio entertainment strategy company

In his post today, Mark highlights a rare instance of Radio/Web genius, that is happening right here in Philly at WXPN radio. Jim McGuinn, Bruce Warren, and Roger Lamay truly get it.

Below is a snippet…..

Xpn_logoOne of the toughest parts of integrating social media tools into a radio station website is plugging in those tools which listeners actually want to use on a radio station site as opposed to wherever they’re accustomed to using them now.

Just because YouTube is hot, for example, doesn’t mean YOURtube will be hot. Just because I can share photos on Flickr doesn’t mean I’ll want to share them on my favorite radio station’s website. Economy of effort is part of the media economy, so your site will win my web traffic only because you invite it in a way that is unique to you and compelling to me.

Read more at http://www.hear2.com/

Categories: Philadelphia · Radio · Traditional media

Stop the Insanity. Bad website lay-out

July 17, 2007 · Leave a Comment

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Helllooooo. Anybody home ? Will somebody please inform local media sites, that jumbled, cluttered, poorly laid out sites WILL NOT cut it in the future ? Just because you have a media site, with a well known media brand name attached to it, does NOT mean you will get a pass on this one. Are you trusting your webmaster to deal with this ? Are you following www.IAB.net standards ? Think it doesn’t matter ?

Could Interactive media buyers be snickering behind your back ?

Categories: Online Video · Staffing

Newspapers going after TV dollars

July 17, 2007 · 1 Comment

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“I find it interesting that newspaper will generate more revenue selling video and video ads than the TV industry.   The newspaper industry has the potential to do to TV what was done to newspapers with classifieds.”


I received this email recently from a highly respected newspaper man. He is absolutely right. Newspapers are very well positioned to pull additional online video revenue away from TV. According to Borrell & Associates, many are already doing this.
 Here’s why I think this is happening:

Newspapers have been feeling the pain of disruption for much longer than broadcasters. Thus, they are further along in their understanding of this new digital media eco-system. Ex: Newspapers smartly becoming “local news organizations”, no longer seeing themselves as only “Newspapers”. 

Currently, most Television stations are just re-purposing 3 minute field reports from last night’s 11pm news, up onto their sites. (via shovel-ware) This online video consists of stand-up reporters narrating imagery of fires, drug shootings and other usual TV news fare. This type of content leaves online TV sites vulnerable to a multi-media centric newspaper that “gets it”. In my experience, TV’s online video offerings are not nearly enough to compete effectively online. These online TV clips get very few views, and thus minimal opportunity to monetize. TV programmers are finding that what has worked on air for the past 50 years or so, does not necessarily work and win, online.  

Newspapers on the other hand, have fresh eyes in this space. In regards to multi-media, they are starting with a clean slate. They have no video baggage to contend with. They are not encumbered with “the way TV has always been:” They see the broadband web, inexpensive production tools, and online platforms/applications as a way to re-invigorate their business.  

With the ultimate goal of being the #1 online news/info website in a market, Newspapers are smartly taking their strongest assets (journalism, aggregation and dissemination of news/info, trust of local brand, sales relationships, etc.) and are mashing them together with these new and emerging tools/platforms. This will allow Newspapers to go after those substantial advertising budgets that have traditionally been the domain of local broadcast and cable TV.  

I think you will agree, Newspapers now take all online threats to their core business quite seriously. And when it comes to video, Newspapers are much more proactive in their online approach. But the head start that Newspaper currently enjoys could start to slip. TV stations are seriously ramping up their web efforts, and are pouring more resources into a game of catch up. TV is also taking advantage of the massive promotional power of their TV signals. Compare this to Newspaper’s eroding promotional platform called “print”.

Newspapers will need to double down on their web efforts, and place a high priority on video. Most will agree, online video will likely attract some of the biggest gains in online revenue.

Categories: Newspapers · Online Video · Revenue · Television · Traditional media

My Time with FOX 29 in Philly

July 17, 2007 · Leave a Comment

I really enjoyed working with the folks at FOX 29 in Philly recently. Here’s a behind the scenes look.

Categories: Philadelphia · Television · Traditional media

Blog Philadelphia

July 17, 2007 · 1 Comment

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I recently attended “Blog Philadelphia”, a 2 day “un-conference” in Center City Philly. 200 bloggers, Videographers, online journalists and photogs. Smart minds. Great food. And it was FREE. Annie Heckenberger of Greater Philadelphia Tourism deserves alot of credit for such a successful event.

One awkward point tho….With Blogging becoming a part of everyday media, (leveraging the “personal media revolution”)…. it was surprising that I didn’t see more participation from MSM; mainstream media ( TV, Radio and Print ). Oh that’s right, Blogging is amateur journalism. My bad.   http://www.blogphiladelphia.net/

 Click here to watch some video that I shot at the event.

Categories: Traditional media