Read more here."HD Radio, for all the hoopla and push for it back in 2005-6, is an abysmal failure. It wastes bandwidth, power and has ruined the AM and FM bands for DX’ers. Most of all, it’s not marketable, with any potential listening audience unable to hear these new channels (stations between the stations, as the industry tried to sell it to the public as) due to a lack of interest on the part of manufacturers. Sound familiar? It should. The five years back in the 80s that it took manufacturers of SOME car radios and only a select few Sony Walkman and table radios to finally include Motorolla C-Quam AM Stereo decoders finished it for AM Music stations – it truly sounded better than FM, but there was never an audience to appreciate it, and just about the time the receivers hit the market in any kind of meaningful numbers, most AM music stations bailed on the format for talk.
Watching stations dump their HD channels this month, I conclude that HD radio is a failure and most radio groups know this. Just about the only worth these extra HD channels have is that of feeding a translator with a separate format. Look for an accelerated move by radio to dump HD and the increased energy bill that comes with it this year. AM stations are already rushing to go back to analog only – at least at night. That can only be a good thing, since the AM band was rendered almost unlistenable a couple of years ago when HD was authorized."
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
HD Radio in 2011 – What Happened?
From Steve West, airchexx.com:
America’s Radio News Network Launches Jan 24
America’s Radio News Network, beginning January 24, will launch the first of five co-anchored 3-hour news-only blocks. The first America’s Radio News Network nationally-syndicated long-form news program will air mid-days daily, Noon-3 p.m. EST (9 a.m.-Noon PST), and feature breaking news and in-depth investigative/serialized reporting. America’s Radio News Network will provide non-partisan news programming to affiliates nationwide, which will be “completely compatible” and “complimentary” with all forms of spoken-word radio programming available today.
Says Mark Masters, CEO of America’s Radio News Network, and its representative Talk Radio Network Syndications, Ltd.:
“The best part about syndicated long-form news blocks – either on a stand-alone basis within an opinion talk station lineup or back-to-back in an entire news only format – is that they are beautifully produced, highly informative, fast paced and a 'safe island' for revenue in the midst of a talk lineup or as part of an entire news only lineup for both the local and institutional advertising marketplace. Opinion radio can be, in rare cases, a boycott-laden space of 'super sensitivities' for certain agency buyers. Because our anchors are just reporting the news, breaking news stories or interviewing news makers, the co-hosts won’t be offering opinions, just great energy and focus on the important topics of the day. News radio is a ‘safe buy environment,’ the type of environment which is usually bought by music or top of the hour news buyers, making it the best of both worlds for our affiliated stations’ revenue needs."The culmination of years of preparation, the plan to offer multiple blocks of syndicated news programming was formally announced by Masters during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) meeting in September.
During the 2011 calendar year, America’s Radio News Network will create 15 "live hours" daily of syndicated long-form news-only radio programming, creating options for stations to either use individual three-hour syndicated news blocks to fit their existing stations’ line-up – or use those three-hour blocks back-to-back to launch highly profitable 24/7 all news syndicated radio lineups in each market.
Masters notes:
“The flexibility of being able to ‘cherry pick’ certain three-hour long-form news blocks, or go all news, all the time will be unprecedented and highly profitable for our affiliates. Now our different radio networks' programming fills the void on both ends of the spoken word spectrum, with ‘Best in Breed’ opinion talk through the different TRN networks, and now long-form news only programming specifically designed for radio through America’s Radio News Network.”“Long-form syndicated co-anchored news-blocks’ time has come,” adds Phil Boyce, president of Programming for Talk Radio Network Syndications, Ltd., which provides syndication services to both the TRN companies and America’s Radio News Network.“The Monday through Friday news programming is designed to drive the news cycle, and make America’s Radio News Network the first place to go for breaking news stories on radio,” says Boyce.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Gallagher Debuts On New NYC Home
The Salem Radio Network host talked for an hour with church founder Shirley Phelps-Roper, her daughter and Christian academic Dinesh D’Sousa.
Gallagher provided the controversial group the interview time in exchange for them not picketing the funerals of the victims of the Tucson shootings.
Gallagher's show airs 10a to 12n in place of Glenn Beck. The Premiere Radio Networks talent is now without a broadcast home in the Big Apple and Philadelphia.
'Men of Radio' Winners Named
Live! With Regis & Kelly today announced the five finalists in the “Men of Radio” competition. Each will co-host next week with Kelly Rippa, while Regis is on vacation.
The winners are:
- “Psycho” Mike Catherwood from KROQ,
LA - Eric Ferguson from WTMX
Chicago - Jeff Mauler from CIHT
Ottawa Seattle - Bobby Bones, KHFI
Austin
Producers of the show say some 900,000 votes were cast. Click here for winning videos.
The Man Who Would Be King
Inside Piers’ new talk show
Piers Morgan — a British former newspaper editor best known here as the no-pulled-punches judge of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” — was crowned as King’s successor last September.
Since then, according to Melanie Lefkowitz at nypost.com, he and his executive producer, Jonathan Wald, have proceeded at a breakneck pace, hiring a booking staff even as they booked some of the biggest names around — Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern, Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney all appear this week.
He listed painstaking research and “cheeky impertinence” — not to mention flirting — among his trade secrets.
For the Oprah sit-down that airs tonight, he spent days watching two decades of past interviews with the talk-show diva. This, he said, helped him find her fault lines, inspiring him to ask how many times she’s been “properly in love.” (Two, not counting Steadman.)
“One difference between me and Larry is, Larry has prided himself for years on winging it in interviews,” Morgan said in his office, a sparsely decorated corner nook with sweeping views of Central Park. “It worked brilliantly for him. I’m a very different type of interviewer.”
Read more here.
NPR Interview
Piers Morgan, the man who is taking over for CNN's Larry King, is known to American viewers almost exclusively as a judge on America's Got Talent. But his British career is one of a tabloid editor who mixed with politicians and celebrities before his disgrace and resurrection as a celebrity interviewer on British television.
Since then, according to Melanie Lefkowitz at nypost.com, he and his executive producer, Jonathan Wald, have proceeded at a breakneck pace, hiring a booking staff even as they booked some of the biggest names around — Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern, Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney all appear this week.
He listed painstaking research and “cheeky impertinence” — not to mention flirting — among his trade secrets.
For the Oprah sit-down that airs tonight, he spent days watching two decades of past interviews with the talk-show diva. This, he said, helped him find her fault lines, inspiring him to ask how many times she’s been “properly in love.” (Two, not counting Steadman.)
“One difference between me and Larry is, Larry has prided himself for years on winging it in interviews,” Morgan said in his office, a sparsely decorated corner nook with sweeping views of Central Park. “It worked brilliantly for him. I’m a very different type of interviewer.”
Read more here.
NPR Interview
Piers Morgan, the man who is taking over for CNN's Larry King, is known to American viewers almost exclusively as a judge on America's Got Talent. But his British career is one of a tabloid editor who mixed with politicians and celebrities before his disgrace and resurrection as a celebrity interviewer on British television.
Familiar Voices Back on Seattle's The Mountain
As Mondays go, this will be a memorable one for longtime listeners of The Mountain: The old gang is back together.
Marty Riemer, who was summarily shown the door in September 2009 after 12 years at the alternative-rock station, then launched a successful podcast from the basement of his West Seattle home, is returning to The Mountain on Monday, according to Nicole Brodeur at seattletimes.nwsource.com.
"If you asked me six months ago if this could ever happen, I would say, 'Never,' " Riemer said. But after a "courting process to see if we could put the past behind us," Riemer will return to the 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. slot. John Fisher will return to the morning shift, and midday host Shawn Stewart will stay put.
Riemer's return to radio began a few weeks ago when KMTT Program Director Dave Benson invited him to lunch.
"It was pretty obvious that a lot of smoke had cleared from a year and a half ago," Benson said. "We tried a few new things, and we both came to the same feeling that, while we may have had some problems contractually, we wanted to take another shot at it."
Read more here.
"If you asked me six months ago if this could ever happen, I would say, 'Never,' " Riemer said. But after a "courting process to see if we could put the past behind us," Riemer will return to the 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. slot. John Fisher will return to the morning shift, and midday host Shawn Stewart will stay put.
Riemer's return to radio began a few weeks ago when KMTT Program Director Dave Benson invited him to lunch.
"It was pretty obvious that a lot of smoke had cleared from a year and a half ago," Benson said. "We tried a few new things, and we both came to the same feeling that, while we may have had some problems contractually, we wanted to take another shot at it."
Read more here.
Jim Lehrer On Weekend News:
‘I was itching to get on the air’
When the Tucson massacre broke, PBS’s Jim Lehrer spent two days glued to … CNN, according to Gail Shister at TVNewser.
That’s because the tragedy occurred on a Saturday, and on weekends, the public network has no regular news presence. PBS didn’t get around to covering the story until that Monday evening — on Lehrer’s “NewsHour,” with correspondent Tom Bearden reporting from the field.
Even PBS ombudsman Michael Getler labeled PBS’s absence as “an abdication of duty” that resulted in “sending regular PBS viewers to other networks.” Including regular viewers like Lehrer, one of the most respected journalists on the planet.
“I was itching to get on the air,” he acknowledges. “Despite my advanced age [76], when I see the fire trucks, I want to know where they’re going. It’s a hell of a story. I wish we had had the airtime and resources to cover it.”
The acerbic Lehrer, who’s been at PBS since “aught four,” has lobbied PBS for decades to expand the weekday “NewsHour.” Sisyphus had a better shot.
“It’s something we pushed for many years, but the resources have never been there for it,” says Lehrer. “We’ve had a couple proposals to have a Sunday edition of “NewsHour,” but it’s never come into being. Maybe we haven’t pushed hard enough.”
“NewsHour” has long been a crown jewel in PBS’s news-and-public affairs lineup. It launched with Lehrer and Robert MacNeil in 1975 as the 30-minute ”MacNeil/Lehrer Report.” Eight years later, it became the country’s first hour-long nightly national newscast. MacNeil left the show in 1995.
Even if “NewsHour” had done special reports on the Tucson situation that Saturday and Sunday, there would have been another problem, according to Lehrer. Nobody would have watched. With no “NewsHour” on weekends, he says, “viewers would have no expectation we’re going to be there. The only people who would see us would be channel surfers.”
Read more here.
When the Tucson massacre broke, PBS’s Jim Lehrer spent two days glued to … CNN, according to Gail Shister at TVNewser.
Even PBS ombudsman Michael Getler labeled PBS’s absence as “an abdication of duty” that resulted in “sending regular PBS viewers to other networks.” Including regular viewers like Lehrer, one of the most respected journalists on the planet.
“I was itching to get on the air,” he acknowledges. “Despite my advanced age [76], when I see the fire trucks, I want to know where they’re going. It’s a hell of a story. I wish we had had the airtime and resources to cover it.”
The acerbic Lehrer, who’s been at PBS since “aught four,” has lobbied PBS for decades to expand the weekday “NewsHour.” Sisyphus had a better shot.
“It’s something we pushed for many years, but the resources have never been there for it,” says Lehrer. “We’ve had a couple proposals to have a Sunday edition of “NewsHour,” but it’s never come into being. Maybe we haven’t pushed hard enough.”
“NewsHour” has long been a crown jewel in PBS’s news-and-public affairs lineup. It launched with Lehrer and Robert MacNeil in 1975 as the 30-minute ”MacNeil/Lehrer Report.” Eight years later, it became the country’s first hour-long nightly national newscast. MacNeil left the show in 1995.
Even if “NewsHour” had done special reports on the Tucson situation that Saturday and Sunday, there would have been another problem, according to Lehrer. Nobody would have watched. With no “NewsHour” on weekends, he says, “viewers would have no expectation we’re going to be there. The only people who would see us would be channel surfers.”
Read more here.
Sirius Looks To Expand, Alaska Broadcasters Object
The posting reports Brandon Mathews at www.satwaves has written that the commercial radio lobby has long opposed expansion of the service to the 49th and 50th states and tied up the matter for years in the FCC.
Sirius XM, which has 20 million subscribers, offers commercial-free music, sports, talk, news and other programs on 135 channels accessible through various mobile devices with a basic monthly fee of about $13.
The FCC dismissed objections to the terrestrial repeaters raised by the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Sirius has proposed that 1,800-watt repeaters be used to extend coverage to Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Honolulu.
The website says that in addition to the land-based repeaters, Sirius has asked to reposition satellites that could provide coverage for the two states.
Sirius has been seeking approval for the expansion for four years.
Read more here.
Brotha Fred Is Chip Off The Old Block
Chicago morning star estranged from radio legend father
Four decades after the legendary Charlie Van Dyke hosted mornings in Chicago on former Top 40 giant WLS-AM (890), Christopher “Brotha’ Fred” Frederick debuts today as morning host on WKSC-FM (103.5), the current Top 40 powerhouse known as Kiss FM.
What’s the connection? They’re father and son, according to Robert Feder's blog at chicago.timeout.com.
Although their relationship has never been made public until now — and the two have not spoken to each other in 14 years — Van Dyke, 63, confirmed that the 30-year-old Frederick is his son from a previous marriage. And he couldn’t be more proud.
“Whatever disappointment and sadness I have felt over not having any contact is not as big as my excitement for what he’s about to do,” Van Dyke said from his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz., on the eve of his son’s debut here. “I just can’t tell you how thrilled I am for him. I know what it’s like to stand at the corner of Michigan and Wacker at 4am, and for him, Monday morning is ‘the bigs.’ I’ll be listening online. I think he’s going to do an excellent job.”
“Brotha’ Fred’s A.M. Mayhem” replaces Kevin “DreX” Buchar, who was dropped last month after seven years at the Clear Channel Radio station (see separate story here) . Appearing with Frederick will be Kiss FM holdover Angi Taylor and comedian David Livingston. “Chicago morning radio is a dream of my entire life,” Frederick said shortly after his appointment was announced, adding that he felt he was “born to do this.”
Efforts to reach Frederick for this story were not successful. A Clear Channel spokeswoman told Feder he would not be doing any media interviews in advance of his debut.
Since 2006, Frederick’s star has risen in Charlotte, N.C., where he doubled as morning host on Clear Channel’s WIBT-FM and evening co-host of “Fox News Edge” on WCCB-TV. He also voice-tracked shows to nine other Clear Channel markets and to XM Radio. Before that he hosted afternoons at Clear Channel’s KHFI-FM in Austin, Texas. In all that time, he never traded on his famous father’s name. “I’d have been willing to give him any help I possibly could, but he certainly did this on his own,” Van Dyke said. “I think it’s all to his credit. It’s all about his determination and his ability, his willingness to take direction. I think it says volumes about him.”
Read more here.
What’s the connection? They’re father and son, according to Robert Feder's blog at chicago.timeout.com.
Although their relationship has never been made public until now — and the two have not spoken to each other in 14 years — Van Dyke, 63, confirmed that the 30-year-old Frederick is his son from a previous marriage. And he couldn’t be more proud.
“Whatever disappointment and sadness I have felt over not having any contact is not as big as my excitement for what he’s about to do,” Van Dyke said from his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz., on the eve of his son’s debut here. “I just can’t tell you how thrilled I am for him. I know what it’s like to stand at the corner of Michigan and Wacker at 4am, and for him, Monday morning is ‘the bigs.’ I’ll be listening online. I think he’s going to do an excellent job.”
“Brotha’ Fred’s A.M. Mayhem” replaces Kevin “DreX” Buchar, who was dropped last month after seven years at the Clear Channel Radio station (see separate story here) . Appearing with Frederick will be Kiss FM holdover Angi Taylor and comedian David Livingston. “Chicago morning radio is a dream of my entire life,” Frederick said shortly after his appointment was announced, adding that he felt he was “born to do this.”
Since 2006, Frederick’s star has risen in Charlotte, N.C., where he doubled as morning host on Clear Channel’s WIBT-FM and evening co-host of “Fox News Edge” on WCCB-TV. He also voice-tracked shows to nine other Clear Channel markets and to XM Radio. Before that he hosted afternoons at Clear Channel’s KHFI-FM in Austin, Texas. In all that time, he never traded on his famous father’s name. “I’d have been willing to give him any help I possibly could, but he certainly did this on his own,” Van Dyke said. “I think it’s all to his credit. It’s all about his determination and his ability, his willingness to take direction. I think it says volumes about him.”
Read more here.
How Caroline Got Disney To Scrap Kennedy Series
Was there any conflict if the His tory channel, one of A&E's affiliates, scheduled its new, eight-hour mini series "The Kennedys" to air in March?
The answer came back: Not March -- not ever.
Why?
Caroline Kennedy had leveled an ultimatum to the companies -- dump the reportedly warts- and-all miniseries or lose her cooperation in the planned fall release of never-before-heard conversations with her mother.
Unless "The Kennedys" was killed, she'd cancel the release of the audiotapes on ABC and refuse to publicize the book of transcripts of the tapes to be released by Hyperion. ABC, A&E and Hyperion are all owned by Disney.
Caroline won.
On the 50th anniversary year of JFK's inauguration, the Kennedy family did not want a barrage of TV promos advertising a series that portrayed the family as "an episode of 'Dallas,' " said a source close to the family.
In December, Kennedy's literary agent, Esther Newberg, a former Bobby Kennedy staffer, called Hyperion and announced that Caroline "is going to pull back" on the book and studio release later this year "if she doesn't get what she wants," said a network source.
She did not want the "Kennedys" series shown -- and ABC was pulling the plug.
"It was that simple," said the source.
The news blindsided the brass at A&E and History.
Two Hollywood stars -- Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes -- had been hired to play Jack and Jackie. And the cable network reportedly spent more than $25 million making the series and had committed another $3 million to $4 million to promote it -- the most it had ever spent on a special.
An anxious Raven scrambled to try to save the project, working "back channels" to arrange a meeting with Caroline Kennedy to straighten things out.
A&E offered to send her the DVDs so she could judge it herself, according to sources.
But Kennedy declined, the sources said.
Read more here.
Boortz Radio Show Producer Dies
Mr. Marshall would occasionally rein in the sometimes caustic Mr. Boortz with the breezy observation, “Man, you ain’t right.” He freely offered informed opinions on the topic of the day even if they differed from the host’s.
“He had my back all the time,” said Mr. Boortz, whose radio show is broadcast weekdays on AM750 and now 95.5 FM WSB. “Though ... there are many times he should have been kicking me in the butt. The show goes on but, at this point, I don’t know how.”
Marshall, 43, died early Saturday, but the cause of death was unknown at press time. He told his wife he wasn’t feeling well and walked into a bathroom in their home and collapsed, Mr. Boortz said. He was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital but could not be revived.
“I’ve lost my other half,” said Belinda Skelton, executive producer for the Neal Boortz show. “It’s so surreal.”
Mr. Marshall worked with Mr. Boortz for 17 years. He and Ms. Skelton were interviewed for a board operator job at WSB radio at the same time and were both hired for the one position because the station couldn’t choose between them, Ms. Skelton said.
They later joined the Boortz show.
Read more here.
NECN Gets Major Makeover
Launching morning lifestyle show with new talent
New England Cable News is undergoing a mega overhaul as the regional cable TV news outlet debuts fresh faces, shakes up its on-air lineup and rolls out a new “Today”-style morning show with a flashier, hip look.
According to Jessica Heslam at Boston herald.com, NECN plans to launch “The Morning Show on NECN” at 7 a.m. Monday. The two-hour lifestyle and news weekday program has been in the works for six months.
The station has tapped former “Good Morning America” correspondent Taryn Winter Brill and ex-Rhode Island news anchor Steve Aveson - who has been working as a freelancer for NECN - as the show’s hosts. NECN meteorologist Danielle Niles is also part of the crew.
“Our traditional morning news show has been an anchor at the news desk going over the morning news,” said Bill Bridgen, general manager of the Comcast-owned NECN. “This is much more conversational, much more informal, but it’s still going to include the news and the issues of the day.”
The morning show boasts new graphics, music and a contemporary “living room” set that includes a white leather sectional and throw pillows. NECN has also updated its anchor desk and revamped its studio, outfitting it with a new lighting system and cameras, and viewers will see the on-air changes throughout the day.
Another newcomer, Bridget Blythe, will co-anchor the morning news from 4:30 to 7 a.m. and 9 to 10 a.m. Blythe last worked at Buffalo’s WKBW-TV.
The changes come as several on-air veterans exit and get bumped to lower-profile gigs. One newsroom source said NECN has “essentially lost” all of its institutional knowledge and most of the New England background. “NECN as we knew it is gone,” the source said.
Read more here.
New England Cable News is undergoing a mega overhaul as the regional cable TV news outlet debuts fresh faces, shakes up its on-air lineup and rolls out a new “Today”-style morning show with a flashier, hip look.
The station has tapped former “Good Morning America” correspondent Taryn Winter Brill and ex-Rhode Island news anchor Steve Aveson - who has been working as a freelancer for NECN - as the show’s hosts. NECN meteorologist Danielle Niles is also part of the crew.
“Our traditional morning news show has been an anchor at the news desk going over the morning news,” said Bill Bridgen, general manager of the Comcast-owned NECN. “This is much more conversational, much more informal, but it’s still going to include the news and the issues of the day.”
The morning show boasts new graphics, music and a contemporary “living room” set that includes a white leather sectional and throw pillows. NECN has also updated its anchor desk and revamped its studio, outfitting it with a new lighting system and cameras, and viewers will see the on-air changes throughout the day.
The changes come as several on-air veterans exit and get bumped to lower-profile gigs. One newsroom source said NECN has “essentially lost” all of its institutional knowledge and most of the New England background. “NECN as we knew it is gone,” the source said.
Read more here.
Opinion: No More Totenberg At The Trough
From Karen Lee Torre, Connecticut Law Tribune
Karen Lee Torre, a New Haven trial lawyer, litigates civil rights issues in the federal courts. Her e-mail address is thimbleislands@sbcglobal.net.It is high time for Congress to cut off tax dollars to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and not because either is a propaganda arm of the left, or because NPR fired and smeared commentator Juan Williams – coincidentally with its acceptance of a million dollars from George Soros. Taxpayers should not be funding news organizations, period, no matter what their ideological leanings.
As a political and economic reality, however, the need for taxpayer subsidizing of news and commentary is confined to the American left, whose propensity to mooch is its condicio sine qua non. And in center-right America, that ideology needs artificial limbs to move about in the marketplace of ideas.
Liberal programming and public policy perspectives thus face a competitive disadvantage in the free market. But much as the government should stay out of religion, it should not fund the broadcasts of partisan ideologues. First of all, that is not the proper business of government, at least not in the United States. (There is a reason why the term “agitprop” originated in Bolshevik Russia). Second, it contravenes free market principles, among them a law of economic nature: you should and will survive only if people buy your product.
Read more here.
Now to Nina Totenberg, who covers the Supreme Court for NPR, and who somehow managed to gain status as a nationally prominent legal affairs correspondent and analyst, even though she has neither a law degree nor even a journalism degree. (Totenberg dropped out of journalism school because she did not “perform brilliantly”– her words, not mine, but I do not contest them.) Her vitae does include getting fired by a newspaper for plagiarism, and surviving controversies over hateful remarks directed at some conservatives. Her reporting is considered by many in conservative legal circles to bleed liberal bias.
Of course, having a liberal bent may well explain how one who did not go to law school gets to analyze Supreme Court opinions for public consumption.
When reporters clamored for me (during the New Haven firefighters’ case at the U.S. Supreme Court), I agreed to interview with Totenberg on NPR despite having been strongly advised against it. I knew who and what she was. But I wanted a go at her. I did it to amuse myself. Sure enough, the interview felt more like a deposition (by a pro se opponent – Totenberg’s lack of a law degree showed).
An oft-used tactic of left-wing lawyers (and their allies on the bench) is to argue (or decide) points of law based on contrived or distorted facts. As I expected, Totenberg challenged me based on factual premises that were simply untrue. At every step, I reminded Totenberg that she didn’t have her facts right and suggested she didn’t know what she was talking about.
Wanna guess how much of that tape Nina Totenberg shared with the public?
I find it offensive that the government subsidizes the like of Nina Totenberg. She is free to be a mouthpiece for the legal left, but why should taxpayers fund her? It’s time to cut NPR off from the public trough.
The Newsonomics of 2011 News Metrics To Watch
From Ken Doctor:
In the digital business, the old aphorism — “If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist” — is rapidly moving from article of faith to fundamental operating principle. Measurement systems are just getting better and better.
Yes, there are still quite a few naysayers in the digital news business, those who believe that editorial discretion is superior to any metric the digital combines can kick out. They’ll say you can’t measure the quality of journalism created — and, of course, they are partly right. The truth of the moment is that good (to great) editors, armed with good (to great) analytics, will be in the winners in the next web wars. The same is true for digital marketers working for news companies. Unless they combine their knowledge of markets, customers, and advertisers with often real-time numbers about performance, they’ll lose business to those who do.
The counting of numbers, though, is tricky. So many numbers, so little time, as 24/7 digital keystrokes stoke endless reams of data. Which ones to count, and which to pay closest attention? Meaningful numbers, of course, are called metrics, and meaningful interpretation of those numbers we now call analytics. These analytics, discovered or undiscovered, then drive the business, and they are particularly important in great times of change, when whole industries move profoundly digital. As that old investigative reporter Sherlock Holmes said, “Data. Data. Data. I can’t make bricks without clay.”
In the spirit of the new year, Ken Doctor suggests some of the more valuable emerging metrics for those in the news business in 2011. Further, in that spirit, let’s pick 11 of them. These aren’t intended to be the most important ones — the mundane price of newsprint, trending up recently, still is a hugely influential number — but ones that are moving center stage in 2011.
Read more here.
Yes, there are still quite a few naysayers in the digital news business, those who believe that editorial discretion is superior to any metric the digital combines can kick out. They’ll say you can’t measure the quality of journalism created — and, of course, they are partly right. The truth of the moment is that good (to great) editors, armed with good (to great) analytics, will be in the winners in the next web wars. The same is true for digital marketers working for news companies. Unless they combine their knowledge of markets, customers, and advertisers with often real-time numbers about performance, they’ll lose business to those who do.
The counting of numbers, though, is tricky. So many numbers, so little time, as 24/7 digital keystrokes stoke endless reams of data. Which ones to count, and which to pay closest attention? Meaningful numbers, of course, are called metrics, and meaningful interpretation of those numbers we now call analytics. These analytics, discovered or undiscovered, then drive the business, and they are particularly important in great times of change, when whole industries move profoundly digital. As that old investigative reporter Sherlock Holmes said, “Data. Data. Data. I can’t make bricks without clay.”
In the spirit of the new year, Ken Doctor suggests some of the more valuable emerging metrics for those in the news business in 2011. Further, in that spirit, let’s pick 11 of them. These aren’t intended to be the most important ones — the mundane price of newsprint, trending up recently, still is a hugely influential number — but ones that are moving center stage in 2011.
Read more here.
MLB Productions and Showtime Join Forces
Production currently under way on new series
Showtime Networks, Major League Baseball Productions and the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants are teaming up for a new series chronicling the competitive and complex world of professional baseball. The new series will give viewers a front row seat into the lives of the players, coaches and team personnel as they begin the arduous task of defending their World Series title through the 2011 MLB season.
A collaboration between Showtime and MLB Productions, the soon-to-be-titled series is currently in production and will be shot over the course of ten months in numerous locations at home during the off-season, on to Scottsdale, Arizona for Spring Training and embedded with the team during the regular season.
The series is set to premiere with a preview episode timed to the opening week of the 2011 season, followed by regularly scheduled episodes during the second half of the season.
"This new series is one I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember," said David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks. "Having produced Friday Night Lights, I've received numerous pitches over the years for scripted shows about the world of professional sports, but nothing can capture the drama and intensity of the real thing. We are both honored and excited to have the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants grant this extraordinary access. The diversity, passion, and larger-than-life personalities of the players, their manager Bruce Bochy, and front office, led by Managing General Partner and CEO Bill Neukom, General Manager Brian Sabean and President Larry Baer, came together to achieve the club's historic World Series win. I'm confident that this group of personalities will make for a provocative and groundbreaking television series that will appeal beyond the hardcore baseball fan to all viewers who appreciate great drama."
"We're constantly seeking new programming platforms to bring our fans closer to the game, and this new series will do exactly that in a very exciting fashion, thanks in large part to the tremendous group of personalities that make up the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants" said Chris Tully, Major League Baseball Senior Vice President, Broadcasting. "We're excited to work with Showtime on this project and are grateful to the Giants organization and its players for embracing the goal of giving fans a look inside their world."
Showtime Networks, Major League Baseball Productions and the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants are teaming up for a new series chronicling the competitive and complex world of professional baseball. The new series will give viewers a front row seat into the lives of the players, coaches and team personnel as they begin the arduous task of defending their World Series title through the 2011 MLB season.
A collaboration between Showtime and MLB Productions, the soon-to-be-titled series is currently in production and will be shot over the course of ten months in numerous locations at home during the off-season, on to Scottsdale, Arizona for Spring Training and embedded with the team during the regular season.
The series is set to premiere with a preview episode timed to the opening week of the 2011 season, followed by regularly scheduled episodes during the second half of the season.
"This new series is one I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember," said David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks. "Having produced Friday Night Lights, I've received numerous pitches over the years for scripted shows about the world of professional sports, but nothing can capture the drama and intensity of the real thing. We are both honored and excited to have the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants grant this extraordinary access. The diversity, passion, and larger-than-life personalities of the players, their manager Bruce Bochy, and front office, led by Managing General Partner and CEO Bill Neukom, General Manager Brian Sabean and President Larry Baer, came together to achieve the club's historic World Series win. I'm confident that this group of personalities will make for a provocative and groundbreaking television series that will appeal beyond the hardcore baseball fan to all viewers who appreciate great drama."
"We're constantly seeking new programming platforms to bring our fans closer to the game, and this new series will do exactly that in a very exciting fashion, thanks in large part to the tremendous group of personalities that make up the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants" said Chris Tully, Major League Baseball Senior Vice President, Broadcasting. "We're excited to work with Showtime on this project and are grateful to the Giants organization and its players for embracing the goal of giving fans a look inside their world."
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Talker Pulls No Punches In Wake of Shootings
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| Patriot-News photo |
“God, I hate the liberal media,” Durgin said Monday during his highly rated afternoon show on 580 AM WHP. “It’s like, if you don’t follow Obama and believe in Obama’s policies, then you are a potential terrorist.”
In talking about The New York Times, often seen as queen of the left by conservatives, Durgin added, “Somebody ought to burn that paper down. Just go to New York and blow that sucker right out of the water.”
Durgin now concedes that last remark may have been a bridge too far in an overheated environment.
“I don’t regret saying it, but I know I probably shouldn’t have,” he said this week during a telephone interview. “That’s just me. When I go on the air I announce my true feelings. What they hear is who I am.”
In truth, Durgin’s tirade may have just been a little ahead of the political curve in the wake of the Tucson attack, which left six people dead and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life.
America’s rancorous political dialogue already shows signs of returning to the status quo, a non-stop barrage of accusation and counter-accusation carried out on television, radio and online.
“Everything travels with the speed of light now,” said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College. “We are constantly bombarded.”
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