Group items tagged

"The future of print media is digital. Just as new printing techniques revolutionised the industry and gave birth to full page color images in print media, digital content will change the way we read and consume print media in the future. The ideals and stories will (hopefully) still be there at the heart of digital media but consumers will be given the opportunity to delve deep into the articles. Digital media will put elements that enrich the reading experience - like rich colour photos that can be enlarged, video, sound, animations and 3D images -at the fingertips of every reader"

The Knight Foundations responds to shifting media industry economics by donating $2 million dollars to fund freedom on information act requests. While these requests are traditionally paid for by newspapers and news organizations, economic challenges facing the industry are undercutting traditional funding models.

"To understand how marketers are using social media, we commissioned the Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses. We set out to uncover the "who, what, where, when and why" of social media marketing with this report. Nearly 900 of your peers provided the kind of insight that previously has not existed."

"Media-ownership rules should be loosened to allow more consolidation and attract capital to the industry, representatives of the investment community said Tuesday at a Federal Communications Commission workshop on how the agency might change ownership rules later this year."

At an FCC workshop, industry representatives argue for relaxed media-ownership rules to allow more consolidation and to attract capital to the industry. FCC officials are looking at what the agency can do to improve the health of the newspapers, TV and radio stations, which continue to lose customers and advertising revenue to online competitors.

In his feisty opening statement, Franken said: "I worked for NBC for many years. And what I know from my previous career has given me reason to be concerned--let me rephrase that, very concerned--about the potential merger of Comcast and NBC Universal. The media are our source of entertainment, but they're also the way we get our information about the world. So when the same company that produces the programs runs the pipes that bring us those programs, we have a reason to be nervous.... You'll have to excuse me if I don't just trust their promises and that is from experience in this business." The former SNL star and entertainment industry insider-turned-Senator is dead on with his concerns. As Free Press--the media reform advocacy organization founded by The Nation's John Nichols, media scholar Robert McChesney, and current executive director Josh Silver-- points out, the merger would result in Comcast controlling one in every five television viewing hours. It would lead to fewer choices of what you can watch and how you can watch it. Those cable bills that continue to rise would rise even higher, and if you don't use Comcast you might have to pay a premium to get NBC's shows. There will be even less access to local and independent programming as Comcast would promote NBC's shows at their expense. And, finally, there's the even larger issue of concentrating power and limiting access to free public interest media.

Explores the economic angle of google's potential withdraw from China, and offers a competing argument that the firm's threats to leave may in fact be a face saving measure driven by the bottom line.

""Over the past several decades, our industry has consolidated from literally dozens of independent entrepreneurs and suppliers, including many writer-owners making innovative and groundbreaking programming to a handful of large media conglomerates most often controlling content from start to finish," Wells said. The result, he said, is that decisions on which shows go on television are based more often on money than quality. "

"It may be a bitter pill for public critics to swallow, but media outlets have to operate in the black to continue operating. Antiquated media ownership rules are going to have to be revised to reflect reality."

The XBox moves into cable TV turf. What does it mean for the industry?

Broadcasting and Cable conducts a sit down interview with Steven Waldman, senior advisor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, to discuss the Governments role in balancing old and new media. Subsidies and media industry economics are also discussed.

Discussion of whether Google will leave China with comments from Chinese bloggers and media analysts.

"A coalition of public interest organizations - including the Center for Media Justice, Center for Rural Strategies, Free Press, Media Access Project, Media Alliance and many more - have sent a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski asking that the Commission make increased diversity in the media and broadband communications landscape a top priority."

A look at media ownership in Kenya and current struggles with media regulation.

Great stats on media industries (TV, phones, internet, video games)

Discussion of the increasing amounts the average American household spends on cable, internet and gaming connections annually. Of special note is the lucrative nature of the subscription model for the media industry.

"In a lengthy article in New York magazine that hit the Web late on Sunday, writer Gabriel Sherman quotes a source high up in the media industry echelon who says Murdoch is "pretty tightly wound up over Google and has been ready to sue them...He doesn't trust them at all." The lawsuit, presumably, would come if Google refused to stop indexing News Corp. search results without paying a fee for them."

The FCC is holding a Mrch 4 workshop to examine the future to media industries.

Decreasing government subsidies to media organization is threatening the publishing industry. These subsidies include things like postal rate discounts and tax breaks.

"Topics under consideration for the report include the state of TV, radio, newspaper and Internet news and information services; the effectiveness and nature of public interest obligations in a digital era; and the role of public media and private sector foundations, among others. As part of the broad initiative, the FCC launched a Web site for public discussion."

Gaming industry executives gather for an online round panel exploring several industry developments that are leading to increasing growth in the video game sector. Increased broadband access, open platforms, new platforms and other structural developments are cited.