AR&D Reinventing Local Media

It’s holiday season, and it’s time to think about giving. I’m going to suggest a list of five gifts you give your staff. Before you end reading right there, please be assured I’m not going to come up with anything that costs you money. The presents all represent the Gift of Change. As we go into 2010, change is the best present you can give your staff.

1. The Gift of Experimentation: Too often we hear about stations where “it” can’t be done because of various policies. “It” can be lots of things – trying new collaborative sites online, experimenting with new tools of the trade or using their own tech to contribute. Have a contest for the best experimental idea, and give a day off to the winner.

2. The Gift of a Scissors for Red Tape: I worked with a client whose policy was simple – “If someone in the company says it can’t be done, you come directly to me.” Inevitably, he got it done. Be that person or identify that person. You will hear lots of reasons why something new can’t be done. Chances are it can — especially if some other company is doing it already.

3. The Gift of Social Leadership: Nothing says “let’s be using social media” like doing it yourself. We hear a lot of talk about stations’ needs for rules around social media, but the best way to establish the rules is to set the tone yourself. Bonus: you’ll really like doing this and you’ll connect with your audience. (Double Bonus: You’ll find an old friend you actually want to hear from.)

4. The Gift of Fewer and Shorter Meetings: In our book “Live. Local. BROKEN News,” we found that, by far, the most time wasted in newsrooms was in meetings. There are a number of books on how to hold efficient meetings. Pick one up at the library and set some ground rules. Shave just ten minutes off a meeting and you’re saving real money.

5. The Gift of Training: Terry and I have been pounding on this like it was a Christmas walnut. You have got to train your people more. This doesn’t have to cost much. Bring in a local journalism professor to talk about writing. Hell – you’re smart enough – put together a few sessions yourself and put on that old, dusty journalist hat of yours. Get someone from the Web to hold a seminar on what they are up to and how their colleagues can help. Find the people who can truly educate and inform. That, after all, is what we do for a living.

Google Wave is now in beta, and it will be well worth keeping a close eye on whether it can live up to its game-changing claims. It is an instant collaboration tool that enables real-time sharing of multimedia. It brings together the best of IMs, emails, social sharing and other tools into one unique environment.

So what, exactly is a “Wave?” Google’s site explains:

Google announced Wave back in May. It supports real-time sharing of text, video, pictures, embeds, social networks, maps and even games. Think of it as hyper-instant messaging for everything. But it’s more complex – you can invite collaborators into your conversation and documents at any time. If I’m late to your Wave, I can “play it back,” and see the discussion that happened before I joined.

I strongly recommend watching this ten-minute video about Google Wave from the original announcement. (The full Wave presentation is over an hour. If you have the time, check it out.) Here is a glimpse of what Google Wave looks like:

(I realize the picture doesn’t do much justice to the project.)

Online collaboration is nothing new. What Google Wave does is make the concept free and portable, and it brings all the elements together in one place. It is open – Google is giving away the Wave API so anyone can go in and build extensions or new uses. This is something Terry and I absolutely believe is critical to success. Google Wave works on mobile as well – part of Google’s steady march to mobile devices. The program aims to make email passe as well. Google calls email the “snail mail” of the Internet.

Google Wave has a heck of a pedigree. It was developed by Jens and Lars Rasmussen, who built Google Maps. Right now, Wave  is in beta, and is available by invitation only. Put out the word via your social networks that you want an invite, and start playing immediately.

Imagine starting a wave in your office about a news topic. People could constantly add to it, put in the latest pictures, video and information. The assignment desk could contribute its findings and the reporters and producers would have instant access, as well as the ability to add more. We don’t yet know how newsrooms can fully take advantage of this tool (and isn’t that wonderful?) but we do believe it will be a powerful way to have the entire staff work together.

Just because the feeds are automated doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be checking the content. There was an embarrassing incident for the AP and Forbes.com today, as the AP mistakenly published what appears to be its morning notes where it meant to run the Roman Polanski story. Now, mistakes are a part of our business. But what gets my goat is that Forbes has pulled the story, rather than running a retraction or explanation of what happened. Something else to learn – if it were following the Twittersphere, Forbes would have heard about its mistake hours earlier.

Pulling a story without an explainer is a New Media Sin, IMHO. It also invites people to republish rather than make a quick comment and move on. So, if you missed it – here’s the story.

Associated Press

Swiss arrest Polanski on US request in sex case

Associated Press, 09.27.09, 10:41 AM EDT

OK, can you do some more probing? New York will want to know

frank’s out today.

i checked already, and so did zurich. they say the question is irrelevant. he answered me with the quote i used, about we knew when he was coming this time. he’s been here many times in the past, we think.

thx brad. aptn is aware, but unfortunately won’t make it in time, but is hoping to catch tail end.

i’m pushing out another writethru with some more background details before press conference.

no surprise, new york is really hot on this.

they particularly want to know why now. (has he never set foot in switzerland before?) sheila, theorizes that’s because they’re under intense pressure over ubs and want to throw the U.S. a bone, but can yo ucheck with justice department sources there?

is frank around too, or are you alone?

u can tell aptn press conf 1700 (15 gmt) in bern at the parliament

i’ll watch it live on internet

The Harvard Book Store is having a contest to promote its new “Book ATM.”The Espresso Book Machine, made by On Demand Books, can print a 300-page, library-quality paperback will full-color cover in about four minutes. (Watch how it works.)

The machine is about the size of an large industrial copier. (I suspect later versions will get smaller.) On Demand Books signed an agreement this month with Google to have access to print more than two-million public-domain titles from Google Books. On top of that, the company already has the rights to print 1.4 million titles. That’s a great start. It’s not exactly an Amazon-killer, but I predict you’ll see these in every book store – and in non-traditional locations — think Starbucks, or even a 7-11. It will be a boon to local libraries that can afford it.

This has the potential to create a massive disruption in the book publishing industry. I expect there will be backlash from the traditional print houses. With the right deals, Google Books can become the publisher, and it has nearly limitless room for content. There’s no reason why you couldn’t write a book, upload it to Google Books and have it instantly available for sale everywhere that has one of these machines.

Back to that contest – Harvard wants a unique name for its book machine. Enter if you come up with a good name. My suggestion: “The Guten-Nuff.”

How is it possible in 2009 that a big, prime time extravaganza can leave it soley to the audience to take all its clips? The Emmys put on a solid show this year, but try to find any of the great moments on the Emmy site and you will be disappointed. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) has lost its chance to benefit from what will surely be many viral videos to come out of the 2009 Emmy show.

Thank God for the viewers. They’re the ones who posted the good stuff on YouTube.

There are some strange ironies here. Prior to the show, it seemed it would be the “webbiest” ever. The E! preshow had celebrity Tweets. The people behind the Emmy site used a Flip camera for some Red Carpet interviews. The promos for the Emmys featured host Neil Patrick Harris (who did an excellent job) with a kid who livetweeted everything he said. Indeed, the Academy did a good job livetweeting attwitter.com/primetimeemmys.

So where is the actual show video? And how is an online user supposed to navigate this?

For starters, there is confusion between the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the plain ol’ ATAS. ATAS was the original, but the two split in 1977. The National Academy is responsible for the Daytime, Sports, News, Public Service and Technology Emmys. Its site is at emmyonline.org. ATAS does the awards most people think of as “The Emmys,” the big TV awards show.

There is also an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Best to leave that one alone.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (no National) runs the big show, and its site is at emmys.com.

It turns out Emmy.com is a two-page family site with a picture of a girl and her dog, from Emmerdale Farms. Surely ATAS could offer a little money to pick up the URL and make things a little more convenient for us (and help the farm while they’re at it)? Even sillier - Emmy.tv is a placeholder page for a John Murray, whom I contacted via email. He tells me he has been a NATAS member for 10 years and intends to use the site to showcase his work.

So, once you’ve navigated your way through the Emmy sites and found the one for TV, you’d think you’d get a pretty goodwrapup. Sadly, you get squat. There is one video from the show - Neil Patrick Harris’sexcellent song-and-dance opening number. Want anything more? Go rogue.

One of the great successes of internet content has been Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. The inexplicably funny short film (originally released in three parts) won an Emmy this year. It so happens Neil Patrick Harris (our host, remember) starred as Dr. Horrible. People have been begging for a sequel. Who shows up in the middle of the Emmys? Harris, in a Dr. Horrible short along with his co-stars. The original Dr. Horrible, when it was released online crashed servers. Demand for this clip should be through the roof. CBS, however, won’t profit a bit.

We need to learn from this. It’s a simple lesson: give the audience what it wants, or it will go elsewhere. All the use of the cool tools in the world won’t mean anything if we don’t deliver on the big goods.

Terry will often write about the importance of being a platform rather than a site. This is brought home once again by the rollout of “The Beatles: Rock Band,” the video game that is part of the Rock Band platform. For the uninitiated, Rock Band and Guitar Hero present a videogame interface that lets you play along with songs. The controllers are shaped like guitars and drums, and you “play” notes by striking the right color bars as they scroll down the screen. It doesn’t teach much about playing guitar, but it’s a ton of fun.

While the record industry cries foul over music downloading and the like, what we’re seeing is a resurgence of music as it’s presented in new and interactive ways. What’s more fun than pretending to be a Beatle? The band was smart to reissue all its albums, now remastered (and sounding great) on the same day the Rock Band game came out.

This isn’t a game review. What’s interesting is how Rock Band is becoming a platform. The game is $60. If you own the original Rock Band and Guitar Hero games, plus their sequels, you’ve spent more than $600. That’s not including ancillary products. Be a real nut for these games, and you’ll be shelling out $1,000 before you know it.

You can download new songs for each of the games. And here’s the really big part – Rock Band is becoming a platform for new artists. The Rock Band Network (RBN) is coming soon. It will allow you to “Rock Band-enable” your band’s song, upload it, and share in the money as people download and play along. Oh – by the way – MTV (owners of Rock Band) charges bands $99 for a “premium account.” Smart.

So why should you care? Local news isn’t going to rock out any time soon. This concept is important to note, because it once again shows us that technology doesn’t kill content; it enables it in new ways. Apple is making money by legitimizing downloadable music on iTunes; now MTV is in the same business, going a step further by selling downloadableinteractive content. Rock Band doesn’t spell the end of music. It’s another way to appeal to audiences and get them to buy content. We have to change our approach to our content, just as they do.

Check out USOpen.org for another fascinating experiment in online multicasting. The site is streaming all its tennis matches live, and it even allows picture-in-picture so you can monitor a second match. There’s chat along with the games, too, making this a social experience.

The picture quality is excellent – you’d be fine if you hooked this up to a large monitor or even your TV. It’s wide-screen and HD. Is it as good as broadcast? No. But for tennis addicts, it’s amazing. It also allows people to watch during Web’s prime-time – 9am – 5pm. (Sorry, employers.) This is an excellent execution for another reason — there is advertising along the top and bottom. It’s unobtrusive yet unmistakable. Advertisers get the branding the whole time. Imagine that for a three-hour game.

It’s not a stretch to go from here to other sports. In fact, the MLB does this already with its MLB Live product. For that, you have to pay. But tennis is hurting a bit in the U.S. right now, so the multicast is one way to capture more audience. The NCAA Final Four tournament offers something similar to this as well.

We have to recognize that these systems allow sports and networks to do an end run around us. Professional sports continues to cut back its access to local media, and here’s an example of why. The more the sports can control their own product, the less they need us. You can call “fault” on them if you like, but for sports, it’s an easy ace.

Big news from ABC – Charles Gibson is stepping down from the anchor slot at “World News Tonight,” and Diane Sawyer will take his place. The choice is interesting for whom they didn’t choose – Elizabeth Vargas, who briefly co-hosted “WNT” with Bob Woodruff.

Gibson will leave at the end of the year, with Sawyer taking over in January 2010. Why the move? Tough to say. ABC is second to NBC, not CBS, so this isn’t a “let’s take on Katie Couric” move. Then there’s the next question – who will replace Sawyer on “Good Morning America?”

What are the competitors saying? In typically dry fashion, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams told TV Newser “I would love to say that ABC’s loss is NBC’s gain, but then they went and appointed Diane Sawyer to replace Charlie Gibson. That doesn’t lessen the competition one bit.”

Holy cow. Just when we started to get comfortable with search engine optimization (SEO), we’re going to have to reconsider everything. Ad Age’s Michael Learmonth reports about the major changes we’re in for, thanks to Bing, Microsoft’s search. Bing’s ranking formula for search results is significantly different from Google’s. And Bing is catching on. Microsoft is going to be busy in the upcoming months integrating Bing with Yahoo, and the result will be a search monster that will be an important part of how we get traffic.

Writes Learmonth:

… Bing is quite a bit different from Google and Yahoo, both in the way it ranks pages and the way it presents results on the page. And if search becomes more of a two-player market, it could mean a return to the late ’90s, when it was common for marketers to create separate pages optimized for Yahoo, Google, Lycos and AltaVista, and as they do now for the iPhone or other mobile devices.

Can you imagine? Two versions of each page — one for Google, one for Bing? Absurd, right? Think again. We’re going to have to stay on top of this one and see how our search results vary.

Check this out: The Business Insider’s Silicon Alley Insider now makes it easy to embed posts on your sites and blogs. It’s like “YouTube” for text.

Picture of Embedded Text from Business Insider

When you click on the “Embed This Post” button on the lower right, up pops code similar to what you’d get from YouTube or any other embedded videos. This also moves the link to the current page, thereby improving authenticity. This is an excellent idea, because it encourages sharing. Ads will be included with this downstream.

Silicon Alley’s attitude here is great:

“We have the privilege of having thousands of you link to and excerpt our content on a regular basis.  We’re thrilled that you find our site worth reading and sharing, so we’ve decided to make this even easier.”

Note that the site is not saying “knock it off sharing our stuff the way you want to!” The site isn’t turning off your ability to copy text and it’s not going on a witch hunt for those who do so. The message is simple: “Here’s another way to share. Use it if you want.”  It’s another example of how letting go of a piece of your control can pay off.

Terry Heaton contributed to this entry