Tag Archives: TV

Wires and Lights?

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Posted by Joe on February 18, 2010 – 11:58 am
Filed under Communication, Joe's Life, Quote

In my mass communication theory class, my professor had us watch the movie, “Good night, and Good Luck” (2005). I had seen parts of this movie in a previous class at my old school, Lyndon State College. I found the movie to be interesting, but one quote really stuck out to me in the last segment of the film:

“To those who say people wouldn’t look, they wouldn’t be interested, they’re too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter’s opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach. It can illuminate and, yes, it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it towards those ends. Otherwise, it is merely wires and lights — in a box.” – Edward R. Murrow1

Is television just merely “wires and lights –in a box?” Or is it something more? Does television offer some value in our society? If television ceased to exist would we as a society we better off? Does television have value, but the programming doesn’t?

I’m not sure what struck out about the quote, but it definitely left me inspired. I think I just connected with what Murrow wrote and the way the actor,
David Strathairn read it. In my opinion, television doesn’t have to be “wires and lights — in a box,” television is much better than that.

What do you think?

  1. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechgoodnightandgoodluckmurrow.html [↩]

The End of FREE TV?

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Posted by Joe on December 30, 2009 – 1:13 pm
Filed under Communication, Featured, Journalism, Research

The end of “free” TV could be coming to an end. I have talked on the blog about the evolution of television and internet and the necessity for the merger of these two entities for broadcasting to be successful. I imagine the future being more of a selection than being told what to watch. People to a certain extent like choice – they don’t like being told what to watch.

I think we’ll see a model based something like iTunes or “On Demand” where you can purchase shows that you want to watch. This could be a draw back in one regard – what if you don’t know what you want to watch? You have the luxury now of flipping through hundreds of channels to see what piques your interest.

HOW TV GETS MONEY$

Advertising is an important element of the broadcasting. Today it’s the main source of income. The recession has hit all of us hard and television is no different. Advertisers are being pushed further and further and now broadcasters are looking to new ways to get money.

Networks (CBS,NBC,ABC,FOX) distribute shows to network affiliates. Affiliates are privately owned stations which networks distribute and pay affiliates to broadcast their programming. By law affiliates are sporadically spread across the country to provide local news coverage and programming from the networks. Networks pay affiliates to broadcast their programming. Over the past couple of years we have noticed a trend; audiences are shrinking and funds for affiliates are virtually nothing.

NEW PAYMENT MODEL

There is no denying the fact that television is suffering greatly. You also notice that low budget shows are taking front stage. Reality shows are cheaper for networks to produce because they don’t have to pay for actors to produce the show.

Since advertising is low where else are these companies going to pick up lost revenues? The consumer.

It’s important to remember how technology is changing the playing field for broadcasters. DVRS for example allow users to record shows and watch them at any time they wish. This is a step toward the future – however, people can skip through the commercials and just watch their shows. So what’s the point of having advertising? Advertisers realize this and are more reluctant to put their ad and pay the money the networks are asking for.

Cable TV operates slightly differently. Cable gains some revenue from advertising but it also gains revenue from subscriptions. This added subscription element is helping cable stay afloat somewhat better than the local networks. This is why some like Rupert Murdoch is suggesting that we charge for programming.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

In simple terms it means that you may have to pay for programming on your local television stations. So shows like 24, American Idol, Amazing Race, Flash Forward could all be affected.

The dilemma for consumer is – is programming on television worth paying for? Would you pay more for your cable bill for the programming on television today? Lastly, if would you pay more money if you knew you would get better programming?

Journalism and Social Media

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Posted by Joe on October 28, 2009 – 3:34 pm
Filed under Journalism, Rant

Social Media, everyone uses it in some fashion today. It’s hard to find someone without a Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. It reminds me of back when I was in elementary school when AOL and AIM were just getting started. Everyone would ask each other, “What’s your SN?” AOL and AIM was another way of communicating and staying in touch with one another. At the time this was revolutionary technology – you no longer had to wait for someone to respond back to your email. That could take days! With AOL and AIM you could receive messages instantly and respond instantly. Just like AOL and AIM we now have a new technology that is behaving just like AOL and AIM. We now have these social networking sites that we can use to keep in touch with one another. We can add our friends, family and even strangers to our profile friend lists. Facebook, Myspace and Twitter allow us to stay connected with one another in a new way.

Since many people are congregating to these social networking websites – you have to imagine that companies and businesses will want to follow suit. The point of advertising is to get your product out there to as many people as you can. The internet is doubt one of the best ways to do this. As a journalism major, this new technology is something that will have to be utilized in order to be successful in the business. Journalists will have to be able to communicate and use these social networking tools. Telling the news is no longer just going on air at selected times during the day. The internet is allowing people to get the news whenever, wherever they want. Not only the news but people are able to watch many of the prime time shows online. Television news CAN NOT and WILL NOT succeed by trying to compete with it. The success of broadcast news will be determined based on how the news industry integrates the internet into their broadcast models.

I know for me, social media is another way to stay in contact. I will use Twitter, Facebook, Myspace to promote my articles to gain readership and viewers. Other companies are recognizing this as well and doing the same. News agencies will post a story on their website and then post a link on Twitter and Facebook for readers to check it out.

If you would like me to join any of your social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook or website leave a comment below!