Content and Distribution — AEJMC Hot Topics

The End of TV As We Know It

April 1, 2011 By AEJMC Leave a Comment

From Jim Louderback on AdAdge, April 1 -

It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine
–REM

Lots of attention has been lavished on Time Warner Cable’s attempt to stream TV networks over its IP network, and the subsequent backlash from those TV networks. But that’s just one recent development that will lead to the end of the multichannel TV bundle as we know it today. Two other developments — Adobe’s new TV Everywhere authentication scheme and Comcast’s drive towards non-system network licensing — spell the beginning of a scorched-earth phase that will unfold over the next year or so. And when it’s done, the media landscape will look entirely different. Let’s take a look at each of these individually, and then wrap up what it all means. Read full article

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Content and Distribution, New Media, TV, Web

iPad Users Find Content from ‘The Daily’ Lacking

March 31, 2011 By AEJMC Leave a Comment

A study published by media research company knowDigital says that real iPad users find the content of The Daily to be lacking when compared to alternative sources of news available for free.

The report found that the people studied fell into two groups, ones who were tech savvy and very interested in the news and those who were less technological and less interested in news.

The report said that:

“iPad users in both camps were generally unwilling to commit to purchasing subscriptions to The Daily for a number of reasons, including some based on their specific perceptions of The Daily and some based on the idea of paying for an app on a recurring charge basis.”

Your can read the full report here.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Content and Distribution, iPad, Journalism, New Media

FCC Cracks Down on Fake News

March 30, 2011 By AEJMC Leave a Comment

The FCC is taking action against two news organization for running stories that were actually commercials for Zicam and General Motors, a fact the news orgs didn’t make clear when they ran them. The FCC will fine the the NBC and Fox affiliates in Atlantic City and Minneapolis for instances.

The fines are about $4,000 which may or may not deter other news organizations from running the same type of sponsorships. The segments were aired back in 2006, so there’s several years of possible false segments that are still to be revealed as well. You can read an article about it here.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Content and Distribution, Media Ethics, Traditional Media

Media in Mexico Set Guidelines for Drug War Coverage

March 25, 2011 By AEJMC Leave a Comment

From the LA Times on March 25 - Many of Mexico’s top media companies agreed Thursday on first-ever guidelines for covering a drug war that has drastically increased risks for journalists.

The 10-point accord, covering more than 700 outlets across the country, calls on news-gathering organizations to find ways to protect their journalists and avoid glorifying crime bosses. Read more

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Content and Distribution, Media Ethics

USA Today Revamps Strategy to Keep Pace with Internet

March 23, 2011 By AEJMC Leave a Comment

In an AP story published earlier today, Michael Liedtke wrote that USA Today is revamping its paper to try to keep pace with the Internet. Although this is nowhere near a new idea in the newspaper industry, USA Today has taken multiple steps in the last few years to innovate the paper and boost earnings.

One thing Liedtke’s story says is that the content of the paper will focus on topics that attract more advertising such as tech reviews, financial advice, travel and lifestyle tips, and sports features. USA Today’s published believes the changes will increase revenue.

Do you think this is a good idea? How will changes in content like this impact the journalism community overall (if at all)? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Read the full story

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Content and Distribution, Journalism, New Media, Newspaper, Traditional Media

Amazon Goes from Journalism Savior to Afterthought – Or Did It?

March 22, 2011 By AEJMC Leave a Comment

From Nieman Journalism Lab March 22 - In the brief moment between last week’s unveiling of The New York Times’s new smartphone- and tablet-centered subscription plans and today’s launch of Amazon’s Android Appstore, it’s worth taking a short historical detour, if only to see how differently the world looks today from the time, not long ago, when the Kindle was supposed to be a big factor in getting people to pay for journalism.

First, an observation: the NYT’s new digital subscription plans don’t apply to Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s NookColor, or any other e-reader. The digital subscriptions FAQ spells it out: “At this time, we’re not able to connect your e-reader subscription to an NYTimes.com subscription. Each must be purchased separately.”

This is partly a result of earlier negotiations between the Times and the e-bookstores. But it’s clear that the NYT’s digital strategy today is focused on the web browser for the desktop and applications for mobile. E-reader subscriptions today, for better or worse, are minor players — legacy obligations. With that in mind, it helps to understand how we got here, and why. Read More

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Content and Distribution, Journalism, New Media