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I feel better now. Thank you, Jessica DaSilva. You've restored at least some of my faith in the future. I had a bad day yesterday: a series of depressing interactions with a few people who reminded me just how narrow-minded, corrosively negative, self-destructive and ultimately hypocritical some newspaper journalists can be. It didn't help that I'd just had a tooth pulled. By the end of the day I was pretty well soured on the newspaper business. But today I read this on your blog And frankly, I’m kind of sick of all the whining. A lot of journalists have been sitting around lamenting their losses instead of thinking up ways to fix their situation. I understand that being innovative and adventurous is a scary and vulnerable move because no one really knows what the best way to deal with this, but what are the options? We can’t just let our industry crumble to pieces while we get booted from our jobs and move into cardboard boxes. When I returned from the meeting, a few people made jokes about me changing my major. I don’t like these jokes, but typically, I casually laugh them off. Today I said, “Oh, it’s staying. I’m not dedicated to the medium so much as I’m dedicated to reporting news. I don’t care about the medium. I care about informing the people.” It is, indeed, worth fighting for. And a can-do attitude is by far the most powerful ally you can have. Stick to it. (Props to Jay Rosen for the pointer.)

Copyright 2008
In spite of all the new ability to measure. digital media also present new challenges in figuring out what works. This thought gelled for me during a Naked Media discussion with Erin Byrne and Ben Ezrick, both leading digital strategists, he for Ogilvy, she for Burson-Marsteller. We watched the Bronze Lion-winning but fake JC Penney ad that has finally been removed from YouTube after getting hundreds of thousands of views. The commercial was since withdrawn from the awards , apparently. The video shows two teenagers "Speed Dressing," timing themselves as they put on their clothes after undressing to "get away with it" in the girl's basement -- a message a Penney marketing manager has said the company would never condone. But the company has also gotten a lot of notice for the ad, which, as The Wall Street Journal points out , may curry favor with more urban teens, especially on the coasts. So, for a mass brand like Penney, they condemn the ad. But they, perhaps, reap the benefits of the branding in a measurable way -- hundreds of thousand saw the video before it was pulled, and it's now available on other sites. Ezrick, in the Naked Media segment , points out that neither Penney nor its ad agency, Saatchi and Saatchi, have yet completely explained how the ad got to be entered in the Cannes awards contest, nor exactly how people affiliated with them were involved in producing the video. Both Ezrick and Byrne point out that Penney can't have it both ways: If they genuinely don't condone the video, they need to investigate and reveal how it came to be to the best of their knowledge. If they had something to do with it, they must say so, and, if need be, apologize honestly for any discomfort or harm they may have caused. But what they can't do is reap the benefits of the video going viral and also be upset while they gain brand awareness. You also can't, in a digital age, segment audiences as you could in a previous era, showing one ad ...

Copyright 2008
I really, really promise that I will not be stuck forever on what might be seen as a crusade about the change in the editorial mix of The Wall Street Journal since Rupert Murdoch took control. I don’t want to become the Ben-one-note on this as Lou Dobbs has become for his anti-immigration tirades. Still, there is some news on the subject. I have written several times now about how the Journal has been devoting its front page to hot-off-the-press headlines that are essentially the same as what every other daily publishes: “Obama wins primary,” “Cyclone levels Sri Lanka.” This is a form of run-of-the-mill reporting to which the Journal brings little value added and, with earlier deadlines than most local dailies, perhaps less value. But now comes some hard data—that’s what I like more than impressions—that does indeed confirm a substantial shift in the Journal’s editorial coverage since the change in ownership. The Project for Excellence in Journalism undertook a content analysis of the front page stories in the Journal for the four months before the December 12, 2007 date that News Corp. acquired control of Dow Jones, the parent of the WSJ and the three months following. Its finding was unambiguous: In the first three months of Murdoch’s stewardship, the Journal’s front page has clearly shifted focus, de-emphasizing business coverage that was the franchise, while placing much more emphasis on domestic politics and devoting more attention to international issues. The before and after change is most dramatic in several areas, as seen in PEJ’s chart I’ve cribbed here. Political news is up four fold, reflecting the intense coverage of the primaries that in the past election cycles would have received less space (if only because until recently the Journal rarely devoted more than a single front page column to any story). The full report at the Project’s Web site also compares the “new” Journal’s editorial mix with that of The New York Times , which Murdoch is keen compete ...

From Variety comes this report that "the five broadcast nets' average live median age (in other words, not including delayed DVR viewing) was 50 last season ." I'd love to know how much of that is due to a shift to Internet browsing, including video of course, and how much of it is a result of the networks driving us away with a barrage of painfully mislabeled "talent" contests mixed with out-of-control commercial clutter. Either way, it's clear that most of us are taking a more active role in our own video experiences, either selecting when we want to see our preferred entertainment through PVRs, or watching video online. Simon Waldman points out that Youtube is bigger than the entire Internet of 2000 when measured by the amount of traffic it generates. Hulu, a joint venture of NBC Universal and News Corp., seems to be taking off, some networks have videos on their own websites , and of course iTunes is selling videos by the download. This poses a challenge to those of us who still think of the net as a place driven primarily by the power of words. Clearly I need to get my video camera out of my bag and into my hand.

A wonderful defense of radio from one of its most respected leaders, Peter Smyth at Greater Media:

Local, free radio represents every demographic and every community in the nation. We employ hundreds of thousands of dedicated and talented individuals, from every city and town in America. We deliver local news, weather, traffic, and sports updates every hour, every day, 365 days a year. We raise hundreds of millions of dollars every year for local and national charities and people in need.

How in the world did we become the bad guys?

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From Inside Radio: The [XM/Sirius] merger faces more Senate opposition - and a call for mandatory HD Radio inclusion in satellite radio receivers. Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) oppose the satellite radio merger as proposed, writing “We remain concerned...that the merger of these two companies will eliminate competition in the Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service market in violation of the FCC rules establishing this service.” The letter, delivered to FCC chairman Kevin Martin last week also calls on the commission to ensure that device manufacturers are required to integrate HD radio receivers into all satellite radio receivers. Even if we ignore the fact that HD has no more to do with satellite radio than a mobile toaster does, somebody should tell our elected representatives and their friendly neighborhood NAB lobbyists that the future of satellite radio is not on satellite radios. We should be wary of what we wish for. We just might get it.

You're all acquainted with public radio pledge drives. Often the pledging is done with the sound of ringing phones in the background, where each ring represents another contribution to the station. The intention is to demonstrate that other listeners are calling to pledge and thus encourage you to do likewise. Of course, when the phones are not ringing, the signal is that listeners are not pledging. In one interesting experiment quoted in the new book Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive, a home shopping channel changed six words in one of its pitch segments and that simple change caused sales to skyrocket. They changed the words "Operators are waiting, please call now" to "If operators are busy, please call again." That is, they signaled that operators were busy, not waiting. And that means people like you are calling, and operators do not have time to check their Blackberries or file their nails. This is co-author Robert Cialdini's "Principle of Social Proof" in action. The more I think folks like me are doing something, the more likely I am to do it myself. It's what makes a trend a trend, it's what makes a hit a hit. And it's what does not happen when you see or hear a bank of pledge drive phones silent.

For a bit more than the price of a satellite radio subscription, you can download all the music you want to the gadget you already own, your mobile phone.

At least you can if you're a Verizon subscriber and happen to have the right phone:

Verizon Wireless is introducing Rhapsody's subscription music service Monday, allowing its customers to download as much music as they want to their phones for $15 per month.

The service will work with seven current handsets and three to be launched soon, including the third version of the popular music-oriented LG Chocolate.

As every mobile phone owner knows, we replace our phones far more often than we replace our radios. I think my clock radio has been with me since Bush The Elder was in the White House.

And I have written previously about the shift towards an "all you can eat" model in an era when mp3 providers are moving away from DRM, digital rights management.

Anything that removes speed-bumps to downloading what you want, when you want it, and does so for a bargain price, will increase the degree to which the mobile phone substitutes for a radio-like experience.

So again I have to ask a question I've asked many times before:

What will your station provide that I can't download from Rhapsody when and wherever I want it?

Last week's debut of Chrysler's mobile Internet service set to appear in 2009 vehicles was muted by the harsh reality of just how much this service will cost you. Says PC Magazine: Since this is ultimately a cellular service, despite its emphasis on WiFi, the pricing will be complex: "The U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the router module is $449," Chrysler says. "Dealer installation is estimated at approximately $35-50. Autonet Mobile offers wireless Internet account service at $29 a month, available in 12-, 24- and 36-month service plans. There is a one-time $35 service activation fee. Customer support assistance for hardware and service is available." While it is argued that some subscribers will use their car as a home router once it's parked in the garage, good luck selling that one through. Needless to say, the pricing on this will have to come down - a lot - before it becomes widespread. Even wrapping this up into the purchase price of the car leaves the owner with a hefty monthly fee. That said, the price will come down - and the availability of in-car Internet access and all the audio and video baubles that come along with it will only proliferate over time.

Well, this is a surprise: Dan Pacheco has just announced he's going to build Printcasting on the Drupal framework. Dan's done great work creating bespoke systems for the Bakersfield Californian. Switching to Drupal is a big step, but one that could help bring more participation in the project and better satisfaction of the Knight foundation's open-source objectives.

Mayhill Fowler, the non-journalist who has broken at least two major campaign stories this season by simply not playing the usual game by the usual rules, reflects on an interview with an Al-Jazeera reporter: For the first time I realized what is most obvious about the work other OffTheBus correspondents and I do. We are citizens, first. As Americans, moreover, we have the right any time any day any year to step out of our homes to inquire and to investigate. The inclination to do so, which Meena found fascinating, is certainly not exclusively American; but it is quintessentially American. Sitting in the Reuters studio on Times Square, I was proud, most proud, to be a citizen journalist. Mayhill Fowler: On The Road Again, With Begging Bowl And Stick - Off The Bus on The Huffington Post

It's been a horrible week at quite a few newspapers. At one point I found myself staring at my Twitter updates as if it were a train wreck in progress. Mark Potts has a good summary and this comment: The whiners complaining about Zell's relatively minor changes in Tribune papers are missing the point that the entire industry is in freefall and needs to change radically. Recovering Journalist: Death of Almost 1,000 Cuts

I’ve been on break from my column at Arthur Magazine, mostly because I simply have to finish my book. Meanwhile, I’ve learned that Arthur is in the midst of a true financial crisis. Whether or not the market can keep a project like Arthur alive by itself is a conversation we’ll have to have later. In the meantime, I’m posting a link to the Arthur Magazine site and its plea for donations. The content in the magazine - as well as most of its realworld events - have been created as freeware, but maybe a shareware model will prove more sustainable.

I’m sure Jay Babcock, the editor, is also interested in whether anyone cares to invest in the project.

I made what turned out to be a pretty good speech at the Personal Democracy Forum yesterday. I’ll post a copy once I have a spare minute.

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The net is all abuzz today about this angry memo from Bill Gates to a list of Microsoft bigwigs back in 2003. It's a classic: Gates tries to buy some Microsoft software, has a terrible user experience, and lets people know exactly what he thinks. Funny, but here's a challenge. Assign yourself any random task on your newspaper's website, like trying to sell a car or give away a dog or maybe just find the forums. Take notes. And then write a Gates memo. Bet you can do it, with feeling.

A "widget" is a piece of your content that is portable. Your station's fans "embed" it on their own pages, and every time they do this they expand distribution for your content and your brand.

Some companies, like Yes.com, specialize in widgetizing your radio station.

But if those don't fit the bill, here are some super-easy instructions for making your own.

It's called UConnect Web, and Chrysler will announce it at an event in Detroit tomorrow spotlighting its 2009 lineup.

According to the LA Times:

The automaker did not disclose pricing, but said there would probably be a base charge for the option, plus a monthly or annual fee.

UConnect Web is an extension of the company's UConnect system, which provides Bluetooth connectivity for cellphones and MP3 player integration with the car stereo. Rival Ford provides similar services, but without Web access, in its popular Sync system.

With the added Internet connectivity, drivers and passengers will be able to get such devices as laptop computers and Nintendo Wii consoles online. As to what users can download while in the car, Chrysler's Leung said anything was fair game.

"There are no limitations in content," he said.

As long predicted in this blog and elsewhere (okay, everywhere), it is inevitable that every new car driving off a showroom lot will eventually be high-speed Internet enabled. And the consequences for the radio industry - both good and bad - are profound.

There are at least five critical issues facing radio as a result of this unambiguous trend (and I'll consider these more thoroughly after I get a peek at the Chrysler system):

First, an Internet enabled car will have an all-new user interface which may substitute for the radio. Will this interface provide one-button access to what used to be a separate radio? Or will it be installed above the radio and have nothing to do with it?

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After some behind-the-scenes testing on newspaper content and newspaper blogs, I've added OpenCalais tagging to my blog to see how it does in a live setting. OpenCalais is a free service of Thompson Reuters that scans unstructured (text) content and extracts named entities (people, places things), facts, and events. This can be used to support the so-called "semantic Web," leading eventually to smart applications that do our research for us. The OpenCalais project has released quite a bit of supporting software, including a Drupal module that I'm using. The immediate result is that the number of tags on my blog postings is going to grow rapidly. One of the things I want to understand better is how those tags can be used to generate smart "related items" links on websites.

With Semantic Journalism: Ideas , French media blogger Nicolas Kayser-Bril begins a series of posts in which he examines tools and ponders the future of semantic technologies applied to journalism. It looks to be well worth following, even if you're skeptical about the ability of machines to "understand" content.

post from Howard Owens reminds me that a lot of people probably don't know how easy it is to get circulation information about U.S. newspapers. For papers that are members of the Audit Bureau of Circulation, basic numbers and some deeper data is available online in a searchable format I find the Reader Profile information useful in illustrating some of the demographic weaknesses facing print. Reader Profiles are the result of surveys commissioned voluntarily by the newspapers, conducted by third parties such as Scarborough Research, and audited by ABC. They attempt to measure readership, not circulation, and the information is broken down by a number of demographic measures. Dig in.

I had dinner Friday night with Dean Mills and several other folks from the University of Missouri J-School. Not one word was said about the death of print, the crushing debt loads taken on by big publishing companies, or other depressing topics that tend to dominate journalism conversations (and blogs) these days. It was an upbeat conversation about exciting possibilities, all hope and energy and yes, optimism. Mizzou has all sorts of fascinating projects in the works. In the background, though, I was thinking about the Columbia Missourian , for 99 years the keystone of the hands-on Missouri Method of teaching journalism. The Missourian isn't a school newspaper -- it's a serious, professional, commercial daily newspaper that's operated as a teaching laboratory. As the Number Two newspaper in a small town, it's having big financial difficulties. To be honest, hardly anybody on the "town" side of the "town vs. gown" divide reads it, and I don't think it's doing all that well on the "gown" side, either. You can't sell advertising in a paper that doesn't reach an audience that advertisers need. Losses at the Missourian are running well over a million dollars a year, leading to talk of cutting the Missourian back from its daily publication cycle and focusing more on the Web. Last year it spent $1.67 million on print-related expenses (composition, printing, mailroom, circulation) and only $93,722 on Web expenses, so it's not exactly been starving the past to feed the future. The daily paper reaches 7,400; a weekend free sheet reaches 43,000 homes, and the Web product claims 100,000 unique users. Think about that. Maybe the Missourian becomes a Web-focused operation with a weekly print product, or more likely, an array of multiple targeted products. It already has a weekly free entertainment tab and a Hispanic-targeted product. Or perhaps it might buddy up with the competition : Hank Waters' Columbia Tribune , the "town" ...