Technology360

The Radio Gypsy's Predictions for 2007

Mark Ramsey has 13 predictions for radio this year.  Good reading.  Link:  Hear 2.0.  --Dennis

The age of permanent net revolutoin

John Naughton has an interesting essay, writing:

... So the interactions between new and old media are complex. That's what led cultural critic Neil Postman to propose the notion of media ecology. The idea is borrowed from science: an ecosystem is defined as a dynamic system in which living organisms interact with one another and with their environment. These interactions can be very complex and take many forms. Organisms prey on one another; compete for nutrients; have parasitic or symbiotic relationships; wax and wane; prosper and decline. And an ecosystem is never static; it's in a state of perpetual ferment.  ¶  The 'organisms' in our media ecosystem include broadcast and narrowcast television, movies, radio, print and the internet. For most of our lives, the dominant organism in this system - grabbing most of the resources, revenue and attention - was broadcast TV. Note that 'broadcast' implies few-to-many: a relatively small number of broadcasters, transmitting content to billions of essentially passive viewers and listeners. This ecosystem is the media environment in which most of us grew up. But it's in the process of radical change because broadcast TV is in inexorable decline; its audience is fragmenting. ...

Link:  The Guardian.  Free registration required.  --Dennis

Record Labels Contemplate Unrestricted Digital Music

Victoria Shannon writes:

As even digital music revenue growth falters because of rampant file-sharing by consumers, the major record labels are moving closer to releasing music on the Internet with no copying restrictions — a step they once vowed never to take.  ¶  Executives of several technology companies ... said over the weekend that at least one of the four major record companies could move toward the sale of unrestricted digital files in the MP3 format within months. ...

Link:  New York Times.  Thanks to Craig Birkmaier at the OpenDTV list.  --Dennis

Ofcom warns on BBC download plans

The BBC is reporting that the UK's communications regulatory agency, Ofcom, has expressed concern about the Beeb's plans to offer all its programming on-demand because of fears of undue commercial competition.  The BBC's independent television competitors have complained in the past about its subsidized competition and, in the US, various commercial stations -- mostly radio -- have complained about the same.  But this is interesting in that it comes from a regulator and, for the first time I believe, deals with distribution on new platforms. 

Thanks to Chuck McConnell for the tip.  --Dennis

Appeals Court Shoots Down Copyright Challenge

Thomas Claburn writes:

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an effort by online archivists to challenge the federal law that automatically extends copyright protection for out-of-print and orphaned works.  ¶  The case is controversial because major libraries are coordinating efforts with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and other groups to scan old books and make them freely available to anyone using the Internet.  ¶  Prior to the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992 (CRA) and the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA), out-of-print and orphaned works -- a work for which no copyright holder can be reached -- would enter the public domain were their copyrights not renewed, provided they were created before 1978.  ¶  Beyond extending the term of copyright protection, these two laws changed the copyright renewal procedure for works created prior to 1978 from an "opt in" system to one that is "opt out." Copyrights thus are now renewed automatically to the maximum term allowed unless the copyright holder declines such protection. ...

Link:  InformationWeek.  Thanks to Ralph Hogan for the tip.  --Dennis

HD Radio at 2007 CES

Here's a report on some of the HD Radio products shown by 20 manufacturers at this year's CES.  Link:  NAB Radio TechCheck.  --Dennis

The new urgency for local TV

Cory Bergman writes: 

... This will be the year that the portals, major national news sites and other pure plays aggressively expand into local content. It’s already underway. Yahoo News, the top news site on the web, has launched local news pages along with You Witness Video, a citizen video service.  IAC just premiered AskCity, a local search, mapping and events portal for each of the major markets that’s integrated with CitySearch and Ticketmaster. Google has rolled out a free service that allows local companies to host their own business web pages with the ability to offer free, printable coupons and click-to-call functionality.  ¶  Then there are the smaller sites, nearly too numerous to count, that are launching promising niche products. ...  ¶  This is just the beginning of the local push. But surprisingly, local television is standing flat-footed while key local niches and their corresponding revenue pools are captured by the pure plays. In a few cases, stations are cutting content-for-revenue deals, but this is only a partial, case-by-case solution. In the next 2 to 4 years, if local TV doesn’t aggressively launch innovative new products into key local niches, its interactive revenue will plateau at a shockingly small share. So small, it will only scratch the surface in offsetting the decline in television ad revenue. ...

Link:  Lost Remote.  Broadcasters, this is an important essay worthy of your attention.  --Dennis

Cable's data, voice biz encroaching on video

Diane Mermigas writes:

Despite all the fuss about online video and the stampede of television and film producers into digital downloading, at least one major industry player concedes video content is not the long-term be-all and end-all of the new media age.  ¶  Comcast says that within the next several years, half of its overall cable subscribers will not be taking video services- opting, instead, for data and voice that don't pose copyright issues but present plenty of untapped opportunities. ...

Link:  The Hollywood Reporter.

To open or not to open, Sprint and its WiMAX network

Katie Fehrenbacher writes:

[Atish Gude, Sprint’s senior VP of mobile broadband operations] said that while Sprint eventually wants to embrace the open Internet-centric model for devices that connect to its WiMAX network — browseable devices and open platforms — the company is still wrestling with whether it should lean toward a closed or open model when it launches. “Do you start with an open model, or start with a closed model and move to an open model,” he asked. ...

Link:  GigaOM.

Joost beta reviewed - TV just got a little smarter

Here's an early but detailed review of the Joost beta.  Link: franticindustries.  Thanks to mediaeater. 

Nikolaj Nyholm has another review, Joost is the iPhone of TV.  Link:  O'Reilly Radar.   --Dennis