Technology360

Best practices in digital journalism

Pat Aufderheide’s group at American University has published a study titled, Scan and Analysis of Best Practices in Digital Journalism In and Outside U.S. Public Broadcasting.

The executive summary begins:

In this report, researchers at American University’s Center for Social Media identify a set of best practices in digital new media journalism intended to guide planning and initiatives in this area specifically for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and more broadly for the Public Service Media community in the US. We offer an overview of the current journalism and public broadcasting environments, derived from a scan of recent reports and interviews with relevant experts, along with a set of identified best practices, bolstered with analysis of specific examples that could be replicated by public media producers. …

Link:  Center for Social Media.  --Dennis

Could calls for more spectrum lead to end of OTA TV?

David Oxenford writes on the surfacing of this topic at the FCC:

An article from TV NewsCheck last week reported on an approach by an FCC representative to television operators, floating an idea that the FCC would "buy" TV spectrum from existing television station operators, and repurpose that spectrum for wireless users - presumably some sort of wireless broadband.  The funds to buy the spectrum would come from the auction of the frequencies.  Over-the-air TV viewers would perhaps be left with a limited over-the-air service. …

Link:  Broadcast Law Blog.

John Eggerton writes of public television’s reaction in Broadcasting & Cable.  --Dennis

Mobile TV update

As a new standard to carve out a more robust portion of the DTV bitstream for mobile services comes closer to reality, people are starting to consider how to make it pay.  There are a number of existing mobile services using other spectrum in North America and around the world, and Broadcast Engineering has a pretty good overview of economic results to date.  See Mobile TV providers strive to stay out of the red.  Also see Carolyn Schuk’s, When it comes to advertising, mobile TV isn’t just a ‘me too’ channel in the same publication.  --Dennis

Obama asks Congress to delay digital TV switch

Jim Puzzanghera and Christi Parsons write:

... In a letter to Congressional leaders, John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama's presidential transition team, urged that the Feb. 17 conversion date be extended. A major reason was the announcement this week by the Commerce Department that it had run out of money for a government program to provide $40 coupons for low-cost converter boxes to allow older TVs to receive the new digital signal. ...

Link:  Los Angeles Times.

Update 9 January 2009:
Also see Kim Hart's article in the Washington Post. 

Update 11 January 2009:
FCC's Kevin Martin says delay could cause confusion.  Associated Press via NPR.  --Dennis