Technology360

Weekly readings for #pubmedia, 5 Mar 2018—and, a change in direction

Hello friends – I’ve had this blog since 2003, but for the past three years it has been largely used to share links of interest to the public media community that I’d posted to my @haarsager Twitter feed.  This link sharing actually dates from 1997, when I started to share them to an email list.  So, for nearly 21 years, the value to me in all this has been as a discipline to force me to keep up on industry developments.  I’m going to keep doing that, but putting this compilation together takes an additional hour per week.  I’d rather use that time to do some related writing, which I intend to have appear here in place of these links, though most of them will be inspired by the reading I will continue to do.  Thanks for the nice notes I’ve received from many of you about this weekly effort. 

For now, here is the last compilation.  You can continue to get these in “real time” from <http://www.twitter.com/haarsager>.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• Public TV urges FCC to exempt stations from ATSC 3.0 simulcasting rules.  Current

Broadband/Wireless

• FCC’s new broadband map paints an irresponsibly inaccurate picture of American broadband.  Vice Motherboard

Cable/Satellite TV/MVPD/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• U.S. cable, satellite, telcoTV lost 3.5M subs in 2017.  nScreenMedia

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• Pay streaming households to reach 450M mark by 2022.  Rapid TV News
• vMVPD customer base reaches 4.6M, but has only captured a third of cord cutters.  FierceCable

Journalism

• must read  ‘It’s going to end in tears’: Reality check is coming for subscription-thirsty publishers.  Digiday
• must read  There is no easy fix for Facebook’s reliability problem.  Frédéric Filloux in Monday Note
• must read  Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron delivers Reuters Memorial Lecture at the University of Oxford.  Washington Post [thankfully, at the moment, this doe not seem to behind the Post’s pay wall]

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• Bose Ventures is the latest investor in RadioPublic.  Radio & Internet News

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Feb. 24, 2018

Here’s another collection (a bit slimmer than usual for some reason) of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• HPA panel examines road to ATSC 3.0 and repack.  TVTechnology

Cable/Satellite/MVPD/Cord-Cutting

• How did satellite TV go from a $50B business to ‘less than zero’ in three short years?  FierceCable  …and…  Dish loses 200K more linear TV subscribers in Q4; value of satellite business ‘less than zero,’ analyst postulates.  FierceCable

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• Buoyant SVOD boosts U.S. TV market to be worth $140B by end of 2018.  Rapid TV News
• TV Everywhere use encouraging SVOD adoption?  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• KPCC, WAMU and WNYC help revive local news websites in L.A., D.C. and N.Y.  Radio and Internet News

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• KPCC, WAMU and WNYC help revive local news websites in L.A., D.C. and N.Y.  Radio and Internet News
• Why radio should eat the elephant (one bite at a time).  Jacobs Media Strategies
• RadioPublic calculator shows the pros and cons of today’s podcast advertising.  Radio and Internet News
• HD Radio penetration nears 50% in new car sales.  Radio Magazine

Weekly readings for #pubmedia, Feb. 19, 2018

Got 5 inches of snow overnight Sat./Sun., but the temperature could reach 70° on Wednesday.  We live in hope.  Here is a compilation of recent selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

Broadband/Wireless

Why broadband competition at faster speeds is virtually nonexistent.  Vice Motherboard

Digital Video/VOD/OTT

must read  Smartphone video, connected TV increase penetration and usage.  nScreenMedia

Management/Strategy

What makes public radio ‘very personal’ magnifies its #metoo cases.  New York Times

Trolling as a business model is making trollery the dominant form of American discussion.  Umair Haque in Medium

Trump’s budget again proposes elimination of Public TV [and radio] … funding.  Variety

A profit model for 21st century journalism.  Michael Rosenblum in Medium

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

Public radio’s public reckoning.  Village Voice

Repack

Bill to address repack shortcomings advances.  TVTechnology

FCC will open April window for auction-displaced LPTVs.  Broadcasting & Cable

Social Media

Confessions of a publishing consultant on Facebook’s news feed changes.  Digiday

Twitter begins broadcasting local TV news during breaking news events.  FierceCable

must read  TV nets missing opportunity with Instagram.  nScreenMedia

Television

Why have TV viewers stopped channel surfing?  MediaPost

Netflix has taken $3B-$6B of TV ad revenue off the table.  nScreenMedia

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Feb. 9, 2018

Here is the latest compilation of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• ATSC 3.0 rollout can begin in March.  TVTechnology

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• 5% of U.S. broadband users subscribe to a vMVPD.  FierceCable
• must read  Shift in ad spending from TV to OTT expected over next two years.  Video Nuze
• must read  How Die Welt gets people to watch video on its own site.  Digiday
• must read  Facebook deëmphasizes news feed video; users’ time spent drops.  Video Nuze  …and…  The local-national news divide on Google and Facebook.  Axios
• SVODs to boost original content annual spend to $10B by 2022.  TVTechnology
• U.S. viewers have a love/hate relationship with live streaming.  Rapid TV News
• Most use smart TVs to stream, won’t displace Roku anytime soon.  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• YouTube announces it will start flagging videos published by organizations that receive government funding.   The Hill
• Martha Raddatz: Media ‘watching each other a little more’ after missteps reporting on Trump.  Politico
• must read  Why news publishers should consider the “smart curation” market.  Frederic Filloux in Monday Note

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read (TV too)  Local radio’s digital future.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• Paid listens on...  RadioPublic
• must read  Podcast listeners really are the holy grail advertisers hoped they’d be.  Wired

Repack

• FCC to to randomly inspect TV stations repacked by the incentive auction.  Broadcast Law Blog
• Walden: We need to find $3B for auction repack.  Broadcasting & Cable

Strategy/Business/Management

• What will drive media station values in 2018?  TVNewsCheck
• Ad executive: Advertising will decline 30% in next five years.  MediaPost
• After leaving PBS, KCET struggles with its independence.  Columbia Journalism Review

Television

• TV, video ad growth pinned to advanced TV efforts.  MediaPost
• 4K TVs build market presence as global LCD TV shipments fall to three-year low.  Rapid TV News
• Inside Jeffrey Katzenberg’s billion-dollar bet to crack the code on mobile video.  Digiday

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Jan. 26, 2018

Just became unburied from a lengthy writing project, so took a pass on doing this last weekend.  So this collection of links from http://www.twitter.com/haarsager covers the past couple of weeks.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• ATSC 3.0: Broadcasters tout standard’s power ahead of full implementation.  Cablefax 
• Sinclair, Nexstar team up with American Tower for ATSC 3.0 SFN sites in Dallas.  FierceCable
• FCC ponders giving broadcasters ATSC 3.0 carriage flexibility.  Broadcasting & Cable

Digital Video/VoD/OTT

• must read  Video’s peril – and promise.  Steven Rosenbaum in MediaPost
• Growing pains for OTT.  TVTechnology
• Customer experience, usage data can get lost in SVOD distribution deals.  nScreenMedia
• Why you need a comprehensive OTT strategy.  Nielsen  …and…  Cutting-edge content from digital publishers keeps millennials coming back for more.  Nielsen

Journalism

• must read  It’s time for journalism to build its own platforms.  Heather Bryant in Monday Note
• The Guardian heads back into the black.  The Economist

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• Pacifica Radio gets $2M loan.  Radio Ink

Strategy/Management/Business

• A broadcaster’s guide to Washington issues.  David Oxenford & David O’Connor in TVNewsCheck

Social Media

• must read  How Facebook’s media divorce could backfire.  Vanity Fair  …and…  Facebook’s move to deemphasize video in news feed has consequences.  Video Nuze  …and…  Facebook’s news feed changes sees brand videos taking hit.  Rapid TV News  …and…  We were all feeling hostage to Facebook.  Digiday  …and… Facebook is done with quality journalism. Deal with it.  Frederic Filloux in Monday Note

Television

• Groups likely to expand program production.  TVNewsCheck
• The 360-degree news video siren song.  TVTechnology
• ‘8K? I don’t even have 4K yet?’ The future of television is still far off.  Digital Trends

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Jan. 14, 2018

Here is this week’s compilation of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  CES is responsible for a few entries.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• Hands-on with 3.0 OTA TV at CES.  Cord Cutters News
• ATSC 3.0 standard approved, Technicolor HDR proposal expected as part of standard.  CEPro
• LG plans ATSC 3.0 4k broadcast testing in U.S. this year.  hdreport

Broadband/Wireless/Spectrum

• AT&T reined in 600-MHz bidding as it closed in on FirstNet.  FierceWireless  …and…  AT&T looks to sell remaining 600-MHz spectrum.  FierceWireless
• must read  600-MHz incentive auction ‘extravaganza’ ends with a whimper.  FierceWireless
• Was the spectrum auction necessary?  Radio Magazine

Consumer Electronics

• Hands-on with 3.0 OTA TV at CES.  Cord Cutters News
• What to know about those 8K TVs.  Hollywood Reporter

Digital Video/VOD/OTT

• TiVo: 20% of daily life spent with video.  Video Nuze
• TV sets remain as prime device for VOD viewing.  Rapid TV News

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read (TV, too)  How public radio’s risk-adverse culture impedes its chances for success.  Eric Nuzum in Current

Repack

• Noncoms to get brief from FCC auction/repack experts.  Broadcasting & Cable

Social Media

• The problem with Facebook.  MediaPost
• must read  Facebook tells publishers big change is coming to News Feed.  Digiday

Television

• must read  TV still claims most-favored screen status.  Rapid TV News  …and…  TV sets remain as prime device for VOD viewing.  Rapid TV News  …and… Three-quarters of U.S. consumers have a connected TV.  Rapid TV News
• TiVo: 20% of daily life spent with video.  Video Nuze

This week’s readings for #pubmedia, 8 Jan. 2018

First compilation of the new year: This week’s selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• Sony, Pearl TV partner for ATSC 3.0 next-gen TV program guide.  FierceCable
• On tap for TV at CES: 3.0, voice, gadgets.  TVNewsCheck
• Free TV keeps getting better: Welcome ATSC 3.0.  ElectronicDesign
• ATSC 3.0: Now it’s up to us.  TVTechnology

Broadband/Wireless

• AT&T plans to launch mobile 5G in a dozen cities by late 2018.  FierceWireless
• ‘Alarming’ unlimited [smartphone] data usage: 31.4 GB per month and rising.  FierceWireless

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• 2018 could be the year Facebook banishes news from its feed.  Digiday
• Streaming becomes mainstream as cord-cutting accelerates.  Chicago Tribune

Journalism

• must read  Fewer Americans rely on TV news; what type they watch varies by who they are.  Pew Research
• 2018 could be the year Facebook banishes news from its feed.  Digiday
• Reporters, once set against paywalls, have warmed to them.  Digiday

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read  The value of podcasts.  MediaPost
• A dozen ways radio can whistle past the graveyard.  Jacobs Media Strategies

Social Media

• 2018 could be the year Facebook banishes news from its feed.  Digiday

Strategy/Management/Legal

• The great consolidation: How 2017 paved the way for the next gilded age of television.  Paste Magazine

Television

• 487 original programs aired in 2017. Bet you didn’t watch them all.  New York Times
• Record number of OLED TVs shipped at end of 2017.  Rapid TV News
• must read  Live TV and movie habits to continue sharp decline in 2018.  nScreenMedia

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Nov. 26, 2017

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving!  Here is my latest collection of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• Does Next-Gen TV spell doom for over-the-air DVR?  TechHive

Broadband/Internet/Wireless

• must read  Tim Wu: Why the courts will have to save net neutrality.  New York Times
• Former FCC chairman Wheeler says Pai’s net neutrality proposal is hypocritical.  FierceTelecom
• All signs point to December vote to kill net neutrality rules.  Ars Technica

Cable/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Will internet TV streaming replace legacy pay-TV in 2018?  Nasdaq
• Lessons from the OTT revolution.  TVTechnology
• Skinny TV not yet picking up the slack for pay-TV subs drain.  Rapid TV News

Digital Video/OTT

• Will internet TV streaming replace legacy pay-TV in 2018?  Nasdaq
• Fans expect poor quality for sports live streaming.  Rapid TV News
• HD mobile video goes mainstream.  Rapid TV News  (in the video, move the screen around with your mouse)

Journalism

• Boise TV station develops 360 video strategy for YouTube.  NewsLab

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read  Understanding public media’s most engaged podcast users.  Knight Foundation in Medium
• At Third Coast, holding on to public radio ideals as podcasting booms.  The New Yorker

Spectrum/Repack

• FCC provides pointers on getting repack bucks.  Broadcasting & Cable

Strategy/Management/Business

• must read  Steve Brill: Newspaper bosses ‘paralyzed’ by change, clueless about paid content.  Poynter
• must read  There’s a digital media crash. But no one will say it.  Talking Points Memo

Television

• What you need to get HD channels over the air.  hdreport
• U.S. consumers spend more time watching films and TV.  Rapid TV News
• HDR mindshare: As awareness grows, so does confusion.  FierceCable

Weekend reading for #pubmedia, Nov. 17, 2017

A two-week gap has elapsed since the last compendium of links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  The FCC approval of ATSC 3.0 is the big news this time.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV

• FCC approves ATSC/Next-Gen TV for OTA broadcasting.  TVTechnology  …and…  TVNewsCheck  …and…  Variety
• must read  Harry Jessell: It’s now up to the market to make 3.0 work.  TVNewsCheck
• Sinclair announces nationwide ATSC 3.0 deployment after FCC OK.  FierceCable
• Top 4 ‘outrageous myths’ about ATSC 3.0.  TVNewsCheck
• Rep. Dingell has privacy concerns over ATSC 3.0.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  TVNewsCheck
• NAB and CTA team on ATSC 3.0 ‘test lab’ in Cleveland.  TVTechnology

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Kagan: Pay-TV lost 1.2M users in Q3.  FierceCable

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• must read  Devices streaming to TVs go mainstream in the U.S.  Rapid TV News  …and…  Streaming tech reaches one-third of universe, eroding ‘traditional TV’ viewing.  MediaPost
• must read  Research: 52% of viewers now watch their favorite show from an online source.  Video Nuze
• One size does not fit all in OTT world.  Rapid TV News
• Connected TV advertising is surging.  Video Nuze
• U.S. OTT market heats up.  Rapid TV News
• The man who gave us the DVR says Roku is the future of TV.  MarketWatch

Journalism

• must read  8 strategies for saving local newsrooms.  Columbia Journalism Review

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• With mobile, NPR is not checking off the boxes: How NPR builds great apps.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• BBC debuts interactive audio drama for Amazon Alexa.  Radio & Internet News
• The Main Studio Rule: U.S. radio’s biggest opportunity in years.  RadioInfo

Strategy/Management/Legal

• Inside the Guardian’s consumer-revenue operation.  Digiday

Television

• must read  Why have TV viewers stopped channel surfing?  MediaPost
• must read  ‘Content Connoisseurs’ dominate TV landscape.  Rapid TV News
• Rapidly abundant 4K/Ultra HD content failing to reach platforms.  Rapid TV News
• Nielsen to incorporate Comcast set-top data in local TV ratings.  MediaPost
• HDR TV shipments to soar 300% by 2021.  Rapid TV News
• CBS no longer tied to traditional TV?  nScreenMedia

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Nov. 4, 2017

A bit thin this week, but here is another collection of selected readings of interest from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  Have a good weekend.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• Retrans a key part of FCC’s ATSC 3.0 plan.  TVNewsCheck
• ATSC 3.0 decision draws some critics.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  Pay-TV, consumer groups slam ATSC 3.0 proposal.  TVTechnology

Cable/Satellite/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• must read/hear  As cord-cutting accelerates, vMVPDs pick up the slack.  nScreenMedia  …and…  Video Nuze/nScreenMedia podcast: Are vMVPDs replacing pay TV?  nScreenMedia and VideoNuze

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• Moonves: Cord cutting means increased revenue for CBS.  Broadcasting & Cable

Strategy/Management/Legal

• How the Guardian found 800,000 paying readers.  The Drum
• Injunction sought to stop sale of KCSM-TV.  Palo Alto Daily Post

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• WWJ’s automotive reporter: Five things I’ve learned about cars…and radio.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• The joy of finding truly local commercial radio.  Radio Survivor

Wireless/Broadband

• 5G might be your next home broadband service.  PCWorld