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

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, Dec. 1, 2017

Another page falls off the calendar.  Welcome to the last month of 2017.  Here is this week’s somewhat slim collection of selected links from @haarsager on Twitter.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• ‘Next Gen TV’ could be an ad boon for local TV stations.  Wall Street Journal
• Broadband/Wireless/Net Neutrality
• Comcast hints at plan for paid fast lanes after net neutrality repeal.  Ars Technica

Cable/Pay-TV/MVPD/Cord-Cutting

• Pay TV subscribers opting for open TV platforms.  nScreenMedia
• Legacy services set for collapse as virtual MVPDs disrupt pay-TV market.  Rapid TV News

Digital Video/OTT

• More than half of U.S. homes take multiple OTT services.  Rapid TV News
• must read  The young reject DVR, embrace smartphone video; connected TV picking up the slack.  nScreenMedia

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• Amazon is now creating content for Alexa.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• Comcast integrates iHeartRadio into X1.  FierceCable

Television

• We just don’t rent movies anymore.  nScreenMedia
• The retrofitting of broadcasting.  MediaPost

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 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

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Oct. 27, 2017

I’ve been in Scotland, taking a three-week break from aggregating these links, but not a break from posting them to my @haarsager Twitter account.  Here is a longer-than-usual catch-up.  The most recent articles are generally near the top of each category.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• Sinclair, NAB cheer FCC’s ATSC draft order.  FierceCable
• Retrans a key part of FCC’s ATSC 3.0 plan.  TVNewsCheck
• FCC to vote on ATSC 3.0 on Nov. 16.  TVNewsCheck
• CTA warns of ATSC 3.0 ‘chaos’ without modulation standard.  Broadcasting & Cable
• must read  Disparate views of the future of ATSC 3.0.  TVNewsCheck
• Internet of Everything: The IoT market is projected to expand 12x from 2017-2023.  Hackernoon

Cable/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Cord cutting hits 632k for Q3 with bulk of top platforms reporting.  FierceCable
• More than half of U.S. broadband households subscribe to pay-TV, OTT service.  Rapid TV News
• vMVPDs alone no threat to pay-TV.  nScreenMedia

Digital Video/VoD/OTT

• More than half of U.S. broadband households subscribe to pay-TV, OTT service.  Rapid TV News
• Can home Wi-Fi deliver TV reliably?  nScreenMedia
• Netflix rumbles on, but it’s still hard to discern original content’s role.  Video Nuze
• must read  Mobile surges as VOD viewing set to catch up to linear TV by 2020.  Rapid TV News
• Shift toward on-demand viewing accelerates.  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• must read  Young subscribers flock to old media.  Politico
• Scoring stories to make better recommendation engines for news.  Monday Note

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read  Radio can’t just check off the boxes.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• Generation X is now driving NPR’s audience growth.  Washingtonian
• Setting the record straight on FM radio in iPhones.  Sam Matheny at NAB  …and…  Everything you need to know about FM radio on your phone.  CNET
• Radio’s digital dashboard display dilemma.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• The good NEW days of radio.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• must read  Classical music’s biggest problem is that no one cares.  On An Overgrown Path
  
• Will radio get off the dime with podcasting?  Jacobs Media Strategies

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

• Internet of Everything: The IoT market is projected to expand 12x from 2017-2023.  Hackernoon
• FCC chair’s advisor: FCC can’t hold another big spectrum auction.  Multichannel News
• Broadcasters emerging as winner in FCC reauthorization process so far.  Morning Consult
• T-Mobile, Fox TV stations partner on repack.  TVTechnology  …and…  Pocket Now
• Tower deaths put repack sked in spotlight.  TVNewsCheck

Strategy/Management/Legal

• FCC to lift station modification freeze.  Broadcasting & Cable
• must read  Viewer preferences straddle generations.  TVTechnology
• Pubmedia’s commitment to local audiences must transcend lip service.  Gary Knell in Current
• must read  How to crowdfund a TV series.  Cablefax

Television

• AI is changing how you watch TV.  Venture Beat

Wireless/Broadband/IoT

• nerd alert  5G: Can we do better than OFDM? Cohere Technologies believes we can with OTFS.  FierceWireless
• FCC chair’s advisor: FCC can’t hold another big spectrum auction.  Multichannel News

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Oct. 7, 2017

The following links of interest were posted to my @haarsager Twitter feed in the past week.  Slim pickings this time.  I’ll be in Scotland until near the end of the month.  While I’ll keep posting to Twitter, internet is pretty basic there so I’ll probably not be able to post this summary again until I return.  You can visit http://www.twitter.com/haarsager to keep up.  --Dennis

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

Despite hiccups, live streaming moving to the next level.  nScreenMedia

OTT TV and film revenues to reach $83B over the next five years.  Rapid TV News

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

Study sees potential for radio success among Amazon Echo owners.  Radio & Internet News

Strategy/Management/Legal

Two more paperwork burdens proposed for relaxation by FCC.  Broadcast Law Blog

Television

KCETLink outsources its broadcast origination to a new organization called The Switch.  KCET news release

The repack death toll begins

The FCC’s crazy-ambitious 39-month timetable for repacking the TV bands post-auction may have contributed to the deaths of three workers from Tower King II, a Texas tower contractor.  The gin pole, a standard temporary device that is installed at the top of a tower to enable the lifting into place of permanent tower sections or an antenna, failed.  The tower is shared by two Miami stations, WSVN (Fox) and WPLG (ABC).  WSVN is moving from channel 7 to channel 9 in the repack, requiring a new antenna.  The tower is eight years old and is just over 1,000 feet high, about half the maximum height that many stations use.

There is no evidence to my knowledge that the pushed nature of the repack schedule contributed to the deaths of these three men, but with the paucity of qualified high tower crews and a forced schedule that is ambitious even if everything (weather, supply, crew availability, etc.) turns out optimal, safety issues are unavoidable. 

I strongly suspect this won’t be the last of these tragic accidents.  --Dennis

Link:  ABC News