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The Future of Media
When taking on the subject like the future of media, technology and its
application by human end users changes so fast that it’s difficult to
look very far down the road.
However by examining the cutting edge of
today’s media it is possible to gain some insight and vision into the
direction media is going and how you can play a role in things to come.
In many ways we are at an amazing crossroads.
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On the one hand you have media consolidation, as the many different forms of media, from local TV stations to nationally distributed television networks, are owned by an ever shrinking number of corporate giants. At the other extreme, we have outlets like YouTube that are giving millions of people the opportunity to produce and distribute video directly to a global audience.
 | Much of the media transformation has been fueled by the consumer
electronics industry. In the early decades of television, cameras and
editing systems costs tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. My
first nonlinear editing system which I set up in 1994 cost an
astounding $16,000 for a 100 MHZ PC with about 5 gigabytes of hard
drive space. That was less than half the $40,000 price tag for the only
other competing MAC based NLE. Today a top notch video dual core
processor computer with over 400 gigabytes of hard drive, 2 gigabytes
of RAM and including your choice of fantastic editing software, can be
set up for as little as $2000. |
The incredible advances in digital image quality by today’s camcorders have radically changed television production, so that there are now any number of shows on the air that utilize small hand held camcorders for the acquisition of video in the field. Three CCD camcorders that record digital or high definition video have created an explosion in reality TV programs of every different type, providing the up-close and personal appeal that makes the shows work. Look for this trend to continue and expand, as the development of new television programming centers around the producer’s ability to carry video gear anywhere and everywhere.
A Different Approach to News
The typical news team of a local network affiliate consists of an in-house or free lance camera guy, the on-camera talent or reporter, and may also include additional players such as a sound man or “gofer” or grip dispatched regionally in a news van. With such large crews, there are only a limited number of stories that can be covered each day and it could be said that most news simply does not make it to air. In 2006, Nashville, Tennessee’s ABC affiliate WKRN took an entirely new approach. At a time when other affiliates are reducing their news teams, WKRN expanded their coverage, by making each producer a one stop shop. The segment producer travels alone with a small camcorder. They do the shooting, conduct the interviews, appear on camera, write the script, provide the narration, and ultimately edit the final production that will appear on the five-o-clock and ten-o-clock news broadcasts. Instead of fielding 3 or 4 news teams, the station is able to cover a much greater number of stories on any given day, providing more variety and content than the other competing networks.
| The Real News Channel, slated to go on air sometime in 2007, promises
no commercials, no corporate dollars or government funding. In other
words, no strings attached; just unbiased news from around the world.
The Toronto-based company will have a headquarters in New Delhi, India
along with another located in Australia, allowing them to cover
breaking news across the globe around the clock. The network will
feature reporting by professional journalists plus video input from
citizens on the ground close to the source of any news. Instead of the
standard commercial model, the nonprofit Real News Channel hopes to
build up a donor base of viewers willing to contribute some amount per
year in order to gain continued access to unfiltered information. |  |
Indie Films
Robert Greenwald was a veteran of the commercial TV and film industry, but he really wanted to do his own productions, tackling subjects that were outside the safety zone of corporate controlled media empires. Shot on digital video formats, his feature length documentaries achieved national recognition and success by applying Hollywood promotion strategies to launch his movies. One of the key components in that approach is called “opening day,” otherwise known as the “premier.”
Hollywood public relations machines create a lot of splash and press when a movie first opens on theater screens across the country. Greenwald was able to generate the same kind of buzz through national house parties where his movies appear on screens in thousands of homes all across the country. Greenwald teamed up with the progressive lobbying organization MoveOn.org to promote his movies to the hundreds of thousands of people on the MoveOn email list, offering advance order discounts to anyone willing to host a release “house party” and invite friends over to view a screening. Not only did the move garner national attention, it also won him millions of overnight fans. Needing additional money to finance his next movie, Greenwald was able to do pre-sales to his fan base, generating the dollars necessary to finance and finish his next production. He has been able to build a successful business model that works outside the generally impenetrable distribution chains controlled by Hollywood studios and big name rental stores.
National TV
Democracy Now is another success story, an example of an idea that has been able to grow from amateur status to national acclaim. The one hour news program, hosted by Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzales, began as a radio show in 1996 and went to TV only a few years ago from a studio in the attic of an old New York firehouse. Using a Globecaster switcher and several inexpensive camcorders to shoot the daily live newscast, the program can now be seen nationwide on local public access and NPR affiliate stations and is available on both Dish and DirecTV satellite networks.
Another Type of Network
LinkTV is a nonprofit satellite network distributed on both Dish and Direct TV satellite systems, available in over 22 million homes. Under FCC guidelines satellite providers are required to allocate 4% of their channels to non-commercial, public service programming. LinkTV fills that niche, broadcasting short documentaries, feature length productions, plus news and commentary by independent producers and alternative sources from the far corners of the earth. It regularly airs programming assembled on consumer and prosumer gear, representing a new model of viewer supported television that is working, a definite direction of things to come.
The Good News
The good news is that the possibilities are endless. With high definition camcorders and computer based editing now an affordable reality, broadcast image quality is no longer in question or an issue. All it takes is a good idea and access to the proper tools to turn out professional video productions.
Then there are sites like YouTube and Google video, TV for the people and by the people. Now anyone can have a chance at 15 minutes of fame, uploading clips like the “History of Dance,” a short camcorder video that has been viewed by millions, driven to internet fame by viral word of mouth promotion. At no other time has the ability to produce and share video on a national and international scale been so attainable. These outlets have such an abundance of programming that they now offer an alternative to mainstream forms of entertainment.
The Bad News
In almost direct contrast, the funnel that controls what videos are seen is getting smaller and smaller, especially when we talk about major media outlets. Although our cable systems and satellite TV distribution networks may display hundreds of channels, the many different networks are actually owned by just a few major corporations. That basically means that the programming which makes it though must fit into a rather limited mold of American pop culture which is heavy on fluff and low on substance.
Right now the FCC is currently considering a vote that would have a major impact on media ownership and concentration. To protect free speech and insure diversity, in 1945 the Supreme Court made it clear that “the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to the welfare of the public…a free press is a condition of a free society.” Federal law limited the number of TV, radio and newspaper outlets a single company could own in any city or across the country. The rules were relaxed in 2003 and in spite of a great public outcry against media consolidation, FCC public hearings are taking place right now over a proposal to relax these rules still further. When the television, radio and newspapers in a city or region are all owned by one company, the news we hear each day can no longer be said to be truly balanced.
The End of the Internet as We Know It
As it stands right now, the internet is an even playing field, a system known as equal access or in political speak as “net neutrality.” This basically means that all web sites have the same access to people surfing the net. The time it takes for your personal web page or the web site of a small business to appear is the same as is required to view a page on the web site of a major corporation. Unfortunately the internet as we know it may be coming to an end in the not too distant future.
Under the terms of a recent merger by AT&T and Bellsouth, AT&T agreed to preserve “net neutrality” for two years. AT&T wants to be able to charge more for fast access to the internet, regulating those without deep pockets to second class status with slower performance. You’ll have to pay extra if you want timely email delivery, applying a digital “stamp” or cost to each email you send out. The internet would become a tiered system like cable, in which you pay one price for basic service and more for advanced services and faster bandwidth. Part of this may come from the telecommunications industry’s desire to turn internet broadband into a cable TV delivery service, a single system that provides your TV, phone and long distance along with internet services, much the way cable providers are doing right now.
Concerned? You should be. The open highway of the internet has been a boon for our economy, creating thousands of new businesses and providing a much needed boost to established businesses of all kinds. A change in the rules could segregate the internet into haves and have not’s, once again giving the upper hand to mega-corporations over the little guy.
Public access channels are created by franchise fees charged to cable systems. Local communities have no control over satellite delivered TV or channels delivered over phone lines. This means the funding for public access could disappear.
There are those who are working to counter these developments. Memphis Tennessee played host in 2007 to the Media Reform Conference, a national gathering of over 3500 concerned citizens and media activists, including notable names like former PBS host Bill Moyers, Helen Thomas of the White House Press Corps, and movie star and activist Danny Glover. During the conference Representative Edward Markey, chairman of the House telecommunications subcommittee, praised FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adlestein who have consistently “battled for the public interest in media policy.” Both Commissioners were in attendance and spoke before the packed house. Commissioner Adlestein delighted the crowd later that night when he played harmonica with one of the evening’s musical acts.
Whether the public and the commissioners can hold back the tide of media consolidation is uncertain. Should we lose the internet as we know it, hopefully media savvy techno-geeks will develop a new form of communication that breaks down borders and opens the creative floodgates. There’s only one thing certain about the future of media: There is room at the table for anyone who wants to participate and it might as well be you!
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