April 10, 2006

Message From Michael
April 10, 2006

• FAKE TV NEWS – WIDESPREAD AND UNDISCLOSED


• DVR’s AND THE 30-SECOND SPOT


• AGGREGATING OR AGGRAVATING LOCAL NEWS


• COCKTAIL CHATTER

• FAKE TV NEWS – WIDESPREAD AND UNDISCLOSED: That was the headline of a recent study by the Center for Media and Democracy looking at the use of video news releases by TV news operations. The study tracked 36 VNR’s and found 69 stations aired them, often times in full and word for word. The study also found that ten stations, including some of the VNR stations, used satellite media tours offered by corporations and public relation firms. The authors note, the situation wasn’t limited to small stations on shoe-string budgets. Nearly two-thirds of the VNR’s were aired in top 50 markets and thirteen of them were aired in the top ten markets – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston. And the corporations also ran the gamut from the largest, traditionally strong journalistic operations to the smallest. Most of the stations cited in the report aired ‘only’ one VNR. The notable exception was the Sinclair-owned Fox affiliate in Oklahoma City, KOKH, which aired SIX VNR’s.From reading the write-up on the website prwatch.org, the study appears to have been prompted in part by a remark by RTNDA President Barbara Cochran that VNR’s were like the Loch Ness Monster, “everyone talks about it, but not many people have actually seen it.” So, to prove its point, the report shows the original VNR and the actual newscast. The report notes that the 36 VNR’s represent less than one percent of VNR’s offered to newsrooms each year. The headlines used by the Center also tell part of the story: Shopping Advice from a Store Bought Expert… A spitting image of genuine news… Journalism on loan… No accounting for ethics. The report urges people to write to the Federal Communication Commission and it calls for “Whistleblowers” -- asking people working in the media to contact the center if their station or news operation runs “fake news without disclosure.” The entire report, along with the video’s, can be seen at prwatch.org.


• DVR’S AND THE 30-SECOND SPOT: Three separate reports tell a great deal, and not much, about the impact of DVR’s on commercial viewing. First, a fact – DVR penetration is at 9% of U.S. television households and is expected to double to 18% by the end of the year. Now, on to the studies. One is a survey by the Association of National Advertisers which found that 70% of 133 national advertisers believe that DVR’s and Video-On-Demand will “reduce or destroy” the effectiveness of 30-second spots. When DVR’s reach a critical mass of 30 million homes, 60% of the advertisers say they will spend less on conventional TV advertising. They’re looking for alternative forms of advertising. Another study funded by the four major networks found that ad recognition and ad recall is virtually the same among DVR and non-DVR users. Their explanation is that many ads run frequently and that fast forwarding requires a certain amount of attentiveness. The report in Media Daily News does note that the study backs up earlier studies that show DVR users are heavy TV users. The third is an analysis of Nielsen’s minute-by-minute viewing. It shows, not surprisingly, that virtually no-one stops to view a commercial when watching in time-shifted mode. As the report, again in Media Daily News, says, the fact that people skips ads isn’t ground breaking, but the Nielsen figures do show more concrete evidence of the practice.


• AGGREGATING OR AGGRAVATING LOCAL NEWS: Internet giant Yahoo has announced it is getting into the local news business. At least in terms of aggregating news. The move is raising red flags among local news users. Not to dismiss the move in any way, but trying the site ended up being a frustrating experience. Looking for local news for Athens, Georgia, generated nothing. Of course, the site is still in its beta phase. By comparison, a search for local news for Athens using the topix.net site ended up with two stories out of the student-produced newspaper which were two days old.


• AGGREGATING OR AGGRAVATING CITIZEN JOURNALISM: A report carried by Agence France Presse quotes “media futurists” who say citizen journalists will be producing half of the world’s news by 2021. The report notes that many newspapers are trying to cash in on the move by creating blogs. Another report cites a website created in conjunction with several major newspapers trying to capitalize on the trend. The site yourhub.com is designed to provide a combination blog and social network for newspapers. The report cites Newspaper Association of America statistics that show only 51.6% of Americans read a newspaper in 2005 compared to the heyday of newspapers in the 1960’s when 80%-plus read newspapers. On a related note, several publications make note of the trend to ‘free’newspapers which are distributed at railroad stations and bus terminals in major cities and their impact on the daily, paid subscription newspapers.


• COCKTAIL CHATTER: China has overtaken the U.S. in overall Internet usage. According to a report in Forbes.com, quoting Chinese website Sohu.com, China has between 150 and 200 million Internet users, who spend nearly 2 billion hours online. In comparison, the U.S. has 154 million ‘active’ Internet users who spend 129 million hours online. The latest Pew Internet and the American Public study shows the so-called digital divide is narrowing with nearly two thirds of blacks 18 and older (61%) now connected to the Internet. That’s nearly three times the number (23%) connected in 1998. Another report by Pew shows 77% of black teenagers are online. Nintendo is creating video games for the baby boomer generation. The games, called Brain Age and Big Brain Academy employ reading and math exercises designed to stimulate the brain. The latest procedure/ fad for people going to salons is Japanese ear cleaning. German media group Bertelsmann is creating a social networking operation a la facebook.com and myspace.com but aimed at older people. According to trend watching newsletter, Springwise.com, shops are popping up all over Tokyo with ‘professional ear cleaners’ cleaning out wax building and that it is expected to come to the U.S. It follows two other procedures (which I also wasn’t familiar with) Brazilian waxes and Indian eyebrow threading.


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