Message From Michael -- June 19, 2007

THE WORLD OF WIDGETS

THE TWO SIDES OF TEXAS TV

THE OTHER SIDE OF TV NEWS

RESOURCES FOR REPORTERS

COCKTAIL CHATTER


We encourage people to pass on copies of Message from Michael. But if you would like to get your own copy, you can subscribe by sending an e-mail to newsconsultant@aol.com with the word “subscribe-MM” in the subject line.

THE WORLD OF WIDGETS: It sounds like the title of a Disney movie, but there is a “widget universe” and a “widget economy” that reaches 177 Million people worldwide or roughly a fifth of the entire worldwide online audience. Digital measurement firm comScore recently announced a new service to track the use of widgets across the web. NBC-Universal announced it is providing widgets for its news and entertainment programs. And Facebook announced it is going to open its doors to third-party widget developers, which will probably mean an explosion in widget use. So, what the heck is a widget? The last time I dealt with them was in my Accounting-101 course in which I had to balance the books of the make-believe Widget Manufacturing Company. Widgets are basically mini-Web applications, or data files, that can be embedded into a site’s HTML code to provide customized content. Or in the Wiki definition, a widget enables a web user to view on demand “capsuled information from predetermined data sources.” Have I lost you yet? They’re like what we used to call macros, that can link to either advertising, pictures, music or any form of content you want to create and do it in an easy, one-touch button. The largest provider in the world (117 Million users) is Slide.com which helps people create widgets for use on their websites or blogs and link to music or slide shows of pictures. Yahoo offers an array of widget creation tools. You can use them to create downloadable interactive tools such as polls, quizzes, the latest news, advertising messages, or whatever you like on your company website or personal website or your mobile phone. And, folks, you heard it here first – they are the wave of the future. So, go get your own widgets.

THE TWO SIDES OF TEXAS TV NEWS: In East Texas (Tyler, to be specific), CBS affiliate KYTX-TV/ CBS19 has debuted their new “anchor” described in various reports as a “buxom blonde, bikini model, diva and former world wresting show hostess.” It is a 30-day gig, arranged by the Fox network to be part of an upcoming reality show titled “Anchor Woman.” The woman, Lauren Jones, told the local newspaper that she always wanted to be an anchor woman and that newscasting is a lot harder than acting. The director of the Fox show says Ms. Jones “wants to be the next Katie Couric.” Okay, what can I say? Probably best to say nothing. Just let you watch. Here is a report she did on an asthma camp: http://www.cbs19.tv/video/newplayer.php?id=2541. Meanwhile, in West Texas (Odessa, to be specific), the TVGuide channel has filmed a behind-the-scenes look at newsgathering at station KOSA-TV. Titled Making News Texas Style, the show displays “the interworkings and personalities involved in producing a local news broadcast.” Again, there is nothing I can say. Better to let you watch, and you can online at: http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/making-news-texas/288348.

THE OTHER SIDE OF TV NEWS: It seems from my readings that the last week has seen a rising tide of criticisms of journalism. Coincidental to the Texas experiments, you’ve no doubt heard about the controversy surrounding former CBS anchor Dan Rather’s comments about the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. The controversy centers on whether Rather’s comments about “tarting” up the news was sexist, but that aside, the Columbia Journalism Review notes that Rather’s comments are “timely” but could also have been made 20 years ago when Rather held the anchor chair. And even though it has received plenty of publicity, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Project for Excellence in Journalism study which reported that Fox News provided dramatically less coverage of the Iraq War (6% of daytime coverage) than either CNN (20%) or MSNBC (18%).

A worldwide poll by Harris Interactive released at the World Association of Newspapers conference found that in four out of seven countries surveyed (U.S., France, Italy and Spain) readers expect online news to overtake TV news as their main source of news in five years. Now, that part you may have heard about. What the poll also showed was that one of the reasons cited by the people for not reading a newspaper was that they’re too biased or narrow in their reporting and that news and newspapers need to improve the quality of their journalism and ensure that all views are fairly represented. A group calling itself the Culture and Media Institute says the media is assaulting moral values. As proof, the group whose motto is “advancing truth and virtue in the public square,” says two thirds (63%) of heavy TV users believe government should be primarily responsible for healthcare and two thirds (64%) believe government should be primarily responsible for retirement.

YET ANOTHER SIDE OF NEWS: The more pragmatic ‘other side’ of news is the so-called citizen journalism movement which is impacting traditional news media in several ways. A bill before the House judiciary committee titled the “Free Flow of Information Act of 2007” would provide a federal shield law for journalists. What’s particularly interesting about the bill, according to lawyer Scott Gant writing in The Washington Post, is that the bill adopts a much broader view of journalists, extending it far beyond employees of established news organizations. Gant who wrote a book titled “We’re All Journalists Now” argues that the sponsors of the bill “rightly view journalism as an endeavor that belongs to all of us.” Former Newsweek Interactive editor Todd Oppenheimer reviewing three recent books about the state of journalism in the San Francisco Chronicle raises similar questions about the impact of the so-called ‘digerati’ and the deluge of news and information online. But he has more concerns than compliments, writing “the media urgently needs teams of people who can manage today’s growing information deluge – people who can assess the material’s worth, synthesize it and turn it into something you and I want to read.”

You can read the full article at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/17/RVG7FQA8LB1.DTL&feed=rss.books.

RESOURCES FOR REPORTERS: Find out about the ‘blue carrot’ supermarket in Tucson, the ‘weird sandwich’ fundraiser for the Congressional candidate in Albuquerque, or the public access show being taped in Memphis. Website http://outside.in compiles stories from newspaper and television websites along with local bloggers and citizen media groups for 60 different cities around the country. Check out if you’re one of them and add it to your assignment list of checks. Or want to know how your Congressman is voting and why? Website maplight.org puts together campaign contributions AND Congressional voting records to paint an often unflattering picture of which wheels get the congressional grease.

COCKTAIL CHATTER: Website ABC.com was the top visited entertainment website in May, according to Media Metrix and Nielsen/ NetRatings while NYTimes.com was the most visited newspaper site in May. Comedy Central’s animated satire Lil’ Bush which started out as a mobile phone download made its linear TV debut and drew the most viewers for a premiere on the network in three years. Marketers in England are being asked to remove an ad laid out in a field that can be seen by airline passengers flying into Gatwick Airport. The ad promotes an erotic website and features a silhouette of a naked female pole dancer. It’s 100,000 square feet in size.

Finally, on a completely un-related note to anything, congratulations to former CNN Executive Vice President and former Medill University broadcast chairman Jon Petrovich for being named to head the domestic broadcast operations for the Associated Press.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: If you wish to stop receiving this newsletter, e-mail newsconsultant@aol.com with the word “unsubscribe-MM” in the subject line. Also, back issues of MfM are available at the website, media-consultant.blogspot.com. You can reach me directly at Michael@MediaConsultant.tv.