Remember how the newspaper industry was devastated by the fundamental shift in media consumption habits driven by the internet, and the music industry was devastated by the fundamental shift in media consumption habits driven by the internet? Yes, well. The radio industry is also being devastated by the fundamental shift in media consumption habits driven by the internet. FYI.
In your misty Thursday media column: NBC's newsmagazine will be like every other newsmagazine show, a lawsuit against HuffPo goes forward, the WaPo's chairman leaves, the NYDN screws up, and a press release newswire war.
While Australian TV news journalist Alison Ariotti reports from "the frontlines" of Perth or whatever, a black car rams right into the back of a red car and ha, the person who owns the red car will probably be surprised when they watch the news, eh? Focused Alison doesn't let the crash interrupt her reporting in any discernible way—she just keeps on talking about "the impressive crowds" of English people who are doing something somewhere that maybe involves tombstones. "Curiosity made me want to turn around but professionalism told me to just keep talking," she says. [YouTube]
In your wacky Wednesday media column: Christiane Amanpour's reportedly unhappy, the New Orleans paper's crazy Twitter scheme, the Hackgate Phone Zero located, and Wikileaks isn't so easy to copy after all.
One basic characteristic of journalism is this: its content is not bought and paid for and directed by an advertiser. It might be vapid. It might be poorly written. It might be damn near worthless. But it's not an advertisement.
Here's the thing about the internet sites Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google: you do not need to read a magazine about them. For one thing, if you want to learn about them, you can simply type their address into your internet browser, and there they are, updated constantly, by the second, rather than monthly, as would be a case with a magazine. Want to know more? Why not read one of the thousands and thousands of blogs and online news sites that talk about them each and every day?
Rupert Murdoch must have imagined Steve Jobs would be a feisty dinner guest. Even still, the News Corp. chairman couldn't have foreseen that, in one night at the mogul's Carmel, California ranch, Jobs would call his tech people incompetent, get a guy fired, and say that Fox News was literally destroying the world.
In your trippin Tuesday media column: post-pullout Iraq media plans, Dylan Byers to Politico, Harvey Levin lectures, a Bloomberg discrimination lawsuit, and rumors of layoffs at Martha Stewart Living.
Lisa Belkin used to write a parenting blog called Motherlode for the New York Times. Earlier this month, she was hired by the Huffington Post. Now, she finally gets to spread her wings and allow her creativity to flourish.
In your magic Monday media column: Michele Norris takes a hiatus at NPR, fuckery at Gannett, The Daily Beast TV is here, newspapers roll out a false slogan, and Charlie Rose on morning television would be... good.
Considering that Grand Rapids, Michigan is one of America's hotspots for slick production values, we're somewhat surprised by the poor panning work displayed in this Fox 17 Morning News excerpt. Hey Camera Person, you're supposed to train the camera on the lady who's talking about the gas lines or whatever, not the two anchors who are just sitting there in silence, clutching their mugs full of vodka Nescafe. For our amusement, anchorman Mike Avery responds to the mishap by making a bunch of exaggerated facial expressions that are not only fun to imitate but possibly indicative of a past career in silent movie acting.
In your finally Friday media column: News Corp's annual spanking ensues, The Chicago Tribune's poor, the NYT's modest digital growth, cable news loves the gays, a Tim Hetherington exhibit, and I tell you which boxing blog to read.
In your tragic Thursday media column: more info on the companywide layoffs at Village Voice Media, the NYT Co. makes money, a Washington Post heiress has a bright idea, The Economist screws up, and newspaper layoffs are back.
Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg is sticking up for billionaire mogul Rupert Murdoch as shareholder activists try to depose the aging News Corp. chairman.
Over the summer we told you how fading fuckwad Glenn Beck was fleeing the liberal north to go inhabit his own $20,000-a-month rental Alamo in Dallas. Well, he must feel at home in his new hometown, because now he wants to turn an old megachurch in the Dallas suburbs into the headquarters for GBTV.com—his subscriber-based Internet cry- and clown-porn channel.
Wired magazine's web site is doing something that sounds cool—"embedding" a reporter with the Anonymous movement, so she can write a "concise history of the lulzy collective...explain their social structure, and [d]ocument their exploits and raids as they arise." Oh, and she promises never to reveal the identity of any Anon, anywhere. Because that would be mean!
In your drizzly Wednesday media column: a prime time shakeup at MSNBC, key staffers laid off at the Village Voice, Reuters' editor writes a crappy memo, The Daily does something right, and Gary Knell's upcoming ass kissing campaign.
