Guardian Angel
It was an eye-opening education in the viral power of the ‘new media’
Yesterday, after a fairly long hiatus, I picked up on my blog.
I had been turning over a lot of ideas in my week of downtime, and spent a fair amout of time reading.
One book I have been captured by is Children of the Light, by Everett S. Allen, a fairly complete history of the New England whaling town of New Bedford, Mass The ‘light’ in this case is the light from whale oil lit lamps.
But yesterday, I posted about the execution of Charles I of England, and the subsequent restoration of the Monarchy as short dozen years later. It was the search for stability, something I think we all are starting to feel in the collapse of the newspaper industry.
Not more than two hours after I posted, I recieved a call from Frank Morano, who produces Curtis Sliwa on WABC talk radio. Could I come on Sliwa’s show and talk about the idea, “King of News”.
Well sure. Why not?
Coming on Sliwa’s show was simple. I didn’t have to go to a studio. All I had to do to participate was talk on my phone from home.
It was simple.
Then, shortly after I got off the phone with Sliwa’s show, the phone rang. It was a producer for a radio talk show in Boston. Could I do a show this afternoon? Why not?
When television came along it crushed radio. But radio responded. And it responded by becoming the first interactive medium. Radio call-in shows. They were fast and cheap and highly interactive. Something TV could not do without enormous cost. I mean, look how fast they can turn these ‘shows’ around, and look how easy it is to make them work technically.
All I have to do is answer the phone at home.
It makes me wonder if you could not do the same thing for TV talk shows. I mean, webcams are pretty good and so is online video transmission. (I video skype all the time). Instead of flying people to the studio, couldn’t you do TV call in shows, like talk radio (which has some pretty astonishing ratings and pretty astonishing low cost of production) with webcams?
Oprah? Are you reading this?
OK.
Maury?
7 Comments
invitedmedia January 07, 2009
that dude’s voice (sliwa) just made me very hungry for a corned beef sandwich with a couple of dill pickle spears.
no kidding!
rosenblumtv January 05, 2009
Hey Art
Many thanks!
cool
Art January 05, 2009
here is a link to the Sliwa show. MR starts around 14:30
http://tinyurl.com/a6zttk
Art January 05, 2009
Any chance in posting the mp3 links to the shows you were on?
Good to have you back mate.
Duane Halgrimson January 03, 2009
Gee Does anybody remember watching saturday morning cartoons ? The JETSONS ! George Jetson was always trying to avoid his boss , because he couldn’t tell a fib while on the viewer/video phone! Jump several decades,
Cisco Systems has been video conferencing and reducing traveling for years. What does Cisco systems do? Among other things they build the servers and routers that fill data centers around the world where electric rates are cheapest not just to run the electronics but the air condtioning to keep them cool.
The possible hardware thing the internet has to a heart!
As a result fo their ability to have meetings with their associates around the world their corporate structure has been completely changed. Depending on the project needs, people are much more empowered and decisons are arrived by concensus. sounds like democracy at the corporate level.
Notice I didn’t mention a Journalist .
What if being a jounalist was kind of a middleman for a certain length of time say a hundred years or so until there was no need because of the technology changes on who uses the technology?
Just a thought.
Shep January 02, 2009
This is already done. You’ve probably flipped on a news broadcast, and seen an interview with someone at another site, where the split screen it.
As for talk shows, the ESPN show Around the Horn (5:00 PM Weekdays) has a host in a studio in Washington, and then four sports reporters from around the country debating. All of them stay in their respective cities, and the show is done each day. There is a great amount of banter between the reporters, and the debate moves seamlessly. Its a great show, and there are never any studio guests.
The show following this, Pardon the Interruption, has a talk sequence which has a variety of sports figures come in for a five-minute discussion. It adds a little bit of flavor to a show that would otherwise just be two people debating.
Gavin January 02, 2009
Oprah is already partnering with Skype on this, often used in her show lately.