Two Items Worth Reading

First, a story of content and distribution written by Ty Ahmad-Taylor and published on Paid Content.  He is a former executive at Viacom and Comcast and makes the case against limited channel/pay firewall distribution.  It's a good read and the comments that follow are thought provoking as well.  This topic is not new to us in radio, but I found his perspective interesting and worthy of recommending.  

He states: Distributing across multiple channels in real-time—and cannibalizing existing lines of business—isn’t just the right thing to do. History will reflect that this is the only thing to do. Here’s the key fact for media companies to remember: The value of a customer who doesn’t watch a TV show or a movie is $0.

Read the entire article here

Second, is a front page story from the Sunday New York Times profiling Fox News Channel's Roger Ailes.  I think the man is a media genius.  You can love or despise his politics.  You can love or despise his channel.  But there is no debate about how successful he and the FNC brand are.  He's a nobody from the Midwest who has razor sharp instincts and smarts with the guts to bring them to life.  It's an amazing story of building something from the ground up to achieve grand success. 

From the New York Times:At a time when the broadcast networks are struggling with diminishing audiences and profits in news, he has built Fox News into the profit engine of the News Corporation. Fox News is believed to make more money than CNN, MSNBC and the evening newscasts of NBC, ABC and CBS combined. The division is on track to achieve $700 million in operating profit this year, according to analyst estimates that Mr. Ailes does not dispute.

That article is here

Breaking News or Pre-Recorded Programming?

This past weekend amidst the social unrest taking place in Iran two interesting media related things took place.

Both CNN and Fox News provided extensive live coverage all weekend, nearly 24/7, while MSNBC provided infomercials and re-runs of NBCUniversal produced Investigation series programming practically 24/7. What was MSNBC thinking? I guess big events can only happen Monday through Friday. Weak. Are the resources of NBC News not deep enough anymore? Both FNC and CNN had their big gun news people in the house and both had a fairly deep bench of people trying to uncover information worldwide.

It seems to me that the competitive battle here dictates you throw the budgets and egos away and do what needs to be done to be competitive. A good reminder for us radio folk.

Secondly, this weekends news events are yet another seminal moment in the development of social networking and video enabled smartphones (worldwide) and the power that Twitter possess. In fact, much of the information (that Fox and CNN is using) coming out of Iran was through mobile handheld video and Tweets. Powerful.

Fox was using a Twitter aggregator I had not heard of before. You can check out Monitter here. Simply type in key words in each of the three provided headers and watch the worldwide Tweets start displaying. BTW--wouldn't it be interesting to monitor the activities of your competition this way? Hmmmm.

Radio Guy Glenn Beck Changes Channels From HN to FNC

Politico and Drudge report the story this afternoon:

From Politico:

Drudge teased this earlier, and Fox News has announced that conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck is joining the network, leaving behind CNN's Headline News. Beck will host a show at 5 p.m. on Fox beginning in the spring.

It hasn't yet been determined when Beck's last day will be, but I've heard from a network source that Headline News was already prepared to re-air "Lou Dobbs Tonight" at 9pm, instead of Beck's show (which first airs at 7pm). When Beck leaves, Dobbs show will be in the 9pm slot.

"Glenn has been a terrific employee and colleague to many of us at CNN," a network spokesperson said in a statement. "We wish him well.”Glenn Beck has signed a multi-year agreement to join FOX News, announced Roger Ailes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FOX News. Beginning next spring, Beck will host FOX News Channel’s (FNC) 5 PM/ET weekday program as well as a weekend show on the network.

Currently, Beck serves as the host of Glenn Beck, a talk show on CNN’s Headline News which has grown more than 200% in viewership in both the 7pm and 9pm timeslots since its 2006 debut. He also hosts a daily radio show The Glenn Beck Program which is syndicated via Premiere Radio Networks to more than 300 stations nationwide as well as XM Satellite Radio, and ranks as the third most listened to radio talk show in America among adults 25-54.

In making the announcement, Ailes said, “As we embark on a new political landscape, Glenn’s thought provoking commentary will complement an already stellar line-up of stars at FOX News”

Prior to his television career, Beck served as a talk radio show host at WFLA-AM in Tampa, FL where he took his program to number one within his first year there. He began his radio career in Corpus Christi, Texas as the youngest Top 40 morning show disc jockey in America at 18 years of age. Beck later moved on to become a top 40 disc jockey in major markets around the country, including Houston, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Phoenix and New Haven, CT.

Beck added, “I am thrilled and profoundly humbled to have the chance to bring my program to FOX News. Expanding my audience is exciting, but I'm really looking forward to joining Mr. Ailes and his world-class team."

A recipient of the 2008 Marconi Award for Network Syndicated Personality of the Year from the National Association of Broadcasters, Beck is also the author of the New York Times bestseller An Inconvenient Book - Real Solutions to the World’s Biggest Problems (2007) as well as The Real America - Messages from the Heart and Heartland (2005).

A Model To Find Tomorrow's Talent

Fox News is all about TALENT. Roger Ailes gets talent and the essential need for developing new talent as well, if not better, than anyone in the media business. FNC is constantly trying out new people and even entire long form programs with fresh casts of interesting people. Ever see Red Eye? It's a great show...you will probably have to TIVO it since it's on at 3am ET.

The cable news channel also promotes a very progressive intern program.

Today while scanning the TVNewser blog I saw this:

Tuesday, Oct 14

Interns Get Their Say at Fox News

Fox News launched a new page on their Website today, with content that comes entirely from the network's interns. The FNCU (Fox News Channel University) page (fncu.foxnews.com) includes stories and videos from current interns and the application process if you'd like to be an intern.

Also featured on the site is an intern interview of FNC anchor Shepard Smith, about how he got his start in the business and his experience with interns at FNC.

Currently led by FNC's VP of recruitment, Brigette Boyle, FNC's summer internship program officially launched in 2004, and the network has had interns since the network began in 1996.

You can bet, among other things, this program is designed to sift through aspiring young talent and identify the next Sean Hannity or Sheppard Smith. [And let's not forget that FNC has committed to a content rich web experience and this is just another way to do that.]

I know radio stations have interns, but how many intern programs give their interns an entire website and encourage them to produce content?

Seems like a terrific idea to me.

The Fairness Doctrine

Yesterday on Laura Ingraham's Fox News show there was a discussion regarding the possible return of the fairness doctrine.

I feel very strongly it should never return. Among other things modern day talk radio would be severely crippled without the programming freedom it has encouraged. Whether the opinions are from the left or the right, stations should be free to program Ed Schultz or Rush Limbaugh or whomever they desire. Let the marketplace decide what content stays and what goes.

Also, there was a very bazaar comment about how Britney Spears replaced local music on corporate owned radio stations across the country. Odd.

Watch the segment for yourself right here.

Laura Ingraham Off Radio (for now) and On Fox News Channel (for now) at 5pm ET

If you have been reading the radio trades the last couple of weeks there's been lots of chatter surrounding Laura Ingraham going absent from her radio show. This afternoon TV Newser breaks the news that she is getting her own 5pm show on FNC --at least for a while.

Ingraham In at FNC

Just In with Laura Ingraham is the name of the new (and most likely temporary) 5pmET show launching next week on Fox News Channel. TVNewser has learned the show will fill out FNC's late afternoon schedule for at least the next few weeks.

We're told the Ingraham show is also intended to give morning-to-night anchors Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer a break from double anchoring duty. Former 5pmET anchor John Gibson continues his radio show while Heather Nauert will be filling in on the FNC anchor schedule.

I hope radio isn't losing one of its stars to TV; or will she be doing both radio and TV? And if she is doing radio, what network will she be on? And when?


Now, FNC needs to find a way to get the wildest talk show on TV, Red Eye, on the radio. Haven't seen it? Might be because it is on in the middle of the night. This is definitely a major Tivo alert!! Or check out the on-demand video at the FNC/Red Eye site.

Gen Y's Are Changing Everything

Those born between the years of 1986–2000 (some demographers offer slightly different years) are changing everything...as they should.

Millennials see life differently than Gen X, Jones, and Boomers because their experiences have been different in large part due to technology. Or maybe better put, what technology has enabled them to do.

There was an excellent story on The Fox Report with anchor Sheppard Smith Friday evening about the dramatic increase in Gen Y's interest in this election cycle. Consider that these teens/early 20's are coming of age at a time when all they have known is their country at war and their first political memory was the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

There was much more to this report than politics. Some of the key points:

• They crave authenticity
• BS detector high for in-authenticity
• Keep it real, no made-for-TV moments
• Email is slow
• Many without TV's
• If it's not on the internet it doesn't exist
  

If having a TV has become less important imagine how Gen Y must feel about radio (let alone a HD radio). In a few short years the first members of this group will be crossing into that all important 25-54 demo. We all must continue our march to be all things virtual and mobile but most critically we must provide content that provides high entertainment values.

Watch the video right here: