I did this inspired experiment to see how people would react.  Tell me what you think.

Add Comment
 
 

October 24, 2007 at 10:08 am · Filed under New Media and tagged: New Media, third screen



The future is looming like crocodiles near the water’s edge where the gazelles drink. They sense each other’s presence, but what can they do?

I sat and watched two full episodes of Kim Possible and another half an hour of Disney Channel Live…on my cellphone. I should add that the screen size mattered not, it was still an entertaining hour and a half. “What had happened was”, I was trying to avoid deadlines, so I opted to “test” the newest feature on many cells, the third screen… cellphone/PDA television. There were no lack of choices, I actually had too many programs to choose from. I could have chosen several sports or news channels; however, Disney was the first to pop up at the top of the scrollpage. I thought, hey why not? Plus, it made me feel good to know that I was going to seem pretty cool to my daughter who just recently asked me, in a sort of condescending way, if I knew what a Sidekick was. She went on to say that when she got her own “SK”, the first thing her auntie was going to show her was the ins and out of text messaging…did I mention she is nine?

People, what we have is yet another new media evolution poised to be a revolution, as the playing field for the entertainment industry becomes increasingly more level as mediamakers take prosumer equipment and software and go from concept to broadcast ready edits. At the same time the distribution machine that was once a Oz-like mystery has continued to deconstruct itself to the point that many cells/PDAs come standard Wi-Fi ready allowing free Wi-Fi hot spots, that often include whole cities, to literally skip past broadcast and cable options and deliver to the user whatever they find out there in cyberspace. Content can quite effortlessly be delivered via outlets like, podcasting for the second screen and the now increasingly popular third screen. A Reuters report reads that “the Internet, portable music players and other types of new media have widened the entertainment choices for Americans, creating competition for the $70 billion in advertising money the TV industry attracts a year.” The same report finds that 1 in 3 Americans watch TV somewhere other than on their home televisions.

The future of television now only requires this business model to connect content to revenue. I envision that those that master this aspect by generating revenue via niche advertising, while keeping consumer costs at zero and their own overhead costs low can make a fair return on investment and that ladies and gents is what will get the attention of new media investors who dare fund these projects and the advertising world who is salivating to pimp these projects to their clients and the cyber masses.

Do you currently watch video on your cell, IPod or other PDA? Do you see watching it in the future? Post your comments.

Rubin Whitmore II, hip hop media guy

1 Comment
 
 

January 29, 2008 at 5:54 pm · Filed under Guest Blogger, Television

A media critique by Wayne Friedman from TV Watch , Tuesday, January 29, 2008

CHILDREN SHOULDN’T BE WATCHING RACY TV at 9 p.m. But somehow, at 10 p.m., it’s safe to show a woman’s backside to those same children.

Last week ABC was spanked around by the Federal Communications Commission to the tune of $1.4 million in fines to some 50 ABC affiliates in Mountain and Central time zones who ran an “NYPD Blue” episode at 9 p.m. that showed a women’s backside.

Hopefully children don’t get to see their parents, relatives or parents’ friends mistakenly in a bathroom or coming out of a shower. The ” NYPD Blue” scene was about that. Detective Andy Sipowicz’ girlfriend is about to take a shower, drops her robe, talks to Sipowicz, and then, mistakenly, Sipowicz’ son gets an eyeful of her behind.

Kids running around their parents’ Super Bowl parties also got a brief eyeful, when in February 2004, Janet Jackson’s breast made an unexpected Super Bowl appearance. It was a mistake — her costume wasn’t supposed to come off.

The FCC has a strict 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. rule where indecent programming is not allowed. What about those kids who saw the Jackson breast at 10 p.m. or perhaps at other times — through means of the DVR or, more likely in 2003, a videotape recording?

In this digital age, in this time-shifted, anywhere-anytime world, a time period means nothing. The FCC needs to reinvent the rules. Procedural crime dramas are probably not good programming for eight-year-olds at 10 p.m. or 7 p.m. or 3 p.m. or just after “Sesame Street” at 9 p.m. (in regards to daytime cable reruns).

ABC did offer up parental warnings about the “NYPD Blue” episode. But the FCC said that didn’t matter — the scene was lingering. With no parents around, however, you have a bigger problem. I’d like to know if an 8- or 10-year-old read the warning, and said: “Gee, I better not watch. I’m alone and not sure what this programming is about. And I’m sure the wrong advertisers will be targeting me with all sort of cell phone ads, great deals on cars, or financial services. My allowance is only $10 a week. And, what if something yucky comes on? Eeew!”

Some of those thoughts might have occurred. But with no parents around, who can help answer those questions?

No matter. The FCC is swatting at flies while travelling down the Amazon.

Feel free to comment.

4 Comments
 
Google Analytics