Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Burn TV stations to the ground
Not quite, but he's right about what you could do with the vastly inflated salaries they pay newscasters in the US. Michael Rosenblum at the RTNDA conference in April last year. He teaches VJ and CamJo courses.
US Radio Wanes
This analysis is one of the best I've seen on the challenges facing radio in the US - much of it applies on this side of the pond too.
News remains an important part of what was once simply called radio. In many ways, indeed, the tradition of listening to the news — aural transmission is the original way people got news — is among the most enduring.
But the radio business is undergoing no less of a revolution than any other part of media. The audience is fragmenting across new listening platforms. The revenue models are unclear, and which technology will emerge is uncertain.
What we once knew as radio is now something more complex and in many ways more interesting. In addition to the AM and FM dials, now there is satellite, HD, Internet, MP3s, podcasting, and increasingly, cell phones.
In 2007, the audience for traditional radio continued to slip some. But AM/FM listening still reached 93% of the population over 12 years old, down less than two percentage points overall since 2000.
At the same time, the audiences for new audio continue to grow. The numbers are still small. And it may be that a technology that has not yet become a major factor — cell phones — could in the end be a dominant one. Much more change, in other words, is to come.
Tons more (with charts) here
News remains an important part of what was once simply called radio. In many ways, indeed, the tradition of listening to the news — aural transmission is the original way people got news — is among the most enduring.
But the radio business is undergoing no less of a revolution than any other part of media. The audience is fragmenting across new listening platforms. The revenue models are unclear, and which technology will emerge is uncertain.
What we once knew as radio is now something more complex and in many ways more interesting. In addition to the AM and FM dials, now there is satellite, HD, Internet, MP3s, podcasting, and increasingly, cell phones.
In 2007, the audience for traditional radio continued to slip some. But AM/FM listening still reached 93% of the population over 12 years old, down less than two percentage points overall since 2000.
At the same time, the audiences for new audio continue to grow. The numbers are still small. And it may be that a technology that has not yet become a major factor — cell phones — could in the end be a dominant one. Much more change, in other words, is to come.
Tons more (with charts) here
Ireland's Medium Wave Goodbye
Enjoyed listened to a Monday lunchtime programme on RTE, a programme which was the last show to be broadcast on mediumwave in Ireland....RTE has closed down the network. Since the FM network has been there since the mid-sixties, I think that's long enough for a switch-over. Now its switch-off.
RTE's broadcasts began life on the MW service as 2RN, later known as
Radio Athlone and Raidió Éireann, and in more recent times as RTÉ
Radio 1. RTÉ introduced the superior sound of the FM service in 1966
to counteract interference and poor reception on the mediumwave band. Now, RTE has pulled the plug on mediumwave (though longwave 252 kHz is still there, partly because of the spillover into Northern Ireland and the UK Mainland.
For Medium Wave Goodbye, presenter and producer Brendan Balfe assembled a superb programme highlighting some of his favourite moments on Irish radio. Brendan promises an entertaining and fascinating 90 minutes of memories of a service which has brought the world into homes all over Ireland since 1926, capturing moments of
history and life through decades of news, sport, features and entertainment. The programme includes archive audio of request programmes, pop and trad music, features, documentaries and commentaries - as well as references to shortlived Shortwave Service from Athlone.
More here at the special RTE page. The audio show is available on line until March 31st 2008.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Global Switch Off- For an Hour - March 29th
Sunday 8pm (local time), the Earth Hour experiment will go global, backed by WWF. Copenhagen is the only city in Europe to take the plunge. Why not London, Paris or Amsterdam? http://www.earthhour.org
Newspaper Sites Beat the Broadcasters - But Why?
Having just done a study for a client, I must admit most newspaper websites are significantly better than broadcast sites, usually because of the quality of the story-telling. There are some exceptions. I think the NOS, BBC and DR are examples of public broadcasters who do provide depth to their on-line presence, doing more than just repurposing a TV story. But the vast majority of radio and TV sites are just trying to persuade you to switch off the monitor and go and look at their station's output. Golden Raspberry Prizes for the most disappointing websites? Radio France Internationale - a 130 million Euro operation with a truly terrible website. Al Jazeera English gets my vote for the most disappointing TV website. There is great, unique material on their TV service - you try and find it on the web!
This excellent post (as usual) from Cory Bergman of Lost Remote confirms my findings - she just says it better.
Better reporting and writing. Simple as that,” writes Harry Jessell in TVNewsday, who points out the obvious that nearly all local TV sites lack the depth and breadth of newspaper sites. But what about video? “That’s fine. But unless the news clips contain some really compelling video, I just as soon read about it on the newspaper website. A still photo of a fire or accident is sometimes just as good as video—sometimes better,” he writes.
He’s right. A vast majority of a local TV site’s visitors are still reading text and looking at slide shows, not watching video — 80% or more, in my own experience. Strategically, video is still critically important, but TV sites will never compete with newspapers (on average) unless the quality and quantity of text coverage and photos improve.
There are two root problems, as we’ve written about many times before. The first is the fact that broadcast scripts are not appropriate to read online. They must be rewritten, usually by a web producer because the reporter A) “doesn’t have time” or B) can’t write. From a financial perspective, the time rewriting this script is a wasted cost. Reporters should write their own web stories — multiple updates throughout the day if needed — following AP style. (The only exception is breaking news against deadline, but they should be communicating new developments.)
The second is the misguided notion that a TV station’s web staff is there just to repurpose TV stories with a few extras here and there. As a result, TV sites are oppressively heavy on crime/fires/accidents and feature thin TV versions of newspaper and AP stories. Weekly franchise segments are just clutter — they’re not produced frequently enough to sustain their respective content sections online. And many TV-designed sweeps stories look silly when rewritten for the web. Oh, but there’s video!
Web staffs should be producing their own original content — not long features or investigative pieces (for now), but topical, wire-style stories (and slide shows, snappy blog posts and data-driven content) that fill the gaps left by TV coverage. What gaps, you say? On a daily basis, TV ignores stories that 1) have boring video 2) are too far away 3) don’t fit the story mix of a newscast 4) can’t be covered because of a lack of resources… etc. But an enterprising web producer can pick up the phone and turn a one-page story in an hour or two.
To get there, stations must shift more human resources to the web. “If stations intend to stay in that game and challenge the newspapers for local dominance, they had better start beefing up their stable of local editors, reporters and columnists—and showcasing them,” writes Jessell. “Perhaps it’s time to raid the newspaper for talent rather than another station.”
Good advice. Because TV sites can’t depend on breaking news, video and weather coverage to stay competitive in the months and years to come. Newspapers are getting faster at breaking news, and they’re starting to shoot video. Weather is gradually slipping away to portals and other pure plays. And online advertisers are hungry for categories like health, travel and sports. If local TV sites want to excel in the years to come, they have to take it to the next level. And expanded coverage is one place to start.
This excellent post (as usual) from Cory Bergman of Lost Remote confirms my findings - she just says it better.
Better reporting and writing. Simple as that,” writes Harry Jessell in TVNewsday, who points out the obvious that nearly all local TV sites lack the depth and breadth of newspaper sites. But what about video? “That’s fine. But unless the news clips contain some really compelling video, I just as soon read about it on the newspaper website. A still photo of a fire or accident is sometimes just as good as video—sometimes better,” he writes.
He’s right. A vast majority of a local TV site’s visitors are still reading text and looking at slide shows, not watching video — 80% or more, in my own experience. Strategically, video is still critically important, but TV sites will never compete with newspapers (on average) unless the quality and quantity of text coverage and photos improve.
There are two root problems, as we’ve written about many times before. The first is the fact that broadcast scripts are not appropriate to read online. They must be rewritten, usually by a web producer because the reporter A) “doesn’t have time” or B) can’t write. From a financial perspective, the time rewriting this script is a wasted cost. Reporters should write their own web stories — multiple updates throughout the day if needed — following AP style. (The only exception is breaking news against deadline, but they should be communicating new developments.)
The second is the misguided notion that a TV station’s web staff is there just to repurpose TV stories with a few extras here and there. As a result, TV sites are oppressively heavy on crime/fires/accidents and feature thin TV versions of newspaper and AP stories. Weekly franchise segments are just clutter — they’re not produced frequently enough to sustain their respective content sections online. And many TV-designed sweeps stories look silly when rewritten for the web. Oh, but there’s video!
Web staffs should be producing their own original content — not long features or investigative pieces (for now), but topical, wire-style stories (and slide shows, snappy blog posts and data-driven content) that fill the gaps left by TV coverage. What gaps, you say? On a daily basis, TV ignores stories that 1) have boring video 2) are too far away 3) don’t fit the story mix of a newscast 4) can’t be covered because of a lack of resources… etc. But an enterprising web producer can pick up the phone and turn a one-page story in an hour or two.
To get there, stations must shift more human resources to the web. “If stations intend to stay in that game and challenge the newspapers for local dominance, they had better start beefing up their stable of local editors, reporters and columnists—and showcasing them,” writes Jessell. “Perhaps it’s time to raid the newspaper for talent rather than another station.”
Good advice. Because TV sites can’t depend on breaking news, video and weather coverage to stay competitive in the months and years to come. Newspapers are getting faster at breaking news, and they’re starting to shoot video. Weather is gradually slipping away to portals and other pure plays. And online advertisers are hungry for categories like health, travel and sports. If local TV sites want to excel in the years to come, they have to take it to the next level. And expanded coverage is one place to start.
Team Tibet
This website is already banned in China (I think because of remarks I made about Chinese jamming of foreign broadcasts), so this entry isn't going to change much. But I must admit I laughed out loud when I heard that yesterday three Reporters Without Borders' representatives had unfurled a banner showing the Olympic rings transformed into handcuffs at the official Olympic torch-lighting ceremony in Olympia Greece. There were all kinds of protests when Bush visited London a while back. But in Greece, the RSF guys were arrested and then freed on bail pending their trial, which has been scheduled for 29 May at 9:00 a.m. in Pyrgos (50 miles from Olympia).
But here's the incredible part of the story. They are charged with having "shown contempt for national symbols." By virtue of Article 361 of the Greek Penal Code, they could be sentenced to a year in prison as well as having to pay a fine.
RSF has responded. "This is an absurd and senseless charge. By making that gesture, we were in no way attacking the Olympic spirit, or Greece. We were simply protesting against the policy being carried out in China during this period of intensifying repression. We also wanted to use the threat of boycotting the Games' opening ceremony, an initiative we support, and encourage the International Olympic Committee to urge the Chinese government to respect human rights, as called for under the Olympic Charter," the organization asserted.
The Reporters Without Borders' three representatives are due to arrive back in Paris in a few hours time. I'm curious to hear what they will say at the press conference. It just goes to show you how three people can grab headlines in most countries of the world. Except China, of course. Has anyone noticed how CCTV9, the international service of Chinese TV, has been dumbed down in the run up the Olympics? A few years ago it was at least talking about problems in China and things been done to tackle them. Now it slipped back into being a slow, sugar-coated hand-clap for Beijing - which makes it intensely boring TV.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Vietnam: 95% of Its PCs Infected With Viruses
This startling article from Kelly Jackson Higgins, Senior Editor, Dark Reading
Is Vietnam the next haven for cybercrime? The country is apparently facing a major Internet security crisis, with some 95% of its PCs infected with viruses and 40% of its stock brokerages vulnerable to attack, according to government sources there.
Officials from Vietnam’s Public Security Ministry told attendees at a security conference held there this week that security and data protection are at risk due to limited investment and spending on IT and security, as well a lack of awareness among users of Internet security threats, according to the People’s Daily Online.
“The risk of data and network security breaches is at an alarming rate. According to reports of BKIS (a leading local network security center in Vietnam) and VNCERT (Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team) under the country’s Ministry of Information and Communications, in 2007, some 25 percent of major Vietnamese Websites are vulnerable to hackers’ attacks, and 95 percent of personal computers were infected with viruses,” said Dang Van Hieu, deputy minister of public security at the conference.
The ministry reportedly found security vulnerabilities in 140 Websites of key agencies and companies in Vietnam, including Websites with the domain “gov.vn” containing malware from foreign attackers, according to Nguyen Viet The, an official with the Ministry’s department of technology.
Last year, 342 Vietnamese Websites were hit by attackers, 224 of them from outside the country. And over 33.6 million computers were infected with viruses.
BKIS, meanwhile, says financial brokerage sites remain vulnerable as well. “In March 2007, we warned of errors in 12 out of 22 stock brokerage Websites which could be used by hackers to take control of or manipulate data and transactions. In late 2007, we still found errors in 40 percent of a total of 60 securities Websites,” said Nguyen Tu Quang, BKIS director.
Is Vietnam the next haven for cybercrime? The country is apparently facing a major Internet security crisis, with some 95% of its PCs infected with viruses and 40% of its stock brokerages vulnerable to attack, according to government sources there.
Officials from Vietnam’s Public Security Ministry told attendees at a security conference held there this week that security and data protection are at risk due to limited investment and spending on IT and security, as well a lack of awareness among users of Internet security threats, according to the People’s Daily Online.
“The risk of data and network security breaches is at an alarming rate. According to reports of BKIS (a leading local network security center in Vietnam) and VNCERT (Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team) under the country’s Ministry of Information and Communications, in 2007, some 25 percent of major Vietnamese Websites are vulnerable to hackers’ attacks, and 95 percent of personal computers were infected with viruses,” said Dang Van Hieu, deputy minister of public security at the conference.
The ministry reportedly found security vulnerabilities in 140 Websites of key agencies and companies in Vietnam, including Websites with the domain “gov.vn” containing malware from foreign attackers, according to Nguyen Viet The, an official with the Ministry’s department of technology.
Last year, 342 Vietnamese Websites were hit by attackers, 224 of them from outside the country. And over 33.6 million computers were infected with viruses.
BKIS, meanwhile, says financial brokerage sites remain vulnerable as well. “In March 2007, we warned of errors in 12 out of 22 stock brokerage Websites which could be used by hackers to take control of or manipulate data and transactions. In late 2007, we still found errors in 40 percent of a total of 60 securities Websites,” said Nguyen Tu Quang, BKIS director.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Is it me or them?- tracing who's at fault
Earlier this week I wasted a couple of hours, trying to trace a fault that wasn't here in the office. The ISDN connection wasn't working properly - apparatus indicated they couldn't find the line. ADSL was working OK, and I will shortly get rid of all ISDN equipment anyway, but still. Turns out that KPN, my provider for a few days more, was messing around in the switching centre and they turned me off. Brilliant. KPN Helpdesk denied it...but curiously 20 minutes after sending an e-mail the line came back. Its the fact that they didn't apologize that has made me give up on KPN - customer service reminds me of Irma Bunt, with staff trained to explain what they are NOT going to do for you. Ah well, not much longer before I switch providers.
But that reminds me to share this site http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/ . Sometimes you can't get into a site (like Blogger) and the question is - is this a problem at my end or theirs. This site checks for you.
More on Arthur C Clarke
It seems Arthur C Clarke will be buried on Saturday. Watching the news feeds, I see that marketing guru Seth Godin, has added some comments about the great science-fiction writer in his blog.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
In 1983, I was lucky enough to lead the team that turned one of his novels into a computer game, the first time science fiction authors had worked in that medium. His computer game ended up grossing more than most of his books ever did.
He really was a genius.
The most important thing you can take away: Naming things is important. He made magic things real by describing them and talking about them in ways that felt real. Once something feels real, making it real is a lot easier.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
In 1983, I was lucky enough to lead the team that turned one of his novels into a computer game, the first time science fiction authors had worked in that medium. His computer game ended up grossing more than most of his books ever did.
He really was a genius.
The most important thing you can take away: Naming things is important. He made magic things real by describing them and talking about them in ways that felt real. Once something feels real, making it real is a lot easier.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Memories of the Arthur C. Clarke Interview
The photo is from Wikipedia in 2005. It is funny, but that's exactly how I remember Arthur C Clarke when I visited him in April 1985 and interviewed him for Media Network, a show I produced and presented for Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Arthur C Clarke always seemed to be timeless.
I was on my way to cover the Expo 85 in Japan and the cheapest way to get there was by Air Lanka. But, as it turned out, the time I spent in Sri Lanka was just as interesting as Tokyo, following up on broadcast history at both SLBC and Radio Netherlands media correspondent Victor Goonetilleke.
I remember phoning Clarke's diving business to ask for an interview. Clarke answered the phone himself. At first he didn't want to do the interview - I guess he had journalists on the phone at a regular basis. But I explained I was more interested in his scientific work than trying to find out what his next book was going to be about. But, in the end, he agreed.
I found a British scientist in the middle of tropical Colombo literally in technical paradise. Companies were asking him to be part of conferences on the future - and the future of communications. He showed me his 3 metre satellite dish and we spent over an hour scanning the skies for weak signals. Nothing was scrambled and you could see TV networks setting up feeds from different parts of Europe and Asia, often hours before they went on the air. I found the original interview this morning and posted it here. It runs about 7 minutes and was part of a longer documentary I made on broadcasting in that part of the world.
I shall always remember being given a pen upon leaving which was inscribed "stolen from Arthur C Clarke". I eventually lost the pen, but remembered the punch-line. Arthur's passing at age 90 is a celebration of a wonderful life. He had a remarkable ability to enthuse people about the universe and life in general. And his predictions, for the most part, were spot on.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Messing Around with Maps
What is Google up to with maps?
this from today's Google blog
We realize that you know your neighborhood best. So to provide the most accurate maps possible, Google Maps is open to user edits. People have moved markers of their homes and businesses all around the U.S. and Australia, making Maps work even better.
And so we thought: Why stop there? Moving placemarks is just scratching the surface. After all, when a new place opens in your neighborhood or an old favorite changes its location, wouldn't be nice to have that change reflected on Maps immediately?
Now in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, you can log into your Google account to edit a place on the map. You can even mark that a business has closed to save someone an extra trip. Of course, we've taken steps to help protect accuracy -- for example, you'll still be able to see the original listing information along with the history of changes made.
Not sure that the commercial world will take lightly to this....mark your competition as out of business, or may be the Tibetan monks can create a new country without having all that hassle with Beijing. Can see this feature being misused very quickly.
ama hulu!
Wish these guys were more honest. NBC's Hulu video site should be saying "we have absoltuely no plans to provide streaming services outside the USA at this time".
Monday, March 17, 2008
ForumOxford Mobile Meeting -April 18th 2008
Oxford University Department for Continuing Education has defintely one of the better conferences around on mobile developments. That's because it is run by passionate people who are there for the networking opportunities and a bit of fun...not one of these commercial traps that throw you into darkened rooms.
The University of Oxford's new Next Generation Mobile Applications Panel ForumOxford has been live since September 2005 and now has over 1500 members from over 80 countries. The membership is growing now at 2.3 new members per day. They have over 1500 topics and have become more active, now adding 11 new topics per week. The discussions in the topic threads have increased: on average 6.1 comments per thread (or 5.1 replies). In total there are over 6000 comments if you want to read it all, and they have added 1441 new comments over the past four months. To me, ForumOxford is like Twitter, but then only about the mobile industry,
Diaspora TV, Ireland
The Irish Communications Minister Eamon Ryan has announced that Diaspora TV will be on air in the UK by next St Patrick’s Day. Diaspora TV will be an RTÉ channel available on the new Freesat service in the UK. Freesat is a new free-to-air satellite service that will be available throughout the UK and across the Astra satellite footprint, covering Ireland and some other parts of Europe. It is led by the BBC and ITV. Further information is available at www.freesat.co.uk
This channel will be a hybrid of RTÉ One and RTÉ 2 with some additional programming from TG4. The One, Six-One and 9 o’clock news bulletins will be carried live. It will carry a range of home-grown Irish programming that will be of real interest to Irish communities abroad.
Minister Ryan said: “The 2001 Census in Britain records a figure of 850,000 Irish born people living in Britain. There are many more of direct Irish descent. I know that many of these people have been looking for an RTÉ channel in the UK for some time. I am pleased that foot of last year’s Broadcasting Act, this new channel will be up and running by next St. Patrick’s Day.
“I will be working closely with Minister Dermot Ahern to ensure that vulnerable groups in the UK will be supported in receiving the service. This new channel will provide the Irish abroad with a valuable link to home.”
(Source: Irish Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources via Media Network)
I wonder if this development will mean the radio channels from RTE will come off medium and longwave after all. Must be very expensive (listeners per kW) to keep those services going for Irish expats.
This channel will be a hybrid of RTÉ One and RTÉ 2 with some additional programming from TG4. The One, Six-One and 9 o’clock news bulletins will be carried live. It will carry a range of home-grown Irish programming that will be of real interest to Irish communities abroad.
Minister Ryan said: “The 2001 Census in Britain records a figure of 850,000 Irish born people living in Britain. There are many more of direct Irish descent. I know that many of these people have been looking for an RTÉ channel in the UK for some time. I am pleased that foot of last year’s Broadcasting Act, this new channel will be up and running by next St. Patrick’s Day.
“I will be working closely with Minister Dermot Ahern to ensure that vulnerable groups in the UK will be supported in receiving the service. This new channel will provide the Irish abroad with a valuable link to home.”
(Source: Irish Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources via Media Network)
I wonder if this development will mean the radio channels from RTE will come off medium and longwave after all. Must be very expensive (listeners per kW) to keep those services going for Irish expats.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Worst Enemy of Professional Speakers
Really enjoyed a couple of days of inspiring speakers at the first convention organised by the Dutch Professional Speakers Association. I am one of the founding members. Although still young, I think the organisation has done a lot to start the campaign against the biggest threat to this side of the profession - the bottle of wine! As Guido Thys explained on Saturday morning, the tradition in the Netherlands is still to spend 100,000 Euros on organising a top-level conference, but nothing on a fee for the keynote speakers. So they end up with a mumbling CEO, who is then given a bottle of wine as a reward. Reminds me of people who spend 10,000 on a great hi-fi set, but buy rubbish speakers because the money ran out. You wouldn't reward a plumber or a doctor with a bottle of wine for their services, so why do meeting planners still think they can do this with speakers?
I have followed my colleagues example. I speak or chair around 5 sessions a year for free, usually for organisations which have a cause I support. The rest is always paid. To do otherwise is actually undercutting a saturated market...and devaluing the profession.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
IFPI 2008 Suggestion is sheer madness
Just skimmed through the International Federation of Phonographic Industries annual report following a tip off from Gerd Leonhard of Music 2.0 fame. I am flabbergasted by the suggestion made by John Kennedy, Chairman and CEO in the forward. He is seriously suggesting that the problem of music piracy needs to sorted out at the internet service provider level. They need to play content policemen.
The whole music sector, governments and even some ISPs themselves are beginning to accept that the carriers of digital content must play a responsible role in curbing the systemic piracy that is threatening the future of all digital
commerce. After years of discussing and debating, I am convinced it is no longer a
question of whether the ISPs act – the question is when and how.
More than anyone else in 2007, our industry has to thank French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Chairman of FNAC Denis Olivennes for the change of mood. The Sarkozy Agreement, announced in November, is the most signiicant milestone yet in the task of curbing piracy on the internet. It sets up a groundbreaking three-way
partnership between the creative sector, ISPs and government. It takes the protection of intellectual property online into new territory, requiring ISPs to disconnect copyright infringers on a large-scale, using an automated system and to test filtering technologies. Not every detail of the French plan will be
exportable to other countries but the overriding principle behind the plan – the fundamental role that ISPs play in stopping piracy – sets an exciting example internationally. President Sarkozy summed it up: the internet must not be allowed to become a Wild West; it must be a medium where we protect our culture.
I would hope that if this crazy French model were ever exported to the Netherlands that providers like XS4all would take these buffoons to the International Court of Justice in the Hague. So they will now be required to monitor traffic for illegal music "packets"? Time for the public to vote on this with their wallets. Where do the podsafe musicians and ordinary citizens stand on this issue? If this applies to music, will be asking government to monitor e-mail traffic and IM to check that we're talking about things that are in the national interest? The Internet is the wild west....get over it and work out the new business models staring these people of the past firmly in the face. "Phonographic Industries" indeed!
The whole music sector, governments and even some ISPs themselves are beginning to accept that the carriers of digital content must play a responsible role in curbing the systemic piracy that is threatening the future of all digital
commerce. After years of discussing and debating, I am convinced it is no longer a
question of whether the ISPs act – the question is when and how.
More than anyone else in 2007, our industry has to thank French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Chairman of FNAC Denis Olivennes for the change of mood. The Sarkozy Agreement, announced in November, is the most signiicant milestone yet in the task of curbing piracy on the internet. It sets up a groundbreaking three-way
partnership between the creative sector, ISPs and government. It takes the protection of intellectual property online into new territory, requiring ISPs to disconnect copyright infringers on a large-scale, using an automated system and to test filtering technologies. Not every detail of the French plan will be
exportable to other countries but the overriding principle behind the plan – the fundamental role that ISPs play in stopping piracy – sets an exciting example internationally. President Sarkozy summed it up: the internet must not be allowed to become a Wild West; it must be a medium where we protect our culture.
I would hope that if this crazy French model were ever exported to the Netherlands that providers like XS4all would take these buffoons to the International Court of Justice in the Hague. So they will now be required to monitor traffic for illegal music "packets"? Time for the public to vote on this with their wallets. Where do the podsafe musicians and ordinary citizens stand on this issue? If this applies to music, will be asking government to monitor e-mail traffic and IM to check that we're talking about things that are in the national interest? The Internet is the wild west....get over it and work out the new business models staring these people of the past firmly in the face. "Phonographic Industries" indeed!
"Mobile" Maritime on the Great Lakes of Africa
The 200,000 fisherman that work on Lake Victoria will soon have the opportunity to use mobile phones to call for help if they get into trouble on the world's second largest inland lake. Pan-Africa mobile operator Celtel, a subsidiary of Zain, and Ericsson, in an initiative coordinated by the GSMA's Development Fund, have committed to extend the mobile networks across the Lake Victoria region, fuelling economic and social development of the lakeside communities and potentially reducing the number of fishing-related deaths each year.
Zain and Ericsson are upgrading Celtel's existing infrastructure and building an additional 21 radio sites to provide mobile coverage up to 20 kilometers into the lake. This will take about six months and ensure mobile coverage to over 90 percent of the fishing zones, where up to 5,000 people die each year from accidents and piracy.
The project will use Ericsson's Extended Range software package to more than double the effective range of radio base stations and Ericsson's Mobile Position
System, a location-based service that enables emergency authorities to
triangulate the mobile signal of fishermen in distress. Ericsson's green site solutions, including solar and hybrid power* solutions, will also be utilized to provide electric power to the base stations in the more remote island areas.
Personally, I would like to see the idea extended even further to better co-operation between mobile operators and radio stations serving those communities. With many mobiles having FM radios in them, as well as all having SMS capability, you could imagine the same system being used for weather warnings (or piracy reports) by radio stations in the area. Fishermen could then subscribe to weather warnings and/or news reports via SMS or listen at certain times for the "shipping forecast".
Zain and Ericsson are upgrading Celtel's existing infrastructure and building an additional 21 radio sites to provide mobile coverage up to 20 kilometers into the lake. This will take about six months and ensure mobile coverage to over 90 percent of the fishing zones, where up to 5,000 people die each year from accidents and piracy.
The project will use Ericsson's Extended Range software package to more than double the effective range of radio base stations and Ericsson's Mobile Position
System, a location-based service that enables emergency authorities to
triangulate the mobile signal of fishermen in distress. Ericsson's green site solutions, including solar and hybrid power* solutions, will also be utilized to provide electric power to the base stations in the more remote island areas.
Personally, I would like to see the idea extended even further to better co-operation between mobile operators and radio stations serving those communities. With many mobiles having FM radios in them, as well as all having SMS capability, you could imagine the same system being used for weather warnings (or piracy reports) by radio stations in the area. Fishermen could then subscribe to weather warnings and/or news reports via SMS or listen at certain times for the "shipping forecast".
BBC International Sponsorship - Confused?
The UK Times reports today that Rolex will be the “exclusive launch partner” of BBC.com, a revamped version of the corporation’s international web portal that was developed in order to generate revenue from non-licence feepayers outside the UK who use BBC web services. It seems I am one of 28 million people outside the UK who use the site.
The BBC says the sponsorship deals may generate millions of pounds and will “deliver a new flow of income from international visitors into the BBC for investment”.
BA and Airbus have already signed up. Personally, I have no objection to the ads around programmes, I am getting the programme for free. But I am concerned if BBC starts offering sponsorship packages for product placement or branding within an event, like sports. That sounds more like non-spot advertising to me, in which case the sponsorship should be clear during the credits at the end of the sequence. With World Service radio being grant-in-aid financed, but BBC World TV and BBC.com being advertising supported, this makes for a confusing situation. More money for lawyers though...
Times says that Bectu, the broadcasting union, has protested to BBC management over the web advertising move. A spokeswoman said: “The BBC’s reputation at home and internationally is based on its freedom from advertising and commercial pressures. We believe this will damage the BBC’s reputation as a public service broadcaster.”
Times is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who operates rival international news networks to the BBC.
The BBC says the sponsorship deals may generate millions of pounds and will “deliver a new flow of income from international visitors into the BBC for investment”.
BA and Airbus have already signed up. Personally, I have no objection to the ads around programmes, I am getting the programme for free. But I am concerned if BBC starts offering sponsorship packages for product placement or branding within an event, like sports. That sounds more like non-spot advertising to me, in which case the sponsorship should be clear during the credits at the end of the sequence. With World Service radio being grant-in-aid financed, but BBC World TV and BBC.com being advertising supported, this makes for a confusing situation. More money for lawyers though...
Times says that Bectu, the broadcasting union, has protested to BBC management over the web advertising move. A spokeswoman said: “The BBC’s reputation at home and internationally is based on its freedom from advertising and commercial pressures. We believe this will damage the BBC’s reputation as a public service broadcaster.”
Times is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who operates rival international news networks to the BBC.
Painful Loss for Toshiba Loser
Nikkei business daily reports that Japan's Toshiba Corp is expected to book a 100 billion yen ($986 million) loss in its high-definition DVD business sector and post a full-year operating profit of around 250 billion yen, falling short of its own outlook. I am surprised they didn't pull it sooner. Never personally been a fan of Toshiba - lugged around one of the early multimedia laptops for presentations about 10 years ago and it was constantly giving the blue screen of death at the wrong moment. Service in Netherlands was hopeless.
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