[opendtv] Re: Blog: We've Only Just Begun
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 16:45:48 -0500
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> There is no question that having boots on the ground is an important
> factor when it comes to broadcaster claims about the importance of
> "localism." It would be a stretch, however, to claim that without those
> broadcasters local businesses and organizations would not have access
> to the resources needed to reach the public. Clearly broadcasters have
> competition in this area, and it is important to distinguish between Radio
> and TV, as IMHO local radio has far greater reach in their communities
> than local TV broadcasts.
Interesting to compare local radio with local TV. We have one 24-hour all news
local radio station here, which I would compare perhaps to the 24-hour weather
multicast from our ABC affiliated TV station. Both are clearly meant to be
consumed for only minutes at a time, not as a steady diet. You tune in for the
latest, and then you go elsewhere.
That aside, the radio I listen to broadcasts some local content, as most of the
TV stations do, but mostly non-local content. Whether it's the likes of NPR or
C-SPAN radio, or whether it's music stations, it would be stretch to claim that
the content from these is mostly local, even if the DJ might be local.
> But an even more important issue in this discussion is how technology is
> affecting local communities, businesses and organizations. For example,
> via the Internet, a local newspaper can deliver ANYTHING that a local TV
> broadcaster can offer via the Internet. A local organization can reach
> the public directly without needing to rely on a middleman. And via
> social networks it is now easy and commonplace to promote events and
> causes.
And none of these examples would fill a 24-hour schedule, or keep anyone
interested more than a few minutes at a time. Maybe an hour now and again, for
some exceptional local event. Or even an hour on the outside, for a daily local
news broadcast. I just don't see how these are the activities that TV
broadcasters could survive on, 24 hours a day, except perhaps in that one SD
multicast. Do any cable channels, I mean those that people actually watch for
extended periods of time, do this? No? Then why try to burden OTA TV with that
sort of niche activity?
> So if one wants to view this from the perspective of best use of a scarce
> public resource, one could argue that broadcasters act more like
> gatekeepers for their communities, picking and choosing what gets
> coverage, while using spectrum for broadband allows anyone to reach a
> vastly larger mobile enabled population, and any individual to access -
> on demand - the kinds of information that were once the province of
> broadcasters and newspapers.
I think you have it entirely backwards. The "scarce resource" has to be used to
provide what the masses actually watch "en masse," and the less scarce resource
can be used for niche products or information items of interest to a small
minority of the population. It should be no surprise that TV thrives on content
that the masses want, rather than purely "local."
Bert
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