[opendtv] Re: Blog: We've Only Just Begun
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 08:21:54 -0400
At 3:42 PM -0500 5/11/11, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
The radio I listen to is often a platform for local issues and
information.
Yes, Craig, but you can't use your personal tastes and personal
prejudices to come to a generalized comment. Just how many of the
radio stations available in Gainesville would you describe as being
mainly for local talk? I'll bet you, very few.
What's this got to do with me? Talk radio is popular across the
country, and commands the largest remaining radio audiences.
We have two FM talk stations in Gainesville. WSKY has 6 hours daily
of local talk and a number of local shows on the weekends. The Star
99.5 has two daily local shows...
And we have multiple music stations with local hosts who promote
local issues/events.
And when there are emergencies, like a hurricane, our local radio
broadcasters are where I turn for information.
No problem. You don't have to have a preponderance of "local
content" stations to take on this emergency role. All you need is
one crew, or perhaps two crews, in a market. And in such emergency
situations, their content can also be rebroadcast by other local
transmitters, or even TV multicasts, to provide more redundant
coverage, if need be.
We have two TV stations offering local news and a third that covers
this market via their Ocala/Orlando duopoly. But you are missing the
point entirely. These stations do provide local emergency
information, but they do so on a very limited basis, while the radio
counterparts provide much more comprehensive and useful info.
Another way to view this is that the TV news crews focus on the
sensational, especially when they can get good video of damage etc.
But they will not commit the air time to the mundane; it is too
valuable running commercials, even during emergencies.
It's simply not realistic to think that for events that may occur
once every many years, in any given market, we have to ballyhoo how
wonderful "local content" is. People flock to other media, such as
the Internet, TO GET AWAY from this sort of lack of choice and lack
of variety.
Can't argue this.
Time was when broadcasters WERE the eyes and ears of the community,
and provided information that was difficult to access in other ways.
TV trumped newspapers because they could cover stories when they
happened and add video and sound.
But those days are ancient history.
Now anyone can do what broadcasters do and make it available on demand.
For example, I don't need TV weather when I can access the same
information they get on demand on my smartphone.
Fine. So now, you want to cripple radio to local everything always,
just because it helped in one case, 7 years ago?
HUH? I'm just reporting what actually happens. Not just here in
Gainesville, but across the country.
Clearly radio is not all local. With consolidation many stations are
now just robotic playout systems for national content. And in some
cases this has left communities without the local services that radio
has done well. Fortunately that is not the case here in Gainesville.
People like myself, and like the emerging "cord cutters," do NOT use
local broadcasters for the reasons you cite. We use OTA radio or TV
because they provide the content we want (almost always that's
content available nationwide) without being tethered and beholden
to, and under the thumb of, one umbilical service.
You are in a small minority.
For some reason, you keep forgetting this. So when you mention the
alternatives, all I hear is someone trying very hard to remove the
untethered and unbeholden-to options.
What's occurring is simple to explain. The FCC finds some half-baked
and technically unsound excuse to remove the FOTA radio and TV
options. And the result is, "we want to grab your spectrum for the
benefit of these more lucrative alternative services."
The FCC is not supposed to be an advocate of only the most lucrative
of business models. That's not their job. If they want that job,
they have to get out of government and get into lobbying.
The government giveth and taketh away.
Newpapers replaced the town crier.
TV was an important service when there were no other options to
deliver video and audio.
Broadcast TV is now committing suicide because of the greed of a few
government propped up conglomerates.
But far more important, the spectrum is a public resource, and it is
the RESPONSIBILITY of the government to manage this resource. I can't
argue that the politicians do this entirely in the public interest;
clearly they are motivated by self interest. But it IS their
responsibility to put these limtied resources to the best use for the
citizenry.
Radio and TV broadcasting are NOT going away. They still play an
important role and will still be allocated sufficient spectrum to
serve the public. But they too need to consider the impact of
technology on their business, and understand that the free ride is
over; especially when they are the ones who are sucking the life out
of an outdated business model.
We just went through a transition that was known to be incapable of
reflecting the changes in technology and audience requirements that
were enumerated nearly two decades ago. So now we are looking square
in the face of doing it again. Forcing broadcasters to use spectrum
efficiently might just wake them up and start thinking about creating
a service people will actually use.
Regards
Craig
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