Interview With New Media Jim

Here’s a video interview with Internet guru, Jim Long. Or NewMediaJim to those who Tweet. The video is ok I guess, but what’s a total blast is meeting-up with Jim in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel. And Twittering about it, of course.

Product Placement Is Where It’s Gonna Be At

Why? Because product placement within online content is the only way people are going to see “the product”… whatever “the product” might happen to be. As folks increase their online viewing of TV shows, movies, etc., but creators and advertisers see less and less return on their investment in that medium, then where else is there to place the stuff? From The Online Television Picture in Europe in eMarketer:

According to Motorola, already by January 2007 nearly one-half of all broadband users in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK were watching TV on the Web over high-speed connections.

The proven formulas for making money from television content are under threat.

“Historically, broadcasters’ profits have depended on restricted access to their material—viewers had to tune in to a broadcaster-owned channel and watch advertising that covered the costs of program production, promotion and distribution,” says Ms. von Abrams. “Advertisers paid a lot to be seen in prime TV slots on these channels, and (until video recording arrived) viewers could not avoid seeing ads.”

Full story here.

I always thought Sas and Pauline would have ho’d quite well for and with… booze and cars! As for online TV, I am hooked on watching, totally free with no downloading necessary, House on Hulu. But has doing so prompted me to consume? Enroll in med school? Writhe on the floor with some mysterious illness? Nope, ‘fraid not. But say Hugh Laurie was drinking a certain kind of vodka? I’m just sayin’…

Forget product. What I want to know is where can I “consume” even more Hugh Laurie?!

McClellan Talks To Olbermann

New Morning Radio Choice From WCLK. Yay Atlanta!

From a WCLK press release:

WCLK “The Jazz of the City” announces the launch of The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji, a fresh, new, morning drive-time news and talk program.

The Takeaway is a live program that is conversational and energetic, thoroughly covering critical news events and trends. Each edition invites listener input and response in real-time, generating lively exchanges on local, national and global issues.

The Takeaway will begin airing on Jazz 91.9 WCLK, weekdays, beginning Monday, June 2 from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m.

“Research shows that public radio listeners are tuning in more and more to news and talk magazine programming than ever before, and there’s unprecedented interest in this year’s presidential campaign,” says Wendy Williams, General Manager, WCLK.

Scott McClellan – Media Ho of the Year

What a coward Scott McClellan is. He should have stood up and been a man and taken a stance against the thieves and liars in the White House when he was there witnessing to it all, not during the window of most profit opportunity for his new book sales.

As one commenteer to Jay Bookmans’ column about McClellan’s tell-all says:

Maybe (Tony) Snow will be next. Listening to him in the past I have thought surely he can not be THAT obtuse to believe this line of BS. You watch, Snow and then blondie (Dana Perino) will “tell all” next. The cockroaches are starting to swarm away form the garbage dumb that is this Administration.

They’re all just cheap media whores. So far, Valerie Plame has taken the fall for all these White House employee clowns. I hope she is one day remembered as a martyr for the sins of the Cheney/Bush years, including the most cowardly of ‘em all, McClellan.

If I was McClellan’s momma, I’d disown him now. No, I take that back. First I’d slap him, then I’d disown him. Then tell everyone I knew not to buy his book, but rather just steal the damn thing. Because of course we all must read it now.

“Jargon is insidious.”

This video, about NOT using jargon in business communications (ha), may explain why I just want to slap people who speak like business geekazoids. I’ll take street talk jive and bad grammar over corporate-y, jargon-laden speech any day.  This also reminds me to pay a little more attention to my own use of “access” as a verb. Icky icky, I know.

more about ““Jargon is insidious.”“, posted with vodpod

Another Example of Inside-The-Beltway Astroturfing

Angry renters ranting on AngryRenters.com? I think not! The WSJ explains the latest astroturfing campaign with its genesis ITB. (They just don’t “get it,” do they?):

Angry they may be, but the people behind AngryRenter.com are certainly not renters. Though it purports to be a spontaneous uprising, AngryRenter.com is actually a product of an inside-the-Beltway conservative advocacy organization led by Dick Armey, the former House majority leader, and publishing magnate Steve Forbes, a fellow Republican. It’s a fake grass-roots effort — what politicos call an AstroTurf campaign — that provides a window into the sleight-of-hand ways of Washington.

The housing crisis has sparked broad financial and economic distress. The House of Representatives responded last week by passing a bill that would provide up to $300 billion in federal insurance to help refinance troubled mortgages. President Bush has threatened to veto it, calling the measure a reward for speculators. On Thursday, key Senate Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement in principle on a compromise housing-rescue bill.

This week, officials from FreedomWorks, the organization behind the site, delivered to Senate leaders antibailout petitions signed by 44,500 people who clicked their agreement on AngryRenter.com, at least some of whom thought its grass was real.

Full story here.

Alert The Media! Reporters Love Jesus Too!

The way this reporter handles a Government Jesus freak, one who happens to be controlling large amounts of taxpayer dollars in St. Louis, makes him my latest fave local TV news reporter. Watch and learn, kiddies.

more about "Alert The Media! Reporters Love Jesus…", posted with vodpod

Bluegrass Storm Tonight With Deja Blue!

Deja Blue plays TONIGHT, May 22, at the Red Light Cafe at 7pm. Details here. They’ll be celebrating the release of a new CD, Bucket Full of Rain. Lemme tell you, these guys can pick the fire outta some banjo and guitar. Add that fiddle playing… and wow.

To get you in the mood, have a listen and a look at some Nekkid Lady Muflaps fun & games here. Shhh… some of them are in Deja Blue too. Buy a CD tonight and I bet they’ll play Lights of Broadway on banjo for you too. (Or is it Nights On Broadway?)

The Passing of a Georgia Legend

I was hired for my first paying journalism gig, many moons ago, by a colleague of Hamilton Jordan’s from their White House years. At the time, Jordan’s name literally rang throughout Georgia, in those post-Carter years when all the Carter Administration were dispersed back home to Georgia to take-up powerful positions in politics and media and business.

I didn’t know the great man personally, although I’ve heard so many tall tales by now I feel like I do. So I’ll let Matt Towery tell the story and the fitting goodbyes.

It was a friend telling me that Hamilton Jordan, former chief-of-staff to Jimmy Carter, had finally lost a valiant, graceful, powerful battle against cancer. The phone just kept ringing after that. With no television, no phones, no Internet, I did what came natural to me. I drove to my office where there was power and wrote this column.

I understand that in the past few decades we have become such a polarized nation that it is impossible to extol the virtues of someone associated with a former Democratic president, particularly an active and often colorful former president such as Jimmy Carter, without immediately upsetting the most partisan of readers. Well, get over it. Hamilton Jordan taught a lot of lessons.

Full obit here.

Cracker Racists In Georgia? You Don’t Say?

Here we go again. A North Fulton-based magazine has stupidly chosen a very dubious picture of Obama (in cross hairs) for the cover of their rag, the Roswell Beacon. With a piece inside the not-so-delicate cover that brings-up some issues that likely need to be discussed here in Georgia: violent, white supremacist groups headquartered in the north metro Atlanta area.

Talk about a way to distribute dead-tree items in that neck of the woods, though. I will give ‘em that. Although they’ve lost at least one advertiser already with this, again, stupid cover choice of theirs. (As of 9:20am today, there is no online version of this story or controversial picture to link you to. Sorry.)

A Roswell, GA Daily Kos “diarist” (a regional blogger-contributor) got a’holt of the mag though, and now everyone’s breathing down Georgia’s back. Again. And maybe that’s a good thing. From today’s AJC:

A Roswell newspaper is defending a controversial cover illustration that placed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in a rifle’s cross hairs.

The article was pitched and reported by veteran freelance journalist Alan Sverdlik, who said he was curious how law enforcement agencies were handling the increased number of threats lodged against Obama by white supremacist groups, some of whom are based around north Fulton. Sverdlik said Tuesday he had not seen the cover and had no input in its development.

Fredericks and senior editor Tim Altork said there was little internal debate over the appropriateness of the imagery, though they were aware it was likely to create a stir.

“We knew we were on the provocative edge,” Altork said. “But it’s a very fair piece, a smart piece.”

Full story here.

FYI, neither the veteran-y freelance writer of the Roswell Beacon article, Alan Sverdlik, nor his editor, Tim Altork (a former sports writer for the laughably awful Sunday Paper), is a member of the Atlanta Press Club. So are they even “real” journalists after all?

More interesting to me, Mrs. Media Maven, is how will the Georgia blogosphere determine the fate of the Roswell Beacon (and their advertising revenue stream) now? Heads-up media types; anyone interested in ad rev to dead-tree items, you may want to watch how this one plays out, and pays out, here in GA.

Media Culture Clash

Old Media “slow and unresponsive?” Say it isn’t so. From TVNewswer today:

The New York Times’ Brian Stelter writes about former ABC correspondent Amanda Congdon, who has returned to her roots as a video blogger.

In September, Congdon left ABC News after a brief stint with the network.

Now Stelter reports Congdon is moving back to the web. “Congdon, feeling a little burned by big media, is back blogging and hosting and producing,” he writes. “Working with the independent production studio Media Rights Capital, she is reintroducing herself on ‘Sometimes Daily,’ an irregular look at life through Ms. Congdon’s eyes.”

Regarding her time at ABC News, Stelter writes, “She found producers at ABC to be unresponsive to her ideas, calling it a ‘slow and messy process.’”

The ladies of TrueGritz had something to say about Ms. Congdon when she first went to play in the Old Media playground.

NPR Likes Bloggers. Some Of ‘Em.

Atlanta blogger Amani Channel is back on the NPR roundtable,  News & Notes. Topics for this show include the new, young leader of the NAACP , same-sex marriage law in CA, and a black man gunned down in L.A. by a gang of illegal aliens. I notice they didn’t have Andre Walker back on the show. No surprise there, given Andre’s remarks of late.

Take A Load Off, Ms. Walters

It was a moment in history for me to see and hear Barbara Walters today. She is a cultural icon, and a true broadcasting pioneer. Walters spoke casually, bawdily, and with openness and honesty for about 15 minutes. Then answered some questions.

Walters seemed somewhat weary, worldly, and very wise. In a way, her message today before a room of her peers at the Atlanta Press Club was… careful what you ask for; you might get it. And you will have NO idea of the price you might have to pay, the personal sacrifices of day-to-day simple pleasures and happiness in the process.

I was a bit in awe. She was so honest, and it came through to me as a portrait of human bravery, fragility, and steely strength… all wrapped up in one iconic package.

I Twittered live during her talk and Q&A. Here’s the text of that:

A chance to interview bin Laden? “I’d pack tomorrow.” says Barbara.
Walters jokingly said list of interviews in her book is actually list of people she slept with!
Walters does a very fast “bawawawa.”
Walters, “The View is not a news program.”
Walters says worst interview was Warren Beatty. Hardest was Christopher Reeve.
Walters says her life is not private, and she wanted to tell the truth.
Barbara at the APC podium – Photo: http://bkite.com/00dZ5
Walters says Bev. Sills gave her her ring on deathbed. It said “I’ve done that.”
Walters, “I don’t want to climb any more mountains.”
Barbara dispelling any notion of an affair with Castro. 25 years between interviews! “Some relationship.”
Walters’ father lost every thing. So she had to support the family.
Walters’ ultimate influence was her sister.
Walters saying her book is her “whole package.” Warts, resentment, love & all.
Walters telling war stories. She’s riveting. She’s saying journalism has gone too celeb for her tastes. Hmmm.
Barbara being intro’d now.
At the incomparable Jacqui Chew’s table.
Just tried to snap some shots of Bawa. “No pictures!”
Hope I’m seated near AJC table!
Just bussed by Tom Houck & Mo Baker.

Seeds and Stems

*** The list of WebChallenge 2008 winners is here. The Weber School rocked it hard!

*** Atlanta’s rad rag, The Great Speckled Bird, born in the golden years of “advocacy journalism,” will hold a 40th Anniversary party on Saturday May 24th. Aesthetics warning if you go: aging hippies really need to use more Crest Whitestrips and less Hair Color For Men. Details here.

*** Speaking of aging boomers, Pete Townsend’s birthday is today. He turns 60-something.

WebChallenge Winners Announced!

I’m busily using the WebChallenge winners’ (Weber School duo) Facebook app, I Recommend It. To recommend the stunning re-design of the Georgia Podcast Network. Love ‘em both!

It’s ALL Georgia New Media. It’s All Good!

Let’s celebrate the new re-design of the Georgia Podcast Network (wow!) with a listen to Episode #17 of the Georgia Politics Podcast. Topics on #17 include:

• Keith Gross in the 80th State House District
• Why are GA Democrats doing so poorly when national party is doing so well?
• Sonny Perdue, Casey Cagle, and Sunday Sales
• Seatbelt Laws

This episode’s panelists are:

Joseph G of Dora-Blog

Catherine Smith of Blog for Democracy

Jen Brock of Blog for Democracy

Kimberly Henderson

Griftdrift of Drifting through the Grift

The Kids Are Alright

As I spent most of high school (senior year at least) skipping class to go skiing at the lake, hanging on warmed car hoods in not much more than a bikini, REOJourneyWagon blaring, watching the rednecks and townies drag race, I’m constantly amazed to find that kids do otherwise with their youthiness. The recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair here in Atlanta was a glaring example of Kids Gone Good. Shelby Highsmith was there, with cam rolling.

A Weekend Morning Kinda Thang

RIP Bobby Mondavi

Now there goes a great man, that Robert Mondavi. I’d trade all the mansions and money in the world just to see my precious brother John (always 100X more charismatic than any, say, Bill Clinton) walk right through the front door again - box of wine in one hand, bag of weed in the other. A Camel hanging from his grinning lips. And always a roaring party like it’s 1981 trailing in his every beautiful wake. Ahhhh…. the good ‘ole boxed wine times.