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Cross-posted at NoisyRoom.net:
I don’t know how many of you out there are following the debate on the Cowles’ Family dealings and their dynastic grip on the radio and television stations of Spokane, WA, but they have caught my attention. Check out Steve Smith’s blog at http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/conversation/. There is also a debate going on concerning the Iraq War, etc. and other topics of interest and note. Rocket’s Brain Trust has done a tremendous job of keeping the paper (The Spokesman-Review) and their online blog on their toes - and they aren’t happy about it. In fact, they are threatening to ban RBT for speaking his opinion, which by the way, is always backed up by hard facts as far as I can tell… I want you to take a look at RBT’s post below which was yanked and then he was asked not to post any more and was threatened with being banned. A long tradition in the blogosphere is that unless it is profane, too graphic or should not be exposed because it will hurt someone, you NEVER edit comments on your blog. Given, this is Mr. Smith’s blog and he can do as he likes. That’s his right - however, the paper may want to be careful how they and their representatives conduct themselves because it comes across as censorship - pure and simple… I see nothing wrong with this post and it is a great read. Judge for yourself, but I will tell Mr. Smith that the blogosphere is just getting warmed up on this - let’s dance:
Mr. Smith and I have engaged in this debate many times before.
I’m a fan of Hugh Hewitt and his book Blog. We are living in a communications reformation period as great or greater than Martin Luther’s time when control of the news/thought of the day was wrested away from the elitist aristocracy of the day and the Catholic Church.
With the advent of the Net/Blogos the medium of exchange is essentially free. No longer must vast overhead and infrastructure be supported to deliver content. Content no longer need be hyped or sensationalized to pander for readers/viewers for audience share/ratings to deliver advertising revenue and derive a profit.
The game is now the relevance of the content in the readers’/viewers’ daily lives re hyper-focused local neighborhoods that share local news, thought, info and has predictability of future events in one’s own daily life.
The $64 question is how to monetize this so folks who aggregate and make available content can be financially rewarded and motivated to produce. The dinosaur media paradigm is in a death spiral. Those who can think outside the box and find a new business model/paradigm will be the new Bill Gateses, Paul Allens, and Steve Jobses of the new communications era.
A thought that I shared with Mr. Smith in the discussion thread re Iraq, is my displeasure re the MSM/AP reporting out of Iraq has lagged far behind what the citizen embeds were filing in their reports. In fact on many occasions the MSM has been duped or complicit in carrying enemy propaganda to achieve what it can’t on the battlefield - not in obtaining the continued will and support of the American people (See www.mediamythbusters.com).
There are several very good citizen reporters on the ground in Iraq providing much more relevant news than the MSM can provide that is almost entirely reader supported by PayPal accounts. In short the reader is the end customer and not the advertisers.
As Hewitt suggests it’s the statistical parable of the “long tail” of the Net/Blogos re small fractional contributions by many small sources. While I don’t agree on many issues with Ron Paul, Republican Presidential Candidate, his campaign has raised considerable support by way of small Net contributions.
Also consider Apple’s success with IPODs and ITunes. Then consider the video/audio podcasting being done by the Blogos on issues of importance relevance that is bypassing the MSM and speaking directly to the people e.g, Michelle Malkin and Glenn Reynolds “Instapundit.”
I might mention I’m about to put a ball in play that will demonstrate the power of the people re social networking that comes together in an ad hoc nature to achieve a common goal.
This will rock the very foundations of the S-R establishment which IMHO has failed the citizens of Spokane in its core duties and responsibilities WE THE PEOPLE have given it under the First Amendment to inform and educate us so we can hold those WE CHOSE to govern accountable.
And yes, Mr. Smith, I have given you credit in the past for your brilliance in this area to bring the S-R’s ship on course. However my complaints re your coverage and service to the people are well known. Will the S-R et al go down like the Titanic of the past century or will it prosper and evolve in this new medium of the 21st Century?
Kill this if you would like but please remember “nothing” disappears forever in this new medium. As Laura Ingraham is fond of saying:
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
RBT
PS: To my groupies Mr. Brookbank and Mr. David: this translates as it’s time for the people to storm the Bastille and to restore the heart and soul of Spokane.