Traditional News Media vs Broadband Telecoms - GigaOM's Avoiding ELE After Deep Impact

When sorrows come, they come not single spies,

But in battalions.

Shakespeare, Hamlet, IV, 5

The Jamaica Observer recently got Software Architects Limited to design an app for their tabloid sheet as advertised in the article “Observer launches BlackBerry app”, published Monday, June 13, 2011, The Jamaica Observer. Looks like people are on the move away from traditional Media, which is no longer via the Newspaper, but via smartphones!

Again, no Blackberrys (albeit the app is for the Blackberry!).

The world is not perfect, but today’s launch of the Apple iPhone as anticipated in my blog article entitled “LIME and American Tourist Data Avalanche - The US$80 Million Dollar CannonBall Run” ensures that as a country we are getting there.

More on this in another article….

Tablets too, are most likely in this future mix of Traditional Media and delivery Platforms for News as my blog article entitled “Digicel, Samsung Galaxy Tablets and Newspapers - Tomorrow Never Dies and the Paper Man” and the article “Apple iPad 2 and Newspapers - Titan A.E”.

This issue comes to the fore thanks to the recent series of GigaOM articles about the future of Traditional Media in the US of A.

Apparently the Traditional News Media in BOTH Jamaica and the USA may be facing an ELE (Extinction Level Event) Deep Impact (1998) Style, brought upon them by the onward march of Telecom Providers and their ever-faster Wired and Wireless Broadband Internet as stated in my blog article entitled “Verizon, NEC and the Dawn of the Terabit Age - Audia's FlashDance and Surf's Up”.

Truly, Traditional News Media do have the most to lose as the Internet expands and cranks up the speed. This as online News Media advertising doesn’t pay the bills as well as the printed or even televised stuff as stated in the article “Future of Media: This is no time for incrementalism”, published June 12, 2011, 12:04pm PT by Mathew Ingram, GigaOM.

Televised stuff?

Yes, even Television, particularly Free-to-Air Television and even Cable Television is STILL facing decline in viewership, despite the rosy numbers from the MRSL All Media Survey, which shows an up-tick in numbers using percentages.

These numbers, however, do not indicate the declining numbers of viewers as more people choose to stream via Netflix, record the content on DVR (Digital Video Recorders) or just simply buy a bootleg DVD (Digital Video Disc) or Blu-Ray as stated in my blog article entitled  “Netflix & the Death of Blu-Ray - Rise of the Machines meets Chicken Run”.

Cable TV providers, specifically Triple Play Providers such as Triple Play Provider FLOW may be noticing that more of their subscribers are opting to have Internet Packages only.

This suggests that customers may be streaming their Media content over their ultra-fast Wired Broadband connections as stated in my blog article entitled “FLOW, IPTV and the coming of Net2Vu - Johnny Mnemonic”.

Cable packages may be disappearing in the next five (5) years, as Netflix streaming via a IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and DVR (Digital Video Recorders) takes precedence and make streaming the next big thing come London Olympics 2012 this June 27^th 2012AD as stated in my blog article entitled “Netflix & the Death of Blu-Ray - Rise of the Machines meets Chicken Run”.

Radio too, though less so, as Shock Jocks and Talk Shows that allow the common man to call and vent their frustrations about Society and the Government of Jamaica will make Radio in its current form pervasive as stated in my blog article entitled “Broadcasters, Radio and DSO - What will be the Fate of Radio after DSO”.

Talk Shows and Shock Jocks will see Radio being around way into the future, as only the delivery Technology for Radio will change as stated in my blog article entitled “Telecom Providers and Broadcasting - Mobile Apps the saviour of Radio and TV”.

Free-to-Air Television in Jamaica is faced with the stark reality of having to compete with Mobile LIME TV, a DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial) Platform note in my blog article entitled “LIME TV and Broadcasting - The Andromeda Strain and My Science Project” and the article “LIME TV and Broadcasting - Hunt for Red October”.

Clearly, with Mobile LIME TV in the mix, traditional Broadcasters such as Television Jamaica and CVM TV may find themselves competing with LIME TV to get viewership come London Olympics 2012 this June 27^th 2012AD as stated in my blog article entitled “Broadcasters, LIME TV and IPTV - Kill and Kill Again and the London 2012 Olympics”.

This as LIME TV can basically be categorized as IPTV Platform and thus, being that along with Net2vu it is the only IPTV Platform in the island, it may get the exclusive rights to carry the London Olympics 2012 this June 27^th 2012AD in the IPTV Category.

Television Jamaica most likely, due to their islandwide Free-to-Air coverage would win the exclusive rights in the Free-to-Air Category and Hits92FM in the Radio Broadcast Category.

Not to mention increased regulation from the Broadcasting Commission with regards to Licensing, the issue of Payola on Radio Stations as stated in my blog article entitled “Broadcasting and Digital Switch Over - Back to the Future to compete with LIME TV”.

Also BOTH Radio and Television have to go DSO (Digital Switch Over), ostensibly to a form of DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television), possibly the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial) Platform by 2012 as stated my blog article entitled “Road to Damascus experience needed to make Broadcasters see DSO Benefits”

Or face certain annihilation by LIME TV and other IPTV Platforms as Wired and Wireless Broadband in Jamaica expands. Ditto too for Newspapers as stated my blog article entitled “The Future of the Humble Newspaper in Jamaica”.

This is because the older Baby Boomers [age 45 to infinity!] read Newspapers, spending often hours relaxed taking in the News. Ads generate revenue, as advertisers are willing to pay big bucks to have these big spenders take a gander at their products.

The young uns’ or Millennials [ages 18 to 28], who apparently are suffering from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as noted in the article “'The Shallows': Is the Net Fostering Stupidity?”, published June 3, 2010, 5:00PM EST by BusinessWeek THE STACK, only scan and move on.

This apparent effect of the Internet on the attention span of its many devotees was noted in a previous rant on my blog article entitled “Telecom Providers, Bloggers and the Media - Robin Hood, Men in Tights” complaining about this very same thing, except with respect to blogging!

Ditto too for Television watching via the use of DVR’s and streaming!!!

Banner and click ads, which earn mere cents per click, are only effective if you have a website on the same popularity level and daily traffic as Facebook.

Mostly via Internet connected PC’s, Laptop’s and smartphones, which would explain the move by The Jamaica Observer, who must now be in panic mode as their subscription base and advertising revenue plummets as more people opt to get News online and in short bites.

This as possibly the Media landscape of the future increasingly shifting towards Social Networking as the article “What does the journalism of the future look like?”, published June 13, 2011, 1:13pm PT by Mathew Ingram, GigaOM opines.

After all, that’s how I heard the story of the death of Osama Bin Laden first! A good hour before it made it big on the Traditional Media as I chronicled in my blog article entitled “Barack Obama beat by Twitter - Cross-Angry Tigerbone Simone Baby Genius”.

Plus, Millennials main source of News IS their grouping of friends on Facebook and Twitter, as Social Networks keep them connected and informed.

Thus emergent Social Networks base around Geo-location and Photo Collections such as Google News can be Platforms that deliver News from the Traditional News Media based on where you are located and involving reader-generated information as described in my blog article entitled “Geo-Location Rise and Google News - Vybz Kartel's News Minority Report Color-ing Book”.

User involvement is key, as to get Millennials engaged in partaking in consuming News from Traditional Media, one has to involve them in the process of making the News.

Social Networking does just that.

This does not mean that being able to post to Twitter or Facebook makes you a reporter. Rather, the innocuous straight-off-the-hot-plate-of-my-brain nature of tweets and who is tweeting (“OMG, look what Serena Williams just tweeted”) makes News more relevant and thus spread faster.

Thus it allows for a more realistic point-of-view from the person concerned as to what transpired from their point of view as stated the article “Twitter as Media: What happens when anyone can publish?”, published June 7, 2011, 11:59am PT by Mathew Ingram, GigaOM.

Then there is the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as touted in the article “For Millennials, Social Media is Not all Fun and Games”, published April 29, 2011, 2:30pm PT by Colleen Taylor, GigaOM.

This according to the MTV Study on this phenomenon of Social Networking and its importance to Millennials Social Pecking Order with some interesting stats:

So says a MTV funded study which discovered among other things that among Social Networking-savvy Millennials:

1.      66% of study participants agreed it was quote “exhausting to always be ‘on’.”

2.      58% of study participants agreed that “when I’m unplugged, I worry that I’m missing out on something.” i.e. FOMO

Only when an article is of major interest to Millennials do they dwell on your website and read, drinking deeply of the knowledge of your hours of banging out an article on a keyboard, bleary eyed between sips of coffee and croissants for breakfast or stale ant-covered bread (that would be me!).

Meanwhile Broadband Internet Network build-outs continue to expand here in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean…..

Specifically in the form of the coming of the Islandwide Broadband Network being built jointly by Telecom Provider LIME and Triple Play Provider FLOW as stated in my blog article entitled “LIME, FLOW and the $JA543-million Internet plan - Ebony and Ivory”, hopefully free to all living close to those three hundred (300) schools that are part of the 100Mbps Fiber Optic Ring.

Also the build-outs of the respective Caribbean-wide HSDPA+ Release 7 (High Speed Downlink Packet Access Plus) Wireless Broadband Networks of Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider Digicel as stated in my blog article entitled “LIME and American Tourist Data Avalanche - The US$80 Million Dollar CannonBall Run”.

Both of which are slated to be completed in the next five (5) years.

So what exists in the way of a comprehensive plan, as the article “Future of Media: This is no time for incrementalism”, published June 12, 2011, 12:04pm PT by Mathew Ingram, GigaOM?

In the case of Jamaica, the MAJ (Media Association of Jamaica) representing the Media Houses in Jamaica and the PAJ (Press Association of Jamaica) representing the Reporters need to convene a meeting of its Senior Delegates to iron out a joint strategy on the way forward.

This as the issue of the encroachment of Telecoms Provider’s Wired and Wireless Internet, their needs to be consensus as to:

1. Their survival in the new Media landscape coming in the next five (5) years
2. How they can take advantage of the new Media delivery Platforms in collaborations with App Developers like Software Architects Limited
3. Tablets and their role in the delivery of News in the future

Thus expect to see, post-meeting (if it ever happens in the future!!) the following changes JOINTLY being implemented by the Traditional News Media.

Traditional News Media Outlets such as The Jamaica Observer and even The Jamaica Gleaner may resort to more use of Facebook, Twitter to connect to Millennials.

Possibly there may also Free Apple iPads been given to loyal subscribers to the above Tabloid and Broadsheet Newspapers as Montreal, Canada-based Newspaper La Presse has done as my blog article entitled “Apple iPad 2 and Newspapers - Titan A.E”.

Also, bear witness to the use of Geo-Location based Social Networks such as Foursquare and Google News as described in my blog article entitled “Geo-Location Rise and Google News - Vybz Kartel's News Minority Report Color-ing Book”.

Already Traditional News Broadcasters such as CVM TV have from early on allowed users to submit photos to the News Center to be displayed on their Prime Time News aired at 8:00 pm.

Throw in streaming as-broadcast streaming such as on Television Jamaica. Or simply Newsreels recorded and uploaded on YouTube as is currently the case with Reuter YouTube Channel, Associated Press YouTube Channel.

Even local Newspapers such as The Jamaica Observer and even The Jamaica Gleaner have their own YouTube Channels, specifically The Jamaica Observer YouTube Channel and The Jamaica Gleaner YouTube Channel.

Hopefully the adoption of Social Networking combined with the ever expanding usage of Apps on smartphones and Tablets, now becoming popular among Millennials and the eventual coming of DSO and a transition to DTT will help to avoid the ELE after Deep Impact (1998) of the Islandwide Broadband Network in Jamaica and in the Caribbean have been built by the Telecom Providers.