Media Industry Archive

The Twittersphere should collectively hoist a giant glass of champagne to itself, since it is rare for one of Google’s co-founders to come down from their elaborate private jets and admit somebody else is doing something better than they are — in fact much better. But that is what happened this week at Google’s Zeitgeist conference: “People really want to do stuff real...

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I’ve been spending part of the day obsessing about how Google, and Twitter, got the “American Idol” pick wrong, seeming to select, as of yesterday, the rather goth Adam Lambert over the fresh-faced Kris Allen. Given how social media and search are combining to create the National Focus Group, how could both of them be so wrong? Can the two of them be trusted to tell those in...

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Not so long ago and not very far away, mainstream journalists could bash bloggers as a lower life form. The public hadn’t really showed up or weighed in yet. Today, however, that era seems as distant as the days when there were still mainstream journalism jobs and other luxury items listed on Craigslist. Ah, back in the day. These days, bloggers are developing ever-larger and more loyal...

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Much has been written about Jimmy Kimmel’s comedy riff to advertisers at this week’s ABC upfront presentation — in fact, there have even been hints that he might get handed his job because of it — but none of the posts I’ve read have actually posted the video, so here it is. In reality, the reason it’s getting so much buzz, I think, is because it portrays the...

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There’s been a buzz in journalistic circles about media economist Professor Robert Picard’s claim that reporters deserve low pay. Although he makes some good points, his line of argument is largely flawed. Picard’s thesis rests on an unnecessary conflation. He writes that journalists “think of their work in moral or even sacred terms” and that “they tell...

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At the center of a parallel, palpable universe that emerged in the mid-1990s, sits Wired Magazine, as well as its blood child Wired News, though the latter no longer loads in your browser as it was meant to load. (Before I continue, I should issue all sorts of disclosures. First and foremost, I was one of the people intimately involved with the events at Wired in the years 1995-97 that lie at...

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SeattlePI.com is growing — Hearst has announced that the Seattle Post-Intellegencer has seen an increase in online pageviews and unique visitors since becoming an online-only publication. The Seattle Post-Intellgencer is the largest newspaper to cease print publication and move to an online-only model. The current editorial staff is 80 percent less than the print version. The company says...

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(UPDATE: Dewey Defeats Truman! In case you didn’t know, Google and Twitter were wrong.) The digital ad agency 360i has a well-documented post today on Mashable predicting that Adam Lambert will win “American Idol.” But the agency’s point isn’t to jump the gun on tonight’s results show; it’s about Google as a predictive tool, and not just by examining...

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The Financial Times has long had one of the most impressive business strategies among global newspapers, including a truly global focus, high-quality writing and editing, and a strong presence on the web. Rupert Murdoch has made no secret that he hopes to eventually engage his Wall Street Journal in a head-to-head competition with the FT, but for now, the Journal remains very much a...

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Want to find a good way to waste some time gather important insight into the fall TV season? Go to Twitter Search and type in the hashtag #upfronts. From doing this, I’ve learned the following about the ABC upfront presentation, which is going on as I type (Twitter account names in parentheses where needed): That Jimmy Kimmel is doing stand-up at the presentation, telling the audience:...

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