Viacom threatens Time Warner Cable blackout
December 31, 2008
Popular cable television channels such as MTV and Comedy Central could go dark in millions of homes across the US after licensing fee talks between Viacom and Time Warner Cable faltered and Viacom threatened a programming blackout
From: http://www.ft.com/rss/companies/media
Go to Source
NY Times plans fundraising
December 31, 2008
The New York Times moved to ease cash pressure with a registration to potentially offer a mix of non-voting stock, preferred stock and debt at a later date
From: http://www.ft.com/rss/companies/media
Go to Source
Dear Andy, can we talk?
December 31, 2008
Oh dear Mr Burnham - you surely cannot have expected a little light musing in the Daily Telegraph to have turned you into the blogosphere’s Public Enemy Number One? On Saturday the culture secretary gave one of those broad-ranging interviews to a national newspaper which eager politicians are wont to do at this time of year.
The problem was, he threw into the mix, along with some hints about how Channel 4 might be funded, some thoughts on ways of regulating the internet. There was vague talk of “cinema-style, age-ratings for websites”, mutterings about ISPs being forced to provide child-safe services, and of negotiations with the incoming Obama administration on new international rules for English-language websites.
When I heard about this on Saturday morning’s radio news bulletin, my first thought was that a web storm was about to break over his head, and so it has proved. He has been attacked, abused, and mocked for days now - and one blogger went so far as to set up a Twitter account in his name in an attempt, he says, to educate him about just how the internet works. The Twitter administrators have now deleted the account.
A couple of things strike me. First, yes, Andy Burnham’s suggestion that Britain and the US could get together and impose some sort of web code does beg all sorts of questions. Who would decide what was permissible? How would trillions of constantly changing websites be policed? How would it work with existing ratings schemes such as PICS, set up by the W3C consortium? And isn’t it up to parents, not the state, to watch over the way their children use the web?
Then again perhaps the blogosphere is underestimating the subtlety of Mr Burnham’s approach. After all, it was unlikely to have been the primary audience he had in mind when he made his remarks to the Telegraph. He may be betting that millions of parents share his concerns, and sense of helplessness about the web. He is also probably correct in thinking that governments are more able these days to apply pressure on both ISPs and on major web international brands than web libertarians would like to think. So, for instance, suggesting industry-wide “take-down” times for sites like YouTube and Facebook to remove offensive material may not actually be as naïve as the blogosphere believes. Whether more regulation of the internet is actually a good thing is of course another matter, and of course one on which the BBC has no opinion whatsoever!
But perhaps we all need to move on. Mr Burnham could explain more clearly exactly what he has in mind in terms of producing a safer web - and his online opponents could explain, probably in less sarcastic language, just why they think those proposals would not work, and whether there is any role for government here. The culture secretary’s web-savvy colleague Tom Watson has used his blog to invite views on Mr Burnham’s “cinema-style ratings plan”, and promises to forward them, but that is a bit of a one-way process, not the conversation that the blogosphere prefers.
So here is an invitation, Mr B. Why not come on to “dot.life” and start a dialogue with those critics who believe you just don’t understand the web? You would be very welcome - as would anyone else with views on this matter.
From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/rss.xml
Go to Source
Gaming is good for you
December 31, 2008
The news that gaming is good for you socially and educationally will come as glad tidings for many in the world of gaming, albeit that it’s something they have undoubtedly been saying for years.
But now the endorsement is coming from Big Blue. Well actually from David Laux who is the global executive in charge of games and interactive entertainment at IBM. Admittedly it’s not a company you would naturally associate with gaming, but they have a business stake in all of this. The company says its aim is to help the industry leverage IBM’s products in developing games and cutting overall costs.
While this is not mega new, Mr Laux reiterates the fact that the stereotypical spotty loner gamer is far from reality as is the belief that gaming turns people into dead heads.
Of course you realise pretty quickly how hoary that line is when you consider that the Electronic Software Association reports that 65% of American households play computer or video games and that 63% of parents believe games are a positive part of their children’s lives.
Depending on the type of game someone is playing, and the amount of time dedicated to that task, Mr Laux says the gamer will develop certain desirable skills.
“We have found across the board, if you look at different categories of games, they all have the ability to develop unique skills.
“That’s from the casual games which improve memorisation and the ability to discern details, to console games and shooter games that develop rapid decision making and to role playing games like the World of Warcraft that are very unique in producing leadership skills.”
All these skills are “directly transferable to a real life environment,” Mr Laux told me.
To better illustrate his point he talked about his 11-year-old daughter who came up against a problem while playing a game called Zoo Tycoon where the player is “challenged to build the most healthy and vibrant zoo possible.”
“Dad she says, “Should I hire a new janitor for my zoo?” Sure I said, go ahead,” explained Mr Laux.
“And then she said she couldn’t afford it out of her current income but really wanted to invest into capital improvement. She said if she didn’t then people wouldn’t come to her zoo because it will get old.
“And I said well why not hire the janitor and fire him when you are done.
“Well I could do that but if I do that then employee morale will go down and productivity will go down and it may cost more in the long run she said.”
Mr Laux said his daughter was still in grade school while grappling with these real life issues.
“I said holy cow, these are concepts I was having a tough time grasping until I got out into the real world. These kids are learning hard skills like business skills but also soft skills like how to interact with people, to communicate effectively, to articulate quickly and make rapid decisions.”
For the players of the World of Warcraft, Mr Laux is especially complimentary.
“The game produces tremendous leadership skills among players. It teaches you how to evaluate risk, build teams for specific tasks and it also teaches individuals not to over react if they are not selected for a specific task.”
The reason Mr Laux says is because these players “understand their skill set might not be right for the overall success of the whole team. This is about putting the group first and achieving a common goal.”
All of which is tremendously good news to WoW devotees who are getting it in the neck according to a report this week in the New York Times.
It said that players are being told not to mention their love of the game if they are in the market for a new job.
The paper reports that there is a belief that because players log as many as 30 hours a week on the game, they can’t really commit 100% to a job because “their focus is elsewhere.”
With its 11.5 million users, that surely must strike them as stone age thinking right there.
From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/rss.xml
Go to Source
Listen to TalkTalk ad voiced by Brian Blessed and Tom Baker
December 31, 2008
TalkTalk ad in which veteran actors Brian Blessed and Tom Jones argue about the relative merits of their phone and broadband packages
From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/advertising/rss
Go to Source
Former Doctor Who Tom Baker and Brian Blessed voice TalkTalk ad
December 31, 2008
Tom Baker and Brian Blessed have joined forces for a radio ad campaign for TalkTalk’s phone and broadband service. By John Plunkett
From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/advertising/rss
Go to Source
links for 2008-12-31
December 31, 2008
-
“Twitter Means Business” is a field guide for companies seeking to master the service by a top U.S. technology journalist, Julio Ojeda-Zapata
-
The Israeli Consulate of New York answered questions about the conflict with Gaza via Twitter.
-
“Blogs have long had an avid following, but corporations are finding that blogs can be a secret sauce to building solid relationships with their customers.”
From: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MicroPersuasion
Go to Source
Saatchi & Saatchi embark on first campaign for Cadbury Creme Egg
December 31, 2008
LONDON - Saatchi & Saatchi launch their first work for Cadbury Creme Egg since being assigned the account in July 2008.
From: http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/RSS/
Go to Source
McCain associate files NY Times suit
December 31, 2008
A Washington lobbyist whose ties to Senator John McCain were questioned in a New York Times story this year has filed a m defamation suit against the newspaper publisher.
From: http://www.ft.com/rss/companies/media
Go to Source
China’s media remains bullish
December 30, 2008
Advertising experts believe newspapers could be one of the worst-hit sectors as the world heads towards recession. But that does not seem to apply to China’s biggest city newspaper
From: http://www.ft.com/rss/companies/media
Go to Source