Bill Doskoch: Media, BPS*, Film, Minutiae

Boring newspapers

billdoskoch — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:35:08 -0400

The Toronto Star's David Olive says the biggest problem facing newspapers (and he includes supper-hour newscasts in the mix) is that they are boring.

His solution? Apparently, book-length articles on major social problems of the day!

More on the economics of free

billdoskoch — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:04:39 -0400

This article has been batted around the Twittersphere. It's entitled Freemium and freeconomics.

'We didn't start the flame war'

billdoskoch — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:24:21 -0400

An amusing video effort from CollegeHumor.com. NSFW.

Globe and Mail, union reach tentative settlement

billdoskoch — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:10:17 -0400

On Twitter at about 12:06 a.m.:

mathewi Globe union has reached a tentative deal with the paper just moments before midnight strike deadline; vote scheduled for Monday

Deets to come in the a.m. Beddy-bye time for Bill.

Addendum

From the CP story on CTV.ca:

Details of the tentative agreement won't be released until a union ratification vote on Monday.

Brad Honywill, president of Local 87-M of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, said the union will recommend acceptance of the agreement.

"It was one of the more difficult sets of negotiations that I've seen and I think that reflects the changing economic times and people's attempts to grapple with that," Honywill said.

Double addendum

I would like to thank folks for ignoring the fact I mis-spelled 'tentative' in the headline. Actually, I'd rather do that than come to grips with the grim possibility that no one reads my posts. :)

Happy Canada Day!

billdoskoch — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:49:27 -0400

Enjoy the barbecuing and fireworks, fellow Canuckistanis.

Here's a CTV News poll that shows we love ourselves to death, even if we don't show it enough. Yep, 90 per cent of Canadians think Canada is the best country in the world! Say, doesn't the Bloc gather about 10 per cent support nationally? :^)

And here's a few tunes I blipped on Twitter: Gordon Lighfoot's Canadian Railroad Trilogy and a Guess Who medley -- Runnin' Back to Saskatoon/Share the Land.

Globe and Mail, union extend talks

billdoskoch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:27:10 -0400

From Reuters: (posted June 29)

The union representing workers at Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper has agreed with the paper to sit down with a mediator to try to hammer out a new contract and avoid a strike, the union said on Monday.

The YouTube reporters' centre

billdoskoch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:57:50 -0400

Check it out, but here's some intro text:

Ever captured a natural disaster or a crime on your cell-phone camera? Filmed a political rally or protest, and then interviewed the participants afterward? Produced a story about a local issue in your community? If you've done any of these things or aspire to, then you're part of the enormous community of citizen reporters on YouTube, and this channel is for you.

The YouTube Reporters' Center is a new resource to help you learn more about how to report the news. It features some of the nation's top journalists and news organizations sharing instructional videos with tips and advice for better reporting.

If you have experiences on reporting the news yourself and would like to share your tips, feel free to submit them for inclusion on this page.

There are tips available from Katie Couric, Bob Woodward and Ariana Huffington, to name a few.

(Seen first at Twitter)

'So why did the Courant belly-flop?'

billdoskoch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:47:15 -0400

The Seattle Courant was that Pacific Northwest city's first online-only newspaper. It is turning off the servers. Publisher Keith Vance explains what went wrong and offers some advice to future online news entrepreneurs:

Industry disruption 101

billdoskoch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:37:02 -0400

Many people on Twitter pointed to a Monday blog posting by scientist Michael Neilsen about how entire industries fail and what it might mean to scientific publishing.

He analyzes what's happening to the newspaper industry. On first read, I think his analysis is spot-on.

Anderson fires back at Gladwell

billdoskoch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:09:08 -0400

Wired editor Chris Anderson, author of the new book Free, responds to a less-than-flattering review from New Yorker writer Malcom Gladwell, particularly Gladwell's peevishness at the notion journalists might be paid to organize other writers rather than scribble themselves.

(If you haven't seen it yet, please check out my earlier post.)

Gladwell reviews Chris Anderson's Free

billdoskoch — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:32:14 -0400

The New Yorker's Malcom Gladwell reviews Free, the new book by Wired editor Chris Anderson.

I pull out a journalism-related snippet.

Al Jazeera English may be available in Canada in the near future

billdoskoch — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:58:50 -0400

From The Globe and Mail:

One of the longest running and most contentious debates in Canadian broadcasting is coming to an end with the expected approval by federal regulators to allow Al Jazeera's English television network to be carried here.

News 2.0

billdoskoch — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:46:13 -0400

If you don't follow this blog religiously but do care about evolving journalism issues and want to play catch-up, you might wish to check out News 2.0, a two-part special by CBC contributor Ira Basen that finished today on CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition (part one ran on June 21).

Maybe the audio for part two will be attached in the near future. Maybe not.

In any event, the last 15 to 20 minutes of part two are probably the meat of the whole matter. The rest is just background and setup -- however, if you aren't fully conversant with this topic, take the time to listen to both parts.

The News 2.0 web page has links and transcripts. The article itself is overly compressive and thus underly informative. I would disagree with some of the broad-brush strokes used to sketch the issues.

Interestingly, I do way more stuff on News 2.0-type issues than J-Source, but that website (link at right) rated a link from Basen and I didn't. I'm crushed! :)

OMG! We've lost Billy Mays!

billdoskoch — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:22:22 -0400

One of the great pitchmen in infomercials has died. Billy Mays was found in his Florida home today. He is not believed to have taken Demerol in the hours leading up to his demise.

Globe and Mail staff shoot down co.'s 'final offer'

billdoskoch — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:41:43 -0400

From CP via TheStar.com:

Unionized workers at the Globe and Mail have rejected the latest contract offer from the company.

Editorial, advertising and circulation workers voted 89 per cent today against a revised proposal emailed to them Friday.

The high no vote – based on a 65 per cent turnout – comes just days ahead of a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. July 1.

Union spokesman Brad Honywill says the message sent by the vote is that "membership is resolved to seek a fairer deal."

Globe publisher and CEO Phillip Crawley could not be immediately reached for comment, but said Friday the company has no plans to lock employees out.

Here's the nub of the problem:

Advertising revenue has fallen steadily for the Globe in recent quarters, similar to many other major Canadian media outlets. The company said that in May, its ad revenue fell 28 per cent over the same time a year earlier.

Globe union bargaining comm. rejects management offer

billdoskoch — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:43:42 -0400

With a possible strike deadline of midnight on Tuesday, the bargaining committee of Communications Energy and Paperworkers Local 87-M has decided to reject the Globe and Mail's latest contract offer, although union members will still vote on it today.

And even if the members vote it down, a union official says a strike is not a foregone conclusion.

Talks break down between Globe and Mail, union

billdoskoch — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:20:48 -0400

From CP via ctvtoronto.ca:

A union representing workers of the Globe and Mail said contract talks with the newspaper's management broke down at midnight (on Thursday - BD).

Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union representative Brad Honywill told The Canadian Press Friday that there are no planned meetings before the contract expires next Tuesday at midnight.

The move comes less than a week after the editorial, advertising and circulation workers voted 97 per cent in favour of strike action at one of Canada's oldest and most influential newspapers.

Representatives for the paper, which is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc., weren't immediately available for comment.

"This is obviously a very grave disintegration in the process," Honywill said.

Rationalizing a retreat back to a time of much lower j-standards

billdoskoch — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:59:23 -0400

Howard Owens wrote a blog post -- Newspapers started small, cheap and with different standards -- and I get a mention in passing!

How it is on the Hill

billdoskoch — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:20:18 -0400

The Toronto Star's Susan Delacourt on the realities of political journalism on Parliament Hill these days. She got into it by using the anecdote of a soccer game between MPs and parliamentary reporters.

Final offer

billdoskoch — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:39:10 -0400

From CP via the Winnipeg Free Press:

A union representing workers of the Globe and Mail says the newspaper's management will email staff on Friday with a "final offer" to replace a contract that expires next week.

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union sent a letter to its members on Thursday saying that Globe representatives informed them that all concessions and changes will be implemented by July 1.

Representatives for the Globe, one of Canada's oldest and most influential newspapers, were not immediately available to confirm the details.

"A membership meeting will be scheduled within the next few days to deal with the company ultimatum," said Brad Honywill, president of Local 87-M of the CEP, said in a phone interview.

Also see this June 20 post: Globe and Mail worker bees give huge strike mandate to bargaining committee

The power and perils of online publishing

billdoskoch — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:28:36 -0400

One of my adages has been that the Internet makes newspapers as timely as radio or TV, but also makes them as timeless as a library. Most of the time, that's a strength. Sometimes it's a liability.

The Globe and Mail had such an oopsie moment this morning.

From CNN to ONN

billdoskoch — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:46:42 -0400

Bobbie Battista used to be a newsreader on CNN, high-profile enough to warrant being occasionally lampooned by Saturday Night Live. Now she does the same job for the Onion News Network.

The dream world of the 'news is free' crowd

billdoskoch — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:32:06 -0400

This post got its start from the following exchanges on Twitter:

Suckahs!

billdoskoch — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:14:20 -0400

From CBC.ca:

The return of an online photo hoax hooked several news outlets in recent days, with a Dutch radio station and TV channels in Bolivia and Poland falling for images purportedly captured just before the crash of Air France Flight 447.

Memories/Of the things we used to smell ...

billdoskoch — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:04:17 -0400

I made the following sequence of tweets on Sunday night:

In the summer of 2002, I was going S. on Bathurst on a streetcar. Garbage lay chest-high beside the sidewalk in Alexandra Park ...(1/3)
... A young woman was walking north on the sidewalk beside the garbage, looking like she was going to hurl the whole time ... (2/3)

... Of course, I have no idea why this anecdote popped into my mind this evening. (3/3)

Tense times in Tehran for a Canadian journo

billdoskoch — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:45:52 -0400

I posted this to Twitter:

Cdn. freelance journo George McLeod spoke to CTV News this evg. from Tehran. He's looking to get out - http://is.gd/18SvF

How they escaped

billdoskoch — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:33:34 -0400

Afghan journalist Tahir Ludin explains how he and NYT reporter David Rohde escaped from the clutches of the Taliban in North Waziristan, Pakistan. The stuff of movies, I tell you.

The new economics of media in a 75-slide PPT presentation

billdoskoch — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:48:39 -0400

Judy Sims of TorStar posted the following to her blog: The new economics of media and thestar.com.

It's worth reviewing.

Canadian journalist in custody in Iran

billdoskoch — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:39:51 -0400

From CTV.ca:

A Canadian journalist has been detained in Iran, as authorities extended their crackdown on those protesting last week's disputed election to include those covering the demonstrations.

A cogent, common-sense take on the future of newspapers

billdoskoch — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:32:11 -0400

Media company strategist Steve Yelvington has a great post on his blog entitled Death to the 'death of journalism' meme.

If you're interested in media issues, it's short, sweet, insightful and well worth a read.