January 10th, 2010 
joel I’m increasingly convinced that there is a new “normal” in the Erie and national media construct.
Before you say, “Duh!”, let me say that the old business models of selling ads to show in front of massive audiences is not dead yet, but it’s increasingly impotent. That’s why, for example, you have these yearly knife fights between cable providers and content producers/networks. The networks like Fox have to generate additional revenue streams to pay for the high cost of production.
Meanwhile in the radio and newspaper world, the high amounts of debt on most media balance sheets (excepting the Times Publishing Co.) forces wholesale reductions in personnel and expenses just to pay the mortgage.
On the positive side, the new normal means tons of opportunity for entrepreneurial approaches in the new media space. You no longer have to wait for an FCC license or buy a million dollar press…you can just write an app.
Are we willing to embrace this new normal? Let’s pay homage to the past and wistfully “remember when.” But let’s also look ahead at all of the opportunities this proliferation of media provides.
I want to hear from you! Leave a comment, e-mail me, or tweet @pressandtower.
Embrace the chaos!
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Noticed a new ‘forecaster’ on WICU/WSEE’s Weekends Now this weekend. Liz Crawford, I believe.
So WICU brings back the 5:30pm newscast and still is able to air the WSEE 6pm news. Either they had another control room installed so they can air live at the same time or one of the is now taped sometime prior to 5pm. Could this be why Weekends Now and the 12 news today show Monday morning was done from the WSEE studio side?
An ETN headline from long ago surfaced in a comment in the Wall Street Journal today. (1/13/2010). We can learn from what visitors or outsiders “see”.
And, since GoErie has added a Crime Report printout with pins on a Mapquest format, we will soon be “seen” as a community of crime. This is now Homepage daily news for GoErie.
Thanks for showing the bad side of Erie every day GoErie!
Your efforts at Community Service know no bounds.
The WSJ comment:
6 hours ago..LEWIS STAPLES replied:
HaHaHaHa.
A Rendell story: I was in Erie, PA one time when Gov. Rendell visited there. It was the fall of 2004, as I recall, and the primary issue there was protracted economic decline over a period of decades and a looming insolvency of the city government.
The next morning, after his visit, the banner headline in the Erie newspaper read, “RENDELL GIVES ERIE MILLIONS”. I have that front page to this day; no headline ever said so much – unintentionally – about politics, political culture, and political economy than this one, nor gave greater insight into giver and recipient both.
For the record, I would give the precise date of that headline, but that file is at home and I’m not writing from there at the moment. I think it was that great political philosopher, Casey Stengel, who said, “you could look it up.”
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Further comments have an “ouch!” ring to them.
The excellent article is in Technology and titled
“Pennsylvania Tax Incentives Questioned”
Link is here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126334594759127077.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_tech#articleTabs%3Darticle
Within this article is a chart on net gain or loss yearly for tech jobs. One sentence says “The state had a net gain of 43 high-tech employers between 1990 and 2006, but a net loss of 2,850 jobs”.
The chart included is revealing, and derived from a study on our working future in PA, done by an informative outfit called GOOD JOBS FIRST.
Good Jobs First has a massive and well documented study on PA, what to do, and what not to do, regarding job growth here. The report is titled,
“Growing Pennsylvania’s High-Tech Economy:
Choosing Effective Investments”
For those inclined to be informed, the lengthy study can be read in full here:
http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/pdf/PAhightech2010%20-%20FINAL.pdf
Imagine if reports on Good Jobs First was on GoErie Homepage daily, in lieu of Crime pins.
It was interesting to see Gary Drapcho with a report from Puerto Rico regarding the earthquake in Haiti. It seemed like he was out of his element since he is a sports anchor. Found this odd since you think Paul Wagner or another news reporter would be there instead.
Here are a few kind words from Canada Free Press we rarely see around the globe.
Finally, some truth about us.
Share it with others if you agree:
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/18940
Maybe WICU12 News is going to be in HD. LOL! Just seeing if everybody is awake!