February 14th, 2010 
joel Your media checklist:
Remember you can also e-mail me or tweet @pressandtower.
Embrace the chaos!
Posted in Deep Background 
Tags: Erie Times-News, Gannon University, Olympics, Twitter, WJET 
9 Comments » January 24th, 2010 joel It’s been a whirlwind of a media week…lots to talk about so let’s get to it.
Leave a comment on our open forum here, or drop me an e-mail, or tweet.
In essence, embrace the chaos.
January 17th, 2010 joel The pictures from Haiti have been heartbreaking.
The attempt to cover the tragedy of the earthquake has demarcated the limits of even the most highly advanced broadcast technologies. The networks are settling for lots of satellite phone calls and Blackberry video.
Meanwhile, the total devastation has pushed even the most crusty reporter to show their humanity. For me, that’s a good thing.
In this open forum, we express our human emotions as well as educated opinions on media locally and nationally. Get involved with your comments below, or e-mail me, or send a tweet.
Thanks for getting involved.
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!
Posted in Deep Background Tags: Erie, Erie Times-News, Fox, media, Time Warner Cable, Twitter 6 Comments » January 3rd, 2010 joel Let me take the opportunity of the first Deep Background of the new year to renew our commitment to civility and constructive conversation on this forum. To quote our first Deep Background post back in September 2008, here’s what civility is all about:
What is Civility?
Civility is defined as “to bring to a technically advanced and rationally ordered stage of cultural development”. The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership has developed a strategic initiative on community civility and has defined civility as follows:
- Being inclusive
- Listening
- Showing Respect
- Being Open Minded
- Taking Responsibility
- Celebrating Ideas
- Knowing the Facts
- Getting involved
So let’s begin the new year with new emphasis on being on the solution side. Sure, share your complaints but why not add an idea. Where recognition is deserved, send it. The way media works these days…we are all in it together.
Leave a comment in the box below, e-mail me at joel@nataliemedia.com, or tweet @pressandtower.
Embrace the chaos!
Posted in Deep Background Tags: civility, Erie, Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, media, Twitter 15 Comments » December 27th, 2009 joel That’s the first time I’ve written “2010.” It took me months to not start my dates with a “19″, but that was so 10 years ago.
And so this week we mark the end of the most tumultuous media decade since the 1940’s, with its the coverage of World War II and the total affect on media, concluding with the advent of commercial broadcast television.
We’ll be doing lots of reminiscing and soul searching in the next several days, so join us with your comments. If you’d rather, e-mail me at joel@nataliemedia.com or tweet @pressandtower. By the way, recently I seperated my personal and other professional tweets (via @JoelNatalie) from my media tweets, so if you haven’t been getting updates, please be sure you are following @pressandtower.
Embrace the ball-dropping chaos!
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Deep Background for February 21-27, 2010
Ask any blogger that gets even marginal readership; you are bound to get called some names or just deal with some weird stuff. Come to think of it, weirdness is attracted to all media like metal shavings to that bald guy’s head in that old 5 & 10 game we used to have when we were kids.
One pirate radio listserv dude called P&T “FCC-loving” and “bootlicking.” That’s too funny! FCC obeying, yes. Loving? Not even a slight attraction.
Like most bloggers, I use a program to block comment spam (I’ve received over 12,000 spam comments since the beginning). Sometimes the creativity used to try to get past the spam filter is quite cute. Favorite of the week: “Gday thanks regarding your page. I truly adore your web page. Its really informative.” I know I might be adorable, but adoring the P&T…really?
Leave your adorable comments in the space below (no spam please) or through e-mail or tweet @pressandtower.
By the way, if you think you been following me for several months now, make sure you still are following @pressandtower for media tweets. I run two Twitter feeds now, changing my old account to @JoelNatalie for all around professional and personal tweets, and creating a new @pressandtower just for the media stuff. Sorry about any confusion.
Embrace the chaos!