Television the way you now know it as well as how you knew it is changing. A recent article I read it Broadcast Engineering talked about a report as of May 2011 titled , “ If a TV station broadcasts in the forest “ written by Thomas W Hazlett a professor of law and economics at George Mason University and the managing director of Arlington Economics . Given the title I did not consider or think that the article would be friendly towards the TV industry at least as far as broadcasters is concerned. In Hazlett’s opinion local broadcasters are little more than rusty transmit towers. He went on to say that the TV license continues to hold value not as a gateway to the airwaves but as a toll booth for broadcast network programming. The report goes on this time, calling ota stations a needless expense, propped up not by customer demand (you) technical efficiency or business necessity but legacy regulation generations outdated.
Of course if your like me who grew up in an environment that had four if you were lucky not including the PBS stations but only 3 maybe 4 local network stations with network programming. Of Course in and around Hazzard we had one, KMVT 11 who at the time I grew up was owned by Western Broadcasting Corp. Who was primarily a CBS affiliate, that filled programming in with offerings they felt were safe for YOU to watch by their religious biased opinion. KMVT felt that such shows as Dick Clarks American Bandstand and even NBC’s Emergency was all to racy for YOU to see, especially kids. John Gauge and Roy Desoto running around in that mini paramedic Dodge truck doing multiple rescues was just to much for you to absorb. Then came in the translators.
State wide TV retransmission Translators brought competition to KMVT KTVB brought us Emergency and Adam 12. KBCI gave us CBS programming that KMVT thought to off center to air and KTVB gave us something else, a newscast that was much better than anything being aired by KMVT, situation continues. Its not TV that is outdated its some stations and their head in the sand programmers that’s outdated.
Today we have multiple platforms to see TV, Internet, cable, satellite , TV services like Hulu and Google TV to name a few. Keeping up with Goliath is giving local stations a real challenge, and its not easily met. The national economy which dropped to local merchants has made local TV ad revenue scarce. My thought is why not offer both local production rates as well as air time rates that are relative to the economic times we live in, Not depend on the giants like Wal-Mart, but on local store like Joes Mini Mart might be a direction to travel.
Doing more with less has always been the rule in broadcasting. Engineers often use home built products when the station mangers tell you that buying a fancy gizmo is too expensive.
Of course cable/satellite networks are also blind when peddling air time for advertising. I can tell you that FoX who owns SpeedTV which runs both Wrecked and American Trucker(A title we at HazzardAyre- came up with 5 years ago) as well as the History channel that runs Ice Road Truckers has not extended the welcome mat to trucking industry vendors or suppliers. When was the last time you saw a TV ad on a new Kenworth truck , or a Cat Diesel engine, on one of those shows? When did you see an ad for say Accessories Wholesale(AW) Direct on Wrecked on SpeedTV? Even say Pilot or say Petro Stopping Centers? Even those selling local air time has ignored the industry, and then the crying comes of low income for TV.
Of course, such major sporting events such as NASCAR or the big wedding in London a few months ago, was TV at the top of its game.
We kept in touch and up to date with the debt crisis via TV. The pendulum swings both ways. We see the good, we see the bad. But TV is not dead, but it does need some serious re-creation if its going to stay competitive in the modern environment.
News of the sign up for the Miss AyreWolf/SheWolvez pageant, next entry.
Stay tuned!
Quote of the day:
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it. - Frank Zappa
| 1 Samuel 16:7“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) . All Rights Reserved. |
