Media Modnay - Sports Edition

This may not make me friends.

I absolutely hate most sports-media. The radio stations, the TV-shows, the ninety seconds I have to sit through between the news and whatever show I actually want to hear/watch; I hate it.

Even the printed papery bits I get every morning.

Oh, and I especially hate it when something leaks from the sports-section into the “real” news section of the paper or show. It burns me that in our world the end of a hockey career takes precedent over issues of real impact in all our lives. I believe it shows that the core of media-communications is rotten.

I’m not saying there is absolutely no good sports-media out there. The Inside Track is a great example of what a sports show can be. Last night I got to know real athletes pushing their limits, and got a lesson in physics from an archer – sounds dorky but it was really cool actually analyze the sport instead of just hearing puked up stats and bravado.

Generally though, sports-media is a lot like American election coverage. It’s glossy, shiny, and light as hell on content. It’s like an excel spreadsheet just crapped into a mic. Good media is made by, to use a sports metaphor, digging deep. Great media is made with deep-diggin’ and a healthy dose of abstraction.

 It’s why top gear absolutelyfuckingdestroys other car shows – although I do struggle a little with calling motorsports motorsports.

Anyway, this is kind of a big roundabout way of slagging some crap I don’t like and sending a public thank you to The Inside Track.

 

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Media Insiders Blogging

Earlier today I posted a link to Chez's blog and his story about being fired for blogging. I want to follow that up with a little tie-in to media blogging/ers north of the border.

Someone inside the CBC blogs under the name Ouimet. A recent posting on their blog The Tea Makers involving the president & CEO of the CBC has raised the issue of anonymity or pseudonymity and blogging from the inside.

The fantastic radio program Search Engine had both Ouimet and Hubert Lacroix on to discuss the post and anonymity online.

Ouimet was/is aware that there is danger in the public airing of grievances and sees anonymity or the other identity as a protective measure and uses that protection to deal with sensitive issues.

I wish Chez the best because he didn't deserve to be tossed because of his blog. One of the many aspects to great journalism is the ability to check that stuff at the door, something at which I do not excel.

I'm not entirely surprised that CNN would fire someone for blogging, but I am disappointed. It's stuff like this that keeps people like Ouimet behind the magical curtain, and a sign that we have a ways to go before traditional media opens up in the way we (at least I) wish they would.

I'd also like to shout out to one of my all-time favourite insider blogger's blogs, Todd Maffin's Inside the CBC.

Bloggin about blogging is not something I aim to do often, so I apologize for getting all meta on you, but what with Northern Voice coming up in one more sleep, a few Sesame Streets, and a Mr. Dressup away... well it happens.

Requiem for a TV News Career

An excellent article:
Say What You Will (Requiem for a TV News Career)
And a new blog to subscribe to:

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The post office opens your mail and I hate advertising

I stumbled across a post by Scott Rosenberg about deep packet inspection. He likened the practice to a the post office reading your mail. It's not the perfect analogy, only because the post office would then also have to put RFID tags under your skin and monitor your every move and use that information to push targeted advertising at you.

Right now Rogers is using a kind of deep packet inspection to let users know when they near their bandwidth limit. Any bets on how long it's going to take for them to begin serving ads in the same way they serve bandwidth notices?

It's a new revenue stream that could make them a lot of money, but it's an invasive technology that scares the shit out of me. What the hell, the internet is loosing its cool.

Dear Advertising,
You ruin good television, good radio, and now you are ruining the internet.

Please don't, I like the internet. It's a lot like I thought radio was like before I learned that the different public broadcasters were the exception rather than the norm. I hated you for a long time when I learned that 99% of the radio out there is little more than a vehicle for advertising. I even hated radio its self a little when I worked there and realized how much more money and effort went into advertising than went into content - music included.

My hate turned to a mere dislike as I began to explore the internet, and you became a neighbour instead of an enemy. You could have commercial TV and radio (god what a sick, sick thing) and I could have my telnet, archie, and gopher. As that all changed to my ie and netscape, mozilla and safari, you began to creep in, and my hatred of you returned.

These days my hatred is back in full friggin force. You're trying to creep in to my conversations on Facebook, you change your colours like a chameleon depending on where I shop on-line, and you pose as real people with real blogs when all you are is goddamn commissioned lies.

Advertising, I hate you and I want you to leave me alone.

Sincerely,

Michael Boronowski

Someday I swear I'm going to snap and move to a little cabin in the arctic, then someone is going to start experimenting with monetizing the channel that is my trap line.

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I like it raw

CBC is posting raw footage from stories they've been covering. As a videographer I love watching exactly what a cameraperson shot. As a curious person I love the opportunity to see more than a streaming version of a TV news story.

Torched Bus


Shaughnessy Murder

Thanks CBC!

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Hacking Ads?

I Hate Love Hate Love respond with strong emotions to advertising. Bad advertising will make me change the channel in an instant, really bad advertising makes me turn of the TV or radio.

Apple, love em or hate em, make some reasonably cool ads. I was floored to learn a new television ad for their iPod touch was actually a tweaked fan-ad found on Youtube.

Here's the video:

As a believer in empowering people and celebrating success I applaud Apple for making a great move.

AdHack opened my eyes and mind to DIY advertising, although I've always been one to ask "real people" rather than trust a marketeer. It's exciting to see something they've been evangelizing produce such great results.

Their post on the subject links to Digg comments as kind of a proof-of-concept. Man, I like it when Mondays make me happy.

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