Sanjay Trehan is the CEO of NDTV in India. Speaking at the Online News Association's annual conference in Washington, DC on Saturday, he spoke excitedly about the tools of the new media revolution. This is a man who is launching 14 TV stations, mind you. You would think the Web would horrify him. It does not.

"The future is going to be a combination of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, along with more - a seemless ecosystem," said Trehan."  "You will consume news in this way. Not because it is fashionable to say so, but because the... more »

Everything you need to know about what stifles creativity in newsroom online environments - along with how to overcome those frustrations - was on display in the ONA session on how the Las Vegas Sun rebuilt its Website.

The name of the session was "Las Vegas Sun: Site Redesign." The two panelists were Josh Williams and Tyson Evans, the guys who went in, got their hands dirty and built the site. They are the brains behind the code. (See correction/amplification below.) They are two of the many great minds behind this project who have created what... more »

Tina Brown started off kindly enough, calling for a sort of hegemony online. But you knew her true colors were bound to show through, and they came after the formal keynote. She railed against non-professional Web content and the companies that use it. She called the "time we're in" a terrible period for reporting and journalism:

"There has to be pushback - so many media companies think that they can replace their journalists with lower paid kids, and this will lead to their fall. They will destrory their brands if they keep making their reporters put out far too much... more »

At ONA on Friday morning, Tina Brown raised a very good point - journalists are so buried in competitors' products that they hardly do original reporting. There's so much fear that they're "missing something" that they play it safe. I saw a great example of this recently when MSNBC's Keith Olbermann was questioning Andrea Mitchell about why her report different from one in Newsweek. We're so afraid to take risks. "What can we do in this crazy age to cut through the static and fake stuff and noise? We have to go back to thinking to what editors can... more »

Terry and I have often written about how businesses can be news centers, too. I have to give a special hat tip to the people behind GustavBloggers.com. Who are they? Just a bunch of tecchies at the Zipa datacenter in downtown New Orleans. They’re there, they’re working, they had to keep communications flowing during the storm and they had some damn good insight into what was happening.

I want to get something straight from the start: the news organizations that I could see online did a terrific job with... more »

I’m writing this on the Tuesday night of the Democratic National Convention, and so I apologize if this advice comes a little late for some of you. But we still have two nights of the DNC and then the RNC to go. I thought I’d help you “listen” to the national conversation that goes on in real time during these events and throughout the year.

On Twitter: When people choose to write about a common event or person, they precede that noun with a # mark. For an event, someone usually comes up with an accepted shorthand, in this... more »

Users of the new Apple iPhone 3G are reporting problems with reception. I can vouch for that: I'm one of them. Apple bragged about how this new phone would use the faster AT&T 3G network. One problem: we keep losing the signal.

This is not an isolated event. There may be a problem with a chip inside the phone itself. With Apple selling millions of iPhone 3Gs this summer, you'd think this would rate as a top story. After all, we saw plenty of pieces on how the lines were really long when the thing went on sale, right? There... more »

Please don't tell me you are waiting until the NBC broadcast is showing in your local time before posting the results on your Website. Via Lost Remote, the LA Times writes:

What gives, American media?

Report the news. Cover the Games. But give us a warning before ruining the evening’s entertainment.

Websites and newspapers handled “American Idol” eliminations with extreme delicacy, so why no tact when it comes to covering a race in a swimming pool?

OK, before we move any further - did the LA Times just compare the Olympics to American... more »

Way off topic, but funny for a Friday. A pest control guy showed up at my door this afternoon. He tells me he "just wants me to know" that he's in the area doing some work for my neighbors. (I know he's here to sell me, but fine.) He says my neighbors are concerned about the pests in the neighborhood. (My kids, I'm guessing.) They've seen - gasp - ants. Wasps, too. Silverfish. Earwigs, for heaven's sake! (Had to look that one up. Did you know they don't actually go in your ear?) He engages me in... more »

I think we're going camerablind, and I don't know what to make of it.

Let me explain.

I took the family out for one of my little town's "concerts on the common" Monday night. (Picture New England town, postcard, bandstand, ice cream, Norman Rockwell... the works.) The local cable channel was, impressively, doing a three-camera shoot. Because they're cable access, they have limited resources, so one of the cameras was fixed, about 25 yards from the center of the stage, on the lawn.

Everyone sits at these concerts. It's a picnic kind of atmosphere, save for the kids running around. But I'll... more »

CNN gave viewers and users a myriad of choices during the lone VP debate tonight.  You could make it as interactive, or inactive as you liked.  But one thing was clear - CNN did a masterful job of weaving coverage on both cable and the Internet.

They had a panel of viewers in Columbus, Ohio using dials similar to those we employ at AR&D to rate the Palin and Biden performances second by second.  That information, as well as live scoring from CNN's "political experts" ran on the cable channel throughout the debate (only visible if you had a high definition... more »

It took them awhile to get engaged, but now local TV newscasts are hot and heavy on the biggest story in a long time - the trials and tribulations, and effects, of the failed Bailout plan.  Last week in this space, I railed about local TV newscasts ignoring (except for superficial network packages) this huge story. 

Well, beginning with yesterday's drama on Capitol Hill and Wall Street, the local TV newscasts in Dallas, and in other markets (viewed on my Slingbox) did an excellent job of reporting on the local impact of this huge story.  I think maybe some local... more »

Are you empowering your viewers with the local impact of the Bailout drama playing out in Washington, DC?  Or - like the Dallas TV stations - are you still just dishing out the local crime and mayhem de jour each morning and night?

If you're following the lead of the Dallas local newscasts you are not serving your viewers.  AR&D research shows that today - more than ever - viewers want to be empowered to handle their own situations - be it financial or otherwise.  But as I sit in my town watching the newscasts I keep getting a steady diet... more »

I got goosebumps while waiting for a plane at DFW airport last week.  No - I wasn't cold, or concerned about my flight - it was brought on by a wonderful display of American appreciation.

DFW is one of two R&R airports - the main destination for soldiers on their way home from Iraq to spend time with friends and relatives.  I was waiting at a gate for my flight, when about 200 men and women in uniform started strolling by on a catwalk one story above us.

Everyone - and I mean everyone - stood up and applauded and cheered... more »

I got an interesting lesson this weekend in what it's like to live in a small town on the fringe of a big city TV market.   I was at my lakehouse - about an hour east of Dallas in Gun Barrel City (great name!) - as Hurricane Ike headed relentlessly toward North Texas.

For most of the week that area was in the bullseye for the eye of Ike with predictions it would arrive as still a Category 1 hurricane - or at the very least a tropical storm with sustained winds near 75 miles an hour.  It was a bit... more »

While many local TV newscasts are dipping their toe into gathering UGC (user-generated content) – the cable networks have launched an armada.  It has become part of their DNA.  They are constantly asking for viewers to send pictures and video to enhance their 24-hour news content.

CNN has its iReport.  They are relentlessly asking users and viewers to share... more »

So, how much confidence would you have in a meterologist if you knew he was from Oklahoma not Louisiana as a hurricane was roaring toward your home?  I have to rant about my favorite topic today - local TV news making a big deal out of an outsider being on their station and having no local expertise.

I was watching WDSU's live coverage of the approaching hurricane about midnight on a special feed from DirectTV.  There was a very good meterologist talking about the approaching hurricane Gustav.  But the station felt the need to diminish his local  credentials - not once... more »

Are you a news director who is NEVER in your newsroom?  Are you so busy that you had no idea what the content of your newscasts was today?  Do you know if today's newscasts were delivered in your unique brand of journalism?

During my nearly two decades of consulting, I have never had so many news directors who honestly answer "yes," "yes," and "no" to those three questions.  It has become nearly impossible to get my news director clients on the telephone - they seem to never be in their offices - and when they are they sound stressed with... more »

Local TV news credibility is on the upswing according to the latest Pew Research Center study.  Of course, it is still less than a third of all viewers who "believe all or most of what the news organization says."

28% of all respondents said Local TV News when asked that credibility question.  That is six points lower than a decade ago.  It is also third overall - behind #1 CNN (30%, down 12% in a decade), and 60 Minutes #2 at 29% (down 6% since 1998).   Local TV News' credibility increased by 5% since the 2006 survey, and edges NPR... more »

I'm not a big Olympics fan - but every night I find myself getting hooked into watching it for hours.  I'm not alone the ratings are strong across the country - really strong!

I think the draw is the Olympics is the ultimate reality TV program.  It is all about the DRAMA of the Olympics.  I am rooting for Michael Phelps to get 8 gold medals.  The DRAMA of the 4X100 relay the other night was incredible!

I'm not a gymnastics fan but the DRAMA of the U.S. Men's team trying to gut out a medal after one of their best had to... more »