Now on Amazon... AR&D Senior Vice President of Media 2.0, Terry Heaton's new book, Reinventing Local Media, Ideas For Thriving In A Postmodern World, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. The 500-page book is a compilation of Heaton's remarkable series of essays, published individually over the last five years during what's been described as the most important paradigm shift in communications history. This is the first time this prescient and prophetic body of work has been assembled into one manuscript.

"Some people live at the cutting edge," said AR&D President & CEO Jerry Gumbert, "but Terry Heaton is one of those rare people who can actually see the edge that's doing the cutting. We're very proud to present this compilation of Terry's work at a time when local media companies need to read it most."

Media and marketing experts have long heralded Heaton's original thinking in commentary of their own.

"No one - and I mean no one - understands the fundamental changes affecting television journalism today better than Terry Heaton," said commentator Jeff Jarvis, NYU journalism professor and author of The Buzzmachine blog and the forthcoming book WWGD? (What Would Google Do?). "And no one better understands the opportunities this brings to do our work in new ways. In his essays, you will find both context and tactics to grapple with the new world order of media."

Doc Searls, co-author, The Cluetrain Manifesto and Fellow with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University, added, "Terry's clear-eyed view toward what must be done shines through every one of his essays. It's a priceless grace to this threatened industry for all his best essays to be collected in one book."

A 28-year veteran of the local news business, Heaton has gained worldwide fame as a philosopher, leader and authoritative visionary on matters of New Media. Through the relentless and often iconoclastic challenging of the assumptions underlying traditional media, Heaton's views have been at the forefront in the global discussion of New Media during this time of great change.

"I think the thing that separates my views from others is that I see all of this through the framework of a cultural change, not just one of technology," Heaton said. "The era of modernism is coming to a close, and the postmodern - or postcolonial - era has begun. This 'age of participation' will alter every institution of modern humankind; media just happens to be first on the list."

Media companies accomplish little by chasing every new distribution channel that comes along," he added, "because the disruption is deeper than that. Everybody is a media company these days, from the teenager publishing a MySpace page to politicians to companies like Nike, who are now dealing directly with consumers via the Web."

By emphasizing culture - and especially the people of that culture - Heaton offers real solutions to the real problems facing contemporary media companies, although many lie outside the comfort zone of media boardrooms. His knowledge of and experience with the World Wide Web, both technical and cultural, contribute to the authority of his writing, and his essays are used as course material in dozens of colleges and universities throughout the world.

Heaton retired from traditional media in 1998, following a 28-year stint in television news management, and immediately began a new career in Internet business development. In 2002, he formed DONATA Communications and began consulting with broadcast companies on New Media. DONATA was acquired by AR&D in June of 2006. He continues to publish essays, along with a weekly newsletter (AR&D's Media 2.0 Intel) with fellow AR&D Senior V.P. Media 2.0, Steve Safran.

About AR&D

AR&D is the premier Media 2.0 and television branding company in North America. A leader in the innovation of television and Internet news products and marketing strategies for more than 25 years, AR&D provides a wide variety of consulting services and research products to national broadcast and cable networks, local television stations and newspapers, and Internet companies.

AR&D operates the nationally acclaimed Innovations Laboratory media lab. Its Innovation Team includes six of the world's top industry visionaries and innovators with more than 200 years of broadcast and Internet expertise and experience.

AR&D is a privately held company. Its corporate headquarters are located in Dallas-Fort Worth. For more information about AR&D, contact Jerry Gumbert at jgumbert@ar-d.com or 817.924.6922.