Just sayin...

Dear people.

Once upon a time there was a writer who tried to present logical views of tomorrow in a rapidly-changing media universe. His words were rejected, and the reasons given were usually based in the idea that this prophet's projections were a) not our business model b) too negative or c) my favorite: too out there (in other words, crazy). This was one of them: "Creating Spectrum Within Spectrum," published in September of 2007.

I'm waiting (but not holding my breath) for an arrangement between all incumbents that allows them to move their competition between each other to a single platform on the Web, to operate as they wish within this specialized platform. Think of it as moving their existing spectrum to cyberspace and operating therein. If you want network television, for example, you go to the network television platform. If you want movies, you go to the movie section, and so forth. This could actually be done — and it would be useful for "consumers" — but it would require individual companies within these industries to work together, and that is very unlikely to happen.

For local media, the same thing could be done. If users wanted access to local news video, they would go to one place, where all local news video was available. This would create a form of spectrum within the whole, where individual players could duke it out just like they do in their own universe today. The problem, again, is that it would require separate companies to work together, and that's highly problematic. The number one station would tell the others to go to hell, because they think they can a) do just fine on their own and b) it would "cheapen" them by putting their work on the same stage as their competitors.

Would this station prefer their work to stand alone as a blip in the overall spectrum of the Web or be a part of a bigger blip, a piece of spectrum designed specifically to better enable users to find their work? And this same number one station is stratching its head, trying to figure out how it can attract a larger audience.

For the answer to this dilemma, let's go back downtown, to that piece of closed retail spectrum. As people moved to the suburbs, the retail world understood that it had to be where the people were. It could not expect the people to come to them.

And so the suburban shopping mall was created, and what is a mall but a group of competitors banded together for the convenience of shoppers? Would the number one department store refuse to anchor the mall, because its chief competitor was on the other end? Of course not!

Fast forward to today, where my friend Harry Jessell of TVNewsCheck and NetNewsCheck fame published an article: TV News Groups To Offer Local News App.

"In the ideal world, we aspire for it to be an iconic destination for people who care about local news," says Louis Gump, the CEO who developed similar news apps for CNN and The Weather Channel.

"You can see multiple stations potentially in the area where you live and you can also get content from other places you care about, either because you are from there or you have friends who live there."

...The charter station groups insure a large initial footprint for the service. Collectively, they operate 112 news-producing stations in 84 markets, including eight of the Top 10 and 17 of the Top 25. There will be multiple stations in 21 of the markets.

That's just for starters. NewsON intends to sign on other stations or "affiliates" to stretch the footprint across the entire nation. "I would be ecstatic to see one station out of every market. We would like to serve everybody in the U.S. with content that it relevant to them. That a big audacious goal.

"I'm not assuming that every last station group will participate, but I want them to know that everybody is welcome to participate in some form or fashion."

And so, once again, the writer rests his case. How do you judge a prophet? If the things he says come to pass.

Just sayin...