The Shape of Things To Come

TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN

Since its inception, broadcasting has been based on a pretty simple model.

A few people decided what ‘the viewers’ wanted to see. They spend money to create that content, put it on the air and hope they are right.

One source of information broadcast to many.

Kudos Don Knapp

Former KRON on-air reporter Don Knapp took the VJ training last year. Knapp was admittedly an old timer, a long-time KRON reporter with a great track record and a great journalist.

There is always concern that the VJ movement will eclipse old established journalists.  Knapp certainly proves this wrong.  Although he is no longer at KRON, he just posted his first piece as a VJ for The New York Times.  Check out his story on “The Sutter Buttes.”  Now that’s journalism! Congrats, Don. Nice job.

And Now The News from Bakersfield

While local TV stations agonize over whether to train and field a few VJs, Davina McHenry, a print reporter with The Bakersfield Californian, writes that the local newspaper!! has already trained and equipped 20 of their print journalists and 5 of their photogs with video cameras to shoot video stories for the website.   She writes that they also have a full-time videographer and multimedia producer (job vacant) who also shoots and edits.

That means that the local paper (!!) is putting 26 cameras on the streets of Bakersfield every day – far more (I am sure) than the local TV stations currently do!! Local news stations, please take note.  As all media move to the web, the local paper is your direct video competitor – and doing a much better job.