On The Media - The Media Biz

One For The Books (On The Media)

Fri, 23 May 2008 05:00 GMT

This week, On the Media is re-airing a show dedicated to one of our favorite topics – books. From Oprah's Book Club to the Google Library Project, the way we buy, search, read and even discuss books is changing. And so we begin with a look at some of the forces now tugging at the industry.

Tell Me Sweet Little Lies (On The Media)

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:22 GMT

Michael Kinsley is a longtime columnist and editor, mostly of non-fiction. He also happens to think there’s much too much of the stuff and even he has trouble staying afloat in the sea of new books each year. Kinsley explains his predicament.

One For The Books (On The Media)

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:50 GMT

This week, On the Media is dedicating the entire show to one of our favorite topics – books. From Oprah's Book Club to the Google Library Project, the way we buy, search, read and even discuss books is changing. And so we begin with a look at some of the forces now tugging at the industry.

The Ends and The Means (On The Media)

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:29 GMT

New Delhi based magazine Tehelka recently published an investigative piece which sheds light on one of the most violent times in Indian history, the 2002 Gujarat riots. But Tehelka used ethically questionable tactics to get their scoop. Do the ends of this story justify the means? We asked Tehelka's investigations editor, Harinder Baweja.

Tapped Out (On The Media)

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:14 GMT

How do you raise the profile of a devastating Nebraska drought? Give it a name, like David? Carl Ganter, of the non-profit group Circle of Blue, says that as climate change increases the threat of droughts, we need new stories and images to raise awareness.

Your Brain on Commercials (On The Media)

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:07 GMT

Deep inside Brooke’s mind, there’s a serious aversion to raw chicken. At least that’s what we discovered when the co-founders of the EmSense Corporation stopped by the OTM offices to test her moment-by-moment physical responses to a couple of commercials.

News Programming (On The Media)

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:25 GMT

Isn’t it about time your nightly news was delivered by an avatar? No that's not already the case! But it could be in the future. Thanks to a new project called News At Seven. Chicago Public Radio’s Shawn Allee explains.

Profiles in Courage (On The Media)

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:34 GMT

Magazines are dying by their own hand, says columnist Ron Rosenbaum, done in by the celebrity profile and all that it entails. But despair not, glossy-paged salvation lies in a simple solution – the write-around.

Not So Innocent (On The Media)

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:13 GMT

How often can America lose its innocence? Again and again, as we feign shock over events that shouldn’t, if history is a guide, be all that surprising. Johns Hopkins professor Richard Halpern parses the “innocence industry” through the paintings of one of its major manufacturers, Norman Rockwell.

Win, Place or Show (On The Media)

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:22 GMT

The presidential campaign took another step forward this week as candidates announced their success at out-fundraising each other. But how helpful are these early reports in gauging presidential potential? Political analyst Mark Halperin explains why, in campaign coverage, the horserace is never far away.

Direct To Consumer (On The Media)

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:21 GMT

All advertising is created to get your attention, to speak to you. But one ad in particular, a billboard living for the moment in Las Vegas, can actually carry on a conversation. Bob talks back.

Natural Selection (On The Media)

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:58 GMT

If you were one of the 227,000 paying subscribers to TimesSelect … well, you are no more. Paying, that is. Sometime early Wednesday morning you received an e-mail stating that the pay wall would be dismantled, effective immediately. Vivian Schiller, senior vice president of nytimes.com, explains why.

Spot Remover (On The Media)

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:00 GMT

While many media outlets hope that web advertising will provide a much-needed new revenue source, web users have already found a way to nullify ads' value - by making them invisible. C-Net's Declan McCullagh explains that new ad-blocking plug-ins raise serious problems for websites and maybe even legal issues for those who use the software.

Done Deal (On The Media)

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:11 GMT

Rupert Murdoch added the Wall Street Journal to his media empire this week. While many scramble to determine if this is good or bad news for journalism, Mark Jurkowitz, Associate Director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, explains that Murdoch has a surprisingly varied track record in the U.S. newspaper industry.

Family Feud (On The Media)

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:14 GMT

Media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari are embroiled in a nasty, public feud over the future of National Amusements Inc., parent company of Viacom, CBS, BET, MTV, and the list goes on. Silicon Alley Insider Managing Editor Peter Kafka joins us to talk about succession in the Redstone empire.

Gone to Zell (On The Media)

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:38 GMT

Billionaire Sam Zell is taking over at the Tribune Company, parent of the L.A. Times. But who should own newspapers? Companies? Families? Very rich guys? L.A. Times media critic Tim Rutten says that behind every great newspaper is a great family.

Media Reformer: A Postcard From Memphis (On The Media)

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:52 GMT

Last weekend in Memphis, the organization Free Press hosted the National Conference for Media Reform. Throughout the weekend, the civil rights movement was frequently invoked. OTM producer Megan Ryan made the trip, and returned with this postcard.

News Hole (On The Media)

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:16 GMT

For several years now, there’s been nothing but bad news for the newspaper business. But Marketplace correspondent Dan Grech reports that 2006 was the year that journalists finally saw the writing on the wall.

Albanian Media (On The Media)

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:14 GMT

Since the fall of Communism in Albania, its press has flourished. But that doesn’t mean the country’s media are truly independent. Megan Williams reports from Albania on one news show that’s bucking the trend of government control.

Littlefield of Dreams (On The Media)

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:10 GMT

During his 20 years at NBC, Warren Littlefield experienced both the highs and lows of television programming. His early years were forged during the network’s single least successful lineup, but then Littlefield went on to oversee much of NBC’s 80s and 90s renaissance. He speaks with Brooke about the necessity of creating must-see TV.

The Piper Wants to Get Paid (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:46 GMT

For people who spend a lot of time online, "network neutrality" is one of the most important issues pending in Washington. But the question of whether to create a "premium lane" on the information superhighway also has a lot of bearing on TV, too. This Wednesday, Rick Karr will examine the future of the Internet for PBS' Moyers on America. He gives us a preview of what's at stake.

Whose Tube (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:46 GMT

Last weekend's $1.6 billion deal between Google and YouTube left some people scratching their heads over the enormity of the price-tag. New media consultant Rishad Tobaccowala tells Bob why the online video site is worth that much., despite the giant obsticles Google will face in making YouTube a money-maker.

Foley Artistry (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 17:54 GMT

Lawyers aren’t the only ones whose livelihoods are helped along by public scandals. There are also crisis management firms, who trade on their ability to work the media and influence public perceptions. Richard Levick runs one such firm, and has been called in to finesse such P.R. nightmares as the church sex-abuse scandal and the e-coli spinach scare. He discusses the Foley fallout with Brooke.

Lincoln’s Birthplace (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:10 GMT

A little under a year ago, it was revealed that the Lincoln Group had been contracted by the Pentagon to pay for good press in the Iraqi media. Details were sketchy, but this month Harper’s published an account by Willem Marx of his summer in Baghdad interning for the Lincoln Group. Marx talks to Brooke about when the news is too good, and too lucrative, to be news at all.

Show Us the Money (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:55 GMT

As long as citizen journalism proponents have been pumping its merits, skeptics have been bothered by one question: Where will the funds come from? NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen thinks he has an answer, and is launching a website to test it. He tells Bob how NewAssignment.net will attempt to harness the experience of ordinary people to mount investigative projects that mainstream media just aren’t up to.

What's the scoop, HAL. (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:53 GMT

And we thought our jobs were safe. New technology has always made easier some of the more menial tasks of the journalist, especially those of market and wire reporters? But at Thomson Financial in New York, machines are now journalists, too. Bob speaks with Director of Content Development Andrew Meagher about the efficacy of computers that take the job into their own virtual hands.

Cloudy and Fair (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:29 GMT

Fordham University law professor Hugh Hansen is an advocate of strong copyright laws. But even he concedes that for low-budget filmmakers, copyright can be more of a burden than a blessing. Brooke speaks with him and with Duke law professor James Boyle, who thinks copyright holders have ushered in a “permission culture” that ignores the laws governing fair use.

Fee and Fair Elections (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:56 GMT

Getting a candidate elected has its rewards, but losing isn't bad either. A media consultant for a congressional candidate, for instance, may get as much as 10-15% of the total spent on TV ads. Salon Washington bureau chief Walter Shapiro tells Bob that Americans might not fork over as many campaign contributions if they knew how much the consultants were taking.

Fox in the Whitehouse (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:34 GMT

It used to be quite common for presidents to reach into the ranks of the press corps to find their spokesmen. But for almost three decades now, press secretaries have come with P.R. bona fides – not journalistic ones. Bush’s appointment this week of Fox News TV and radio personality Tony Snow to the job reverses that trend. ABC News political director Mark Halperin tells Brooke that it’s a step in the right direction for the Bush team.

Un-De-DeClassification (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:37 GMT

Two months ago, a historian in Washington discovered that intelligence operatives were secretly re-classifying documents in the National Archives. This week, an internal investigation at the Archives concluded that about a third of the records pulled from the shelves should not have been reclassified. Brooke speaks with J. William Leonard, who oversaw the audit of the secret program.

Italian Satire Gets the Boot (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:37 GMT

Barely a week into his new job, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is already under pressure to rewrite the media ownership laws that allowed outgoing P.M. Silvio Berlusconi to build a media empire. Berlusconi kept a tight leash on the media, and often fired journalists, commentators, and even satirists not to his liking. Megan Williams reports from Rome on the troubled past and future prospects of political satire on Italian TV.

It’s a Dirt-y Job (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:55 GMT

The Big Apple is powered by gossip, but the electrical grid nearly overloaded last week when the best gossip was about the gossips themselves. The case continues to be fought in the court of public opinion as nearly every paper spills ink bemoaning our lurid fascination with those who live and die by the dirt. Reporter Jessica Seigal looks back a few years to the cautionary tale of a Page Six gossip-monger who couldn’t help telling the truth.

Equal Slaying Field (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:56 GMT

Even before the facts were in, few media watchers were shocked by the notion that journalistic ethics might be an afterthought when dishing about the famous. But it wasn’t always so. The architect of the modern gossip industry was Walter Winchell, who had his own keen, if unique, sense of principle. Brooke speaks with Neal Gabler, author of Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity, about Winchell’s commitment to delivering his dish buffet-style.

What Happens On The Reservation … (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:02 GMT

A year ago this week, students at Red Lake Senior High School on the Ojibwa Reservation in Northern Minnesota returned to school after the most deadly school shooting since Columbine. No community can ever be prepared for a tragedy like that. But in Red Lake, the inevitable media frenzy consisted in large part of reporters who knew nothing of Ojibwa culture, and the tribe, whose Constitution says nothing about press freedom, declared much of the Reservation off limits to reporters. Louise Mengelkoch, a journalism professor at nearby Bemidji State University lays out for Bob the anatomy of a coverage breakdown.

… Stays On The Reservation (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:02 GMT

One of the few reporters who had access to the Red Lake community and its tribal leaders after the shooting was Dorreen Yellow Bird, a reporter at the Grand Forks Herald and a Native American herself. A couple of weeks ago, Yellow Bird was asked back to Red Lake for a rare interview on the occasion of the one-year anniversary. She reports to Bob on the news from within.

Regrets Only (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:11 GMT

You are a White House reporter, invited for a rare sit-down meeting with the President. The only condition is that the conversation, whatever it covers, will be strictly off-the-record. Do you agree to talk with the President on the President’s terms? Knight Ridder White House correspondent Ron Hutcheson weighs the options with Bob.

Revolution on Ice (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:16 GMT

By the time the polls closed last weekend in Belarus, protesters had already taken to the street, alleging vote-fraud and strong-arm tactics by President Alexander Lukashenko. The so-called Denim Revolution had many of the marks of other recent resistance efforts – in Ukraine, in Georgia, and Serbia. But in the end, it was the Revolution that Wasn’t. Bob talks to The Economist correspondent Andrew Miller about the regime’s media clampdown. He also speaks with Srdja Popovic, a consultant to democracy advocates worldwide, about what went wrong.

Despots In The Dock (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:16 GMT

For countries bedeviled by war crimes, genocide and all manner of trauma it’s been described as the last resort for justice - the international war crimes trial. Part media spectacle, part history lesson, part political scorecard, part attempt at truth and reconciliation the trials have evolved into a messy media phenomenon. Bob speaks with Anthony Dworkin, a former journalist who helps lawyers, journalists and the public at large understand the history, the expectations and the stakes in a modern war crimes trial.

China’s Blue Pencil (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:25 GMT

A sudden flourishing of investigative journalism in China has created a Wild West atmosphere – crusading reporters and editors blazing away at the powers that be. But this is taking place in the authoritarian East, where communist party officials make examples of news organizations deemed too quick on the draw. That inherent conflict is apparent in the teaching of journalism in China. Bob speaks with Xiguang Li, dean of the School of Journalism, at Beijing's Tsinghua University.

China’s Red Pen (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:25 GMT

On Friday, the Chinese government announced it was dropping its case against jailed New York Times researcher, Zhao Yan. His imprisonment points to the essential conflict of Chinese journalism: communist leaders trying to navigate global free markets without surrendering to the free market of ideas. Bob talks to David Bandurski, a researcher at the University of Hong Kong's China Media Project.

Knight Shadows (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:27 GMT

Caught in the anxious middle of the Knight Ridder deal are employees of the twelve newspapers scattered around the country, which have just changed ownership and will be changing hands again sometime soon. David Hanners, general assignment reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, joins Bob to discuss daily journalism when you’re being bought and sold and bought again.

Smooth Operator (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:38 GMT

For years, even when it was a near monopoly, AT&T managed to do the impossible with a surprising degree of success. It managed to convince us that a huge corporation could be our friend. But despite its pioneering command of public relations, its omnipotence was never far from view. Claude Fischer, author of A Social History of the Telephone, and Lily Tomlin's erstwhile operator Ernestine guide Brooke through a century of the long arm of Ma Bell.

News Scrap (It's On!) (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:40 GMT

Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's Countdown, has a weekly segment called "the worst person in the world," and frequently awards that honor to Bill O'Reilly, of Fox's O'Reilly Factor. Recently, O'Reilly cracked. He said anyone who spoke Olbermann's name on his program would hear from Fox security and apparently, at least one caller to his radio program already has. We gathered actual tape of the feuding hosts, set their voices to music, and yes, embellished the tale, just a little.

Captain Candidate (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:02 GMT

Mid-term elections are starting to heat up and the press is in hot pursuit of themes around which they can organize their coverage - for example, "Democrats in disarray" or "Republicans mired in scandal." But those seem a little tired. So the media have been quick to pounce on a fresh narrative being offered - an expanding field of veterans, running for Congress as Democrats. Brooke talks with political onlookers on both sides of the spectrum about this "Band of Brothers."

The Spoils of Oil (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:02 GMT

The American oil industry is funneling some of its massive 2005 profits into a P.R. campaign designed to play down the size of the profits, and play up the industry's good will. First, Bob talks with Red Cavaney, president of the American Petroleum Institute, the group behind the ad campaign. Then, with Tyson Slocum, from the advocacy group Public Citizen, who says big oil is pulling a fast one on the American public.

Live from the Briefing Room (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:04 GMT

The White House spokesperson has briefed the press live on TV regularly since 1998 when Clinton Press Secretary Mike McCurry allowed CNN's cameras go live. The result is that the public can watch as reporters do the dirty work of trying to get answers from the spokesperson. Theatrics are a necessary part of the process but do reporters play it up for the camera? First, Bob talks with veteran ABC newsman Sam Donaldson. Then, Brooke talks with Mike McCurry.

Re-musing Ourselves (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:07 GMT

The late media critic Neil Postman argued in his seminal book "Amusing Ourselves to Death," that as TV prevailed over the printed word, it impaired our ability to make sense of a world of information. Jay Rosen writes the blog, PressThink and is a professor at NYU, where Postman taught. Rosen counts Postman as both mentor and hero and joins Brooke to discuss "Amusing Ourselves to Death," now in a new edition, as ever more relevant.

Ain't Gonna Cover War No More (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:12 GMT

Wall Street Journal reporter Farnaz Fassihi has just completed a three year stint reporting from Iraq. She's written front page dispatches, but may be best remembered for a 2004 personal email in which she described the near-impossible conditions for doing journalism there. When the email went public, it became a touchstone for debate about Iraq war coverage. Fassihi joins Bob for an exit interview.

Woodstein's Muse (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:16 GMT

Watching the new DVD release of All the President's Men the other night, Brooke came upon a bombshell, buried in one of the DVD's commentary tracks. It concerns the unlikely genesis of what has become the prevailing symbol of all that is fine in American journalism.

Into the Fray (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:39 GMT

The past year has been a tumultuous one for administrators of public broadcasting, and programmers have had to fend off accusations of political bias. Into the embers of the skirmish steps Paula Kerger, who's just been chosen as the new president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service. Bob speaks with Kerger about the challenges ahead.