Robert Paterson's Weblog

The long tail of people who are interested - Is this the NPR experience?

Thanks to Chris Anderson

NPR has doubled its listener baser over the last 10 years to over 30 million. In the same period commercial radio has struggled. What is going on?

I had an aha the other day and I hope that you can help me out as this idea grows in my own mind.

My aha is that basing a media business on advertising and hence ratings drives content to the left hand side of the power curve. So in 1970 CBC News still sees itself as a public trust. But after the appointment of Roone Arledge at ABC, major network news has to find the ratings or die. News now had to entertain the masses - that was where the ratings were. So News moves to become a mixture of Entertainment Tonight or the Dogma according to Fox. Why? Because the mass market does not want insight. It wants either to escape into trivia or to wallow in its own dogma.

If I am right, then as the major media moved to the left hand side of Chris's power curve leaving a huge vacuum of a certain demographic. NPR's listeners are not all professors at Princeton. They share one common characteristic - they tend to be either generally curious or knowledgeable. In many cases they are both. Kathy Sierra posted this definition today.

Snip:

Learning music changes music. Learning about wine changes wine. Learning about Buddhism changes Buddhism. And learning Excel changes Excel. If we want passionate users, we might not have to change our products--we have to change how our users experience them. And that change does not necessarily come from product design, development, and especially marketing. It comes from helping users learn.

Learning adds resolution to what you offer. And the change happens not within the product, but between the user's ears. The more you help your users learn and improve, the greater the chance that they'll become passionate.

What does it mean to say that someone is passionate about something? It's a lot like discussing porn--there's no clear definition, but you know it when you see it. Nobody refers to the guy who knows just two types of wine--red or white--as "passionate about wine." But the movie Sideways was about people who were passionate about wine. The point was not that they drank a lot of wine (although in the movie, they definitely did), but that they knew so much about it. They knew enough to appreciate and enjoy subtleties that are virtually inaccessible to everyone else.

It's the same way with classical or jazz music--learning about the music changes the music. What the music expert hears has more notes, more instruments, more syncopation... than what I hear when I listen to the same piece. Of course I don't mean the music technically changes, but if the way we experience it shifts, it is AS IF the music itself shifts.

I wonder. Is this why there are so many channels on TV but so little to watch? Is this why the Discovery Channel is now filled with biker programs or the Learning Channel with house reno programs? Is it inevitable that a media structure driven by ratings has to move to bread and circuses?

If I am right then how the media is funded will be the most important aspect of whether we still have a media that we can trust and a media that offers the voice of civic community.

Technorati Tags: Culture, Media, New Media, Long Tail, puppy, radio

Dogs and Christmas

As you must now know by now - I am dog mad. This madness runs in our family. I am only partly dog mad. My sister Diana is certifiable with 6 of her own and a dog walking business. Here is proof of my condition. Christmas at the Paterson's

Jay on the far left. Robin the only human in the picture. Pussee on the counter. Pepper, a visitor just to Robin's right. "Chris" our stray now at the Humane Society in the middle and Mildred on the far right. They just love Turkey. They also enjoy Prime Rib and Smoked Salmon!!!!

Technorati Tags: Dogs

Daycare and the Humane Society

We are so lucky to have such a great Humane Society here on PEI. We have adopted 2 animals from. We think so highly of it that it is at the top of our giving list.

So why did I feel so awful in giving up our stray today? Because as wonderful as they are. As committed and caring as the staff are - for a dog - being in the pound is not the same as being in a loving home.

So it is with daycare.

No matter how great the staff, how great the premises, no matter how great the food and the toys - your child is in an institution.

By design institutions are limited in the emotional content of what they can provide. This is not a fault of the staff. This is how institutions are.

I think that we often confuse care with love. We confuse looking after with attention. We confuse professionalism with attachment. We confuse services with empathy.

Community and the tribe - the essence of a healthy society has all but been replaced by institutions. But I have hope. Pressed into a corner by titanic forces, small stirrings of community are emerging. It is I think the change in how we work that gives me the most hope. With a tribal workplace the crazy separation between the economic and the social collapses.

In the tribal workplace, we find again the social and the economic unit that we need. Living a tribal life again enables us to perform both the economic and the social tasks in relationships that mean something.

Technorati Tags: Culture, Dogs, Organization, Relationships, Tribe

Lost Dog on PEI

I drive the dog to the PEI Humane Society this morning.

The phone number there is 902 892 1190. If he is your dog - you have 5 days to pick him up - if not then he becomes theirs.

I am such a suck. As I handed him over I broke down completely and had to run out. This is one special dog

Technorati Tags: Dogs, Lost Dog, PEI

The Perfect Turkey

I had Christmas dinner with my cousins John and Darla. John produced the ultimate turkey.

First build a brick wood burning oven (Call John at Red Clay Construction)

Start fire at 11.30am and get the temperature up to 750c for when the guest arrive (4.30pm)

Then insert your un-stuffed organic turkey from Tony Morrison (14 pounds) Tony sells the best organic Turkeys on the Island.

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. That's right 1 hour and 15 minutes!

Then enjoy the juiciest and tastiest turkey ever.

Technorati Tags: Food, PEI

The Internet and Music - Is it just the web or is it about size and costs?

I post in full below and excellent article from the Times on why the behemoths of the music industry are having such a bad time while the indies are taking share and confidence.

This is not just another article about how great the web is. It talks to culture, size, costs and hence operational freedom. It challenges the idea that bigger is better.

The issue seems to be costs. There seems to a size that drives costs. We see this in the government services arena most clearly where new investment in say healthcare is swallowed up in operational costs and not allocated to the service. The issue I think is the idea of diminishing returns. The internet allows for a networked structure that changes the equation and hence will affect all areas of endeavor not just music.

Snips:

But no factor is more significant than the Internet, which has shaken up industry sales patterns and, perhaps more important, upended the traditional hierarchy of outlets that can promote music. Buzz about an underground act can spread like a virus, allowing a band to capture national acclaim before it even has a recording contract, as was the case this year with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, an indie rock band.......

For many independent entrepreneurs, there is a degree of confidence that comes from running leaner operations while aiming for more modest sales levels. Unlike the majors, independent labels typically do not allocate money to producing slick videos or marketing songs to radio stations. An established independent like Matador Records - home to acts including Pretty Girls Make Graves and Belle and Sebastian - can turn a profit after selling roughly 25,000 copies of an album; success on a major label release sometimes doesn't kick in until sales of half a million......

"There are great bands on major labels and bad bands on independent labels, but it seems like the records made on independent labels are more about real creativity and more heartfelt stuff," Mr. Daniel said. "It may just be a three-, four-, five-year cycle where indie music is cool. Sometimes I get cynical, but people tell me, 'No, this is the way things are going to be from now on.' "

Technorati Tags: Culture, Music, New Media, Organization, Costs

How will podcasting drive talent on radio?

Parkdale is now up to 50,000 page views and 5,000 downloads - in a month. She is getting promoted on Canadian Buffet. Sites like Buffet will become important facilitators of what is hot - allowing talent to be spotted earlier.

What does this mean? I think that it presages a shift in the value of talent. Until now the only way that radio commentator talent could find an audience on radio in Canada was on the CBC or in a major paper. The institution had all the power. As with Music are we not seeing the beginnings of a shift to the talent? Now the talent can find an audience directly.

If I was a podcaster with say 200,000 page views a month and 25,000 downloads would that not have a value?

How do you see the new deal?

Technorati Tags: Media, PEI, Podcasting, New Media

Lost Dog - Is he yours or do you know him?

We found this male mixed breed last night on the junction of route 206 and 24 on the way to Wood Islands. Is he yours or do you know of his owners?

He is very friendly, well behaved and all in all a very sweet dog. He is a neutered male with no apparent tattoo. He has a blue collar but no tags. He is about a foot tall with a lab head and a wiry tail with a white tip. He is very healthy - obviously well looked after and affectionate.

He was wandering in a confused and fearful state by the road looking very lost. He would zig zag across the road and in effect stopped our car. It was dusk and foggy so we took him home - he jumped into the car and snuggled up to me. He is settling down with our 2 dogs and the cat and is safe.

I will call the Humane Society tomorrow - Dec 27.

If he is yours please comment on this post and I will call you and take him home. I would be desperate if he was mine.

Friends on PEI - please carry this post so that we have the best chance of getting through the six degrees that we need to find his owners

Technorati Tags: Lost Dog, PEI, Dogs

Drugs and Life - Panexa - The Ultimate Drug Ad

Being a man of a certain age I was asked during a recent annual checkup how the old water works were. "Not too swift" was the answer. So I was referred to a urologist who put me on some tablets. I looked at the warning label found this:

Side effects cannot be anticipated. If any develop or change in intensity, inform your doctor as soon as possible. Only your doctor can determine if it is safe for you to continue taking Flomax.

* More common side effects may include:
Abnormal ejaculation, back pain, chest pain, cough, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, infection, nausea, runny nose, sinus problems, sleepiness, sore throat, weakness

* Less common side effects may include:
Decreased sex drive, dental problems, insomnia, vision problems

* Rare side effects may include:
Constipation, fainting, low blood pressure upon standing,

painful persistent erection, palpitations, vertigo, vomiting

Although the problem is extremely rare (affecting perhaps 1 in 50,000) Flomax has been known to cause priapism--a painful, persistent erection unrelated to sexual activity. If you develop this side effect, call your doctor without delay. The condition can lead to permanent impotence if not treated immediately.

What a choice! I decided that getting up a couple of time in the night was not so bad and binned the pills.

Now there is Panexa. Check it out and thank God that you are not pregnant or a squirrel.

SIDE EFFECTS

Most patients (2%) tolerate treatment with PANEXA well, especially when compared with prisoners of war of comparable size and weight. However, like all drugs, PANEXA can produce some notable side effects, all of which are probably really, really terrific and nothing that anyone should be concerned about, let alone notify any medical regulatory commission about. Most side effects of PANEXA, or their sufferers, are usually short-lived, and are rarely so fatal that the remains can no longer be identified, provided good dental records are available. Some known side effects are:

Respiratory system: Shortness of breath, longness of breath, kinetic balloon-like lung expansion, really geeky laughs

Digestive system: explosive diaherrea, upset stomach; bitter, withdrawn stomach, prehensile colon, achy butt; shiny, valuable feces composed of aluminum and studded with diamonds and sapphire

Eyes/senses: everything you think you see becomes a Tootsie Roll to you, night vision, taste hallucinations (where everything tastes 'gamey' or 'oakey'), inability to distinguish the colors 'taupe' and 'putty'; sudden enjoyment of really bad music, like Kenny G or some crap; thinking everything is so damn funny all the time

Muscular/Skeletal: PANEXAcan cause a real live skeleton to be walking around inside you, buttock muscles to mirror the actions of the jaw muscles, magnetization of the ribcage, and musical spine disorder (MSD) Skin: Might turn blue, wither, and fall off. Or just get really thick and spongy (muppet-like)

Other: Loss of sexual desire and/or desirability; rising of the lights, the vapors, the willies; susceptibility to wedgies, no rhythm, dresses for shit, and can't hold a job to save your life; blue sweats; symptoms that look like scurvy, but louder; and the compulsion to address everyone nearby as "Cap'n."

PANEXA is a registered trademark of MERD Pharmeceutical Group.

Technorati Tags: Healthcare, Humour

Parkdale Doris - Local Superstar

Every Wednesday at 6 minutes to 8, Parkdale Doris tells us Islanders what we all are thinking but dare not say. She is the edgy side of media that many of us want.

Every Wednesday at 6 minutes to 8 - I am working, showering, traveling, blogging whatever and usually forget or just cannot get to the radio in time.

NOW with the miracle of Podcasting. I can hear the wisdom of Parkdale anytime I choose.

Isn't this the future of broadcasting? I asked an NPR news executive the other day what she thought her competition was - she answered "Life". We are all so busy that keeping a date with a program is hard. But I can keep my dates with Doris anytime. Thousands of others seem to have joined me as well. Horace and I will just have to stand in line.

Doris's close friend is Cynthia Dunsford

Technorati Tags: Humour, Media, PEI, Podcasting