For years, Icann, the overseer of all things .com, .biz, .org, etc., has held a tight grip on top level domains - those letters that can appear after the dot. This has led to some very awkward URLs, with people and companies trying to squeeze variations on their name into the most common .com category.

 Now it looks like any dot goes.

Icann has changed its stripes - er, dots - and is going to permit virtually any word to follow the dot. As in Coca Cola will be able to get .coke if it wants. Your station will be able... more »

I made my usual rounds this morning, checking my email, social nets and Twitter. It was on Twitter that I first found out about the death of George Carlin. In fact, others had posted that they, too, found out about Carlin's death via Twitter or Facebook or other social nets.

Local media outlets need to pay attention to this phenomenon. The old saying was "news is what I say it is." Then it was "news is when I say it is." Neither fly anymore. Instead, we have to be a part of the river of news.

Have a Twitter account for... more »

Now that we've had the site lauched for a couple of months, we're in the process of fine tuning. We want ar-d.com to be a place where people return to every day for news and information about our industry. We have imported feeds from sites we respect, and we are building out more blogs from our own staff.

Recently, this would have been unthinkable - at any company. But we preach how "sending people away" is the surest sign they will come back. Be the place where people start looking for information and they will always return. This is Google's... more »

I recently gave a talk at Promax, the gathering of media creative folks in New York City. The presentation went well, judging by the response. I'll be the first to admit when the room is "dead." This was pretty lively. 

TV Newsday wrote a good, accurate piece on the session.

A MediaPost blog mischaracterized it.

I realize that, when a news subject doesn't like how he comes across, he immediately goes on the defensive. But hear me out.

Reporter Jean Grillo at TV Newsday  wrote "Rethinking TV Station News Sites." She introduced herself to me, so I know she was... more »

We have to rethink what we call sections and segments. The titles we give are dated and decided by tradition. Not good enough. This can get you into trouble. Doesn't it seem odd that that TV and Web programming news is listed in the New York Times under 'Arts'?

It makes sense that there is an "Arts" section in the New York Times. New York City has a marvelous and constantly changing art world. And there was a time when "Arts" was the right word: Which museum shall we attend today? What exhibit is... more »

I remember the early days of the user-generated content debate. It was like proposing heresy. The basic arguments were:

• Nobody can shoot like our pros
• We can't vet the pictures to know if they're "real"
• What if someone sues over them?
• How will we be sure we have permission?

Most sites now accept user submissions. What's really interesting about this is that none of the above concerns have gone away. Pros still shoot like pros. You still can't vet a picture. Someone may still sue. You can't be sure if you have permission - someone could upload someone else's picture. 

But the acceptance of user... more »

There is little I can add to the tribute to Tim Russert, who died today at age 58. But I will try. Tim was a pro's pro. He was a journalist who wanted nothing so much as to train other journalists. He made "Meet The Press" an absolute must- watch, not just because of the politicians and newsmakers, but because it was such good television.

Russert transcended the role of TV anchor - his personality is irreplaceable. While I'm writing this, I'm watching MSNBC, and they have noted that this weekend is Fathers Day. You know how Russert felt about... more »

We're taking the kids to Disney World at the end of the month. Should be fun, if a little hot, right? Well, in an effort to make things easy for us, they have made things utterly, utterly baffling.

First, there's the reservations process. If, like me, you're traveling with an odd number (there are five of us) you're already in trouble. Travel was made for even numbers - especially families of five. If you don't want to get stuck with a second room (and our kids are really too young for that) your choices are limited. Booking online with Disney... more »

We're going to go off-topic here for a moment, and on to one of my personal favorites: the First Amendment. We invoke the 1stAm a lot, especially online. If someone comments on your blog and you decide to erase the comment, there will be people who cry "You're infringing on my First Amendment rights!" Employees of companies, when told they can't blog, cry 1stAm foul.

Most recently, Redlasso, the excellent-and-therefore-most-likely-to-be-shutdown video service cried 1stAm. It allows users to go to any point in a network's content, "clip it," and post it in its own embedded player. Redlasso did... more »

Amid the usual V|@gr?/\ and Nigerian scam emails, across my transom comes this exciting news:

 {{03)),

It is my pleasure to inform you that you are being considered for inclusion into the 2008-2009 Princeton Premier Business Leaders and Professionals Honors Edition section of the registry.

The 2008-2009 edition of the registry will include biographies of the world's most accomplished individuals. Recognition of this kind is an honor shared by thousands of executives and professionals throughout the world each year. Inclusion is considered by many as the single highest mark of achievement. 

Imagine! Me! {{03))! A Princeton Premier Business... more »

Two AR&D clients swept the National Edward R. Murrow Awards for "Overall Excellence."   Congratulations to KOMO in Seattle, the winner of the large market award, and WJAR in Providence, winner of the small market Murrow.

Both of these stations have excellent news operations and it is great to see them recognized with the national award for overall excellence.  It is truly an award the entire station can take pride in achieving.

Also a tip of the hat to AR&D client WKRG in Mobile which won a national Murrow for Continuing Coverage.  KOMO captured a second national Murrow for writing.

Great work.  We are proud of

The 25-54 demo is out-dated!   Every 7 seconds another Baby Boomer turns 50.  By 2009, the majority of all American households will be led by someone 50 or older.

Many TV general managers I have talked to agree with my call to change the so-called "key demo" for advertsiers to 30-to-60 year olds.  The buying power continues to get grayer in this country and needs to be recognized by the those 20-something media buyers.

Think back to your 20's - did you have any "buying power?"  I didn't.  But today I do.  My two sons complain that I am imposible to... more »

If you needed proof that traditional news outlets are in competition with thousands of Internet sources, consider the first report of the untimely death of Tim Russert.   No, it wasn't his own network - NBC - or any other traditional broadcast or cable news outlet.

Beating the pack by a full 36 minutes was Wikipedia!   That's right - the controversial site written and edited by anonymous sources - beat the venerable Associated Press by over half an hour.  Wikipedia had the news 38 minutes before NBC told the world.

In fact, there were eight edits on the Wikipedia site before NBC... more »

Someone once told me, "you can't cut enough expenses to get back to profitability, you have to have a revenue plan too."  I believe this thinking is lost on most broadcast groups in these difficult times. 

I hear from frustrated general managers every day that their company is only focused on cutting expenses, with no planning on how to protect their core business while at the same time pursuing new revenue streams.  In fact, the GM's complain it is just the opposite - any new revenue ideas are routinely rejected immediately because all the corporate folks want to hear is where... more »

Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi are all the offspring of Aliens who crashed in New Mexico in 1947?  It is really a delicious urban myth that is debunked on the web site snopes.com.

I was on the web site checking out a different untrue urban myth.  Some of my clients visit this web site quite frequently evaluating claims from viewer emails.

The myth about the politicians stems from a famous UFO incident near Roswell, New Mexico in July of 1947.  Many witnesses claimed that a UFO with five aliens crash landed on a sheep ranch just... more »

In these tight budgetary times, many stations are talking about reverting to "one-man bands" to save money.  Call them VJ's or EJ's - I call them a mistake.

I encourage you to follow the lead of WNCN-TV in Raleigh instead.  They have hired nearly two dozen "Beat Reporters."  They are required to live in the targeted community that they cover.

It is a throwback to "the day" - when reporters on TV actually worked to cultivate contacts, and generate exclusive stories through those relationships.  It was a far cry from the typical TV reporter of this generation who is content to be... more »

It was the most important weather forecast in history.  Hundreds of thousands of Allied Troops waited for the word to invade Europe.  And President Eisenhower made the call.

My teachers had never brought up the weather-related issues involving D-Day, so I was surprised to learn of the situation as I was researching a weather paper that I am writing.  This forecast - in 1944 - was much more important than what passes for major weather concerns today - like will it rain on my outdoor wedding or class reunion?  This forecast impacted the course of world history.

D-Day was actually set... more »

Here's an update on the special DTV test conducted this week by KGMB9 in Honolulu.  I wrote about this test a few days ago.  The station ended all its newscasts on Monday with a 10 second test for viewers to see if their TV sets are ready for the conversion to digital TV next February.

KGMB9 marketing director Candace Hirleman reports that the test went well and generated viewer feedback, as well as articles in a Honolulu daily newspaper, and the local business journal.  The Hawaii blogosphere was also buzzing about the test.

Candace says the most surprising reaction came from... more »

First, to offer full disclosure, I am not a fan of the monopolistic company called Nielsen.  In fact, I think they are one of the most arrogant, inaccurate, over-priced companies in America.  Back in my days as general manger of a TV station in Columbus I took great delight in battling my Nielsen rep at every turn.

So I had to chuckle when I read their news release on the need to move the February sweeps to March in 2009 "to ensure the most accurate measurement with no glitches."  My first thought - why should the 2009 sweeps be any different... more »

Your viewers are being bombarded with announcements about the fast-approaching switch to digital televison.  Which of their TV sets will work?  How will they know?

Well, KGMB in Honolulu is offering a quick, easy, and very viewer-friendly test next Monday so their viewers can quickly know if their sets will work once the analog signal is switched off.   You might consider a similar test for your viewers.

Here's what KGMB is saying in their news release:

KGMB9 will flip the switch early and simulate an analog shutdown on Monday, May 19, 2008, during all evening newscasts.  This unique 10 second test... more »