Weekly New Digital Media - 26.10.16 (13)

BBC chair post advertised with £10,000 pay cut 

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/26/bbc-chair-trust-rona-fairhead

 Summary: The culture secretary has formally started the hunt for the chair of the new BBC board, offering a £100,000-a-year salary, £10,000 less than was taken home by former BBC Trust chair Rona Fairhead. The government has also said that it will begin the hunt to appoint the nine non-executive board members, of the new 14-strong new unitary BBC board, will begin early next month. The candidates must have the skills that include "experience exercising excellent financial management and securing value for money”. Rona Fairhead was meant to take over governing the corruption from the BBC Trust in April, but she got stood down in September, this is because Theresa May instated she would have to apply again for the job she was handed by David Cameron in May. 

[]  “We are delighted the recruitment process for this vital role is underway. The public want a strong and independent BBC. The new chair will champion that.” 

[] Rona Fairhead had been due to stay on until 2o18 

Opinion: I think that by the BBC recruiting new people to take on such a big role in the BBC can allow the institution to have better changes and allow it to be how the public want BBC to be - strong and independent. Although i don't think it was correct for Theresa May to make Rona step down and apply again for the job - to me that seems like Theresa May is taking advantage of her power and making people lose their jobs and apply again just because she is now the new PM. 

NDM News: The future of journalism

1) Go to the Nieman Lab webpage (part of Harvard university) and watch the video of Clay Shirky presenting to Harvard students. 

2) Play the clip AND read along with the transcript below to ensure you are following the argument. You need to watch from the beginning to 29.35 (the end of Shirky's presentation).

3) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?

He thought is that newspapers ability to produce accountability journalism is shrinking, he is convinced that it keeps the people under control and not lead them to corruption. The examples he gave of this is how "spotlight" is based on journalists investigation that talks about child sexual assaults that includes the churches and persist. 

4) What does Shirky say about the relationship between newspapers and advertisers? Which websites does he mention as having replaced major revenue-generators for newspapers (e.g. jobs, personal ads etc.)?
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5) Shirky talks about the 'unbundling of content'. This means people are reading newspapers in a different way. How does he suggest audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age?

Shirk suggests that audiences are consuming news stories through online, which is very accurate, he suggests that consumers rather than the producers are the ones that are bundling the content together. As this is because the audiences would only click or read the stories that they would want to watch/hear about or what is mostly reverent or is in their comfort zone. 



6) Shirky also talks about the power of shareable media. How does he suggest the child abuse scandal with the Catholic Church may have been different if the internet had been widespread in 1992?

If the internet had been as big as it is now, child abuse scandal with the catholic church would have gone viral and many many people would know about it as well as show a bigger audiences how the powerful can be and how they use their power to do things and stop things from coming out to the audiences. 

7) Why does Shirky argue against paywalls? 

He says that paywalls are restricted, the audiences are not going to pay for their news even though it is needed because there is a lot of republications and reuse of paid content on free sites and what has happened with some of the newspapers such as the sun - sometimes it isn't too successful.

8) What is a 'social good'? In what way is journalism a 'social good'?

Social good is something that benefits a majority of a large group of audiences. One example a way that journalism is a social good because journalismist do try to expose the powerful people just like the case with the involvement of the church and the child assault, other than journalist, no other person in the media would be able to expose such corrupt people to the audiences. 

9) Shirky says newspapers are in terminal decline. How does he suggest we can replace the important role in society newspapers play? What is the short-term danger to this solution that he describes?

Shirky says that we need a class of institution or deals that produces five precent of accountability journalism and that you can only replace newspapers with newspapers themselves. Shirky thinks a bad thing is going to happen and people aren't taking it seriously, there is going to be a decline in accountability journalism which means corruption will be riffe. 

10) Look at the first question and answer regarding institutional power. Give us your own opinion: how important is it that major media brands such as the New York Times or the Guardian continue to stay in business and provide news?

In my opinion, i think it is importation for big brands like NYT and the Guardian continue to stay in the business and provide news because they deliver the right news and fulfil their roles of exposing and questioning the powerful. But i think big newspaper like them wouldn't go down so easily as they are very popular with their audiences and read by many. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 19.10.16 (12)

The Lad Bible strikes deal with Discovery for TV show clips

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/14/lad-bible-discovery

Summary: This article explains that the "Lad Bible" has sealed a deal with Discovery to create clips from shows including Bear Grylls, that will help and appeal to their youth fan base. The are clips that will be covered are designed to appeal to the younger market such as " extreme survival, risky collisions, explosions, amazing motors..." Shows like Bear Grylls rises to the expectations that the younger audience want to see - "Our audiences absolutely love the heart-in-the-mouth moments that these shows provoke." As well as manly aiming at the male audience, the Lad Bible do try to aim at the female millennials, with sites such as "Pretty52" this competes with Vice female brand Broadly and Elite Daily, owned by the parent company of the Daily Mail. and with males its such as "The Sport Bible" (not saying this doesn't aim to female audience but it is heavily targeted towards males)

[] The Lad Bible Group is home to some of the best-loved media brands for youth audiences
[] creates an incredible opportunity to engage and monetise this passionate group by sharing great moments from our hit shows across multiple platforms

My opinion: By having the UK's biggest online community for young people making deals with other big institutions that young people are already fimilar with shows that Lad bible know their target audience and know how to appeal to them, by knowing their interests and trying to involved those interest to their website and attract to much a wider audience. Since Lad Bible attracts the youth mainly, which is very hard to do, they use the interaction to gain their attention and keep them interests from keeping their clips current and obviously shows that are popular in the younger audiences just like Bear Grylls. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 19.10.16 (11)

Spotify UK revenues surge to almost £190m as mobile subscriptions take off

                    

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/14/spotify-uk-revenues-surge-to-almost-190m-as-mobile-subscriptions-take-off

Summary: This article explains how Spotify has increased their revenue from the past year. Revenues at Spotify’s UK business grew to almost £190m last year as subscription income soared by over 40% by music fans increasing to the company's mobile service. This is because many viewers are moving from desktop to mobile as the majority new users are signing up for Spotify through their mobiles. Spotify offers their viewers up to 30m songs and charges them a fee of £9.99 per month for its premium subscription. The company's staff bill grew from £12.3m to £13.7m - the highest paid director received £151,000.

- World’s biggest music streaming service saw total UK revenues rise by 18% from £159m to £187.2m last year

- Subscription income accounts for over 90% of Spotify UK’s total revenues, the remainder comes from advertising.

- Last year, ad revenue fell slightly from £11m to £10.8m.

- The streaming service has 100 million users worldwide, of which 40 million are paying subscribers.

My opinion: As a user of Spotify i can understand why their revenues have increased so much over the past year. The services and the range of songs they provide their audience for the amount of money the audiences have to pay it, is a benefit and can be the reason why so many users sign up to this particular music streaming service. The fact that viewers can access their spotify playlist or go on the application through desktop and also mobile phones gives the audience the access they want with their music.  Spotify understands their target audience and because they are making sure they are appealing to them, they are increasing in revenue.

NDM: Newspapers - The effect of online technology

1) Do you agree with James Murdoch that the BBC should not be allowed to provide free news online? Why?

Overall, I don't agree with Murdoch because I feel that his argument is based purely around the fact that he is looking out for the future prospects of his own business which may go bankrupt if the BBC continue to provide free news as it wouldn't help him.

I think that news is essential for everyone to have access to as it keeps us updated, it looks at the current and global affairs which really helps us as the audience to keep up with the world immediately, and remain connected with what is going around, so in my opinion yes I do believe it should be free. 

2) Read this blog on the Times paywall three years on.

3) Was Rupert Murdoch right to put his news content (The Times, The Sunday Times) behind a paywall?

As Murdoch did try it with his Sun newspaper and it didn't work, i think its mostly based on who the target audience market is for the newspaper and if they will be willing to pay for it. However, according to the article, it states that they had 140,000 digital customers view the newspaper, for newspapers that is a figure that could potentially help them stay in the business . 

4) Choose two comments from below the Times paywall article - one that argues in favour of the paywall and one that argues against. Copy a quote from each and explain which YOU agree with and why.

All very well, but the Times has zero web presence. What's the point of existing in the 21st century without one? 

I never hear or read anything from the newspaper, because nobody can share what it publishes.

I agree with this, as personally I have never read this newspaper i feel like it targets and covers very niche categories so perhaps I would be in favour of the paywall for this newspaper as the demographics suggest ABC1 readers would be willing to subscribe to the monthly £14.99pp for convenience. However i am against newspapers more broad like The Sun of the Daily Mail for instance having a paywall.

It is so ridiculous if these mainstream newspapers believe that they can "force readership of fee-based news. One can get the same "news" for free almost anywhere on the internet. I'd take a hint from the alternative free weeklies that survive just off their local advertising. I don't think anyone would read them otherwise. These papers are full of paid advertising. The fee model will never work.

I am totally in an agreeable situation with this comment as i feel like in the long run everything moving to the internet and with it advancing so fast the news will ultimately become free regardless. Its time the newspaper innovates or the industry declines. So yes i agree with the disagreement argument against the paywall.

5) Read this article from the Media Briefing on the continuing decline of the newspaper industry. 

6) Why do you think the Evening Standard has bucked the trend and increased circulation and profit in the last two years?

The evening standard having been a regional paper striving through the downfall crisis in the newspaper industry in June 2013, demonstrated that it has increased its distribution from 700,000 to 900,000 which ultimately lead to an increase in circulation this could have occurred through potential. 

7) Is there any hope for the newspaper industry or will it eventually die out? Provide a detailed response to this question explaining and justifying your opinion.

In my opinion, I think that newspaper will eventually die out, and the reason is because the internet is becoming so advanced and into our every day basis of lives that it is consistently in use. Although, the fact that newspaper are fulfilling the role of professional journalisms and questioning the powerful, after newspapers die out nobody in the media industry will go out their ways to question the powerful and expose them to the people if they do bad, we wouldn't have reliable source from all media. 
One of the main reasons why i think i don't read newspapers or nor do other people is because of the availablity and the accessibility the internet provides us with and giving us the easier option to just view the news from the internet. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 12.10.16 (10)

Yahoo email surveillance: who approved the secret scanning program? - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/06/yahoo-email-surveillance-government-nsa-fisa 

Summary:

Yahoo have been said to be broadcast content but no sure for whom, the FBI and Fisa court are potentials. This isn't the first time a related technique has been use it was before used to scan emails of potential child abusers by the FBI. It also is used to show the 'signatures' of terrorist users and groups. Goitein said. “So it’s not meant for mass surveillance at all. If Fisa is being used for mass surveillance that creates a whole other problem.” Other corporations, such as Facebook, use PhotoDNA to recognize images that disrupt their terms of service, not always with success. On the other hand the government seems to see no harm in these sorts of interruptions even if individuals question how images of abuse are illegal to possess and distribute; yet it’s not illegal to talk to terrorists. 

[] The government appears to have undertaken the program under the law in 2015 even as Congress was attempting to roll back surveillance of American citizens.

My opinion: 

This appears to highlight the issue of NDM developing at a rapid pace but the laws and regulations of states not catching up on time. Regardless of my opinion on the case not disagreeing too much with the government, that having this kind of information on people that can harm the working of society isn't such a negative thing, I do believe that the government should make this obvious for consumers by not only counting it in their terms and conditions but also their laws and regulations. 

Weekly New/Digital Media: 12.10.16 (9)

Pixel is a direct challenge to Apple – and a referendum on Google

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/05/google-pixel-phone-market-apple-iphone

Summary: 

Google makes a new phone to competing iPhones directly, instead of joining up with third parties. This is in order to dodge division when it comes to the continuous progresses in programming and software. This is as they believe that audiences are becoming more conscious about the updates due to bigger awareness and background information - less of leading partnership. This will certainly test the brand of Google and Apple.

[] Android has made the operating system the world’s most popular on mobile, ahead of iOS, with over 1.4bn devices active a month

[] Google and its Nexus partners have only sold around 23m in total since 2010, making them only 0.2% of the total shipments of smartphones in that period. 

[] Samsung has sold a total of 520m Samsung S models over the years 

[] Apple has sold 1bn iPhones.

My opinion:
This is an exciting development as you will have Apple's market supremacy tried as well as find out rather directly what audiences truly favour, with the pure research and data power google has, apple is maybe in for it. This is a positive as this jar between the two major brands would stop only Apple being the market leader allowing for a different opinion and trend to enter the phone market over an opinion leader led response and development.