Aha! Moments

In an earlier post - NPR spoke with a network exec about more dramas on the docket this year versus the deluge of Reality TV shows of the past seasons. Today Renee Montagne reported on the serial nature of those new dramas, and how that is causing stress among fans and those who create the shows. Why? Because fans are afraid they'll become emotionally involved and then the network will pull the plug and leave them hanging.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5580382

Here is where the Aha Moment comes in for me. I've been exploring on this blog how the internet will be used as a new delivery system for broadcast and cable television shows... what does that mean, exactly and how will we all make a living from it?

Montagne reports that network execs will use the internet to bridge gaps for these new shows in a few ways. If a serial drama gets cancelled, the network may continue the rest of the season through the internet. For the shows that continue - fans can keep up with evolving story lines through internet updates.. and the real Aha came when Montagne said there are even a few shows being developed primarily for the internet. If they do well and garner a fan base... they will make the jump to broadcast.

Aha! Check out the story. Very interesting. Perhaps we are getting somewhere.

On another note: I've been doing video work for a group called The Knowledge Trust which is a University of North Carolina-led group of industry gurus, uber librarians, and other visionaries. Their job is to figure out what the digital revolution means to libraries and specifically training librarians (UNC is one of the world's premier library schools). They are asking simple questions like: what IS a library? what happens to books? and what exactly ARE the questions? Also on NPR today - those same types of questions apply to museums. Here is the link to the web extras page:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5563221