Media

As Media Expand, So Do Opportunities for Businesses

by Chip Griffin on September 7, 2011

On Oct. 9, 1986, the Fox Network launched, with 88 affiliates across the country. At the time, most experts ridiculed the notion that a fourth network could challenge the dominance of the Big Three. No doubt executives at NBC, CBS, and ABC found themselves snickering, too. When Fox took to the airwaves with its first [...]

Surfing Back in Time

by Chip Griffin on June 1, 2011

I had a conversation yesterday that spurred me to think back to the “old days” of the World Wide Web. You see, I’ve been at this game long enough to remember Yahoo before it was at Yahoo.com. Most of you probably don’t know that it used to live at http://akebono.stanford.edu. In any case, I took [...]

I Wish I Really Could Watch TV Anywhere

by Chip Griffin on May 26, 2011

Last night I ended up at the bar of a mass production restaurant in Broomfield, CO eating unhealthy food of marginal quality while drinking club soda with some of the saddest looking pieces of lime I have seen in a while. No, I’m not a down-on-my-luck recovering addict, just a guy who really wanted to [...]

New York Times iPad App Comes Up Just Short

by Chip Griffin on October 17, 2010

I really want to like the New York Times iPad app. You see, I have taken to really liking the iPad as my primary reading tool. I read books on it (mostly with the Kindle app). I read magazines (mostly with Zinio, but also a handful of publication-specific apps). I read newspapers (like the Wall [...]

All Blog Posts are Not Created Equal

by Chip Griffin on July 6, 2010

Over the course of the past year, my schedule has been such that I have not been able to consume social media in the same regular, obsessive way that I used to. I have become, I suspect, more like a typical information consumer, if such a thing exists. I sample information from my favorite traditional and social media web sites as time permits. Some days I may be able to devote a couple of hours, while at other times I may go a couple of days without going beyond a handful of core information sources.

Unfortunately, most blogs are not set up well to handle samplers like the “new me.” The standard blog design calls for a timeline-style layout where posts are featured chronologically, without the benefit of editorial recommendation or discretion.

Who among us has not been intrigued by what goes on behind closed doors at our office? Ever wondered what your boss was really thinking? Curious about the dynamics of your organization’s board and ownership? Or perhaps speculated about compensation questions?

In just nine days, Wired magazine’s iPad app sales have nearly equaled their typical monthly newsstand sales, Crain’s New York Business reports. Early buzz — and likely many curiosity seekers — drove more than 73,000 downloads at $4.99 each. That compares to Conde Nast’s official media kit information that shows December 2009 ABC numbers at 82,357 for individual copies.

Bias, for Lack of a Better Word, is Good

by Chip Griffin on March 29, 2010

Kara Miller, an instructor on media issues at Babson College in Massachusetts, writes in her Culture Club blog at Boston.com about conflicts of interest in the media. Her focus is on the intersection between media coverage and sponsorship of media outlets. She concludes: Commercials, certainly, are not new to news shows. But there is something [...]

When Crowdsourced Reviews Break Down

by Chip Griffin on March 22, 2010

Online consumer product reviews have changed the way I shop. Rarely do I make a purchase without checking on the web to see what others have experienced themselves. I take into account the assessments of professionals, but I value the collective judgment of multiple consumers more. The system works when many people take the time [...]

Speakers & Writers: Drop the Potty Mouth

by Chip Griffin on March 15, 2010

When a speaker or author drops the “f bomb,” utters excretory expletives, or launches a lusty cuss word, it doesn’t add emphasis. It doesn’t make them look cool, hip, and smart. It makes them seem crass, juvenile, arrogant, and less than they are. I say this not because I’m a linguistic purist. Far from it. [...]