Talking Michael Jackson and the duality of his legend on National Public Radio

At the risk of overloading on Michael Jackson coverage, I'll post a link here to my appearance on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, where we waxed philosophical on the King of Pop during the roundtable Barbershop segment.

Initially, we were planning to talk this week about the craziness on Jon & Kate plus 8 (Jon Minus Kate Equals Hate, perhaps?), maybe slip in a little Ed McMahon and Mark Sanford material. But when TMZ declared Jackson dead at 5:20 p.m. Thursday, we knew all that had to change.

Check out my discussion with blogger/host Jimi Izrael, activist/writer Arsalan Iftikhar, columnist Ruben Navarrette and host Michel Martin.

I also appeared on WTVT-Ch. 13's Your Turn and offered some quotes to WMNF-FM for their news show later this evening.

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Will WUSF-Ch. 16's problem with Bright House hobble Tampa's second PBS station?

What may be most interesting about the flap that has seen Tampa PBS station WUSF-Ch. 16 removed from Bright House Networks' analog digital tier, is the way each side in the issue is blaming the other for the problem.

Callers to Bright House Networks have been told by customer service representatives that WUSF chose to be placed on the digital tier, where only customers with digital cable or a special tuner can see them. That's only half true -- WUSF was forced by Bright House to choose between airing one analog channel or all four of its digital channels in the digital tier. (I know some callers have been told this, because I was told this yesterday by a Bright House customer service representative.)

At least one caller to WUSF told me a staffer there said Bright House forced them to air on the digital tier. Again, that's not exactly true, either; general manager JoAnn Urofsky admitted to me that she chose to keep WUSF's four digital channels airing, unaware that up to 40 percent of Bright House customers don't have digital cable. "There was no good choice," she said Monday. "Digital is the future of TV, and we have to be a part of that."

All of this came to a head because of a national agreement between groups representing cable providers, PBS and the stations; it only required cable companies to air one PBS station in each TV market in both analog and digital formats after the switch to digital TV on Friday. So cable companies are deciding to limit secondary stations to one format, and WEDU-Ch. 3 is the primary PBS station in Tampa.

This has happened to two dozen PBS stations across the country. But WUSF, which could lose access to 40 percent of its audience at a time when the recession has already seriously impacted donations to public broadcasters, may be seriously threatened by this change. 

Now, after getting a healthy amount of calls Monday and today from viewers, I've discovered a few things:

Bright House is making tough decisions: Given the amount of anger from customers over service outages last week and the week before, I'm surprised the cable company is willing to stick with a decision that could hobble a local public television station.

Bright House is using the circumstances to sell digital cable: Several callers told me the cable company is offering upgrades to digital cable service to those who want to see WUSF. But there is a cheaper alternative: a tuner customers can get for $1 which would allow them to see WUSF, WEDU and several government/public access channels in the digital tier. WUSF fans should insist on receiving this tuner, if they don't want digital cable.

WUSF missed an opportunity to prepare its audience: Callers told me they felt a little betrayed by DTV announcements saying viewers wouldn't lose channels in the switch to digital if they had cable service. I remember how both PBS stations mobilized audiences and donors to build their digital TV capabilities in the first place (WEDU alone spent $12-million).

If WUSF had taken time to educate viewers about the coming change -- the decision about staying in the digital tier was made in November -- seems that the disruption might have been minimized.

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Unexpected DTV fallout: Some Bright House cable customers won't see WUSF-Ch. 16 after today

When Marvin Charette clicked on WUSF-Ch. 16 Friday afternoon, he was expecting to see the global news report on PBS’ Worldfocus series.

Instead, the 53-year-old Dunedin resident ran into unexpected fallout from the digital television switch, as cable provider Bright House Networks took the Tampa station out of its analog tier, making WUSF accessible only to customers with digital cable.

Charette, who only has standard cable service, isn’t sure he wants to pay the extra $1 per month charge for a tuner allowing him to see WUSF. And as a former contributor to the public television station, he’s not sure he’ll be giving money in the future, either.

“I can’t see the station – why would I give money to it?” he said. “It’s like Bright House is trying to get extra money from us.”

To minimize confusion in the transition to digital TV, cable companies agreed to keep most local broadcasters on the same analog channels they occupied before turning off their analog signals.

But when it comes to PBS, cable providers are only are only required to carry one public television station in the analog and digital tier in each TV market. Bright House chose WEDU-Ch. 3 for the Tampa Bay area, because it carries more PBS programming than WUSF, broadcasts in high definition and has a higher viewership.

That meant WUSF could choose between inclusion on the digital tier – where Bright House digital cable customers could see their four different digital channels (in graphic at right) – or they could stay only on the analog tier, where all the company’s subscribers would see just one channel.

The change makes WUSF, a station licensed to the University of South Florida, the only local broadcast station dropped from the analog tier by Bright House -- which is the area’s largest cable provider with more than a million customers.

So why didn’t Bright House just leave WUSF on the analog tier, too?

“It’s a business decision,” said spokesman Joe Durkin, who would not reveal exactly how many Bright House customers could not see WUSF because they don’t have digital cable, noting that “over 60 percent” of their subscribers get the service. “We’re going to utilize the space for other programming.”

Having problems with the Digital TV switch today? Tell us here

It's a modern day paradox: At a time when we're more connected than ever, the people most likely to be affected by the switch to digital television are those least likely to show up in a place like this.

Still, we're on the cusp of momentous change. By 1 p.m. today, most local stations will have ended their analog broadcasts forever, turning over the frequencies to the government for use or leasing. As of Thursday, an estimated 28,000 households in the Tampa Bay area were expected to lose TV service completely -- homes with no cable or satellite TV service or television sets capable of picking up digital signals.

The Tampa Bay area is among the nation's most wired communities, with 93 percent of our homes receiving satellite or cable, so the impact is expected to be minimal. But if you're having problems dealing with the change, feel free to sounds off here.

I've been covering the impending switch for over a year, so I may have some information which can help. Click here to check out a guide to the switch I pulled together back in December. Here's my story on the Maytag repairman of the digital switch, Chris Hendrix.

Look below for a list of last-minute tips I pulled together for today's newspaper.

And feel free to chime in here with any problems or issues you may be experiencing:

Remember:

• Only viewers who receive TV signals through an antenna connected to a TV that does not receive digital frequencies will be affected. Most newer TVs can receive digital signals; check your owner’s manual or look up the model online if you remain unsure.

• If you have an analog TV, you can purchase a digital-to-analog converter for about $60 at an electronics retailer such as Best Buy, RadioShack or Wal-Mart. The government will provide coupons worth $40 toward these purchases until July 31 or supplies run out. See www.dtv2009.gov to apply.

• There is free help available to connect digital-to-analog converters in your home and help with reception. You must already own a converter and technicians are not allowed to sell you equipment or services. They are allowed to connect up to two converters, scan for available channels and make minor adjustments to your antenna. See www.dtv.gov and enter your zip code in the Get Help Locally menu for multiple numbers. The FCC also has a hotline: 1-888-CALL-FCC (225-5322).

• If you already have a digital-to-analog converter, you should scan for available channels after the switch today. Several broadcasters will change frequencies or frequency strength after ending analog service; rescanning ensures you won’t lose channels.

• Portable analog TV sets used for emergencies, camping or boat trips will no longer operate, unless connected to a converter. There are a few battery-powered portable digital TVs on the market, priced at about $150 and at least one battery-powered converter kit, priced at about $90.

• High definition TV is different from digital TV. You can purchase a standard-definition TV set that receives digital signals, though some viewers have used the switch as an excuse to purchase televisions with greater features. Similarly, cable systems will continue carrying the same array of stations they always have. But if viewers want to see the extra digital channels offered by broadcasters, they will likely need a different cable tuner. Contact your cable provider for details.

• To see what new programming is available locally on digital channels, go to tv.tampabay.com. You’ll need to pick your cable provider and scan pretty far down in the listings, but you’ll know it when you come to the listing for WEDU-DT, the first of local channels listed

Celebrities who Tweet: Tips to keep them from ruining Twitter for us all

The idea came after reading Twitter messages between actors Steve Buscemi, Kirstie Alley and Melissa Gilbert — where a compliment from Buscemi (later unmasked as a fake), sparked a horrifying joke from the real Alley about group sex:

Celebrities must be taught how to use this thing.

Why? Because, as media scuffle for the next hot Twitter piece, boldfaced names have become the biggest ambassadors of this new medium — the first thing most newbies check when they fire up a new account.

And because so many of them are so awful, they’re giving the microblogging service a bad rap.

It’s a sad fact: Celebrities on Twitter often live down to their stereotypes as self-absorbed, superficial figures (“twitwits,” one editor here called them). Much as I dig John Mayer’s music, if I read another tweet about what club he’s in or what T-shirt he’s wearing, I’ll break up with him, too.

In fact, I’m convinced celebrity abuse of Twitter has almost single-handedly led some to dismiss the service. Any columnist or crank with an iPhone can call up inane tweets from Ashton Kutcher (“I’m excited to go trap shooting today”) or Oprah Winfrey and conclude this is a fad worse than pet rocks and the Macarena combined.

But that’s like walking into the world’s biggest cocktail party and leaving after you’ve talked with five people. 

So here are a few tips for famous folks on Twitter. Look closely, and you may find a few hints that help you become a better Twitter citizen (Twitizen?), as well.

As TVs grow more disposable, so do TV repairmen

 In a disposable society, what happens to the guys who make a living fixing stuff?

That's the question that prompted me to spend time hanging out with guys whose job title sounds like an oxymoron these days: TV repairman.

For years, I had driven by these shops, wondering: Who gets TVs repaired anymore?

A few weeks ago, I actually stopped into a store I had passed by for years -- Gulfport TV in the Gulfport Square shopping center -- to find out. What I discovered: thanks to cheaper TV designs, the rise of the extended warranty and consumers' desire for the latest technology every few years, not many people bother with the repairman anymore.

Forget recessions and rollbacks -- nothing can make an American skimp on their TV sets. And to make sets cheaper, say some experts, manufacturers are using technology that is difficult to repair without replacing big parts. The repair guys suspect, however, that manufacturers are making parts less available and more costly so customers just buy new TVs when the old ones malfunction.

Spend some time with guys like Gulfport TV owner Charlie Wickson or A&M TV's Ellis Meiggs, and you can tell these guys are a different breed. Some of them can recount experience working on radar systems or missile technology, but fate led them to TV repair when times were good -- say, 10 or 15 years ago.

Now, like so many industries connected to media, changing technology and consumer tastes have pushed these guys to the sidelines.

Regardless, I think their story also tells us a little something about ourselves. Click here to check it out and let me know if you agree.

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Media General reorganizes executive structure along geographic lines

 Media General, the Richmond Va.-based company that owns the Tampa Tribune and WFLA-Ch. 8, announced Monday that they will reorganize their corporate structure in the South, Midwest and East along geographic lines -- appointing one executive to be responsible for each of five regions, in the way its Florida outlets are already organized.

The company named four other executives to join Florida Communications Group head John Schueler as president/market leader, outlining top executives for Virginia/Tennessee, the Mid-South, North Carolina and Ohio/Rhode Island.

What struck me most about this listing was that it didn't feature a single woman among the top executives in the restructuring. There are two women near the top of the corporate structure here in Florida -- Tribune publisher Denise Palmer and Tribune executive editor Janet Coats.

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Here's the press release from the company:

Media General (NYSE: MEG) announced today that effective July 1, 2009, the company will alter its organizational structure, shifting from its current three division structure (Publishing, Broadcast and Interactive Media) to five geographic markets.  All properties in a given market will report to a market leader regardless of platform.  The company already manages its Florida market in this manner.

"Media General's strength is derived from its markets.  Structuring our business along market lines will provide an even closer connection to our customers, accelerate our Web-First strategy and speed decision-making across the enterprise," said Marshall N. Morton, President and Chief Executive Officer.  "We will be better able to pursue new opportunities to serve customers beyond our traditional market boundaries, especially using digital media," said Mr. Morton.

The following Media General executives have been named President, Market Leader, for these five market segments.  They will report to Reid Ashe, Chief Operating Officer:

Virginia/Tennessee - James A. Zimmerman.  Mr. Zimmerman is currently President of the Broadcast Division.  In 2008, the VA/TN market had revenues of approximately $235 million.

Florida - John R. Schueler.  Mr. Schueler is currently President, Florida Communications Group.  In 2008, the FL market had revenues of approximately $215 million.

Mid-South - John R. Cottingham.  Mr. Cottingham is currently Senior Vice President, Broadcast Stations.  The Mid-South market includes South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.  In 2008, the Mid-South market had revenues of approximately $170 million.

North Carolina - James R. Conschafter.  Mr. Conschafter is currently Senior Vice President, Broadcast Stations.  In 2008, the NC market had revenues of approximately $105 million.

Ohio/Rhode Island - Richard E. Rogala.  Mr. Rogala is currently Vice President and General Manager, WCMH in Columbus, Ohio.  In 2008, the OH/RI market had revenues of approximately $62 million.

Starting with its third quarter 2009 earnings report, Media General's operating segments will be the five geographic markets.  There will also be a sixth segment, Interactive Advertising Services, which will include the results of Blockdot, Inc., DealTaker.com and NetInformer.  Media General will reclassify prior-year results to conform to the new structure.

As part of the market-focused structure, a new position, Group Vice President, Growth and Performance, will report to Mr. Morton to further intensify the company's focus on digital media opportunities and operational excellence initiatives.  James F. Woodward, currently Vice President, Corporate Human Resources, has been named to the new position.  C. Kirk Read has been named President, Digital Media, and will report to Mr. Woodward.  Mr. Read will continue to lead the team responsible for creating online products and services and developing Internet partnerships.  Also reporting to Mr. Woodward will be Dale B. Lachniet, President, Newspaper Production and Distribution, and Ardell Hill, President, Broadcast Services.  Succeeding Mr. Woodward as Vice President, Corporate Human Resources is Robert E. MacPherson, who is currently President, Community Newspapers.

Verizon FiOS TV and Bright House Networks add video on demand services, but who will unite Internet and TV?

Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV have both this week announced additions to their on demand services, making it easier for customers to watch what they want when they want.

FiOS TV's video on demand channels will offer programming from eight Turner Network cable channels, including Adult Swim, CNN, Cartoon Network, TNT, TBS and TruTv (formerly CourtTV), along with movies from Sony such as Anaconda, The Da Vinci Code and The Firm.

Bright House announced the launch of Primetime On Demand, an on demand channel with recent episodes from network and cable shows such as NBC's Heroes, The Biggest Loser, and Friday Night Lights, CBS's CSI and Survivor, USA's Monk and Burn Notice, FX's Nip/Tuck and Damages. This comes in addition to the cable service's Start Over feature, which allows viewers to watch a show from its start, even when they tune to the program after it has begun.

These services make sense because customers are increasingly demanding more control over when they can watch TV shows. Outside of reality TV competition shows, sporting events and awards shows, appointment viewing is a thing of the past, with TiVo and online services allowing people to shift when they watch their favorite shows.

So when will the cable companies take the final step and unite network, cable and online TV?

Ask some experts -- I spoke to Jim Barry today from the Consumer Electronics Association -- and they will tell you; the future is a TV screen where video accessed from the Internet is indistinguishable from video provided by broadcast networks and cable channels.

I've always thought cable companies such as Bright House and FiOS TV were best positioned to develop this "killer app." They already have tremendous penetration into homes with TV and they already provide broadband Internet access and cable television service to homes simultaneously.

It's a question I'll be asking in coming days and weeks as I look into the future of television.

Because I'm convinced that whoever cracks that conundrum -- combining the passivity of network TV with the active attitude of online activity in one package -- will find the next big trend in television.

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Why is the New York Times TV critic shrugging off Twitter?

Nothing gets my critic's blood boiling more than a bad analysis piece -- especially on technology.

It's so easy for an established journalist to come to a hot new technology trend and either gush uncontrollably or slag all over the proceedings. Either choice whiffs the most important duty of a good critic; to deliver a fair and reasonable analysis so the reader can learn something.

The latest story to spike my blood pressure came in Saturday's New York Times, when TV critic Alessandra Stanley decided to take on a subject Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz had already written about five days earlier -- the explosion of TV anchors using the micro-blogging service Twitter.

  But unlike Kurtz's thoughtful look at the substantive and silly ways TV types are using the technology, Stanley decided to focus on how this newfangled distraction has fed anchor egos and "turned journalism into a year-round, ever-updated “Dear Friends and Family” Christmas newsletter."

Centering her column on the superficial messages TV personalities broadcast to their legions of followers, Stanley uses these brief updates to indict Twitter use in general, sounding a lot like those office curmudgeons who couldn't quite get the hang of that World Wide Web thing 15 years ago.

It's too bad she didn't take a little more time to research the subject. As somebody who has maintained a Twitter page for a while now, I can say with some authority that it does what a lot of online media often achieves: It levels the playing field.

Kurtz found Nightline anchor Terry Moran offered substantive Tweets previewing his interviews, but my experience has been many celebrity Twitter pages aren't particularly useful -- because celebrities, including TV anchors, often won't say anything substantive enough to make an impact.

Where I get my best tweets are from news services, fellow TV critics, big brain thinkers about media such as NYU professor Jay Rosen and the occasional celebrity willing to be real online (Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody, left, and Wendy and Lisa, the former Prince backing players who now score TV shows such as Heroes, are always interesting).

For those who haven't used it much, Twitter basically allows you to broadcast messages in 140-character bursts to anyone with an account who agrees to "follow" your output. You can follow people you find interesting and embed links to other blogs, Web sites or video as part of your message.

I've found that the conversations I have with followers on Twitter and Facebook -- my Tweets are linked to Facebook, so my status line changes every time I post a message on Twitter -- can help me develop stories I'm writing, most recently when I was covering the Golden Globes from Los Angeles via Twitter and evaluating Super Bowl commercials. And I always pass along links to my columns and blog posts.

Kurtz also reported this in his piece, noting how Meet the Press host David Gregory and CNN anchor Rick Sanchez use Tweets to help shape their work.

Too bad Stanley didn't use Twitter to find out a little more about tweeting before slagging it off in a column; it's another way of linking to readers and sources in a way that suggests it is much more than a passing fad.
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DTV confusion: 3 Tampa Bay area TV stations now say they will go all-digital Feb. 17

In the "Could This BE More Confusing" department: Three Tampa Bay area TV stations have now decided to shut off their analog broadcast TV signals on Feb. 17 -- the original date for the entire television industry to switch to all-digital frequencies.

WVEA-Ch. 62, the area's Spanish-language Univision affiliate and MyNetwork TV affiliate WTTA-Ch. 38 will join Tampa  PBS station WEDU-Ch. 3 in shutting off their analog broadcasts on Feb. 17, despite legislation passed by Congress last week delaying the switch to digital by four months to June 12.

The area's second PBS station, WUSF-Ch. 16, has a different strategy: The station will end analog signals on April 3. But the week before, it's analog signal will be totally devoted to information on the digital TV switch, to make sure viewers understand the coming transition.

Lily Gonzales, WVEA general manager, said station owner Entravision Communications made the decision because the market was ready for the switch after a year of outreach, on-air announcements and testing. Federal officials have cited non-English speaking viewers among the most at risk of marginalization and confusion during the switch.

According to Nielsen Media Research, 7.91 percent of the bay area's Hispanic TV households are completely unready for the transition -- meaning they don't have cable or satellite TV, a digital-to-analog converter box or a TV capable of receiving digital signals. Comparatively, 6.54 percent of the market's African-American households are unready and just 3.49 percent of total households (about 21,000 households). When WVEA staged a recent DTV readiness test, shutting off its analog signal only for those who had no other way of watching the channel, Gonzales said they got 600 calls from concerned viewers.

Still, Gonzales remained confident the station's audience was ready for the change. "All the things we've done to spread the word -- viewers know it's happening," said the general manager, who downplayed financial concerns while acknowledging extended analog broadcasts could cost WVEA an additional $18,000 per month in electricity bills alone. "To get them to take action (and get ready to receive digital TV signals), that's a harder task."

The rest of the Tampa Bay area's big commercial TV stations will likely wait until June 12 to switch. Though one station, ABC affiliate WFTS-Ch. 28, would like to consider a market-wide switch in April -- so that the transition doesn't happen in the first weeks of hurricane season, which begins June 1.

So, after Congress passed legislation intended to make the DTV transition smoother, three local stations are sticking with the original date and six more have settled on June, though some stations would be open to switching in April, too.

Isn't that so much simpler? 

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