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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
1 edit | reply to SRFireside
Re: Abalone
said by SRFireside  :The Internet is hardly a "public square in the electronic age" if you ask me. A public square denotes a local area where people gather or at least hear things in passing. On the Internet you have to specifically find a website, then download/stream whatever audio/visual content there is. Hardly something you can catch in passing. A cable channel on the other hand can be picked up by anybody in the area while they are channel surfing. Might sound like a stretch, but I caught onto Austin public access by channel surfing. Something that just wouldn't happen online. You're serious? It "just wouldn't happen" that one would find something on the Internet or the web by merely "surfing" past it?
I have to imagine you're making a little joke.
A web site or RSS feed or chatroom etc. etc. etc. can be "picked up by anybody in the world" while they are surfing. And there are plenty of "local" sites like »nj.com that serve as focal points for smaller communities.
It seems the only advantage of public access TV is an existing production infrastructure and funding model.
My point is that for people who wish to have their say and produce content for audiences, it's ridiculous to play in a little pool of local TV when they can publish to the country or the world. Not to mention all the OTA and satellite viewers who will NEVER see the stuff -- this gives lie to your assertion that "a cable channel on the other hand can be picked up by anybody in the area while they are channel surfing". It's a very small userbase compared to the total number of TV sets in any given locale.
Admittedly, the current state of the art in video "podcasting" is rather primitive. But I expect that to change very rapidly.
Edit: I'm being too harsh -- I'm sure there's a fair amount of value in the current public access channels, and they're probably moderately easier than self-publishing. (Look guys I'm on TV!) But it always seemed like a toy to me, one that never really grew into much. My favorite public access show is "The Dare Show", part of The Amanda Show.
-- B | |
SRFireside
join:2001-01-19
Houston, TX
| said by B :My point is that for people who wish to have their say and produce content for audiences, it's ridiculous to play in a little pool of local TV when they can publish to the country or the world. That's the point of calling it something similar to a town square. It's not meant to attract boatloads of viewers. It's a place where locals can go and get on the camera and do whatever (rant, entertain, inform, etc). The fact it's all local and amateur is what makes public access endearing to people in the community.
Keep in mind not all people who do cable access shows have the knowledge or resources to put together a web site. You would be surprised at the amount of people still afraid of HTML. Public access can be a simple as walking into the studio, sitting down on a chair and talking to the camera. Also keep in mind many people who are public access personalities do have websites. Public access is still the easiest way to get the locals to see you though.
Which is easier? Surfing channels and coming up on a PA show or Googling for local "town square" stuff? With channel surfing it's always there and you'll never miss it. Online there's no telling what a search result will come up with and sometimes if you don't put in keywords that are specific enough you miss quite a few things. Also there is no guarantee it's really local.
Also, as you said, podcasting is still in its early stages and can't really hold up to the video/audio feed of a cable channel in overall quality. Not only that streaming data instantly adds bandwidth to your website, which can cost a lot of money if a lot of people are watching. Public access is cheap or free to the one hosting the show no matter how many people tune in. | |
marigolds
Gainfully employed, finally
Premium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
| reply to B
One other factor in comparing the internet to public access.
Public access television and radio are covered by any copyright agreements held by the cable company that supplies their channel capacity. Further, they receive several exemptions through federal law. Thus they are able to use a wide library of music (generally the entire ASCAP/BMI libraries at minimum) and video footage in the production of their material.
Websites and podcasting do not receive these exemptions.
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