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Alex Ben Block

On the Record Online show notes

:30 Intro: Eric introduces Alex Ben Block, the former editor of the Hollywood reporter and Television Week, who will be discussing how new technology is changing the broadcasting business as we know it.

:39 Eric plays a snippet of Alex’s triple play theory –cable, video, hi-speed data and telephone/voice service.

1:15What is OTRO; how to subscribe to OTRO; Eric’s description of his public relations services; “PR guy by day, podcaster by night,”; past guests of OTRO; go to ontherecordpodcast.com for past guests; suggestions for new guests; comments line and upcoming guests such as David Pogue and Rob Barret

3:15 Portable Media and Podcast Expo in Ontario: Eric will be recording podcast at the LA Podcasters “Freeway Series”

4:22 ABB background; former pres of LA Press Club; eric and alex go to the same temple of the arts; nationally known because they broadcast on tv; discuss culture of celebrity at the temple

5:26 How ABB decides the front page; daily vs. weekly editorial decisions; editors prioritizing, the goal is “Try to make it as interesting as possible”

6:43 Eric brings up Noam Chomsky’s theory of bias regarding selection for front-page news; bias in trade publications—does it exist?

7:40 Relationship between advertisements and editorial in the trade; news sources and advertisers are also your readers and what you write can affect business; reporting in Hollywood with Hollywood Reporter, Variety, B &C and TV Week; what readers are going to believe; “Ultimately, you have to serve the truth.”;

11:24 Newsworthy news that are not good for business; how do you cover bad news without alienating sources; your job is to act responsibly and fairly; treading that fine line between friends and sources

13:04 ABB’s days as an editor at Hollywood Reporter/working in all different departments; process of editing and filing stories and getting paper published five days a week and ultimately working six days a week, great work colleagues now at Washington Post; TVGuide; Video Business; International Hollywood Reporter edition; managing a paper; generating stories; ABB’s job before the Hollywood Reporter gig.

17:42 Alex discusses leaving TV Week to write his third book, but staying on as a columnist; Alex talks a bit about the book which is about how television industry is changing and what is in store for the future.

21:40 In-depth discussion about the new changes advertisers are taking in order to adapt to the television technology; ABB says greater choice and portability are HUGE issues; video iPod’s future; delivery of content over cell phones; merging the computer screen and the television.

23:52 How it all affects terrestrial broadcast; Local broadcast stations’ future: ABB points out KTLA has both analog and digital formats and involved in the internet; importance of local news still powerful; using a smart syndication schedule; promotion and offering product over all media; “smart companies will adapt.”

26:30 IFC and Tivo Deal; making a product available directly to viewer without going thru a broadcaster; Eric goes a little into Long Tail Theory and Ecast Inc. ABB gives his thoughts about on-demand media consumption and how technology will be changing that; ABB thinks companies are smart enough to be adapting to all technological advances; also thoughts on convergence and how media companies present that to the consumers.

36:49: Verizon’s spending money and time to become competitor to cable television; unprecedented lobbyists efforts; taking on satellite and cable “saying ‘we can do it better”; triple play theory again; ABB puts bets on Comcast to emerge as leading company.

39:25: ABB shares a brief insight to his book and touches on something he wrote about for TV Week called “All-Menu TV”; tailoring interests to what people want to watch; Friedman’s op-ed column defining “podcasting;” ABB and Eric discuss speakers at the temple during high holy days including Robert Spencer and his book, “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam”; Eric’ future podcast on how religion is portrayed in the media.

43:56: Interview concludes with Eric explaining where to download the podcast; past guests, and topics.

This is an exclusive interview with Alex Ben Block, editor of the Hollywood Reporter.

SHOW NOTES

00:30 Intro: Eric introduces Alex Ben Block, the former editor of the Hollywood reporter and Television Week, who will be discussing how new technology is changing the broadcasting business as we know it.

:39 Eric plays a snippet of Alex’s triple play theory –cable, video, hi-speed data and telephone/voice service.

1:15What is OTRO; how to subscribe to OTRO; Eric’s description of his public relations services; “PR guy  by day, podcaster by night,”; past guests of OTRO; go to ontherecordpodcast.com for past guests; suggestions for new guests; comments line and upcoming guests such as David Pogue and Rob Barret

3:15 Portable Media and Podcast Expo in Ontario: Eric will be recording podcast at the LA Podcasters “Freeway Series”

4:22 ABB background; former pres of LA Press Club; eric and alex go to the same temple of the arts; nationally known because they broadcast on tv; discuss culture of celebrity at the temple

5:26 How ABB decides the front page; daily vs. weekly editorial decisions; editors prioritizing, the goal is “Try to make it as interesting as possible”

6:43 Eric brings up Noam Chomsky’s theory of bias regarding selection for front-page news; bias in trade publications—does it exist?

7:40 Relationship between advertisements and editorial in the trade; news sources and advertisers are also your readers and what you write can affect business; reporting in Hollywood with Hollywood Reporter, Variety, B &C and TV Week; what readers are going to believe; “Ultimately, you have to serve the truth.”;

11:24 Newsworthy news that are not good for business; how do you cover bad news without alienating sources; your job is to act responsibly and fairly; treading that fine line between friends and sources

13:04 ABB’s days as an editor at Hollywood Reporter/working in all different departments; process of editing and filing stories and getting paper published five days a week and ultimately working six days a week, great work colleagues now at Washington Post; TVGuide; Video Business; International Hollywood Reporter edition; managing a paper; generating stories; ABB’s job before the Hollywood Reporter gig.

17:42 Alex discusses leaving TV Week to write his third book, but staying on as a columnist; Alex talks a bit about the book which is about how television industry is changing and what is in store for the future.

21:40 In-depth discussion about the new changes advertisers are taking in order to adapt to the television technology; ABB says greater choice and portability are HUGE issues; video iPod’s future; delivery of content over cell phones; merging the computer screen and the television.

23:52 How it all affects terrestrial broadcast; Local broadcast stations’ future: ABB points out KTLA has both analog and digital formats and involved in the internet; importance of local news still powerful; using a smart syndication schedule; promotion and offering product over all media; “smart companies will adapt.”

26:30 IFC and Tivo Deal; making a product available directly to viewer without going thru a broadcaster; Eric goes a little into Long Tail Theory and Ecast Inc. ABB gives his thoughts about on-demand media consumption and how technology will be changing that; ABB thinks companies are smart enough to be adapting to all technological advances; also thoughts on convergence and how media companies present that to the consumers.

36:49: Verizon’s spending money and time to become competitor to cable television; un...

BusinessWeek technology department editor and Blogspotting blogger Heather Green goes On the Record...Online about how she got into covering technology, BusinessWeek's personality and much more.

Heather Green talks about her career as a journalist, how she works best with public relations people, where technology is taking us and much more.

Intro:

An explanation of what On the Record…Online is all about, and where to subscribe to the RSS news feed. Heather Green shares her thoughts on how technology like podcasting is changing the packaging of new information. Mention of upcoming guests and thanks to Shel Holtz for helping me with the questions.

Interview:

03: 18: Eric gives a quick rundown on Heather Green’s resume; Heather herself shares thoughts about her experience which included a stint abroad working at the International Herald Tribune as an editorial assistant and at Bloomberg News, during the birth of the internet.

08:50: Heather dishes on the personality of BusinessWeek and how it differs from its competitors Forbes and Fortune. “Authority and authenticity and I think our readers trust us,” she says. However, the magazine is trying to attain a warmer, friendlier tone which is evidenced by the BlogSpotting blog she writes with Stephen Baker.

10:43: Heather says new technology like bogging has impacted mags like BusinessWeek in that reporters need to bring more analysis of the new technology and trends, instead of just straight-on reporting; More discussion about evolution of new technology.

14:00: Fifty pitches a day flood Heather’s inbox from PR professionals, who do “a pretty good job” pitching stories. Decisions for stories for either blog or book, depend on interest, magazine publishing schedule and relationships.

18:40: Blogspotting gets high traffic on the “Comments” section from readers and Heather has even picked a few story ideas from this.

20:17: Heather discusses internal reaction at BusinessWeek to blogs. Overall, the magazine and staff are “adapting.” Heather and Steve—resident Geeks?

24:46: BlogSpotting traffic measured using Technorati, Intelliseek and BusinessWeek’s own internal tracking service. Heather discusses overall objective of the blog.

28:09: Heather mentions the blogs she has posted comments on people’s blogs like Jeff Jarvis and Dan Gillmor.

29:58: People still confused about podcasting and RSS, although media outlets like NPR are contributing to the increasing awareness of podcasts. RSS still remains a murky subject.

31:40: The future of podcasts for businesses. Heather mentions that Virgin Atlantic is discussing podcasts for their flight attendants and pilots. Earning calls are also perfect opportunities for podcasts. But they are not appropriate for internal notices.

33:45: Will PodShow be a viable business? Eric also mentions in his interview with Ron Bloom, the subject of corporate communications money rather than advertising dollars going towards podcasts. Eric cites Neville Hobbs’ article in Global PR Week in which Neville said, “Podcasting is informal voice of organization.” Heather agrees.

36:23: Heather shares her thoughts on podcasts disrupting other media; Apple’s new deal with ABC; Clear Channel aggressive streaming content on-line; and the future of Apple as either a hardware or media company.

43:29: Heather says she listens to the following podcasts: Insomnia Radio, Coverville, Whirlpool, Adam Curry and NPR.

44:24: Interview ends.

This is a conversation I had with BusinessWeek technology department editor and Blogspotting blogger Heather Green about how she got into covering technology, BusinessWeek's personality and much more. 

She also talks about her career as a journalist, how she prefers to work with public relations people, where technology is taking us and much more.

SHOW NOTES

03: 18: Eric gives a quick rundown on Heather Green’s resume; Heather herself shares thoughts about her experience which included a stint abroad working at the International Herald Tribune as an editorial assistant and at Bloomberg News, during the birth of the internet.

08:50: Heather dishes on the personality of BusinessWeek and how it differs from its competitors Forbes and Fortune. “Authority and authenticity and I think our readers trust us,” she says. However, the magazine is trying to attain a warmer, friendlier tone which is evidenced by the BlogSpotting blog she writes with Stephen Baker.

10:43: Heather says new technology like bogging has impacted mags like BusinessWeek in that reporters need to bring more analysis of the new technology and trends, instead of just straight-on reporting; More discussion about evolution of new technology.

14:00: Fifty pitches a day flood Heather’s inbox from PR professionals, who do “a pretty good job” pitching stories. Decisions for stories for either blog or book, depend on interest, magazine publishing schedule and relationships.

18:40: Blogspotting gets high traffic on the “Comments” section from readers and Heather has even picked a few story ideas from this.

20:17: Heather discusses internal reaction at BusinessWeek to blogs. Overall, the magazine and staff are “adapting.” Heather and Steve—resident Geeks?

24:46: BlogSpotting traffic measured using Technorati, Intelliseek and BusinessWeek’s own internal tracking service. Heather discusses overall objective of the blog.

28:09: Heather mentions the blogs she has posted comments on people’s blogs like Jeff Jarvis and Dan Gillmor.

29:58: People still confused about podcasting and RSS, although media outlets like NPR are contributing to the increasing awareness of podcasts. RSS still remains a murky subject.

31:40: The future of podcasts for businesses. Heather mentions that Virgin Atlantic is discussing podcasts for their flight attendants and pilots. Earning calls are also perfect opportunities for podcasts. But they are not appropriate for internal notices.

33:45: Will PodShow be a viable business? Eric also mentions in his interview with Ron Bloom, the subject of corporate communications money rather than advertising dollars going towards podcasts. Eric cites Neville Hobbs’ article in Global PR Week in which Neville said, “Podcasting is informal voice of organization.” Heather agrees.

36:23: Heather shares her thoughts on podcasts disrupting other media; Apple’s new deal with ABC; Clear Channel aggressive streaming content on-line; and the future of Apple as either a hardware or media company.

43:29: Heather says she listens to the following podcasts: Insomnia Radio, Coverville, Whirlpool, Adam Curry and NPR.

44:24: Interview ends.

Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash

The story behind the story -- newsmakers, mainstream journalists, influential bloggers and podcasters talk straight about how technology is changing pop culture and the news media business.

Less than sixty days after closing a $8.85 million series "A" venture financing round led by Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Podshow.com CEO and co-founder Ron Bloom goes on the record in this in-depth, totally uncut, one-on-one interview about why podcasting is here to stay, making in roads with advertisers, where Podshow.com is headed, how he plans to leverage Podcast Alley and the Podsafe Music Network, the role of traditional media in growing podcast audiences and much, much more.

Intro:

An explanation of what On the Record...Online is all about, and where to subscribe to the RSS news feed. How Ron and Adam's Internet presence in the Grammy pressroom inspired the birth of iPressroom Corporation, how to suggest future guests, provide feedback and send in audio comments. Thanks to Aaron Burcell of Podshow.com and Dan Klass of the Bitterest Pill podcast for their help.

Interview:

6:16 Ron Bloom Interview Excerpts:

7:43 “To the media folks I say, look, I’ve been here a trillion dollars ago. Decide whether you want to be in front of the train, or under the train or train. That’s your choice.”

8:28 “Madison Avenue is not advertising. Companies who wish to conduct business with their audiences, they’re advertising. Madison Avenue is facilitating. And if Madison Avenue fails to facilitate, those companies will go and find their audiences directly, because they’re the ones responsible for their success or failure.”

20:54 “In every category of business, that velvet rope exists, and talking about tomorrow’s content delivery infrastructure, there’s a hundred people talking about that at the highest level and everybody else is hoping to get tidbits from those conversations. In talking about medical research, in talking about law. Podcasting is a great tool to enable communicators to pull out unique content from behind these velvet ropes and corporate firewalls, and package it in a way that interests listeners. There is your great role for PR and communications companies.”

31:33 “They shouldn’t even call it the media business. They should call it the frequency and infrastructure business. We have a channel. We own it. We have a chokehold on the content that goes through that channel. Our barrier to entry is that no one else has this frequency. That’s the logic of radio.”

33:00 “Deliver of crap against no alternative is what’s driven the media industry for the last 20 years.”

46:15 Interview ends.

Intro:

An explanation of what On the Record…Online is all about, and where to subscribe to the RSS news feed. My first time at the LA Podcasters meet up and a disclaimer about the recording quality of this podcast and how I intend to improve it next time around with the help of Dan Klass.

04:45 Steve Rubel talks about how he first heard about blogging.

05:49 Marketing blogs start to take off.

08:17 Rubel talks about experimenting with Typepad, launching his first few client blogs and Micro Persuasion

09:24 How he pitches blogging initiatives to new clients

11:42 Rubel talks about being a popular PR blogger

13:15 Rubel talks about the main reason his Micro Persuasion blog took off

14:05 How Rubel defines his success as a blogger

14:36 How he finds scoops for his blog

15:45 How he uses incoming referral links to find scoops

16:30 Rubel shares tips on finding scoops to blog about through tagging

18:55 Rubel talks about how blogging has changed his life

20:56 Rubel on how he was able to gain visibility by interviewing other high profile bloggers

22:28 Rubel talks about the four secrets to building a high profile online presence through blogging

25:57 Rubel on why he’s excited about the opportunities blogging affords organizations

29:31 Rubel on how he evaluates incoming pitches and decides what the blog about

31:42 Rubel on the risks of transparency to organizations that blog

34:35 Rubel on pricing blog initiatives and integrated retainers

40:18 Rubel on the returns blogging delivers to dedicated bloggers

43:16 Rubel on vlogging

44:34 The potential impact of blogging and RSS on terrestrial broadcasters

49:24 Rubel on why blogging is not a threat the public relations trade and how to integrate blogs into the marketing communications effort

51:09 END

On the Record…Online Podcast - Special Edition: Audio Transcript from Bulldog Reporter's PR Podcasting Panel held in San Francisco on Sept. 16, 2005

Bulldog Reporter’s PR University Revolution in PR Technology Conference

Podcasting Panel featuring Michael Butler of the Rock and Roll Geek Show, Chris McIntyre of Podcast Alley, recently acquired by Podshow, Eric Rice of audioblog.com and myself. The time codes in the show notes below, which were mistakenly prepared before the program was edited, are incorrect and need to be updated.

Intro:

Thanks to Jim Sinkinson and Stacy Dorter of Bulldog Reporter for allowing this panel session to be podcast.

31:30 Explaination of what podcasts are, how they work and why they matter to marketers and public relations professionals.

32:40 The difference between podcasts and audio soundbites is the subscription factor; Podcasts also have their own directories like Podcast Alley and different categories like Godcasts and Jobcasts.

34:03 iPodder made it easy to download podcasts in the beginning but with the release of iTunes 4.9, podcast downloads have skyrocketed; AOL has even integrated podcast searches into their software.

35:16 Why should you podcast? Motivated audience; direct access; unfiltered material; content lasts longer; easy to do; cost-efficient; you reach a tech-savvy consumer audience; The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is referenced.

38:25 Introduction of panelists Michael Butler of the Rock and Roll Geek Show and the Podsafe Music Network, Chris McIntyre of Podcast Alley and Eric Rice of Audioblogs.com

40:32 For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz and Report is mentioned as a must-visit web site.

Panel Discussion:

41:47 Eric Rice explains “What is a podcast?”; Chris talks about benefits for corporations to podcast.

44:23 How to think beyond the press release and instead focus on story-telling. Michael lists what you need to record a podcast; using iRiver; Eric talks about how to get your podcast looked up.

48:00 Podcasts and RSS; how to ensure your podcast is searchable; Chris explains unique Podcast tags.

51:12 I explains similarities between TiVo and podcasts

51:47 Lists of companies already producing podcasts are Disney Purina GM Jupiter Research Oracle Cisco Macromedia iPressroom Virgin Atlantic TV Guide

54:35 The question of authenticity in podcasts and how public relations professionals should use this is explored.

59:16 My blog traffic spikes after I posted a research report about porn podcasts

60:30 Panelists discuss production values; I mention Dancer in the Dark movie starring Bjork and how its low-budget, video style made it an entertaining watch; content is typically at the forefront of a podcast; Adam Curry did interview for his Paris Hilton House of Wax Podcast using whatever he could, his cellphone; iRiver, etc.

63:21 Podshow introduces new ways of breaking news.

65:50 How do you have comments and feedbacks to podcasts?; Daily Source Code with Adam Curry and the scuffle with Audible.

69:14 Deal between Podshow and Sirius; opportunities for public relations professionals to get in on podcasting; how to submit material to podcast shows.

72:14 CMP media and The News Show’s way to contribute to podcasts:

http://www.thenewsshow.tv/forms/contribute.jhtml; audience potential to become valuable contributors to podcasts; how do podcasters feel about that; Association of Music Podcasting

Q & A:

76:13 Ed Schipul asks about how to restrict access to podcasts.

78:43 I play a snippet of my own podcast, On the Record…Online with the Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Marlowe; I describes my podcast style as “a la Charlie Rose.”

81:06 Parameters on podcast times.

85:48: Ways to track whose podcast is getting most airplay; ASCAP BMI CMJ RIAA discussed; story of Long Tail .

90:18 END

Beyond the press release; building thought leadership through original programming podcasts - hosted by Eric Schwartzman

Show Notes

Intro:

- 00:22 Show is introduced; what the show’s about; how to subscribe to show

Eric’s Comments:

- 0:24 Lets listeners know this is a special podcast for Global PR Blog Week

- 01:32 A little description about On the Record Online, how to subscribe, the Spinfluencer blog, Schwartzman & Associates, Inc. and For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report

- 4:13 Explains the purpose of this podcast, “Beyond the Press Release”, how podcasting and blogs can help public relations.

- 8:23 Mentions the names of interviewees for the podcast, all public relations professionals who are currently podcasting original programs or are publicizing themselves through other podcasts.

Interview with Dave Joseph, VP Corporate Communications & Strategy, Audible Inc.:

- 8:49 Dave talks about recent scuffle between Audible and podcaster Adam Curry and how CEO responded with a podcast to Curry’s remarks.

- 14:52 How press releases are viewed by an analyst, like Dave was before joining communications; making company conference calls downloadable and other opportunities for companies to podcast

- 22:40 Can podcasts build audiences and ultimately sell more books on tape?

- 25:10 Eric gets email interruption!

- 26:13 Audible’s future involvements with podcasting

- 26:58 Explaining DRM and continuing on Audible’s future with podcasts

Interview with Ethan McCarty, Writer, Editor and Technologist, IBM:

- 31:30 IBM’s podcast series for investor relations, not just about earnings

- 36:41 How does IBM’s podcasts help promote company stock; why IBM started podcasts for investors?

- 40:34 IBM’s process for producing podcasts, its frequency and business conduct guidelines

- 45:39 Evaluating the podcasts performances

Interview with Aaron Burcell, Director, Marketing and Communications, Podshow Inc.:

- 50:05 Aaron promotes his product Castblaster.

- 51: 16 Opportunities in podcasting for news releases

- 53: 30 What types of podcasts on Daily Source Code get played as promos

- 54:43 Opportunities for corporate communications in podcasting; Podshow’s news releases

- 61:25 Resistance to podcasts from journalists or analysts

- 64:20 Podcast style and production standards are different from radio, much more relaxed

- 65:14 Rebuilding trust of media through podcasts; creating permanent records and transparency at a corporate level.

Outro:

- 70:40 Thanks to Michael Butler, who produced this show; how to subscribe to feed

Leo Laporte, technology journalist, author and host of the #1 podcast according to Apple iTunes "This Week in Technology" goes on the record about why he majored in Chinese History, how he selects the topics for TWiT, whether or not podcast listeners are influencers, how podcasting is impacting the rules of media relations engagement, how he thinks public relations professionals should adapt to new communications technologies, the challenge RSS poses to terrestrial broadcasters, the risk on spoilers in an on-demand media consumption world and why he hates spin control.

Chris Marlowe, executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter, talks at length about how she covers the intersection of entertainment and technology four days a week. With a step-by-step walk-through of her publication’s editorial process, Marlowe discusses what kind of stories get published and why.

She also opens up about the best ways for public relations professionals to e-mail a pitch, write a press release and keep her and other journalists informed of a client’s latest news. With over 200 e-mails a day to sort through, Marlowe says the subject line of an e-mail is “critical.”

While she reads about 50 percent of the press releases that come to her inbox, chances are due to her diligent research of all things entertainment and technology, she’s most likely heard the news before you get to her. But that doesn’t mean she won’t be interested in more.

Chris Marlowe also talks about how to get her attention via email, filtering technology, how an idea becomes a story at the Reporter, their relationship with Reuters and BPI Newswires, the trade paper's unique personality, her favorite blogs and podcasts, the debate between digital rights management and fair use and how Hollywood and broadcasters will contend with new technologies.