Tech on Tap

The Premise

In this episode of our deep dive into the intersection of tech and culture. Our Tech On series tackles Television and the advent of technological disruptors in the media space. The Tech on Tap team set out to answer three questions about Technology and its influence on Television and Media. Where is TV going? What is happening to viewership? And how are media companies and brands (both local and national) weathering the turbulence? This episode brings in industry leaders and thinkers who are on the front lines of answering these questions and adapting the answers to fit their unique needs.

The Guests

Shelly Leslie:

Shelly Leslie is the General Manager of Audience Development for Capitol Broadcasting Company. Her department operates in the function of a pharmaceutical R&D division, discovering creative solutions and testing new methods that can engage loyal audiences as well as engage new audiences. Her job is to buck the traditional ways of creating and distributing content while finding strategic and fresh ways of positioning and disseminating content hidden in the archives.

In the show, Leslie talks about the history of television viewership and how departments like Audience Development are working to keep up with Over the Top (OTT) disruptors in the present day. Though internet streaming platforms, like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, create boundless opportunities for content creators to connect with new audiences, Leslie talks about how these OTT options are making it harder to get discovered, thereby placing importance on being in more than one place and producing content that is highly engaging and shareworthy.

Pete Sockett:

Pete Sockett is the TV Director of Engineering and Operations for WRAL. In his role with the local NBC affiliate, Pete oversees the physical and virtual technology that goes into the production of local broadcasting. As a member of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in addition to his current position with WRAL-TV and Fox50, Sockett is intimately involved in how local broadcast television is moving the ball forward in engaging users who are already loyal to local TV. Whereas Shelly Leslie's role is that of exploring new frontiers, Pete Sockett is responsible for making the existing infrastructure second to none.

As a guest on our show, Sockett talks about the advancements in Next Generation TV, where the technology stands a year after its initial unveiling, what these advancements can mean for audiences and the practical uses for giving every user the ability to have a smart TV.

View the photo gallery of the local unveiling of NextGen TV at a National Association of Broadcasters meeting in February of 2018:

Read the interview between, editor, Rick Smith, Pete Sockett, and So Vang about NextGen TV's progress:

Our Sponsor:

Johnson Automotive Group is a WRAL TechWire partner and the presenting sponsor of Tech on Tap.

View more of their content and how technology, specifically Amazon's Alexa, influences how we move.

The Tech on Tap podcast is proud to announce a new podcast documentary series about the intersection of innovation and culture. In conjunction with, presenting sponsor, Johnson Automotive Tech-On, will take a deep dive look at the industry verticals that we interact with on a daily basis and how modern technology and innovation are influencing culture and how culture is shifting how we engage with technology. Over the course of 2019, the Tech on Tap team will release one show per month surrounding these subjects. The shows will consist of information surrounding these changes in technology while talking to industry leaders and thinkers about how companies are navigating new disruptive realities.

The first episode of the series starts on February 20th with a look at how TV watchers are changing and how media companies like Capitol Broadcasting Company are navigating the terrain.

Episode List:

Tech on TV

Tech on Transportation

Tech on Change

Tech on Music

Tech on Education

Tech on Funding

Tech on the Outskirts

Tech on Healthcare

Tech on Politics

Tech on Main Street

Tech on Finance

Check for the Tech-On series within the Tech on Tap podcast feed and subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

2018 has been a massive year for our country and NC, and there have been a number of highs and lows throughout the year.

Jason Eder, Michael Baylor and Laura Blake sit down for the final time this year to curate a list of their favorite tech and innovation stories that focus on our backyard and our wider world. The team celebrates achievements in capital and exposure for local startups and businesses and laments close calls and places our region missed on relocating companies and layoffs.

After celebrating the growth of our region with the number 1 story of the year, the team shares a quick final thought about how to be our best and most innovative selves going into a new year.

This episode will be the final show of the year, and our team will take a break until late January/ early February to plan content for 2019 while figuring out better ways to serve our listeners.

Laney Tipton (WRAL Digital Solutions) talks to Luke Marshall, the co-founder and CEO of VitalFlo. VitalFlo's vision is to build a future without asthma attacks. VitalFlo is building products and software that will help people take control over their respiratory health and help practitioners better care for patients.

Having just finished recent trials, Laney and Luke get into the specifics of how VitalFlo is helping people breath easier by giving them clinical data on their own health at home. They talk about how VitalFlo started and where they are going. At the end, Luke gives some insight into what it is like heading a startup in the Triangle and what other startups can gain from being a part of this community by being all in, engaged, and asking the right people the right questions.

Check out more of what VitalFlo is doing and sign up for more updates about their progress at VitalFlohealth.com

This week's extended conversation is the with the CEO and founder of Carimus and GoodBookey, Tony Pease. Jason and Tony talk about the Goodbookey startup story and how Tony built the company from weekly team meetings at a local bar.

During their conversation, Pease details how GoodBookey leverages gambling for charitable causes. As a software application, GoodBookey takes the existing social practice of sports betting and redirects the winnings to altruistic causes. In this conversation, Tony Pease talks about where the idea came from and how their company could be affected by changing laws concerning gambling.

GoodBookey isn't just changing gambling, but they are also changing the way nonprofits operate. In the process of incentivizing charitable giving, GoodBookey is giving non-profits the ability to grow their donor list and expand their ability to meet goals and grow their own organizations. The process for onboarding nonprofits is easy and just about any reputable organization can be collecting donations for their cause in 24 hours.

The top stories for this week include Lenovo's promise to have their executive suite comprised of at least 20% women by 2020. Michael, Laura and Jason talk about what that would mean for the company and how they are looking to accomplish that tall task. They also talk about how other companies can follow suit to create a more diverse workforce.

AAA tests are showing that electronic driving systems are not always reliable and Jason talks about how driverless cars can never thrive on the same roads as man-powered vehicles.

The last top story is about NASA's Mars landing. The team talks about the purpose of this mission and what that means for the future of space exploration.

This week's Front Seat of Innovation honoree is Map Anything who is revolutionizing LOT (Location of Things) and just received a series C investment of $42.5 million.

During our conversation teaser, we talk to Tony Pease of Goodbookey. Goodbookey seeks to use gambling for charity. Jason talks to Tony about his company's origins, their purpose, and how it all helps charities in the short term and the long term.

After the break, we tackle this week's deep dive is about holiday scams and how our phones are helping us to keep our banking information private and secure from being hacked.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is any endpoint that connects to the internet. With that definition, every person on earth with modern day access to the internet is a part of the IoT. When you go deeper it is a big and sometimes confusing concept to unpack. Today we are talking to Nancy Shemwell, who is the COO of IoT community and is helping us to unpack IoT as we talk about its genesis, benefits and potential dangers.

The IoT community is a 23000 member organization that seeks to support large companies and entrepreneurs in various verticals within the Internet of Things through thought leadership and the sharing and exchanging of ideas and trends.  We talk to Nancy about IoT Community's Centers of Excellence in Healthcare and what their events do to uplift the larger tech community.

IoT community offers seminars and events throughout the year. Their next virtual event is coming up on December 11th and their next IoT Slam live is in June 2019. You can find more information on becoming a member and more information on their events on IoTcommunity.net.

Laura, Michael and Jason start the show by lamenting and celebrating the loss of Amazon HQ2 to New York and Northern Virginia. They talk about what is next for the Triangle and why the Triangle might have missed out on the tech giant.

The Front Seat of Innovation honoree is RewardStock. The local company helps people travel freely by connecting their travel dreams to their savings, spending and credit. Founder, Jon Hayes will be representing RewardStock in an upcoming episode of SharkTank on ABC.

During our conversation teaser, Jason Eder talks to Nancy Shemwell (IoT Community COO). They discuss what IoT community is, what IoT looks like in its most practical application and IoT Community's Healthcare Center of Excellence. Listen to the show next week for more from this conversation.

The team takes a look at the 2018 midterm elections and delves into whether or not tech should be used to improve the elections process from voting to counting. Jason also details how blockchain could be the missing link to giving more voters access to the process.

Michael Baylor (WRAL Digital Solutions) headed down to Wilson, NC to talk to Greenlight Community Broadband and other community members about the innovation in Eastern North Carolina, during its annual Whirligig Festival. Since the time of tobacco trading, Eastern North Carolina has been a leader in agriculture and business, and Wilson has taken that storied history into the future with its emphasis on creating a place that modern day businesses and startups can thrive.

 

The pride and joy of Wilson, NC is the Whirligig Park featuring many of the mainstays built by artist and engineer, Vollis Simpson. Whirligigs give way to Wilson, NC being at the intersection of arts and innovation, as the city uses the art pieces to teach local students and visitors about gears, machinery, and weather. That history of innovation leads this city, in small-town America, into the present day as it develops its smart city capabilities and its community broadband offerings.

 

Tech on Tap got the opportunity to talk with the General Manager of Greenlight (Will Aycock) the communications and marketing director of The City of Wilson (Rebecca Agner), and the key accounts manager for Wilson Energy (Grant Roberson). Wilson, NC is a leader in providing utilities through the local government. We talked about their collaborative efforts in building a smart city, an innovation hub for startups and businesses, and the benefits of having the town on a "smart grid."

Our team is in Durham for Momentum Learning’s 2nd demo day. Jessica Mitsch and Clinton Dreisbach are the founders of this fully immersive coding school and are overseeing what is, in effect, graduation day for this cohort of students. Momentum Learning’s promise and mission is to be a stepping stone in the lives of adults looking to make a change in careers or simply looking to add to their skill sets.

 

The audience at Demo Day gathered at the Durham Arts Council to cheer on these former students as their ideas came to life in the form of apps. During our time down in Durham, we spoke to students about their creations, their favorite parts of Momentum's coding school and what is next in their careers. Students worked in groups to tackle problems like small business employee scheduling, networking, data aggregation for the opioid crisis and finding the best places to surf at any given time.

 

Go to momentumlearn.com for more information on Momentum's schedule for coding classes and all other events they put on throughout the year.