It’s amazing. Today one of my media properties got covered by a company, which former employees, who had worked there, told me had boycotted us. Either (a) all these staffers over the last half-decade were liars and I just imagined the absence of coverage; (b) there was a change of heart; (c) I am that noticeable an imbecile that it knows I have a big mouth if they don’t publish; (d) my luck is improving; (e) the Murdoch Press gives me the time of day so it has figured that I might not be so cursed to the mass media after all.
   This post does not have a direct link to branding, but it does connect to numerous blog entries here about newspapers (and their failure to understand what makes their brands stand up), the tall poppy syndrome and the future of journalism.
   I don’t take any of it back, but I do want to be fair to the company, which will remain nameless. I like to think I record good deeds as well as bad. Fair and balanced and all that.
   Some of those old posts were: ‘Newspapers’ Worst Episode Ever’; ‘The Fear of Today’s Newspapers’; and this month’s ‘Koreans Abandon the Printed Newspaper’. Also try this link to Technorati, which seems to be populated by yours truly.
   Speaking of newspapers and their transformation, one man who has known this all along was Rupert Murdoch, divesting many of his newspaper interests around the place over quite a period. A few days ago, Forbes reported his intent to enter the internet in a big way, combining DirecTV and MySpace.com. The latter’s 47 million user base is attractive (its million a week growth more so), so we will see how News will handle communities. Don’t forget his satellite interests beyond DirecTV.
   And since my post below about Yahoo! was less than favourable, I have to say I am open-minded about his chances. Just imagine: video downloads through a community service, vertically integrating everything from News properties (Sky News, Twentieth Century–Fox movies) to a delivery mechanism to web sites, but sped up through satellites. And, somewhere along the line, allowing the community to share clips, too. Only thing is: what do you call it all? posted by Jack Yan, 10:25 AM  permalink