PatronManager

Back in the 1990’s at the dawn of
the Web, the word "convergence" was on everyone’s lips. It meant that people
were looking forward to a time when all content could be digitized and available
all the time on any electronic device — a computer, a phone etc. That halcyon
notion is appearing before our eyes today, and it’s fascinating to
watch.

AmericaThere’s another kind of convergence
going on which I find equally interesting. It’s the one happening in the
newspaper industry. I was spurred to write this post today after reading an
eMarketer study which said "92% of America’s top 100 newspapers now have
online video." That number is up from 61% in 2006. 

So where does this leave television
news? If newspapers are providing content that is more like television news, what will make
television news different? And, goodness knows newspapers (for all their faults)
often command more respect than local TV stations. So will news in general
converge and both newspapers and television deliver equal amounts of video news content online?
And, if so, which one will win out?

And what about reporters? Will all
reporters need to be video savvy? How about reviews for arts events? Will the
age of print reviews give way to video reviews? What does that mean for the role
of press and PR in the arts? 

Of course there are no answers to these
questions, but I think it’s interesting to start thinking along these lines, and
preparing our organizations for a future in which not only will they produce
their own video, but others will want to produce video material about them.