Why BBC Local decision is bad news for Wales
When transmitters were erected across Britain at the dawn of the TV revolution, the island was divided into English regions and Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish nations. The move, it's argued, promoted patriotism within these culturally distinctive nations and paved the way for the devolved governments which now operate within their capitals.
But while the Celts revelled in achieving a recognised identity, England's regions enjoyed a more localised service which directly reflected its smaller audience's tastes and interests. In Wales though, only the national picture prevailed. This meant that whether one watched BBC or the brand-new ITV, the offering was consistently diverse enough to be relevant to everyone and no-one.
To this day, the distinctly different demands of Welsh communities are not consistently addressed by any of our national broadcasters. BBC Wales does its best - occasional west Wales opt-outs on BBC Radio Cymru, and live match commentary for either Cardiff City, Swansea City or Wrexham depending on your locality. But if audiences want community news they must opt for an unreliable local radio bulletin or the decidedly shaky online offerings of their local papers.
This is why the BBC Trust's decision to call a halt to the corporation's ambitious local websites plan is such a blow for Wales. The sites would have given a reliable, trustworthy source of local news and information that is currently unavailable. They would also offer a portal for people to access services within their area that would otherwise have gone undiscovered, and encouraged people to engage with their community via the BBC's reputation for honesty and good journalism.
Crucially, the sites would have been available in Welsh as well as English. This vital element would have given life into the communities that are struggling to keep their native Welsh speakers from leaving for bigger towns or English cities. Community news in Welsh has traditionally fallen on the now ailing network of Welsh language community newspapers like Y Dinesydd in Cardiff, and Yr Hogwr in Bridgend. They are staffed by an aging group of dedicated volunteers, but the readership among younger generations is almost negligible.
These community papers would benefit from taking the BBC's axed plans on board and developing their own websites, and hopefully the cash won by Golwg (the Welsh language weekly magazine) to launch an online Welsh news service will be enough to nourish local Welsh language news rather than another version of BBC Newyddion Ar-Lein.
Wales's communities would have benefited immeasurably from the BBC's local video websites. Hopefully the commercial sector will now react and produce more reliable, interesting local content without the threat of bigger and better offerings from the Beeb.
How to get high on Google
Social Media
As the traditional models of journalism fall apart, a new era of social media is seeing a surge in the number of tools available to publish and broadcast one's own news and views.
But just how reliable are the tools, and do they really allow a story or an opinion to be aired to an acceptable standard?
Following my introduction to Qik during the lecture on social media, I began experimenting straight away. The service gripped me immediately, but I was also quick to notice how the technology is definitely at the early stages of its life.
I decided to put the service to a test, and planned to stream Kate Adie as she arrived to discuss her new book this evening.
Here's the result:
It's certainly brief. In fact, I'm not sure Kate Adie even makes it into the shot.
The problem with Qik is that it's a creature ahead of its time. Unless you are in a stable mobile data environment (and when were you last in one of those?) or you're connected via WiFi, you're never going to be able to successfully stream from your mobile device to Qik.
It is inevitable that all areas of technology will not progress at the same rate, but Qik demands so much from a mobile phone that, in the end, the phone just can't cope and the streaming cuts out.
Let's put it in context: Qik is a genuinely useful and liberating service. But it's not something every mobile phone user can get on with easily (or even a few mobile phone users, for that matter). However, the major TV networks are already broadcasting via broadband, and using internet connections to link correspondents with presenters when a satellite truck is unavailable or impractical.
The power of broadcasting online is now available to everyone with the right hardware and mobile phone tariff, but meeting the demands that the technology places on one's personal resources means their true usefulness cannot yet be exploited by everyone who wants their own live stream.
Just incase I'm getting a reputation as a Doubting Thomas, here's a Qik stream from the pub that worked from start to finish. Why is it always the test that works, and never the big story?!
Digital Stories
In July the mobile phone firm launched a global ad campaign rumoured to cost £90m, using the "I am" slogan as part of its new international brand.
The Orange campaign also encourages conversations within the community and social interaction off the back of its digital stories, thanks to schemes like RockCorps - a festival that people can only go to if they enroll on an Orange community volunteering scheme beforehand.
Networked Journalism
But without a unique slant on the day's events, how can one news organisation have ownership over its output and avoid being overwhelmed by audience rewrites?
Using UGC
The Zapruder film is perhaps the greatest example of user generated content making headline news. The assassination of President Kennedy was captured by a businessman using a basic camera, and sold to Time-Life magazine for $150,000.
Twitter etc
Yet the ease with which twitter can be integrated into existing news operations means headlines, developing stories and alternative angles can be delivered quickly to a wide audience, without forking out on a big PR push.
The blunt truth remains that only those organisations who embrace developing technology can survive in a news environment driven by user choice and audience interaction. Some are already taking this on board - in commercial radio, for example, the need to send listeners to their websites has actively encouraged editors and management to develop websites that engage with listeners (and target advertising accordingly).
The GCap (now Global) radio group have invested heavily in their online news operation over the last two years, syndicating ITN national and world news in text and video format, and complementing it with locally produced news stories and features. In Wales, compare and contrast Red Dragon in Cardiff with Swansea Bay Radio, and you'll soon spot the online difference.
It's embrace and survive, or reject and be damned. Audiences will choose with their feet, and when viewers and listeners start turning to the web for news, broadcasters have to make sure they're already there.
Image courtesy ComicBase @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/comicbase/2531094926/