What Motivates Your Business? The murmur of revamping business models has returned to media circles. It is telling to note when the focus is on evolution, survival, pioneering new territory -- or some combination of these motives, I would expect a lot of talk about shifting models. Yet the urgency varies by situation and quest. As we re-model, are we guided by vision or salvation? Are we actively driving to a real future -- or feverishly re-acting ourselves down the highway to perpetuate a dated model or entrepreneurial dream? Read the full article

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Retailers Take Note: Video Sells! Every retailer knows the importance of moving product, but online the idea may be taking on a whole new meaning. According to comScore, the number of online shoppers who watched retail videos grew 40% in a single year. Read the full article

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Oprah Winfrey Network Gets New CEO by David Goetzl, The eagerly anticipated Oprah Winfrey Network will be led by former top MTV Networks executive Christina Norman. The executive takes over as CEO of what will be the 70-million-home OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Previously, she spent three-plus years as president of MTV before vacating the post a year ago.
The network originally was aiming for a spring 2009 launch, but the timetable has been delayed until late this year or even 2010. OWN is a joint venture between Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications; it also includes Oprah.com. It has its own board of directors, to which Norman will report.
She joins the network Feb. 17 at its Los Angeles base. The network--which will take over the distribution of Discovery Health Channel--had previously named Robin Schwartz as president.
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications, applauded Norman's record of "creating contemporary and valuable media brands."
Norman is a 17-year veteran of MTVN, a span that included a top marketing role and heading VH1.

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Change Has Come to WhiteHouse.gov! Welcome to the new WhiteHouse.gov. I'm Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House and one of the people who will be contributing to the blog.

A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world. Read the full article

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Has America's 50-year shopping Spree Hit The Wall? Consumerism was never just about buying stuff. It was about a faith in boundless economic growth. Tomorrow brings more goods, more choice, more shopping. It was about binding our personal identities with the brands we bought and the market segments we inhabited.
It was about accumulating more goods as "reward" for enduring less satisfying work lives. Read the full article

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Womens Scholarship Program

The Women's Independence Scholarship Program (WISP) was created in 1999 to help formerly battered women overcome barriers to the education necessary for their becoming employable and financially stable. The primary intent is to help single mothers with young children who have the greatest financial challenges (childcare costs, etc.) to gain work skills so they can support their families. Their funds target women who are in desperate financial situations and absolutely must have both an education and funds to assist them.

To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, the applicant must be a woman who is a direct survivor of intimate partner abuse. While the group abhors abuse from any source, our effort is in assisting those women who are survivors of partner abuse.

The primary intent of the WISP program is to assist women who have been parted from an abusive partner for a minimum of one year.

Women who have been parted from their batter ers for more than five years may also apply. However, funding for these individuals may be limited.

Special consideration will be given to those interested in using their education to further the rights of, and options for, women and girls.

Go directly to web site for more information and application

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Local TV Up 1.2% in Q3

Strong political advertising contributed to the increase By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/19/2008

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Network TV was up 16.1% in the quarter and syndicated programming up 6.6%. All added up, it makes for a 9% gain for total broadcast television in the quarter.

For the first nine months of 2008, local broadcast TV was down 2%. Syndicated TV was up 9% and network TV was up 3.3%. Altogether, that spells a 1.9% total broadcast TV for the year, compared to the first nine months of 2007.

Among local advertisers, automotive was down 17.7% in the quarter, and car and truck dealers down 16.8%. Telecommunications was up 10% and financial was up 19.3%. Of course, political was through the roof--up over 1000%, compared to last year’s third quarter.

The TVB’s figures are based on estimates from TNS Media Intelligence. 

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