Webinar on Media Industry Disruption
Jinfo Blog

14th May 2009

By Nancy Davis Kho

Item

On May 14 Microsoft subsidiary FAST (http://www.fastsearch.com) hosted a webinar called "Innovating through the Storm: Insights on the Disruption in the Media Industry." Moderator Renee Hopkins Callahan interviewed Scott Anthony, President of Innosight and author of and The Silver Lining: An Innovation Playbook for Uncertain Times (Harvard Business Press, June 2009)- http://digbig.com/4yseh - and Vivian Schiller, President and CEO of NPR (and formerly SVP and general manager of NYTimes.com.) The topic was how media companies can forge a way forward successfully during a time of rapid and radical change in the industry. While neither of the speakers had the "silver bullet" that a few callers were hoping for to save the industry, two key points emerged repeatedly. The first was being unafraid to disrupt your own business model. Schiller pointed out that, while NPR's audience is continuing to grow, the organization is actively seeking ways to leverage digital media. "We have to think about becoming our own disrupters while we're still strong," she said, and mentioned NPR's efforts to make its web site not just a complement to its radio broadcasts but a destination in and of itself. The second point came from Anthony, who urged businesses of all kinds - not just media - to experiment aggressively and be resolute about stopping efforts that are not yielding results. He mentioned disappointment that in the past, media companies have tried very few different approaches. "I wish the industry would experiment more with business models," he said, "by unpacking the model into three separate components: creating value, delivering value, and capturing value." Schiller pointed to the FT's recent efforts to give content away to readers for free - up to a point, and then require subscription access as one such useful experiment. Both Schiller and Anthony were bullish on the idea of citizen journalism and the editorial function, pointing out that algorithms only go so far in establishing the relative importance of a particular piece of content. Anthony observed "The collective can do a lot, and Wikipedia's a great example of this, but there's room for the collective AND editorial function." A full list of FAST webinars available on demand is available at http://www.fastsearch.com/seminar.aspx?m=559 As of today this webinar is not included, but check back for updates and to sign up for future events.

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