Cable shows on Web! No model yet? June 27, 2009

Will internet take over cable TV the way it took over the newspaper industry? If yes, when and how? Can the networks stop the takeover? These are questions that seem to have occupied the minds of cable network executives.

I have been reading reports about cable networks trying to figure out a way to deal with putting shows on the web. New York Times recently carried reports that follow the cable executives as they put two and two together to build a model for online tv.

What makes internet unique from any other media outlet is the fact that there is never one source to get something. This applies to getting videos too. You can go to YouTube and get almost any show you want. Or you can go to other sites that stream tv shows much to the disappointment of the cable networks. When cable shows are spread across websites that stream them without have the rights to do so, it becomes important for cable networks to do take reins in their hand before it gets too late.

The cable executives fear that if they start to put their shows free on the web, their customers will eventually cancel their subscriptions. This is precisely what affected the newspaper industry. And we all know offering free on the web is not going to be a profitable way to do a business.

The question now for cable execs is how to provide shows on the web and at the same time maintain their cable subscriptions. Recently, Jeffrey L. Bewkes the chairman of Time Warner advocated the idea to offer cable shows online for no extra cost, provided a viewer is an authenticated cable or satellite subscriber. In fact, Time Warner has put this idea into testing a subscriber based online tv model with HBO. HBO subscribers can watch some of its shows  such as “Big Love” and “Entourage” on their computers, using special software and a personal log-in.

I think this model is good for now (for those who continue to have and renew their subscriptions) but can’t be the long time solution. The execs seem to forget that increasingly more and more people prefer to view videos online. Younger generations  spend more time watching videos on the web than TV. In fact some don’t have a cable subscription. For this increasing class of people who either don’t have a cable subscription or don’t want to renew, the model is a failure.  Just because I don’t have a HBO subscription doesn’t mean I don’t want to watch HBO shows. I want to watch them online at my leisure. I just don’t want to have a tv subscription. Time Warner’s model leaves people like me behind. The need is to have a model that can work for people like me- the class without the subscriptions.

I am thinking of pay per shows or package deals which bundle few cable stations for X number of days. Let the online viewer pick up the shows he/she wants to pay for.  I am sure people will pay because everyone pays for quality in the end. And in the end, it’s the cable networks that will profit, right!

Nadal not to play Wimbeldon 2009 June 19, 2009

What has been the most disappointment news of the day for me (the first one was not getting the tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, which I thought was most disappointment, but this one has clearly surpassed the first one,) Nadal announced his withdrawal from Wimbeldon 2009 Championship. The world’s no.1 tennis player has cited tendinitis as the reason. It has been months now, since Nadal played his best tennis. We all witness what is perhaps called the biggest disappointment in the history of tennis, his loss against Soderling in French Open this year but this one is just too much for his fans.

Nadal’s withdrawal might also affect the men’s ranking. NYT reported , ” Nadal’s departure commences a symphony of musical chairs within the men’s draw. But under rules observed at the four major international championships, Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, seeded fifth, moves into Nadal’s slot at the top of the draw. James Blake of the United States, seeded 17th, moves into Del Potro’s position. Nicolas Kiefer of Germany, seeded 33rd, moves into Blake’s position.”

It also gives Roger Federer an opportunity to regain his no.1 ranking. I just hope he recovers soon and gets to his 100% to play at the US open this year. I am eagerly looking forward to see him play here in New York. But before that I pray that he recovers completely so he can play for a long long time.

Tennis has become very interesting at this moment. Looking forward to the upcoming tournaments.

Meet Me At The Corner – site review June 17, 2009

I visited meetmeatthecorner.org when the site was recommended to me by its founder Donna Guthire. meetmeatthecorner.org is a website for preschoolers and school going kids to explore their neighborhood, their surroundings and at the same time learn the art of storytelling.  It’s an interactive website in the sense that it allows kids to upload their own videos as well.

MEET ME AT THE CORNER, Virtual Field Trips for Kids was founded by Donna Guthire, author of The Witch Who Lives Down the Hall (Harcourt Brace, 1985) which was a Literary Guild and Book of the Month Club selection. Donna has written more than twenty award winning books for children and this website is her effort to foster individual expression in kids.

The website covers a wide range of topics- from cooking to recycling, from arts to astronomy, from poetry to fun-filled activities and almost any topic under the sun related to children. What I really liked about it was the active participation by kids. It’s the kids who conduct the interview or participate in the activities show in the videos. So in a way, it’s their creativity that has been channelized by these videos.

The site has some unique videos such as the one featuring Natalia Paruz playing musical saw at the New York Library for the Performing Arts and the ones featured in the Illustrator week.

Each video is followed by a video description and links to books related to the topic. Interested parents & kids can click on the links and it takes them to the Amazon store where they can purchase the books.  The video page also has a link to the learning corner, a part of the website where parents can takes cues about either quizzing kids about what they or make them do activities related to the videos. This I thought was a good way to further the kids’ interaction with what they saw.

I would have loved to see more information on where to obtain materials for the make and do videos such as the one on composting. Parents and kids who would be interested in doing things after watching a video would love to know how to obtain materials for those things. Also a related videos tab which can link videos based on similar topic will be helpful. Apart from that the site is easy to understand and navigate.

Over all, I think the site is a great resource for kids to learn and enjoy an enriching online video experience. Check it out at : http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/

Children’s TV Training June 14, 2009

In our research on Chilren’s Television Programming (CTP), we tried to find out how those interested in CTP can train themselves. Here is list of resources were you can get some training.

Job training centers, seminars

Domestic:

Sesame Workshop- non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children’s programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world.

International:

Wokshop Interactive (Amsterdam): Cinekid, the International Film, Television and New Media Festival for Children and Mediamatic organise a workshop for professionals on interactive television for children during the Cinekidfestival.

Lola Kenya Screen 2009 Workshop (South Africa)

New Australian Writer’s Guild Workshop on Children’s TV Drama

ii)    Universities with deep academic programs dealing with domain

American Studies @ Princeton University:

Children’s Television: History, Politics, Economics

The class examines the history, aesthetics, economics, and ideology of children’s television, from the late 1940s to the present. We will examine in particular how reformers, censors, parents, and producers use television to reinforce or challenge the cultural ideal of childhood innocence. Although we will discuss studies of children’s attitudes towards television, we will not focus on how children may be positively or negatively affected by TV. Rather, the bulk of the class focuses on how adults make decisions about children’s television. Programs studied will include Sesame Street, Howdy Doody, Pok émon , and SpongeBob SquarePants.

NYU Tisch Undergraduate Film & Television

Children’s Television Production Workshop

Writing for Children’s TV

School of Communications and Theater @ Temple University

online course: Media and Children

NYU School of Continuing & Professional Studies

Writing for Children’s, Teen’s and Tween’s TV (Spring 2009)

Television for young people has come a long way since Howdy Doody and Captain Kangaroo. It is a world unto itself, with its own cable networks, superstars, and product tie-ins. Like publishing for children and young adults, kids’ TV has unique parameters, jargon, and “dos and don’ts.” This course helps you develop the knowledge and skills necessary to conceive of, structure, and complete a spec script for a children’s, tween’s or teen’s TV series.

ii) Special Articles and Studies

Education Resources Information Center

Special paper: The Role of the Early Childhood Advisor in Children’s Television Production

NYC Panorama @ Queen’s Museum of Art June 12, 2009

So many times we have beautiful things surrounding us and we don’t even know- Queens Museum of Arts is just one such a place. It’s a small museum but has an amazing art on display. It’s less than ten minute drive from my place and yet I never made a plan to visit it until yesterday. My niece’s school planned a visit to QMA and I decided to accompany her.

On this raining day, I and my sister drove down to QMA.  We entered the Flushing Meadows Park and I simply loved the greenery & serenity surrounding that place. I took an immediate liking to the area.

Soon, the kids arrived in the school bus and we began our tour. We started with quick introductions which were followed by block building activities. We were divided in five groups for the five boroughs.  Each of us was given a map and we had to build the boroughs using the blocks. My team had Manhattan and we managed to build central park.

After this we were to visit, what I will call the biggest attraction at QMA – the NYC panorama. Our tour guide explained to us without divulging details what we were to witness. Since none of us had ever been to QMA, this was going to a surprise to us. We entered the panorama through Brooklyn and walked our way to Manhattan.  What has been built is truly spectacular. A scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet has been used to depict the five boroughs. Every detail has been meticulously met. The JFK airport has flights landing and taking off. The water has been abundantly displaced. Manhattan skyline looks amazing. Since the panorama was last updated in 1992, you can still see the twins towers, which I thought was great because New Yorkers like me who came to this city post 2001 can see how the city looked with the two towers standing.

Lack of camera hindered me from taking pictures of this beautiful art so I had to do with my cell phone camera. The kids enjoyed visiting the five boroughs and so did the elders. I am my sister decided to visit again this time with a better camera.

If you want your kids to take a nyc tour in twenty minutes, this is a place to go!

Children’s TV Programming – Trends June 12, 2009

Television for years has been the primary resource for kids when it comes to entertainment and educational and informational content. But as newer mediums such as ipods, mobile have gained popularity; tv is no longer the sole source for kids content. As is the case for other age groups, these new mediums have established themselves in the kids market. To put it simply, it is no longer just TV and DVDs/VCDs. 

The Parents Television Council published the “Family Guide to TV” which published ratings for the top 20 most popular prime-time shows watched by children Ages 2-17. This guide was published in October 2007. Although published almost two years back, the guide reflects how kids today are not necessarily watching age appropriate shows. Apart from watching shows such as ‘Deal or No Deal’, ‘Extereme Makeovers: Home Edition’, they are also watching ‘Family Guy’, ‘Survivors’.  You can view the entire report here.

Latest Trends and Movements

Online Presence: Over the years, websites have evolved to strength the relationship between kids and their favorite characters.

Websites offer games, video, art, radio and several other services for kids to interact with their favorite characters. This way, a kid can watch Sponge Bob on Nickelodeon and then go online to play his games or watch videos. The experience is also extended towards parents by services such as party planning, kids recipes, online shopping, parenting tips, events information etc. Therefore when parents are online with their kids, there is content for them to interact with as well.

New Technologies:

More and more broadcasters are exploring mediums such as ipods, in car entertainment, mobile tv, video on demand as options to offer children programming content.

AT&T announced CruiseCast in-car satellite TV Service launch in spring 2009. With a cost of $1,299 for the kit and $28 per month for the service, the service offer 22 channels and 20 sat radio stations. The kids channel lineup includes Disney Channel, Discovery Kids, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network Mobile among other channel.  ⁽¹⁾

In august 2008, Turner Broadcasting announced that it will make television content Cartoon Network available via ICO mim. ICO mim is an interactive mobile video, navigation and emergency assistance service.

Nickelodeon offers Nick Jr Podcasts as “Video To Go” for both kids and parents. Video podcasts of the kid’s favorite characters can be downloaded to ipod, iphones or directly to the computer.

PBS Kids released PBS Kids Play an online software for children 3-6 years on a subscription basis. The software offers games that help kids explore essential preschool and kindergarten skills.

Key Legal Issues:

The Broadcast Law Blog: A good place to stay abreast with the legal changes/development related to children television programming and advertising is Broadcast Law Blog.  check it out at http://www.broadcastlawblog.com/archives/cat-childrens-programming-and-advertising.html

The most important factors influencing CTP are the rules laid down by FCC. THE FCC has laid down rules and regulations for children televisiion programming.

According to a research, children in America on an average watch atleast three hours of television a day. All broadcast television stattions – commercial and non-commercial stattions have to offer educational and information children’s programming (1)

In 1990, Congress enacted the Children’s Television Act (CTA) to increase the amount of educational and informational programming for children available on television. CTA requires each broadcast television station in the United States to serve the educational and informational needs of children through its overall programming, including programming specifically designed to serve these needs (“core programming”). It also limits the amount of time broadcasters and cable operators may devote to advertisements during children’s programs.

Under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, television stations must:

·         provide parents and consumers with advance information about core programs being aired;

·         define the type of programs that qualify as core programs; and

·         air at least three hours per week of core programs.

Roger Federer wins French Oopen 2009 June 7, 2009

I missed the French Open final thanks to my picnic to Prospect Park. It didn’t come as a surprise that Roger Federer had finally clenched his win at Roland Garros. As I watched the match point and presentation video on YouTube, I wondered if this would have been possible if Nadal was in running.

Few years ago I was a Federer fan. Then I saw him play against Nadal and fell in love with Nadal game. I was thrilled when he won Wimbledon. It was upsetting to see him loose so early in French Open this year. Although Federer deserves this win, without Nadal it was easier to him that it could have ever been.

I hope Nadal recovers soon and comes back to his game, winning every single game in the coming tournaments.

Election and Me April 16, 2009

This is the second election I missed. I have to admit that I have never voted till date. (yeah, shame on me.) With my family shifting homes constantly, I could never prove the electoral office which constituency I belonged to. And without that, it is impossible to get a voter’s card. Politicians wouldn’t bother much about people like me because our demands do not include installing new pipelines or building new toilets or a community water hose. So their concern is to make sure the poor go to the polls.

The small black dot on the index finger, a symbol that you have cast your vote has always excited me. As a kid, I would stand at the door to inspect fingers of my entire family and with a joint family, trust me there were many. They would all go. Not one would miss their vote. It was a ritual and they took it as their duty. I would then, put black ink on my finger. So what if it was to wash one the moment I held my hand under running water! For me, that small black dot meant empowerment. It made me feel, my country is hearing my voice. For days, I would watch as the dot slowly faded away.

One question I asked my mom every election year, why she went to vote. That answer has not changed till date. She said and continues to say, “I go because, it’s my duty. Every vote counts. Tomorrow if a bad guy comes to power, I don’t want to feel, if I had voted, he might’ve lost. We should always vote.” Her words were inspiring. For this duty, she took pains to go from one office to another, to get their name listed on the new voter’s list when we changed our residence five years back. My question seemed more relevant then, when she struggled and all the bureaucrats did was make her visit offices. Neither her zeal nor her answer had changed. In the end, she had managed to get herself listed and she was ready to do her duty for the umpteenth time of her life.

While, my mom’s story is inspiring, mine is not. Elections have always eluded me. I have always wanted to vote but never could. Few years back when I finally became eligible to vote, I couldn’t exercise my right because I didn’t have a voter’s card. The second time, which is now, I am not in my country.

Today, when the times are tough, I feel it is important than ever before that every citizen of India fulfills this duty. It is important that my generation participates actively and religiously just like our parents did. And it is even more important that the elite do theirs. This is their country too.

As for me, I am hopeful that some day, I will make a small black dot on my finger. And at that time, it will fade away gradually.

Happy Journey to Mom! April 10, 2009

For past four months I have been enjoying the company of Aai (mom). My sister and I had convinced her to visit us. We had convinced her that Tai ( my sister) needs her help at home since she will be busy studying for an exam.  How cunning of us 

Yesterday, we were at the ariport to bid our goodbye. As we drove fast on the van wyck exp in the full moon, I couldn’t stop thinking about my mom. It’s always exciting for moms to meet their kids, it’s never exciting to leave them. Aai was no exception.  I thought of how she had traveled all the way alone. She had traveled alone only up to Kuwait, which is only three hours. But America is 14 hours with a break journey. I wondered how she managed everything so well at every step of her journey in spite of not talking English.

I was glad she was not traveling alone.  My sister and niece were going to India with her. Although  she had been eager to go home, the fact that she was sad to leave us behind was too evident on her innocent face. She has always been a strong woman; her looks state otherwise. Neither her nor me put our sadness in words. I gave her tight hug and kissed her good bye. She returned my display of love with a warm smile and ‘kalji ghe‘ (take care) and the three of them proceeded to the security check.

We waited patiently as our three travelers passed through the security. They passed the check and we were already waving our hand as high as possible to wave them our final good byes. My niece was blowing kisses at us. Aai lifted her hand and waved good bye briefly. I stood there to see her turn around and waited till they all disappeared from my site.  I felt happy for her. No longer sad I walked back home thinking when would be the next time for me to be on the other side of the security check..

Aloo Chat – Movie Review April 7, 2009

There are some movies we watch because the directors are big or because our favorite actors start in them. But they turn out to be big disappointment. And then, there are movies we watch just because, we find their titles peculiar or promos inviting. Their directors are either debutants or virtually unknown but the films are pleasing and paisa vasool. Aloo Chat falls in the later category.

Robby’s Aloo Chat is as palatable as its title. The story is simple. One guy trying to convince his parents to accept a girl he loves and wants to marry. Now what’s so different about that? This is a plot that has been beaten to death in countless Hindi films across all the genres. What makes Aloo Chat different is not the story but the execution.

Robby scores a home run with the perfectly timed humor. The humor in this film fits within the scene, flows within the content and never comes across as forced. It’s just perfect. While, Nikhil (Aftab Shivdasani) and Aamna (Aamna Shariff) execute Hakeem Tarachand’s (Manoj Pahwa) plan to get them together, Kulbhusan Kharbanda (Nikhil’s father) and Sanjay Mishra (Nikhil’s neglected uncle) keep the movie going with their light- hearted humor.

Forget those big titles, big directors and big cast, this is a movie that tickles your funny bone, doesn’t disappoint you and leaves you with a feeling- that was a good one, I am glad it was not such a waste of time.

Watch it.  Don’t miss it.

Robby Gerwal has previously directed MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, and Samary; When Time Strikes.