What are the topics being discussed the most about the media in the popular press?

    Surprisingly -- to me, at least -- the general public seems apathetic toward the FCC's possible loosening or abandonment of many media ownership rules, which could have a tremendous impact on society.
  Some critics believe that the possible resulting flood of media consolidation would lead to rising prices for media such as cable TV, an erosion of journalism quality, as well as to a decrease in the diversity of media outlets, which could even endanger democracy.
    What would happen, for instance, if one company owned the daily newspaper in a given market and was then allowed to buy one of the town's TV stations?
    Would they merge newsrooms in order to save costs and then lay off employees? Would they provide special "group combo" ad rates that would eliminate competitors? What would be the impact of just one dominant local media voice in a community? These are serious questions.


If the FCC does indeed follow through with all the proposed deregulation measures, what other effects will they have on the business of advertising?

    The FCC's newly released media studies say that media concentration has exacerbated ad cost inflation. Ownership concentration in radio, for example, has resulted in an 81 percent surge in radio ad costs between 1996 and 2001. Media consolidation could have far-reaching repercussions.


Based on all the media you consume on a daily basis, what is the tone of the news reports dealing with the media economy? For the most part, are the stories pessimistic or optimistic about the current and future state of the media economy?

    Many media CEOs and analysts say that they're "seeing signs" of an advertising recovery. But they've been spouting that prognosis for nearly a year now.
   And due to a dearth of ads, magazines keep closing. In  the past weeks, Mutual Funds, Forbes ASAP, Upside and Washington Techway all announced that they were shutting down. Their publishers obviously weren't "seeing signs" of a recovery.
    Television is showing promise. Broadcast and cable had a record up-front season, but magazines and newspapers are still weak.



What kind of advertising presence do the likes of such giants as Pfizer, Ford, Johnson & Johnson, etc. have online? Now that a few years have passed since the dot.com fallout, are these preeminent television advertisers more or less inclined to advertise online?

     I don't have any data on those particular marketers, but analysts are saying that more and more traditional advertisers are growing receptive to the internet, especially those who want to reach the coveted 18-34 year-old demographic.
    It shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone that younger audiences are responsive to and comfortable with the internet. And new studies say that the net is pulling more consumer time away from traditional media, such as newspapers, magazines and even television.


The biggest change in the media five years from now will be __________?

    It's impossible to predict.
     There's so much tumultuous activity in media right now -- mega-mergers, convergence, how the internet will affect traditional media, the onset of digital video recorders and other new channels and devices for receiving media.
   That's one of the reasons why I launched IWantMedia.com, to track the almost daily developments in our evolving media landscape. But I think it's probably safe to say that in five years we won't be seeing the launch of very many celebrity-branded magazines.


If you were marooned on a desert island with your laptop that could only receive two web sites, besides IWantMedia.com, what would the other be?

    Google. So I could type in "Tips for getting rescued from a deserted island."
    No, actually, I'd pick two: CNN.com and the Drudge Report. CNN is one of the most trusted news sources for good reason, and Drudge, despite his sensationalistic tone, provides an excellent cross-section of news events. Weblogs such as his can be terrific news filters.

October 25, 2002© 2002 Media Life

-Aaron J. Moore is a Philadelphia writer and a regular contributor to Media Life. This interview first appeared in the Media Economy Newsletter.

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