"Ben –

I agree with you here completely. As a matter of fact, I think that what’s been proven in the last few years is that the traditional barriers for communicating and distributing these types of content have been altered, and new opportunities have emerged to leverage these types of rich content.

That said, I do not think that any of these tools replace one another, but rather they add to the variety of options today’s audience has to consume the programming that is of interest to them. As an earlier poster mentioned, new technologies have not replaced traditional options, but instead they have offered new avenues for distributing content. Some audience members may opt for audio that fits into their lifestyle, while others may download video to take on a daily commute.

Ultimately, regardless of the term we apply to these new pieces of online media, what has been proven in the past few years is that there is now an open platform for communicating whatever an organization or an individual’s message might be.

Best,

Jason Cohen
CityCast Media, LLC.
http://www.citycastmedia.com"

Initially, the web was viewed by many as an outlet for additional content from television an avenue to deliver out-takes, mini-programs, and trailers.  However, with the web’s maturity, these same organizations are now seeing the true value of the web as a delivery mechanism that allows them to find new talent, test programs, measure success, and avoid many of the traditional barriers associated with television programming.

Perhaps, the most black and white example to date comes with NBC’s announcement that the network will preview Jimmy Fallon’s new late night program via 5 or 10 minute minisodes prior to his network debut early next year, when Falon is scheduled to takeover for Conan O’Brien, as O’Brien shifts to the Tonight Show at the same time.

Rather than leave Mr. Fallon to find his rhythm on the air, at the expense of the Network audience, and the show’s sponsors, this approach will allow him to ease into the new role at his own pace, without the concern of censors, and the pressures of filling an hour program every evening.  Instead, this new venue will allow him to slowly introduce himself to audiences on-demand via the web, and familiarize himself with the show’s format, all while allow viewers to get an early glimpse into what Late Night will look like next Spring.

What will it be next, Web Videos on Tape, on TV?

On the web: New York Times

Today’s marketing and public relations professionals can actually learn a lot from the traditional media networks about how to reach today’s busy audiences.  Specifically, as an example let’s take a look at ESPN and how they use a variety of today’s technologies to reach their intended target audiences.

As a case study, we’ll use the popular Mike & Mike in the Morning radio program.  Now, typically for a radio show of this nature, the show would air from 6-10AM and listeners would be able to hear the show on their local affiliate, and then maybe they could hear a “Best of…” either over the weekend or perhaps when the show was on vacation.  Despite this conventional wisdom, ESPN realized that in then new media landscape this narrow window of distribution does not meet the needs of today’s dispersed audiences, and that there was an opportunity to grow the show’s audience.  With new distribution options, ESPN has been able to successfully leverage Mike and Mike, especially since content is king.  The network now simulcasts the show live on ESPN 2, produces a daily “Best of…” that airs during the afternoon on the network, provides show highlights on the front page of ESPN.com, and publishes a daily “Best of Mike and Mike” Podcast.

Now, clearly each of these tactics is not meant to reach the same audience members, but it is meant to give the show the greatest possible reach on any particular day.  I think that this strategy is reminiscent of when the CBS Television Network began simulcasting “60 Minutes” on the CBS Radio Network, which helped reach a broader audience, and in turn increase the television ratings.  This allowed those on the road to hear the show, get to their destinations and then continue watching the program on TV.  While the tools used by ESPN are different the concept is the same – leverage Mike & Mike to reach the broadest possible audience and meet the needs of today’s demanding consumer who may want to listen live, on-demand on the web, or via Podcast.

The lesson for today’s communicators is to consider how the landscape has changed as you develop your own outreach efforts.  With that in mind, and considering how diverse today’s audiences are, there are a variety of ways to tell our stories and meet the needs of how news and information is consumed differently.  In terms of strategy, for PR campaigns and Marketing plans it means that new media opportunities are equally important as traditional tactics.  As you develop future campaigns, it is important to include and leverage new tools such as web media, on-demand audio and video, and downloadable media such as Podcasts.  Certainly, traditional methods radio, TV, and print are still very important, but with how differently today’s audiences get their content we need to communicate using those same tools that are making it easier for audiences to consume media in whatever way best fits with their schedule.