THE FUTURE

Our business is now the Crystal Ball business. I guess I understand it, if you know what the future is all about you can prepare for it, and more importantly profit from it. So everyone in our business is constantly saying this is what's going to happen, and that's what's going to happen. They all seem to think they know what's going to happen in the future. So you have all these warring factions arguing with each other. Somebody has got a faulty crystal ball, the question is who?






So last night Kate and I sat down for dinner with a guy who has one of those crystal balls. When Jerry Whitaker talks people listen. He's a close friend. We've known Jerry when he was just a working guy. I'm not sure when he was granted a crystal ball, but trust me he has one. He was a broadcast engineer back in the early 1980's. Now he's got a really fancy title.


Jerry is Vice President Standards Development at the ATSC. The ATSC stands for Advanced Television Systems Committee. It's an international, non-profit organization developing voluntary standards for digital television. This whole HDTV thing they're the one's who decide on these issues. They recommend practices to advance terrestrial digital television broadcasting.







You've heard the old saying, "Oh he wrote the book on that!", well Jerry goes one better. Jerry is the author and editor of more than 30 books on technical topics. Prior to that he ran the publishing company Technical Press. I can see you now, "Okay, okay already, I believe the guy has a crystal ball, so what is he saying!!"

Satellite Radio? Thumbs down...Jerry: "Have they ever made any money?"
XM- Sirius merger proposal? Thumbs down...Jerry: "I hope it doesn't go through I still believe in the tradition broadcast models."
The Internet beating broadcasters brains in? Jerry..."I don't think so."
He sees a bright future for broadcasters as they continue to move forward with new technologies like delivering content to your phone.

Jerry: "The problem with broadcasters is they keep looking at Google, and some of these other sites." He acknowledges they are making money hand over fist. and broadcasters want a piece of it.

The problem as Jerry sees it is that Google and the others are non traditional models, and broadcasters are traditional. He thinks we should stick with their strengths. "Broadcasters will make money on their websites, but I don't think a lot. It's good to drive traffic there through your TV station. But I don't see it as a huge money maker for them."

So should I continue to blog? Wait, I forgot to ask him that question! Maybe I didn't want to hear the answer. Talk to you again on Monday.