RIGHT BRAIN ::: Silence in Waiting

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October 29, 2008

The Media Equation

Mourning Old Media’s Decline

By DAVID CARR

The news that Google settled two longstanding suits with book authors and publishers over its plans to digitize the world’s great libraries suggests that some level of détente could be reached between old media and new.

If true, it can’t come soon enough for the news business.

It’s been an especially rotten few days for people who type on deadline. On Tuesday, The Christian Science Monitor announced that, after a century, it would cease publishing a weekday paper. Time Inc., the Olympian home of Time magazine, Fortune, People and Sports Illustrated, announced that it was cutting 600 jobs and reorganizing its staff. And Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the country, compounded the grimness by announcing it was laying off 10 percent of its work force — up to 3,000 people.

Clearly, the sky is falling. The question now is how many people will be left to cover it.

It goes on. The day before, the Tribune Company had declared that it would reduce the newsroom of The Los Angeles Times by 75 more people, leaving it approximately half the size it was just seven years ago.

The Star-Ledger of Newark, the 15th-largest paper in the country, which was threatened with closing, will apparently survive, but only after it was announced that the editorial staff would be reduced by 40 percent.

And two weeks ago, TV Guide, one of the famous brand names in magazines, was sold for one dollar, less than the price of a single copy.

The paradox of all these announcements is that newspapers and magazines do not have an audience problem — newspaper Web sites are a vital source of news, and growing — but they do have a consumer problem.

Stop and think about where you are reading this column. If you are one of the million or so people who are reading it in a newspaper that landed on your doorstop or that you picked up at the corner, you are in the minority. This same information is available tomany more millions on this paper’s Web site, in RSS feeds, on hand-held devices, linked and summarized all over the Web.

Historically, people took an interest in the daily paper about the time they bought a home. Now they are checking their BlackBerrys for alerts about mortgage rates.

“The auto industry and the print industry have essentially the same problem,” said Clay Shirky, the author of “Here Comes Everybody.” “The older customers like the older products and the new customers like the new ones.”

For readers, the drastic diminishment of print raises an obvious question: if more people are reading newspapers and magazines, why should we care whether they are printed on paper?

The answer is that paper is not just how news is delivered; it is how it is paid for.

More than 90 percent of the newspaper industry’s revenue still derives from the print product, a legacy technology that attracts fewer consumers and advertisers every single day. A single newspaper ad might cost many thousands of dollars while an online ad might only bring in $20 for each 1,000 customers who see it.

The difference between print dollars and digital dimes — or sometimes pennies — is being taken out of the newsrooms that supply both. And while it is indeed tough all over in this economy, consider the consequences.

New Jersey, a petri dish of corruption, will have to make do with 40 percent fewer reporters at The Star-Ledger, one of the few remaining cops on the beat. The Los Angeles Times, which toils under Hollywood’s nose, has one movie reviewer left on staff. And dozens of communities served by Gannett will have fewer reporters and editors overseeing the deeds and misdeeds of local government and businesses.

The authors and book publishers looking for royalties from the Google deal may be the lucky ones in the old media sweepstakes. Print publishers are madly cutting, in part because the fourth quarter, postfinancial crisis, is going to be a miserable one. Advertising from the car industry, retail business and financial services — for years, the three sturdy legs of a stool that print once rested comfortably on — are in steep decline.

So who can still afford to pay for the phone calls that reporters have to make? USA Today was made exempt from the current rounds of cuts at Gannett but even national papers, including The New York Times, have resorted to modest staff cuts over the last year. The blogosphere has had its share of news breaks, but absent a functioning mainstream media to annotate, it could be pretty darn quiet out there.

At the recent American Magazine Conference, one of the speakers worried that if the great brands of journalism — the trusted news sources readers have relied on — were to vanish, then the Web itself would quickly become a “cesspool” of useless information. That kind of hand-wringing is a staple of industry gatherings.

But in this case, it wasn’t an old journalism hack lamenting his industry. It was Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google.

E-mail: carr@nytimes.com

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

BLACKLIGHTING ::: Radar's Clean

1 Co. 13:12-13 (The Message)

12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

I'm trying to stay true to the above but God knows it's not been easy. Love, I think I got it down pat. The first two I still struggle with somehow. There are simply way too many what-ifs hovering around me that egg me to conclude this way or that and sometimes I just can't put up the fight anymore.

However, something that has struck me is this (by way of nicequay): trust means doing. We can't say a person in a coma has put his or her trust in the doctors, they have no choice but to do so. But if that person were someone who made the decision to check herself into the hospital and go under the knife (for stomach stapling* or other), she's trusted by making an effort to subject herself to whatever results that medical procedure would yield. Sorry, it's a little needlessly complicated but I don't have any other way to illustrate this realization.

It's happening all over again and I guess I should be better equipped to handle it but I'm still not and that makes me glad. =D

So here goes nothing. Cowabunga.

*That was just an example!

RIGHT BRAIN ::: Days in Exhale

This one's a bit overdue (like most things I handle), I know but... So, as mentioned in a previous post, I hauled ass to KL some weeks ago. It was out of necessity more than anything but I knew that I'd find the trip interesting somehow.

After Sunday service, I went down to Lavender to look for and get a ticket from the Transnasional counter. (By the way, for this trip, I'm joining Diane on her way back from her weekend visit.) I must say it was a bit of a challenge to locate that dang office primarily because it did not exist. What was there was something that looked more like an outhouse; a converted container van was not what I had in mind.

The next morning, we headed out to the terminal bright and early...sort of. Unfortunately, I got too distracted by peripherals which resulted in a botched effort to catch our 10 a.m. coach. We missed the bus by a minute or two! The funny/annoying thing was just as our cab pulled into the terminal, there was a Transnasional bus rolling out with a sign saying "KL - Singapura" on the windshield. I didn't realize it was OUR bus thinking that it was one that just came from KL. Susme!

After getting chided by the woman at the counter for not being there at the prescribed time of 15 minutes prior to schedule, we got us tickets for the 12 noon trip and waited around. Our first tickets were rendered useless.

We boarded a few minutes before 12. I'd say the bus was only 15 percent occupied. Soon after, we were on the road and heading out of the city.

Six something hours later, Diane and I found ourselves in a parking lot turned bus terminal in Bukit Jalil. There we transferred to another bus to KL proper.

KL is so much like Metro Manila. There are portions you can easily mistake for QC, Makati, Baclaran, Avenida--all very welcome visuals to me. "Wisma" is also a word attached to every other business sign I saw, second only to 'Berhad." Or maybe even more frequent. Not sure.

After a KFC dinner (may kanin sa KFC nila! can it get any better?) with a despicable rose-flavored drink, we plodded to not-so-nearby Pasar Seni to take an E1 bus to Putrajaya Central and another local bus to where their villa was. Soon after, I called it a day...and Diane left for work. Believe it.

The next morning, I set out to see Kuala Lumpur. Well, parts of it anyway. But first, I HAD to take the train.

From Wikipedia:
KLIA Transit is a rail service linking Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) operated by Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL). It shares the same tracks as the KLIA Ekspres but unlike the direct airport express service, KLIA Transit stops at three other stations.

Yeah, whatever that said. So I took this train (except the one on the photo is the express one) from Cyberjaya/Putrajaya station to KL Sentral. About 20-25 minutes, I'd say, but it's too short when you're taking in the countryside landscape. Rolling meadows dotted with trees less than half an hour from city central, how'd ya like that? I would not mind at all.

The transition from rural to urban landscape happens at a comfortable pace so I didn't feel cheated. :-P Soon enough, the Petronas Towers and KL Tower came into view, gleaming in the distance, and the announcement came that we had arrived at KL Stesen Sentral.

This place is huge. I would imagine Grand Central Station would be something similar. If I recall right, there are three main rail operations (nb: not lines) at KL Sentral taking commuters in and out of the city everyday.

I walked around for a bit to create a mental map but I wanted, of course, to go to Petronas so I looked for the train to take me there. I found the RapidKL rail and got on it to KLCC station underneath Petronas. Easy peasy!

The KLCC station is where Suria KLCC, the mall, and the Petronas Towers sit. It really is just like any high end mall. You seen one, you seen 'em all, right? But they do have Chili's in there, something I've been sorta missing. Didn't indulge. :-)

I stepped outside for a bit just to see the surroundings and look at Petronas unobstructed. Yep, I really was in Kuala Lumpur, no denying it. Saw where Zouk KL is, too, not that I'll be caught dead in that place anytime soon. I'm just wrong for that kind of dig! It would totally drag the hip factor.

The patches of clouds moved swiftly overhead and since dodging the noon sun wasn't exactly a tourist trap, it was back inside, lard-ass.

I pass a few hours more to check out an art exhibit, get a Maxis simpack (for the folks at home), relish a sorely missed A&W rootbeer float, and just wander wherever. There are, evidently, amusing sights in there since I spent around four more hours doing this. Finally, I did get bored (and tired) enough so I decided to head back.

Back at Sentral, there was a booth set-up by the WWF--yes, the World Wildlife Fund. I'm totally behind the cause but they really should re-train their ground crew. They acted like dogs barking at cars. Basta, they were unpleasant bordering on rude. But then again I wouldn't know if that's how they really do it effectively in their country. Anyhow, it was not something I'm used to.

The next day was something I'd looked forward to and was probably the only thing that got me excited about going up to KL to begin with. I went to Genting Highlands. The mountain, the cool temperature, the trees--these are all anyone needed to tell me about the place to get me out of bed early morning to catch the bus.

I liked how it was close to the city, too. Get this: it took us only an hour from KL to Genting Para lang Makati to Antipolo. That was cool except I also wanted to catch up on sleep on the bus. S'all good. The scenery kept me engaged. It's like the road to Baguio but tamed.

So we get to the drop off point up in the mountains, almost but not quite Genting yet. It's the SkyTrain terminal which is a cable car system taking visitors to the peak where all the stuff happens. I'd say this was about a 20-minute ride over virgin forest on the mountainside.

I shared the car with two senior ladies who were chatting quite animatedly, albeit one was more so than the other. I kind of got the look from her at one point during the ride up cause, as we sat back to back, my hand or head would bump the back of her head and it would interupt her kuwento. She finally turned around and looked at me as if to say "Ano ba?" Reminded me a lot of how Lola Delang would scold me whenever I'd sit next to her on her bangko shaking my legs. Just had to laugh to myself and commented in Tagalog. I forgot what I said though. I made the effort to restrain myself from that point on or risk a high-altitude drop into deep forest. When we reached the Genting complex, it was completely enveloped in a cloud and it was windy and it...was...cold.

Once again, I didn't have any plans on where to go or what to see so I mostly just read and followed the signs. I went to check out their casino. It was spacious and, well, familiar-looking. But the whole time I was wandering around, all I wanted to do was eat. Ha! Surprise.

Here's my RM25 breakfast. It's chicken and it was all mine.

After this, I went to see the outdoor theme park. It was not as amusing for me because they were doing some repairs/improvements on parts of the grounds. Frankly, the place reminded me a lot of Star City. I did, however, get a kick out of watching these girls up at the SkyShot ride flailing their legs all over the place. This is the one where your seat gets pulled up to the top of a crane and then you get dropped then bounced, the crane itself resting at a high precipice. As this was happening to them, a cloud floats by and covers them up. So it was like falling into white nothing for a few seconds. I am not getting on that thing. Never.

Back inside, I looked for whatever else to check out and found a shuttle service going to Chin Swee Temple. It's a 10-minute drive from Genting which features, among others, a huge statue of Buddha above a large square called Sky Terrace, a temple, a pagoda, and some statues of Chinese characters. The view was, of course, more than enough reason to go there.

We went back to Genting complex after an hour at which point I decided it was a good time to go. Apparently, the entire population was thinking the same exact thing and the line for the SkyTrain wound several times. Thankfully, they were quick at loading folks into it, each car was filled to capacity of eight. It was a boisterous descent for the seven women who I think were in their 50s. Saya nga ng kuwentuhan nila, in Chinese.

On my fourth day in Malaysia, I went back to KL to, you know, check out the malls. 'Cause that's what lazy malinformed tourists do. Whatever's familiar. I didn't know what else to do, to be honest, so I took up Annie's suggestion to go to Sungei Wang. I took the monorail to there.

I noticed the monorail stations had names of brands, too. I wonder if it varies from time to time and how it will confuse commuters. Bukit Bintang station was named "Digi", after the telco.

Anyway, yeah, Sungei Wang. It's like Greenlanes in Greenhills back in the 80s. Basta, yun na yun. For lunch, I sucked it up and had Nasi Lemak. *shrug* Might as well. Masarap naman sya pero I don't think it's the kind of food I'll have everyday. Don't know about your individual Lemak experiences but the one I got was just like afritada. I guess what makes it special (or different) are the things on the side. Was good, I was full, now we walk. It was after all Jalan Bukit Bintang.

I ended up in Pavilion KL, a high end mall and easily the best-looking one I've entered so far. It was posh but, I guess, minimalist unlike Ngee Ann City which, for me, is a bit cluttered. They had all the names, but, of course, I went there para lang maki-CR naman eh. Pero, di nga, it was nice. I liked the design and flow of the place. If only.

Overall, I'd say KL is my kind of city. It's laid back but you can see there's order. It's organized without being obsessive. Even the touting cab drivers were not nearly as infuriating. Really, they were polite and not obnoxious at all---to think that they were, you know, unscrupulous individuals. =D

I will do my best to return to KL soon because there's so much character there to uncover. For the meantime, I'm still holding out for this place to find out what kind of rabbit God will pull out the hat. He's done it so many times in my life I think I'll be just stupid to think I'm done.

Am I? Done? Stupid? Done because stupid or stupid because done?

BLACKLIGHTING ::: Ehm...This is Personal.

Psalm 119:9-16 (The Message)

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

9-16 How can a young person live a clean life?
By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I'm single-minded in pursuit of you;
don't let me miss the road signs you've posted.
I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart
so I won't sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
train me in your ways of wise living.
I'll transfer to my lips
all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
I attentively watch how you've done it.
I relish everything you've told me of life,
I won't forget a word of it.