Trying to Out Groupon Groupon

When is a newspaper more than a newspaper?

Answer: Now.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010, the Austin American-Statesman announced another interesting possible revenue stream having absolutely nothing to do with journalism but everything to do with money.

“Dealswarm” is the newest product of the Statesman and Cox Media Group (CMG), the Statesman’s parent company. What’s Dealswarm? It’s “a new group-buying discount program,” according to their news release. It “will soon offer bargain hunters in Austin outrageous online discounts of 50 percent or more on local dining, entertainment and other services from some of the most popular local businesses. Customers can now simply and quickly register on dealswarm.com to receive daily e-mail alerts about discount offers in their area. In the next few weeks, daily DealSwarm deals will be ready and available for purchase.”

Sounds familiar? Sounds like Groupon?

“Groupon started in November 2008 … to make it easier for people to enjoy the great things in their community. We do it by offering daily deals at unbeatable prices through the power of group buying,” according to the Groupon website.

Michael Vivio, Austin American-Statesman and austin360.com publisher, thinks Dealswarm can out Groupon Groupon. “We believe we can be successful in the space because of our large database of readers (who have already signed up to receive deals) and existing local business relationships,” Vivio says. “Those two factors combined with the promotional power of the Statesman and our websites will give us a quick entry into the market.”

So, like Groupon, users will sign up for daily email notification of the specials for the day. “This new product will give customers unprecedented access to some of the hottest local retail discounts not found anywhere else, and will help local advertisers and businesses promote themselves effectively to existing and new customers,” according to the Statesman release. “The Statesman Co. is excited to be a player in the growing deal-of-the-day market,” Vivio says.

Cox media is also rolling out Dealswarm in Atlanta, Dayton, and Seattle, and more markets are coming in 2011.

“Different from others in the group-buying space, our local media properties in each DealSwarm market bring unprecedented marketing power with established readers, viewers and listeners,” said David Shipps, DealSwarm’s Vice President in the Cox news release. “For our business partners, there are no upfront costs. They simply benefit from new customers and a fantastic promotional opportunity for their business.”

Shipps added that the program will be promoted by CMG’s radio, TV and newspaper websites, Facebook applications and Twitter accounts in each market, and through their respective e-newsletters on the day deals are available. The program will also be advertised on air in certain markets with TV for additional exposure.

So, Dealswarm is the Statesman’s latest partnership following boocoo.com, a competitor to eBay.

“Our BooCoo partners said they are well above their growth projections. But, since it is a start-up effort, it is not producing much revenue,” Vivio says. “They are building traffic much faster than other auction start-ups thanks to the newspaper promotion, they say.” A quick check of the www.boocoo.com site does show that they have products for sale.

The Statesman also partners with Monster’s Hot Jobs and AutoTrader.com.

© Jim McNabb, 2010

She Will Be Missed

KVUE TV’s Thea Williams 1965-2010

KVUE TV’s home page has a small post and video today saying a somber farewell to a longtime friend who will be remembered by many in Central Texans:

“KVUE is saying goodbye to a dear friend and colleague.

“Our Daybreak and Midday executive producer Thea Williams passed away Wednesday night after a lengthy illness.

“Thea was a talented journalist and was widely respected for her high standards and great compassion. She was a leader in the newsroom, a mentor to young journalists, and most of all, a dear friend.

It is never easy to say goodbye. Thea lived every day with true grace and kindness.

“Our prayers are with her family and her two children.

“Her impact on all of us will not be forgotten.”

Patti Smith, KVUE president and general manager, informed the staff this morning.

“For those of you who were lucky enough to have worked with Thea, you know that she lit up the room with her presence. She was the guiding force behind KVUE’s Daybreak and Midday for many years and her contributions to this station will never be forgotten,” Smith said. “Above and beyond that, Thea was a wonderful friend to many, both inside and outside this building.

There were many times I’d be in the public representing the station at an event and I’d be approached by someone that had contact with Thea and our newsroom. They were always complimentary about Thea and would usually say, ‘Oh, I love Thea!’ We all did. Her laughter and friendship will not be forgotten; her impact on us all will not be forgotten.”

Williams joined KVUE 15 years ago as a producer. She was a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. She also had her master’s degree in journalism, and she taught classes at Austin Community College. Prior to KVUE, she worked at WJXT TV in Jacksonville, Florida.

“She was the only person to call me “Franco,” and get away with it,” says Frank Volpicella, KVUE news director. “She always had a smile. She always was positive. Always a bundle of energy. I don’t believe she ever uttered anything negative about anyone.”

Here’s a little-known fact: “She hated squirrels. She was very afraid of them. Sometimes she would walk through our courtyard, and have to run back inside out of breath, because she saw a squirrel,” Volpicella says.

She was also a pack rat like many journalists. Her desk was always jammed with stuff. Journalists claim they never know when they might need something in there.

Williams had been battling breast cancer. “She courageously battled against her illness. She was very spiritual and religious. I know her faith helped her considerably during her illness. It is a difficult day at KVUE news. Everyone is deeply saddened,” Volpicella said.

Thea Williams was 45.

(c) Jim McNabb, 2010

Time Warner Cable Austin’s “Customer Service”

Whose Pixel Problem Is It?

Does Time Warner Cable-Austin (TWC) not have a competent engineer on the clock during prime time? If viewers wanted to watch MSNBC Friday, September 17, 2010 they could not help but be annoyed. I was annoyed.

I started trying to watch during “Hardball with Chris Matthews” around 6:20 p.m. Central. I finally gave up and switched to baseball shortly before 9 p.m. during “Rachel Maddow”. OK, so I revealed my viewing choices. This isn’t about MSNBC. It’s about what TWC calls customer service.

Tuning in MSNBC, “Standard Service” on Channel 49, it was periodically pixelling (Is that a word?). The pixels are little boxes and garbled sound when a channel isn’t tuned in. If you use your digital TV converter to pick up live television, you’ve seen this phenomenon before. When you’re tuning with “rabbit ears”, it’s one thing. When you’re watching cable TV, a service you’re paying for, it’s another issue.

Pixels can happen when a satellite transponder isn’t tuned. Rarely the problem is at the source. Most of the time, the problem is where the signal is received, in this case, Time Warner Cable.

Having worked in TV, I assumed (Never assume.) that some engineer was working on the problem. After an hour, I began to wonder. So, I called.

A nice guy—we’ll call him Bryan—said he’d check. Early on, Bryan said that he’d gotten other calls about Standard Cable Channel #49. Hmmmm. Then, Bryan came back on to say that he would reset my cable box. NO! This is the Standard Cable tier. There is no box. Others have complained. The problem clearly is not on the consumer’s end. The problem is either with TWC or MSNBC. Bryan seemed to understand. He put me on hold again.

He came back with this suggestion: He’d give me a telephone number, and I could call the network. NO! No, Bryan. “It’s TWC’s job to call the network, not mine. I’m buying the service, and you’re the provider of the service,” I said. He put me on hold again.

When he came back, I asked if TWC had an engineer on duty. An engineer should check the satellite transponder and tweak it until it is tuned, or the engineer should call their provider. He put me on hold again.

When he returned he claimed that they were working on it, and if it wasn’t resolved by tomorrow, I should call back. “No,” I said, feeling like a member of Congress having said “No” so much. I asked again whether they had an engineer on duty who could check on the problem because it could be a quick fix.

I didn’t want to hammer the poor guy whose job it is to answer the phone, but apparently is provided with little information and little understanding of how cable TV works.

He put me on hold again. I said that it was OK.

When “Bryan” came back, he claimed that their technicians were working the problem locally, and if TWC determined that it wasn’t their issue, they’d call the network. I thanked him for his efforts and time. When I gave up, the problem had not been resolved at the Standard Service level.

So, I ask again: Does TWC have a competent engineer on duty during prime time? Now, I’ll add the question, is this TWC’s definition of customer service?

TWC needs competition.

© Jim McNabb, 2010

Mickey Mouse and TWC are Friends Again

Who won? Who lost?

Time Warner Cable says it is its customers who won.

Customers/users/viewers of TWC found this email this morning:

"To Our Valued Customers...

"Time Warner Cable is always negotiating new deals with TV networks. Recently, we reached a new long-term agreement with Disney/ABC and ESPN, so you can continue to watch your favorite channels and the shows you love for years to come.

"There will be no interruption of ESPN or Disney channels, as well as WABC in New York, KABC in Los Angeles, WTVD in Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville and WTVG in Toledo. They'll stay right here on Time Warner Cable. In fact, our agreement means more networks and services for you, including the following*:

"Disney Junior - a new 24-hour basic channel for preschool-age children, parents and caregivers launching in 2012.

"ESPN3.com - ESPN's live sports broadband network will be available to all Time Warner Cable subscribers who get ESPN.

"A New ESPN Service - customers will be able to view ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU through broadband and mobile Internet devices.

"ESPN Goal Line - a college football super-highlight channel will be available only to Time Warner Cable’s Sports Pass customers starting as early as September 4, 2010.

"ESPN Buzzer Beater - a college basketball service similar to ESPN Goal Line, will be available to Time Warner Cable’s Sports Pass customers for college basketball season.

"Expanded Video On Demand Services - including ABC On Demand, Disney-branded On Demand offerings for kids, local sports content in select markets, plus the subscription Video On Demand service "Disney Family Movies."

"Start Over and Look Back - featured on a variety of Disney Media Networks content.

"ESPN Deportes - will be available to a larger Time Warner Cable footprint.

"ESPN 3D"

And so ends the latest TWC drama. There will be more, to be sure.

It will be interesting to see the roll-out of these newly announced features and what they will cost. I'm thinking that they will not be free.

(c) Jim McNabb, 2010

Here We Go Again

TWC Vs. Mickey

Poor Time-Warner Cable. Mickey Mouse is trying to rip them off.

Time-Warner Cable customers are getting email and spots are running on the cable that Disney, owner and operator of ABC TV, ESPN, and Disney Channels, is threatening to pull programming from Time-Warner. It’s another one of those revenue things that seem to happen with TWC every six months or so.

Of course, if Disney plays hardball, “Baseball Tonight” and “Desperate Housewives” could disappear from the cable line-up. (It seems that channels are disappearing from the standard line up all of the time. More about that later.)

“To connect you with all the shows you love to watch, we must pay the companies that own the broadcast TV stations and cable networks. We fight to keep those fees as low as possible, because they directly impact the cable bill you have to pay each month,” says TWC on its web site RolloverorGet Tough.com. “When all is said and done, Time Warner Cable earned a profit for its shareholders of about $0.06 for every dollar that we brought in during 2009. (That’s slightly below the average of 7% for the past 10 years among US companies in the S&P 500, according to the Wall Street Journal.)”

Let’s not forget that TWC is the second-largest cable company in the nation. The figures above notwithstanding, they make lots of money.

August 5, 2010, TWC reported its second-quarter profit rose 8.2%, as demand increased for its broadband and phone services and capital expenditures decreased, according to MarketWatch.com. “It earned $342 million, or 95 cents a share, compared with a profit of $316 million, or 90 cents a share in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue rose 6% to $4.73 billion.”

They’re doing OK. Better than most of us. Viewers should keep these things in mind as they read their email and see the spots from TWC. Also keep in mind that ABC programming will be available off-the-air via your digital converter and antenna. Watching ESPN and other cable channels are more problematic. TWC makes a point of saying that it won’t do any good to switch since Disney already pulled its HD programming from Dish Satellite in June.

Meanwhile, a spat between the City of Austin and Time-Warner Cable is brewing. When Time-Warner wrote a new franchise contract, it included public access channels for the City of Austin, the Austin School District, Travis County, the state legislature and even ordinary citizens. As of October 1, 2010, those channels are slated to be boosted to the digital tier.

It will take a cable box to receive them. Those boxes cost $7 per month each. TWC says it will supply one box for varying periods of time to customers who have standard service. What about customers who have multiple televisions?

Stacy Schmidt, TWC spokesperson, says the cable company is moving the channels to increase services and speed. “It’s what customers are demanding”

To this writer and perhaps the City of Austin, the move of local access and government channels to the more expensive, digital tier violates the spirit of the original agreement that created them. The City of Austin is threatening to take TWC to court over the changes. Austin City Council and commission meetings are telecast on Channel 6.

© Jim McNabb, 2010

Austin Reads

Austin reads. In fact, Austin ranks as the most literate city over 250,000 in the State of Texas. That probably doesn’t surprise you. Dallas comes in second. Ft. Worth is third. What may surprise you is that Austin isn’t in the top ten “Most Literate Cities in the Nation”, according to a 2008 study by Central Connecticut State University (their most recent). Austin is #17. Dallas is #38.5 (a tie), and Ft. Worth is #45. Austin is in the top ten when only the Internet is concerned, and that isn’t surprising.

Austin reads more than most boasts of the biggest book store in the land, Book People.

These are not the reasons for a brand new section in the Austin American-Statesman, “Insight and Books” beginning in this Sunday’s paper. “The thinking behind it doesn't rely so much on any particular set of stats as on Central Texans generally being not just literate but interested in their community and public affairs, prone to debate and discuss and embrace civic engagement,” says Tony Shuga, weekend editor.

Formerly in Life & Arts, “the new section will join Insight to form Insight & Books. Available every Sunday in print, the new section will offer thoughtful discussion, in-depth analysis and focus on community engagement. And every day, interactive online features that complement the print product will be available online at statesman.com/insight,” said a Statesman news release.

“Austin is a thoughtful place, and we love a lively discussion,” said Statesman Editor Fred Zipp in the news release. “With the new Insight & Books section, we hope to feed that discussion and make the Sunday newspaper experience richer.”

“The Sunday print edition will offer articles about Texas and Central Texas written by non-staff writers (experts from the business community, nonprofits, academics and more) as well as those written by Statesman staff, according to a Statesman news release. Former Statesman Texana writer Mike Cox’s columns and reviews will continue in the new section. “There will also be summaries of PolitiFact Texas articles, a new science feature, excerpts from blogs and reader comments, letters to the editor and op-ed columns,” the release said.

“Overall we're adding material, not trimming,” Shuga said.

Who knows? Maybe newsmcnabb might make the Statesman.

© Jim McNabb, 2010

Comm 1317

Broadcast Journalism

for Non-Journalists

Every one of the 3,500-plus students graduating from Austin’s St. Edward’s University is required to take Comm 1317, Presentational Speaking—every student. Why? The University believes that a person with a college education should be able to apply that knowledge verbally.

Some will speak as a part of their profession—teachers, priests, and marketers, but also a biochemist will most likely make a presentation to his peers at some point too. The audience might be two or three on a conference room or it might be two thousand in an auditorium.

Preparing to teach Comm 1317 these past few weeks, I’ve come to see that the course could be considered “Broadcast Journalism for Non-Journalism Majors”. To be effective, the same principles apply.

It starts with the audience? Who will hear your message? Know your audience. TV stations do audience research all of the time. Who’s watching? What do they want?

Rising from that research comes the story idea or topic. Every reporter and every student must come to the table with an idea. The idea becomes the thesis of the report.

Once approved, the idea is researched. All possible points of view are in play, making sure the message is factual. It requires critical thinking.

The facts are analyzed and organized. Some may actually create an outline to stay on topic and maintain the flow of the story or presentation.

Then, the words should fall on the page almost naturally. If the student or the reporter, however, uses bad grammar or poor pronunciation, all of the work done before is wasted time. The presenter will have lost all credibility with the audience.

The style should be conversational, not stilted. Fragments are fine. Eye contact with the audience, whether it is a camera lens or actual eyes, is essential.

For beginners and seasoned journalists alike, practice or rehearsal is important. I’ve paced back and forth before a live shot looking at notes and reaching for the right words, saying sentences over and over.

Finally, after all of this preparation comes the presentation, or in broadcast journalism it is the “package” or live shot. The presenter must have presence, using all talents and tools available including audio and video. It’s about selling the story, selling the speech. It can’t be a dull recitation, or you will have lost your audience. They will have gone to sleep in the conference room or turned to another channel in TV.

Certainly, there are other subjects covered in Comm 1317, but that is the gist of it. I’m even going to include a session on talking to the media in my syllabus. There will also be poetry. Poetry is to be read aloud, but you don’t hear much poetry on TV. I love poetry. Good poetry.

The fall semester starts in less than three weeks. Some of my students graduating in December may have put off taking Comm 1317 until now. The thought of standing and delivering makes their knees weak. They’ll get over that. In all cases the audience really wants you to succeed. Nobody wants to see a TV reporter melt down during a live shot either.

When I was in undergraduate school, I was required to take two courses in religion, chapel, and swimming. Yes, swimming. I guess Baylor didn’t want its graduates to die by drowning and go to hell!

I’m confident that St. Edward’s feels the same, but by requiring “Presentational Speech”, the University wants to ensure that their graduates can share what they’ve learned. Perhaps that’s one reason why they’re on the U.S. News and Forbes lists of top Universities in the nation.

© Jim McNabb, 2010