Cmatic247's Blog

Dell launching New SmartPhone

cmatic247 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:58:29 +0000

More companies are developing their own versions of gadgets to compete with the varieties of mobile phones and smartphones that are already released. Dell is following suit and has officially confirmed its breakthrough in the smartphone market with the launch of the Mini3, the touch-screen handset. According to the prototype released earlier in the year, it doesn’t have a physical keyboard and will run on the new, popular Android system from Google with a 3.5 inch high definition screen and high quality speakers. There are also a mini USB port, an SD card slot and a 3.2 megapixel camera. There are plenty of other rumors about what specifications it could have, but nothing is certain yet.

No specifications have been released about its pricing and whether it will even be sold in the U.S. The first systems will be launched later this month in China through China Mobile and then follow through in Brazil. However, regardless of whether it does come to the U.S., the mobile industry now has something new to offer.

Forget your PC: Skype on the go

cmatic247 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:37:58 +0000

A new gadget is on the way. The Asus Videophone Touch AiGuru SV1T’s 7-inch touch screen can make free audio and video calls with Skype, so there is no longer a need to sit on a PC at home. Skype-on-the-go? Not bad. Portability and convenience are the “in” factors of gadgets these days and this gadget definitely offers both. The downside? It costs $255.

For me, video calls through a laptop are good enough. I wouldn’t need to bother placing a video call when I’m out in public. If I’m already out of the house, I might as well go see my friend in person. Also, if I REALLY wanted to video chat with someone, I could easily purchase a phone with that capability. At least the phone can call, text message, send pictures, go on the internet, amongst other features, AND video call. But that’s just me.

Conde Nast Ad Numbers Drop

cmatic247 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:52:24 +0000

Magazines of Conde Nast have been going bankrupt. Now, company’s ad page numbers are finally in for 2009 and from the looks of it, it hasn’t been too good. According to The New York Times, Conde Nast magazines have lost about 8,359 ad pages this year, which is a decline by about a third since 2008. Some numbers include: “Architectural Digest, where ad pages fell 49.9 percent; W, where ad pages fell 46 percent; and Condé Nast Traveler, where pages fell 41.1 percent. Details and Wired both fell about 39 percent.”

Although there were declines, some magazines also increased in ad numbers, but not by much. The amount of magazines that Conde Nast had to shut down drastically affected the overall number of ads. Also, one problem that the company had was their choice on their company’s advertisers. They relied too heavily on luxury advertisers, instead of mass-marketing advertisers, which could have helped them a lot through this economic downfall.

With the amount of magazines that already shut down, I wonder how many more will survive the upcoming year.

Viacom’s Profit Rises

cmatic247 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:10:24 +0000

Typically, when profit rises, one wouldn’t believe it to be primarily due to cost cuts. According to a New York Times article, Viacom’s profit rose in the third quarter. The company controls Paramount Pictures and MTV.

The odd part of this is, Viacom’s two major sources of revenue, which are advertising and feature films, actually dropped. Feature films such as “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “G.I. Joe: the Rise of the Cobra” had revenue dropped by 6 percent. However, the profit was made through releasing fewer movies and cutting jobs and costs. Paranormal Activity” helped boost Paramount’s profit. It was a low-budget film made for about $15,000 and was able to get about $85 million in ticket sales.
Yes, it’s bad for those 850 who lost their jobs at Viacom. However, I guess overall, sometimes cutbacks in companies are actually very beneficial in saving the industry.

My Future in Journalism

cmatic247 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:34:03 +0000

The news industry seems to be teetering back and forth, especially with the economy. The industry is declining in the print field, in both magazines and newspapers. I would definitely look for a job in the broadcast media field if were planning to be a journalist by next year. Ideally, I would love a job in magazine writing and public relations. However, the fact that numerous magazines are closing down consistently is somewhat pushing me towards a new direction. Broadcast media would be an ideal platform, regardless if it is on television or for news internet blogging. People are more interested with technological gadgets. Thus, watching television would be more appropriate for news gatherers, especially at a younger age. For those who are more technologically inclined, they could find their stories on the internet. With broadcasting, it is more visually appetizing and pleasing to the eye and grasps the viewer more than just simply reading words. If i could, I would also find a way to write articles for online news websites. It would be nice to maybe write articles parallel to video blogss, to further inform the audience of the topic. Overall, I believe that students who are searching for a job sometime in the near future, should try to find one in broadcast or the more interactive medium, the internet.

New York Post Circulation Declines

cmatic247 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:47:26 +0000

Newspapers have declined drastically in circulation. However, recently, the longest running American daily, The New York Post, has declined the most. According to a New York Times article, The Post went down about 30 percent in 2.5 years to 508,000, compared to the Daily News at about 544,000. The Post believed that a bigger circulation would help increase the exposure for advertisers and increase in sales.

Originally, they cut prices from 50 cents to only 25 to raise circulation profit. It worked for a while. However, since the economy’s downfall, circulation is continuously declining since it is only a “second-read” for people. Therefore the New York Post raised the prices back up to 50 cents.
How would this really help? If people already stopped purchasing the paper on their way to work or during weekends for only 25 cents, how will raising the price help the company? Technically, wouldn’t that deter more people from buying the paper? Sometimes I wonder how businesses make decisions like these.

A Contradictory Reflection after Rosenblum & Farnham’s Discussions

cmatic247 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:23:33 +0000

After both speakers came to our class, I had a few things that I am questioning in my head and it doesn’t help that they are contradictory to each other.

This is not to offend any of the professors out there, but Michael Rosenblum’s visit to our class last week definitely grabbed my attention more than other classes I have or am taking. Rosenblum is a passionate and very opinionated journalist, and he let us hear it loud and clear, literally. His voice resonated throughout the entire room and definitely proved that he wanted to tell us what was on HIS MIND. I’m sure gave others an eye opening and interesting perspective on the journalism industry today.

He is experienced, yes. On his website you would find articles on “How to make millions”, why journalism is over, and how to “follow the money”. But is Journalism ALL ABOUT MONEY?

Sure, there are numerous amounts of business models that are taking over the journalism industry and according to Rosenblum, journalism is apparently about to follow in the path of the dinosaurs and that “the future of journalism is about begging.” I guess, with the economy today, it’s true that companies are fighting to keep from going bankrupt. But he asserted further that companies are just trying to find a ways to make more money, and almost forgetting that their number one job is to provide us with information.

However, after Brian Farnham’s visit, I realized, how would the journalism industry go “extinct” with all the opportunities for new and faster distribution and more methods to obtain the news? For example, opportunities such as hyper local reporting on websites such as Patch.com, could save journalism in a way. Brian Farnham is the editor in chief of Patch.com and he showed us how it can help provide the boost that the journalism industry needs. With connections to states and cities and all the businesses within each, Patch.com is like their own Yellow Pages, while providing news that people need to know. It’s more interactive and allows for people to further understand what is around them. It’s more than just another website that just “collects” stories from reporters and posts it on the website. Patch.com actually hires specific freelancers to do research. It may not be the traditional printed paper that is distributed around every week. Although, I could see these websites possibly creating their own paper form of the stories they run online (maybe if the industry worked harder on what is more important, which is providing news, they will find a way.)

After both speakers, I just had more questions in my head. Companies focusing on the money seems selfish on their part. I. So, if money is the future, why are students continuing to pay for classes that teach them the ethics and foundations of journalism when it might just be secondary to the profession later on? Also, why would students even have to learn these techniques if hyperlocal websites, crowdsourcing or anything of the sort will just allow for anyone to find a story and report on it? (I’m not saying that Patch.com throws random stories on the website, but some other sites might).

We really could change the way the industry is going if we get our priorities straight.

Questions for Brian Farnham

cmatic247 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:37:13 +0000

-You were a part of various publications before you came to Patch. What would you say was your best publication experience and why? What were the advantages and disadvantages of each of them?

-Patch has sites in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, how long do you think it would be before it could have sites throughout the entire nation? Do you think Patch will spread internationally (and even possibly open in each country)?

-On your Twitter page, you mentioned that that Patch just launched Springfield, NJ and Westport, CT and that Patch is now hiring. Do you think that Twitter has been beneficial to promoting and advertising Patch.com?

-What would be your favorite piece that you’ve written both in print and online?

Questions for Michael Rosenblum

cmatic247 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:13:17 +0000

1. Blogging has been more and more popular these days. Some people blog on topics that they claim are true, since it is THEIR opinion, when in fact, they are either lacking completely, or even a little, credible information. What do you think internet blogging can really lead to? Is it possible to create a system to ensure a more positive and long-term outcome?

2. In your article How To Make Millions in Journalism, you mentioned that you proposed a new course for students at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. What business models do you believe, yourself, are the best ones during the economy right now? After this specific course, what do you think is the next step that students should take in pursuing their career in journalism?

3. There probably weren’t as much of an extensive selection of Journalism programs or courses to choose from when you were a student (or I could be wrong). So, what were the steps that YOU took as a student, to pursue your journalistic career. What was your first step and your latest? Do you have any regrets on any decisions you made about your career?

DVR helps Television Ratings

cmatic247 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:27:13 +0000

According to the New York Times, the digital video recorder (DVR) has been helping boost television ratings. This isn’t surprising. I actually own a DVR myself, and I definitely make the most out of it. It is easier to get things done around the house and run errands while simply recording a television show or movie with a DVR. I love being able to fast forward through commercials or rewinding the episode if I missed a particular scene. The article states that about 33 percent of households own a DVR now, compared with about 28 percent of households in 2008. Primarily, the DVR was seen as the enemy of television, but with an increase in viewers, television executives are probably thanking the DVR for keeping their viewers interested.

According to the article, Fox has the biggest percentage increase, from an average rating from 2.5 million viewers for its live programs, to a 3.1 million viewers when the three-day DVR playback results are added in. It also stated that ABC had 2.87 million viewers, which went up to 3.27 million after three days. CBS had over three million and that also raised to 3.2 million.

I definitely see the DVR as a beneficial factor in television ratings.