The Business of "New Media" Isn't New
By Michael J. Kellat
A Commentary
As Prepared For Delivery
Warning. This commentary in fact represents the
official views, policies, and procedures of Erie Looking
Productions. The same cannot be said of LISHost. Listener
discretion is encouraged.
What does it take to put together a media production? Recently
Identica creator Evan Prodromou wrote on
his blog complaining about the NPR podcast of This American
Life. Specifically Prodromou was uncomfortable with how they asked
for money. In his post Prodromou noted multiple ways technology
could be used to reduce costs.
While focusing on technology is something that even librarians do
when it comes to new media, there is a problem. Without experience
in the production of media, one might think that that is the
biggest cost. In reality, it isn't. The biggest costs are human
capital and fixed overhead. Oddly enough, media outlets do share
that in common with most libraries out there.
Lining up stories is not as easy as it seems. Listeners only ever
get to hear the end product. Blake Carver gets to share with my
crew here in Las Vegas in the many defeats that happen every week
when we cannot get interviews. Our biggest problem is that we make
it look too easy. Interviews can sometimes take a month to arrange
such as the recent one with Felicia Day. Some interviews never
happen as it comes down to a couple tech people we couldn't find
common ground with to talk after a week's back and forth.
Production takes time and coming up with pieces takes time. If you
like high quality content, rarely is it thrown together at the last
minute. It takes time to develop stories and get them together.
This can run 8-10 hours per day at a minimum every day of the week
for Stephen and to a lesser degree for myself. While most
librarians really don't like to hear about the stories we're
working, Stephen has to keep Blake in the loop with a somewhat
complete picture of what I am producing. Occasionally we can sneak
in a surprise but that is pretty rare these days.
In the published annual budget proposal for LISTen it runs $78,000.
About $41,000 is set aside for labor costs. Split between two
people, that's kinda barely above the poverty line. There are no
benefits like health care or retirement figured in. All that does
is keep a roof overhead and keep crew somewhat fed. A small
dedicated facility would not even be covered by the remainder of
that budget cost but we have a moving cost built-in in the event we
have to go for such. An adequate sized facility would run about two
thousand square feet and would cost at the least $1.25 per square
foot per month not including utilities and other sundries. One must
not forget the taxes owed to Caesar...regardless of which Caesar it
is. Between the City of Henderson, Clark County, the State of
Nevada, and the US Government there is quite a cost burden
there.
Regardless of whether stories appear in print, on the radio, on
television, or on an iPod you have to face the tremendous cost of
human capital and overhead costs. These things do not come together
by themselves. One of the greatest fallacies of the Amazoogle world
is thinking that they do and that technical training as well as
journalism school let alone experience is irrelevant.
Without the traditional means of funding such as classified ads
and other advertisements, the only way to fund things short of
going to a paid access model is to ask for support. It is very hard
to advertise to a planetary audience when your potential
advertisers are mainly local and the national advertisers won't
talk to you as you're not big enough. The only business model that
is viable right now is the PBS/NPR model of asking for money or
finding someone to underwrite the operation.
Will you go forth in ignorance or instead be enlightened?