Broadcasting in the Future

by Keith Hopper

Today's media is becoming more complex right before our eyes. The ideas of having the radio on the Internet and digitalized television is the new wave of technology that is becoming the way of everyday lives. However, the transition period that we are experiencing now will go on long into the twenty-first century.

If we look into the future of the broadcasting world, we see the possible combination of two or more media. Radio and other analogue apparatuses may become obsolete.

Radio is starting to go on-line. In ten or twenty years, I believe that the entire spectrum of live radio will be on-line and the transistor radio will become extinct.

Radio

Radio is used for news, weather, sports and music. The radio is also a tool in the advertising world as an audio link between the intended consumers and products. Television is a visual replica of radio. Advertising, news, entertainment, etc. reflect the consumer's interest in the world today.

People have favorite radio stations but they are often out of range because of their location. Access to a computer may soon be as easy as dialing a telephone. Radio is a changing industry. Only time will tell whether it is changing for the better.

Advertising on the radio and television has always been linked to a specific product or service. Now, radio and television ads often refer to internet sites.

Television

Currently, having the TV and the computer in the same room is starting to become quite common. But what about having the TV and the computer on the same system? I know that the Internet can be quite addictive and with the television all ready in place, diehard users of both technologies may never be able to escape its powers.

The web-sites of the major corporations such as CNN, CBC, BCTV, and TSN are all offering on-line information and services. Even the small market franchises such as SHAW and Rogers are competing with the bigger markets. In the future, the television industry will be facing the same turmoil as radio. The bulk of the live information sessions will be on-line and the existence of television will be put in jeopardy. The addition of video conferencing and other on-line features have impacted the consumer. Predicting the future of the broadcasting industry is very difficult, if not impossible.

Advertising

The advertising of such media products as digital cameras, scanners and other products as part of the communication wave is starting to become common. Whether or not the consumer wants to use these products for business or pleasure is irrelevant.

The sports world has become instrumental in the selling of merchandise over the net on the professional sports league's websites. The same thing is happening in the music industry. The merchandise may be simple such as CD's, T-shirts, cassettes, ball caps, etc. and they will advertise by attending autograph sessions and other music related functions. However, sitcoms and sci-fi thrillers don't get any exposure when it comes to advertising.

More and more series on television are going on-line and creating their own websites for the die hard fans to hook up to and admire. These websites also contain a chat page where fans of the series or a specific actor can go on-line and have conversations with them. The hits on a featured website can be in the millions which means that the series is definitely going in the right direction. A TV series thrives on the ratings from its viewers and all the hits on a given website keep the fans and backers of the show optimistic about whether or not the show will succeed or not.

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Digital Cameras

Changing technologies have impacted the world with great force. Has the world accepted this impact? That depends on the individual society members. Some people have prepared for this change by investing their time, energy and their income into the future. Most people, however, have not. They have tried to survive with the technologies of the past and now with so many changes, those people have found themselves desperately trying to catch up with the changing signs of the time.

The technology of the future is, in my estimation, going by the motto: Less person power and more electronic power. Every company is looking for ways to save money and cut costs. The more technology that the company has, the less person power it will need, leaving people scraping along because of the horrid economy that has yet to revive itself. All we, as a society, can do is get the necessary skills, get all the experience that we can and hope for the best living conditions possible. Are we ready for the future?