I love me some NPR. But like all media, every once in a while, they get something 1000% wrong. This morning I was reading an article about pitching in the world of the 24/7 web news cycle, when I came across the following quote from senior editor Susan Feeney:
At NPR, for example, we’re very much planning for the day when you won’t have a radio box in your car or on your counter.
Um, I don’t think so, Susan. The days of the radio box on my counter may have come and gone, but the “box” in my car is sacrosanct. My car is the one place I can’t surf the web, or tweet, or read magazine. Sure, I can send out a quick text at a red light, just like I can sneak a little sweep of mascara. But it’s a fleeting moment. Most of us have been known to do a little too much multitasking behind the wheel, but most sane people would probably draw the line at downloading a YouTube video or sending Facebook gifts. I’m not some Luddite scared of web 2.0: I’m on Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn and MySpace and Flickr; I’ve played around on Ning and participated on a podcast; I blog (duh). And yet, when I’m in the car, nothing can beat the simplicity of turning the radio on and pressing a little button that automatically takes me to the station I want. Because when you’re driving, the humble car radio really is the killer app.
Likewise, rumors of the impending death of print have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, layoffs are rampant in the newspaper industry. But as long as people need to go #2, there will always be room for newspapers and magazines in our culture. Just like with audio, sometimes old-school is still the best way to kick it with the written word, word! After all, no one takes a laptop into the bathroom. Or is there something you want to tell us in the comments?
Tags: bathroom, killer app, laptop, new media, newspaper, NPR, old media, podcast, radio, Technology
July 27, 2008 at 12:45 pm |
Well said