From: Jake Shapiro
Subject: Re: DDC
Date: July 14, 2006 10:36:28 AM EDT
To: Mike Janssen
Mike, here are some responses. I’m going to forward this to the rest of the DDC group as well, some of whom might want to offer additional thoughts on this round:
On Jul 13, 2006, at 1:09 PM, Janssen, Mike wrote:
What has the DDC worked out in its meetings so far?
We’ve spent time sorting out the scope of the project, agreeing to the framework of a business plan to help us organize our thinking and research. We’ve focused on defining what “it” is - what are the services that solve problems and take advantage of opportunities in the digital environment for public media. We’ve also worked out that the basic character of a Consortium should be ‘enabling’ - it should support a variety of applications and projects that stations and other partners can plug into and build upon, in a kind of “innovation at the edges” approach.
For example, a group of stations could partner with local theaters to create a regional arts destination site, using syndicated content and data from the DDC.
We’ve also talked about a simple matrix of content and audience:
1) current content for current audiences (meet expectations of broadcast audiences for ‘my time’ access to existing programs);
2) current content for new audiences (e.g., iTunes users who aren’t part of our broadcast audience now encountering public radio content for the first time);
3) new content for current audiences (e.g., offering and promoting online-only lectures on a station site);
4) new content for new audiences (e.g., alt.npr, WNYC’s “TEDTalks”, Youthcast from PRX).
Each area has potential for growth, and personally I’m most excited about the last one as a chance for a new sound and service.
What are proving to be the most challenging issues to resolve?
We’re trying to do a lot at once: check our institutional hats at the door, think ambitiously about a public media digital future, create a business plan that supports a compelling vision, and help build momentum across and beyond the public radio system for action on several fronts.
I’ve seen the discussions described in part as “information gathering.”
What information are you gathering in particular?
We’re gathering everything from market data about online advertising to bandwidth and hosting costs for large scale distribution to the latest thinking on open standards and interoperability. We need to be able to back up the model with real numbers about the potential revenues and costs for operating these services. We’re also gathering insights about digital media trends, evolving user behaviors and expectations, the increasing significance of the social web, ‘user-generated content’, and the dynamics of ‘web 2.0′ architecture.
How far along are you in developing a business plan?
We’ve divvied up parts of the plan and have already started drafting it, with lots of gaps to fill in.
Can you share any details of the business plan?
There’s nothing ready to share just yet.
How might the digital distribution system work with the ContentDepot and
the Next Generation Interconnection System?
We’ve been talking to both ContentDepot and NGIS to understand how these new systems could integrate with the digital distribution services we’re envisioning. It’s really important to find ways to connect with these new major broadcast distribution machines, both of which are going to deliver digital files and metadata and huge amounts of current programming. It’s also clear, however, that neither system is designed to directly offer the aggregation, syndication, content management, licensing, and other services that this Consortium approach would require.
Do you envision a new entity of some sort being created to administer
the system?
At this point we’re using the notion of an ‘entity’ as a convenient way to envision a complete set of needs and solutions. We’re very aware that a number of relevant entities already exist or are emerging, including PRX, Public Interactive, Content Depot, NPR’s podcasting system, OMN, several stations with large-scale digital asset management systems, and numerous alternatives outside of public broadcasting. There are a variety of options for how to get from here to there and we want to get a complete picture before making any recommendations.
Who else is the DDC talking to about this? Why?
The DDC working group is also checking in with the Digital Distribution Task Force, a broader group of people from around the system with interest in these issues. We’re each talking to colleagues at our own respective organizations and also reaching out to people with particular expertise or opinions on both the process and substance of the project.
We all put a high value on communicating openly about the project, which is the only way it will succeed as a collaborative effort. It helps solicit input, maintain awareness and interest in the ideas, allay suspicions about ’secret plans’, and generally stay consistent with the collaborative spirit of the entire endeavor. We’ve started a public wiki (http://digitaldistribution.wikispaces.com), several of us are blogging about the project, and there are more memos and updates coming. We’ll also have a chance to give an update at the upcoming PRDMC, we’ve briefed the NPR board, and I’ll report on the project at the SRG retreat in August. I also encourage anyone to drop us a line or join the wiki if you have questions or thoughts to add.
How are people in public radio reacting to what you’re doing?
So far quite positively, especially when we get a chance to delve into what we’re learning and thinking.
How well do you think people in public radio understand what you’re
doing?
Probably not so well yet, apart from a relatively small set of folks who have been focused on these things for quite a while. It’s early yet, but we also need to do a better job of making the case for what problems and opportunities the DDC project addresses for different constituencies.
How much revenue has the podcast project generated?
I’ll check on that (don’t have it handy) and see if it’s a number the podcasting partnership can share.
What is CPB’s view of your activities?
Best to ask someone from CPB. We’ve had numerous CPB staff on conference calls and meetings with both the Task Force and the Working Group, so there’s definitely a level of interest and support for the process.
Todd said that CPB staffers who met with you said a one-time
appropriation for this would be “problematic.” Why?
I believe that was in reference to the once-a-decade or so major interconnection appropriations in tens and tens of millions of dollars, especially on the heels of ContentDepot and NGIS, which is still awaiting some more funding.
How much time and energy are the DDC members giving to this?
Lots. We’ve basically signed on for a six-week intensive stint and our organizations are volunteering our time to participate. We’ve spent time together in DC and Boston and will be heading to San Francisco and LA and perhaps a few other locations, in addition to conference calls throughout.
