Have I mentioned that the TV station I work for as a news anchorman has been sold? Little wonder. We were a one-station group. Now we’re part of a media holding company that owns 110 TV stations. Listening to the founder and CEO in a staff meeting Tuesday clued me in to the revenue streams that are keeping TV stations afloat…and it’s not all Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. It’s digital content.
That’s the new reality…and unless you keep up with these trends, you may miss some opportunities. After all, how much work in voice-over land come from TV and radio. Even video games, movies, audiobooks, and other genres are affected by machinations of the broadcast world.
So what is that new reality? Convergence. Digital streams. New platforms and devices. Innovation. Consolidation of services and traditional outlets. New technologies creating ever-transforming classifications of content and distribution channels…globally AND locally.
The flow of content is not so much “us-to-them” as it is now: “everyone-to-everyone”. And it’s all responsive, social…a conversation.
Actually it means more work. But in a different way that will only confound efforts to assign appropriate rate structures for voice actors.
So read trade journals. Watch newsletters. Keep up with industry trade associations (ahem…like WoVO).
Here’s a couple of great articles I ran across just yesterday that might clue you in to the groundswell of change that’s taking place right before our eyes:
DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE RIGHT PLATFORM: BROADCAST MEDIA VS. DIGITAL UPSTARTS ON YOUTUBE
LEAPS AND SOUNDS; 6 PRODUCT CATEGORIES CREATING THE FUTURE OF WEB AUDIO
CourVO
