The changing world of Television

Today I got to go see Patti Smith, speak at Mass Comm Week. She is the President and General Manager of KVUE in Austin. I was delighted to found that this workshop was completely relevant not only to my career goals but also to my moral concerns about how television and film will fit into the way standards I want to live my life by. It was great to hear from this woman, who has not only fought for her success in the broadcast world, but also clearly held high standards and a work ethic based on truth and honesty the entire time.

Smith summarized the Television industry by saying that if you were passionate about what you were doing, and about giving people unbiased news and not worried only about making the most money, then you would find a job and enjoy it.

"Passion makes up for a great deal of indecision and lack of knowledge" said Smith encouraging students.

She said that one of the main things that has shook up the industry is the death of "exclusivity". Television is no longer the only place you can get a specific program or information. In spite of this Smith said that the old phrase "content is king" is still true, and even if audiences can get what they want from several different venues, what's important is the quality of what your network is producing.

This line of work, she said, "is all about change". People are hired for their abilities to adapt and their understanding that TV is no longer just TV.

Untimately Smith raised the question of where the industry will go next, and whether or not this business model (running Television news likea business) will be able to continue,especially local news. If the business model fails, Smith said we will lose a lot of invaluable information because the FCC will no longer be able to control the quality of the news. You will have to pay for nws, and there will be no guarantee of what you're going to get.

I was encouraged by what Smith had to say about television and media being right for you if you want to make a difference and like adapting and changing jobs. Looks like I picked the right line of work, thanks Patti Smith!