Suddenly.... Newspapers Are Going Into Video In A Big Way

 
In 1994, Punch Sulzberger, the owner and publisher of The New York Times bought my company, Video News International.

It became New York Times TV, and for two years I served as President of NY Times TV.

The idea I had sold Punch on was that you could take the the journalistic power of the newspaper and turn it into video at very little cost.

Now, nearly 20 years later, it seems to be coming to fruition.

The web has taken down the barriers to entry for video and teleivision. Now, anyone can get their 'TV' signal into, quite literally, a billion homes, and without a broadcast center, a frequency clearance from The FCC or cable, for that matter.  

It comes over the web.

And why shouldn't newspapers make video?

Clearly, they should.

All that has held them back is psychological anxiety (we are print!)

But the real revenue is in video and TV, which is now open to anyone who wants to try. And with the digital video revolution, the cost of admission is low. The winners will clearly be the ones who move first.

Today, two major papers announced they were moving first.

The New York Times, 



Brian Stelter reports that major papers are all going to video and their own online tv production.

Then, just a few hours ago, The LA Times reported that they also are launching their own online live video streaming programming



If ever there was a time to become video literate, it is clearly now.