Does Houston have the goods to form a major media network?

[totheskies]

Just curious about this. We all know the major media outlets in the US..

NYC--- most stations

LA-- film and most stations

SF-- fair amount

Atlanta-- CNN, Tyler Perry

Chicago-- main hub, Harpo studios, WGN

I think the media market is ripe for "Houston's voice" as well. What type of major network could be formed in Houston that would gain some national appeal.

For the love of GOD.... please don't say "Oil TV"

[TheNiche]

I think the media market is ripe for "Houston's voice" as well. What type of major network could be formed in Houston that would gain some national appeal.

Consider all the different kinds of media there are. Published media would include newspapers, books and textbooks, magazines, scientific and academic journals, newsletters, music, software, video games, and websites. Broadcast media would include radio, television, and certain forms of web-based media. And then you have the film industry.

Consider that newspapers and periodicals are undergoing a lengthy process of obsolescence and that what's left of them will be mostly web-based affiliations of bloggers, stacked upon a foundation of institutional AP/Reuters stories. Consider that music, television, radio, and film are undergoing simultaneous demassification in a way that is currently disruptive to their traditional business model. Mass media are an endangered species.

If there's an opportunity to be sought after by a city or its leadership, it isn't likely to be big or sexy. It probably won't make our skyline or our city globally recognized as a media mecca. It'll be the sort of project that pulls together numerous niche media (mostly web-based) so that there is a successful geographically-specific collaborative community that exists virtually and physically. That's what success looks like to me in the 21st century: a resurgence of localism/regionalism.

As for what's left of the mass media, there will probably always be a need for large news agencies that cover global and national politics, but they'll be fewer in number and concentrated in very large and wealthy urban areas, and in cities the are political capitals. These areas (particularly the northeast corridor) also happen to have multiple airline hubs in close proximity (although Atlanta and LA are also in decent shape by that metric). If there is any untapped mass media niche for Houston, it's probably going to be Latin America. We have geographic proximity, a large Hispanic population, probably the best air service to Latin America out of any US city, and yet we still retain the relatively stable and relatively less corrupted American legal system under which businesses based on intellectual property tend to thrive. Even still, Houston isn't the place where news or cultural happenings relevant to Latin America are originating; so there may be an opportunity, but it isn't one that I'd bet on.

Your best bet is to ride the digitally demassified wave of unsexy localism.

[citykid09]

Just curious about this. We all know the major media outlets in the US..

NYC--- most stations

LA-- film and most stations

SF-- fair amount

Atlanta-- CNN, Tyler Perry

Chicago-- main hub, Harpo studios, WGN

I think the media market is ripe for "Houston's voice" as well. What type of major network could be formed in Houston that would gain some national appeal.

For the love of GOD.... please don't say "Oil TV"

This sounds like questions I have asked in the past and questions I would ask. It would be cool if the city had TV shows where you could go sit in the audience and be a part of the show and where the stars of the show lived in the city and became a part of the community bringing in celebrities etc, for parties, promotional events etc. It could defiantly be an attraction! I have noticed that on the Texas film commission website that they are offering incentives to talk shows and similar media to relocate to the state. Dallas and Austin taken in most of the Movies and television shows that get taped in the state. It would have been great if the Debra Duncan Show could have made it. There are a few cable networks that I know that are based in the state. HDNet is based in Dallas, but I think any of the shows that they produce themselves are produced in Denver. And then there is the BBN (Black Broadcasting Network)which recently launched and is headquartered in Houston. http://www.thebbnonline.tv/ But I don't think any of the shows are taped in Houston. Houstonians have tried though and still are trying! There is the Astrodome studios plan http://astrodomestudios.net/; Je'Caryous Johnson and his companyI'm Ready Productions http://www.imreadyproductions.com/imready4/ plan to tape movies and TV shows in Houston; another Houstonian tried to start a sitcom in the city called "As For Me and My House." So there is hope, but I believe the whole city needs to support it. Hopefully Je'Caryous Johnson can be Houston's Tyler Perry as many are already saying he is. Tyler Perry has built a huge studio in Atlanta and if you have ever seen it, you would think that it was a city itself! Many movies are taped their and he currently tapes two sitcoms there: House of Payne and Meet the Browns.

[AtticaFlinch]

This sounds like questions I have asked in the past and questions I would ask.

Indeed it does.

[Spades]

Citykid, Je'Caryous Johnson is slowly but surely building a base and gaining momentum. He has a buzz here in DC they even mentioned it in this weeks Jet Magazine.

[citykid09]

Citykid, Je'Caryous Johnson is slowly but surely building a base and gaining momentum. He has a buzz here in DC they even mentioned it in this weeks Jet Magazine.

Hopefully he can put Houston on the map! Movies, TV shows, etc.

[TheNiche]

Hopefully he can put Houston on the map!

Psst...it's to the left of Pasadena and Galena Park.

[totheskies]

Consider all the different kinds of media there are. Published media would include newspapers, books and textbooks, magazines, scientific and academic journals, newsletters, music, software, video games, and websites. Broadcast media would include radio, television, and certain forms of web-based media. And then you have the film industry.

Consider that newspapers and periodicals are undergoing a lengthy process of obsolescence and that what's left of them will be mostly web-based affiliations of bloggers, stacked upon a foundation of institutional AP/Reuters stories. Consider that music, television, radio, and film are undergoing simultaneous demassification in a way that is currently disruptive to their traditional business model. Mass media are an endangered species.

If there's an opportunity to be sought after by a city or its leadership, it isn't likely to be big or sexy. It probably won't make our skyline or our city globally recognized as a media mecca. It'll be the sort of project that pulls together numerous niche media (mostly web-based) so that there is a successful geographically-specific collaborative community that exists virtually and physically. That's what success looks like to me in the 21st century: a resurgence of localism/regionalism.

As for what's left of the mass media, there will probably always be a need for large news agencies that cover global and national politics, but they'll be fewer in number and concentrated in very large and wealthy urban areas, and in cities the are political capitals. These areas (particularly the northeast corridor) also happen to have multiple airline hubs in close proximity (although Atlanta and LA are also in decent shape by that metric). If there is any untapped mass media niche for Houston, it's probably going to be Latin America. We have geographic proximity, a large Hispanic population, probably the best air service to Latin America out of any US city, and yet we still retain the relatively stable and relatively less corrupted American legal system under which businesses based on intellectual property tend to thrive. Even still, Houston isn't the place where news or cultural happenings relevant to Latin America are originating; so there may be an opportunity, but it isn't one that I'd bet on.

Your best bet is to ride the digitally demassified wave of unsexy localism.

This sounds like a fair assessment. Media markets are changing much much faster than television groups would like us to believe... it's definitely a waning market. Any major media outlets that develop in current times will have to have a strong foundation in the internet blogosphere. The Huffington Post is a perfect example... she has become a media mogul without any help from a TV audience.

Houston has great favorability among the Latin American communities (there's a reason why we're able to do things like host the Latin Grammys), so that could be a powerful outlet that comes into play.

The BBN is a growing entity... and definitely one to watch. Though I'm 28, I'm a bit more of the "TVOne" generation, but I learned about BBN through Black Planet and I check the site from time to time. We'll wait and see. I hope that their planned partnerships with HBCU tv networks are able to take root, b/c that would be a goldmine for the young network.

[AtticaFlinch]

If you're into religious propaganda, we've got the biggest media player in the business (and right down the street from my old condo - it was hell to get to the grocery store on a Sunday):

He's the Howard Stern of the Christian set. He's the king of all Christian media.

[citykid09]

I almost for got to add Tracey Ferguson. She is relaunching Houston based Jones Magazine on a national level and in addition has a new reality show based in Houston that started April 8, 2010 on Centric. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/KEEPING-UP-WITH-THE-JONESES-prnews-3145050786.html?x=0&.v=1

http://www.centrictv.com/shows/keeping-up-with-the-joneses/ Her show is called Keeping Up With The Joneses.

[citykid09]

This sounds like a fair assessment. Media markets are changing much much faster than television groups would like us to believe... it's definitely a waning market. Any major media outlets that develop in current times will have to have a strong foundation in the internet blogosphere. The Huffington Post is a perfect example... she has become a media mogul without any help from a TV audience.

Houston has great favorability among the Latin American communities (there's a reason why we're able to do things like host the Latin Grammys), so that could be a powerful outlet that comes into play.

The BBN is a growing entity... and definitely one to watch. Though I'm 28, I'm a bit more of the "TVOne" generation, but I learned about BBN through Black Planet and I check the site from time to time. We'll wait and see. I hope that their planned partnerships with HBCU tv networks are able to take root, b/c that would be a goldmine for the young network.

I agree about the internet blogoshphere. I have noticed that CNN is adapting to this with all of the changes they have been making in the past few months.

Do you know if Houston based BBN is available on Cable yet?