Blogger Notes

I. Team Members

Anthony Bowe, Kyle Haas, Sally Ho, Kathy Noonan, Jordan Wirfs-Brock

II. Purpose Statement

Our mission is to explore the business, political, environmental, historical, and civic aspects of the government mandated digital television transition in the U.S. This project will inform and educate the estimated 19.6 million households who will be affected by the switch from analog to digital signals on June 12, 2009.

III. Scope and scale

Although some stations have already made the transition to DTV, the majority of stations will make the transition after we have completed this project. Therefore, our focus is on the context and implications – rather than breaking news coverage – of this event. We will achieve this by focusing on five broad sub-topics: business, politics, environmental effects, historical context and civic impact.

IV. Division of labor

Each group member is the editor of a subtopic. Editors are responsible for the content in their sections, although other group members are encouraged to assist in reporting. The group will work collaboratively on the design and creation of our final website.

V. Preliminary story topics and media needs

1. Switching and ditching (Kathy)
   
   • Description: This piece will be on the environmental impact of the digital switch. The digital television transfer has already had a significant impact on landfills -- the Larimer County Solid Waste Department has seen about a dozen more televisions per day since the digital conversion push these last few months. Ultimately I’ll look at the chemicals from these TVs that can leach into groundwater and impact aquatic life. I might look at how that ultimately moves up the food chain impacting human health (irreversible neurological damage, reproductive and cardiovascular ailments and birth defects). I’ll also look at recycling and other options for those wanting to upgrade their televisions. Interviews could be with EcoCycle, environmental groups working on this issue, health officials, and Sony/Best Buy/etc. with regards to their recycling programs.
     
   • Media: print, with possible video and photos
   
   
2. TV technology: past and future (Jordan)
   
   • Description: This segment will situate the DTV switch in the U.S. in a historical context. What past events and trends (technological, social, financial, political) brought us to the digital TV switch? Where might the digital TV switch take us? This section will have three-part structure: big picture, past, future.
     
     • Television timeline - A visual timeline that combines text, statistics, and images. It could be a compilation of multiple themes or categories (international digital switch progress, technological milestones, etc.).
     • Futurists on TV - A collection of voices describing predictions about the future of TV (and possibly related technology). Where do different types of people involved in TV (engineers, broadcasters, viewers, maybe even some self-labeled futurists from The DaVinci Institute) see things heading? This could be a podcast.
       
     • Antique TVs - An homage to televisions of the past. It would be best presented with a visual element – possibly a slide show – but could also include a print piece.
     
     
   • Media: print, audio, photos, interactive timeline (flash?)
   
   
3. Profiles (Anthony)
   
   • Description: This piece will identify how Americans from all socioeconomic backgrounds will cope with the switch. The section will focus mainly on preparation for the switch. It will include profiles of individuals, and possibly a Radio Shack store in the midst of the change.
   • Media: print, video, photos
   
   
4. Business of TV (Sally)
   
   • Description: This section will look at the money matters, focusing on the local TV stations. The main question is going to be: how much has this cost the station, in terms of equipment and operational expenses and also advertising? According to the FCC, no Colorado station has terminated analog broadcasting yet. I am meeting with Patti Dennis at KUSA (who had not decided when to make the switch) and Byron Grandy at KMGH (who will switch on June 12, following the congress mandate). I will also do a phone interview with spokespeople with the FCC.
   
   
   • Media: print, video, a list, as determined by the FCC, of the news stations who have made the switch to digital
   
   
5. Politics and technology [Kyle]
   
   • Description: I’ll be looking into the politics of the digital TV transition from local to national. As issues with the switch develop I’ll be looking into what the government’s response is. I’ll also be taking a look at the technology beyond the switch and the technical reasons for doing so. Of course the actual technology will be explored as well.
     
   • Media: web, print, photos, and hopefully some flash

VI. Anticipated barriers or obstacles

It has been difficult for us to find time to meet as a group. This has not been a problem so far, but could potentially become an obstacle as our project progresses. We hope to mitigate this by communicating frequently through our blog and through e-mail.

VII. Design

We are considering designing our web site so that it looks like a TV. Navigating through the site will be like navigating through digital cable.