MSM still more trusted than social/digital media

Notwithstanding certain elements of public opinion that views “lame” mainstream media as overwhelmingly dead, defunct, decease and demised, a recent UBC poll shows that in fact newspaper, television, online news and radio news are all more trusted than any other news source. That’s probably why these “old” technologies continue to exist, if not thrive, despite the digital revolution. Young people continue to have higher levels of trust in social media, but even they still put the dinosaurs of technology at the top of the trusted list. I suspect a simple reason is that professional reporters have higher standards of what and how to report than does bloggerworld, where all opinion is unfiltered, unchallenged and so forth.

Survey shows mobile users’ preferences in Canada

So, the number of Canadians who connect to the web via handheld has gone up from 20 per cent last December to 26 per cent now. A new survey tries to break down the users by demographics/psychographics/use of handheld, but these kind of distinctions can be pretty subjective (are you a suit or a technivore or a tech turtle? some weeks you might be all three depending on how you’re using the handheld and whether you’re using it for business or personal reasons.) Anyone, something to chew on as we consider the evolving use of the web and digital technology.

Marketing Magazine, April 6 2011

Latest NADbank: Canadian daily newspaper use steady, some slight increases

Why is this important? Because it contrasts with the US reality of steadily declining readership, some dailies shuttered, others cutting back days of the week they come out. So the Globe and Star dominate Toronto, the “National” Post (which doesn’t distribute in six of ten provinces) hasn’t declined and is still losing money. Details below:

NADbank, March 30 2011

Public to media: we want it free on the web

A new survey by the Canadian Media Research Consortium shows that only four per cent of Canadians want to pay for accessing media on the web, and 81 per cent said they wouldn’t. Given the New York Times gambit, and that a bunch of people have already figured out how to get around their paywall, makes you wonder if this is ever going to work. Too early to tell what this means for Canadian media, most of whom are trying to monetize news by other media. Wonder why no one has thought of giving free web access to subscribers of newspapers/magazine, and charging everyone else a web access fee?

Globe and Mail March 30 2011

Young immigrants big drivers of producing social media in Canada

A recent Environics survey shows, among many other things, that young immigrants in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary are high producers of social media, not just to keep in touch with the friends and family in the old country, but to use services like LinkedIn to promote themselves in the business world. Top ranking category for social media users, as opposed to producers: single city renters. Much more on the link below, including the fact that there still persists to a strong demographic of older, affluent Canadians who still prefer more old fashioned ways of connecting with people, like visit them.

Environics, March 21 2011

Glass ceiling still in effect in most Canadian media

An international study by the International Media Women’s Foundation in Washington, D.C. finds what everyone who deals with media on a regular basis knows is true: most reporters are female, most producers/editors are male (this also holds true in communications). As a rule, roughly 70 per cent of media are women, but women represent less than 50 per cent of management. Whether this is sexism or biology it’s  a fact in the workplace. Still, one Canadian outlet got international recognition for beating the trend: the CBC. Oddly enough, while a number of Canadian outlets have gender equity programs, it seems only the CBC is serious about implementing it.

The Tyee, March 23 2011

Pew state of the media report in 2011: same trends holding

The Pew Institute put out its annual state of the media report today, and the main trends seem to be holding: more people getting their news off the web, ad revenues returning to pre-recession levels, except of course for daily newspapers, and layoffs in newsrooms continue, but at lower pace than the slash and burn of 2008.  The major finding is that cable news (US stats only) viewership shows the biggest decline of all. Odd that in the age of digital, the once reliable all news networks (CNN, Fox, MSNBC) can’t figure out how to leverage the traditional TV audience onto the web, particularly when stats show older people (cable news main viewers) are one of the fastest growing sectors using the web.

Pew, March 15 2011

Canadians hooked on web, especially seniors

Turns out that, according to a new study, Canadians use the web almost twice as much as anyone else, in hours per week. And seniors continue to be the fastest growing segment. Teens, not so much, simply because their love of handheld means higher charges than the standard flat fee desktop/laptop. This actually is not surprising; Canadians have always led the world in telecommunications technology use, first with telephones then with cable and satellite. We love to be plugged in.

Toronto Star/CP, March 8 2011

Internet news inexorably overtaking tv news: Pew study

Well, it doesn’t come as a surprise, but at least it’s statistically proven: more and more people are getting their national and international news off the net, instead of tv. While television is still strong, it’s second fiddle to the net in the most (unnecessarily) coveted demographic, youth.

Pew Center, Jan. 4 2011

All publicity is good publicity — sometimes

A study published in the New York Times suggests that sometimes bad publicity — like GAP’s disastrous new logo — can actually be good for a company.  People forget, and sometimes loyalty to a brand overcomes negative publicity on a side issue. Don’t get your hopes up, BP: if you screw up in a big way, you’ll still have a heavy price to pay.

 

New York Times, Oct. 29 2010