The Original Sims

We all know that the worst possible thing for a presidential campaign is to win the build up through a lead in the polls but to lose the election by not getting out the vote ("Do we?" -Ed.)

I’ve seen some good personalised virals before, but this is probably the best.  It’s really not my fault, I don’t have a vote in the US, but that’s not going to stop me staying up all night next Tuesday/Wednesday to watch the results.

By the way - great coverage by Kevin Anderson of the Guardian.  Here’s one of his recent reports.

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This is the second in the series about winners of the the Northern Ireland Department of Trade and Investment’s Broadband Content Initiative – one year on.

In this podcast I profile the Constant Comedy Website and talk to Philip Morrow and Kieran Doherty and the competition creator, Paul Robinson. Plus clips from Colin and Brian Northern Ireland daleks, Cutter of the Yard, Diarmuid Corr’s Australian Place Names and the Extreme Tea Drinker.

Download and listen to the Podcast  (25.6 MB - duration 27′57") or subscribe to all the DC podcasts.

Crisis?  What Crisis?

The Digital Circle Podcast returns to the studios of One Zero Zero in boomtown Belfast.  It’s getting tough out there.  

Here are some headlines just from this week:

• C4 pulls plug on digital radio plan
• Viacom and CBS cut profit forecast
• US online advertising blow
• Surprise! Web ads aren’t immune from the credit crisis
• Tanking economy may lead to spear-phishing and social engineering scams

And a confidential Power Point from Sequioa has  been distributed on the web with the heart warming title “R.I.P. Good times”

So with that in mind we’ve brought together this week’s panel.

Also we be finding out with musical combo Escape Act are being Crafty Devils and where you can download tracks.

Michelle Gallen is just back from the Irish Web Awards. Her business is Liquid E-Learning.  
Ruairi McNally is Media Director with Bluecube Interactive. And Rich Dale is a member of Escape Act and works with Crafty Devil.

Download tracks from Escape Act here:

Kings Have Fallen: http://mp3hugger.com/2008/09/escape-act-kings-are-fallen.html
Cabin Fever: http://boxsetgo.blogspot.com/2008/10/escape-act-so-good-they-force-change-of.html
Green: http://www.amuze.me/featured/escape-act-green/

Download Central: http://escapeact.bandcamp.mu
And follow them on Facebook

Fantastic traditional showbiz evening in the Belfast Europa yesterday at the launch of Gerry Kelly’s biography. Old frineds like John Rosborough, Ivan Martin, Hendi, along with people I haven’t seen for a long time like Brian Kennedy and Kieran Goss.  The book was written by Gerry Kelly with Don Anderson (the first man to let me on the radio and still a great friend).

Phil Coulter did the offical launch shoe-horning the evening between returning from New York’s Radio City and Belfast’s Waterfront Hall. But the biggest round of applause was for the surprise appearance of Maeve Binchy.

Interesting conversaton with Ken Bloomfield about his forthcoming book about the BBC and the WMD crisis and the Hutton Report.  Sir Ken (former BBC NI governor) says he doesn’t expect to be welcomed warmly into any BBC building following the publication of the book. 

I look forward to it with great anticipation.

"Out of London" has been on the to-do list for the BBC for some years, now.  The spotlight has been on the move of some directorates to Salford but there has always been an intention to move more to the Regions.

I’m not sure if many people here know that several editions of Panorama are made in Belfast - and additional editions are to come this way as are programmes for the Sunday morning religion slot.

Jana Bennett Director of Vision at the BBC announced her plans yesterday in London - here’s the detail.

Channel 4 has abandoned plans for its proposed radio project. Having won the franchise in July 2007, Channel 4 set out an ambitious plan for a range of music and speech stations on DAB including a direct competitor to Radio 4.  The first station E4 Radio was due to air next spring.  The plan will save around £10m in 2009.

Channel 4 Radio is the majority shareholder in 4 Digital. Its other shareholders are UTV Radio, Bauer Radio (owners of Cool FM and Downtown), BSkyB, the Carphone Warehouse Group, and UBC Media.

Back in August The Observer reported:

The problems is that negotiations with Global, and C4’s own joint venture partners, are not proceeding smoothly. 4 Digital is majority owned by Channel 4, but some of the minority partners, who include UTV Radio and Magic FM owner Bauer Radio, have reservations about the cost of funding new digital channels at a time when the economic outlook is gloomy. Digital licences run for 12 years, and it costs £1.5m a year to air a single station, says the source close to the talks. ‘That’s just the transmission: never mind the cost of running the station and paying the presenters. You could run a national FM or AM station for the same cost if the frequency was available.’

On Friday the decision was widely reported.  The Stage said:

Responding to the news, Ofcom said: “Ofcom recognises that the economic environment is very challenging and that all organisations need to make decisions in light of the circumstances they face.”
It said it would meet with the other members of 4 Digital Group over the next few days to discuss how they propose to take matters forward.
Ofcom also revealed it is in discussions with other multiplex operators and the BBC to consider how best to “secure a viable outcome which is in the interests of radio listeners and the industry”.
Channel 4’s withdrawal from the radio market will come as a blow to independent drama producers, who had hoped the broadcaster’s offerings would increase opportunity for production outside of BBC stations.

The Slugger O’Toole Awards event was held in Belfast’s W5 centre on 7 October 2008.

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This is the first glittering and glamorous Slugger Awards and almost all of the politicos, digicenti, blogerati of any note and general hangers-on are gathered for what would have been a Red Carpet Reception. But Red, like Blue, like Green, Orange and even Yellow have political connotations, so the carpet was ignored and we all just had a night on the tiles.

Slugger O’Toole has been following Northern Ireland politics for about six years. It is the oldest political blog in and about Northern Ireland. If it is not the most read, it is certainly among the top titles. And it is read widely. Slugger O’Toole is a place where the Blogosphere and Main Stream Media meet. The web site is read by Journalists, Political Professionals and bloggers alike.

Founder Mick Fealty is no journalist in the traditional sense, but is probably more of a journalist that many news reporters. If it is a journalists role not just to report events, but to seek context and wide comment on events Mick fits that role. There were awards for External Representives (MPs, MEPs and others), Journalism, Local Council of the Year, Local Councillor of the Year, Local Newspaper of the Year, MLA of the Year, Participation and Involvement, Political Blogger, Stormont Committee Chair of the Year, Up-and-coming Politician of the Year and Jobsworth of the Year.

Get more information at the Slugger Awards site.

Other sites mentioned on the podcast include the winner of the Political Blog NALIL, Alan In Belfast and WIMPS (Where Is My Public Servant).

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In November 2007 the Sonic Acadamy was announced as one of the winners of the Northern Ireland Department of Trade and Investment’s Broadband Content Initiative. During this series of the DC Podcast  I’m planning to look at how some of the winners have progressed since the final six were unveiled. 

In this edition, the Sonic Acadamy’s Kevin Traynor and Graham Ginty.  But first to the man who had the idea and drove the project, Paul Robinson Project Manager Department Enterprise Trade and Investment.

Download here: http://www.simsdigitalmedia.com/podcasts/