Remember the "500 channel universe" that everyone talked about 10 or 15 years ago? It's here, finally. But in fact, it's a five million channel universe, as everyone takes to the Net, with their own channel to peddle.
Som outfits, such as Indymedia, a lefty outfit, have been encouraging participatory "journalism" of a kind for years now.
And now, newcomers, such as You Witness News, from Yahoo, and even newer comers, such as Now Public.
The paradox of our time is that it's easier to start a Net-based channel than it is assemble an audience. And so branding is still key. That's why the strong and smart networks, that have built good brands, are likely to thrive--because even if people know that they have an infinity of choice, they will still want a reliable "go to" source for news and information.
That's going to be the future of The Cable Game. It will be the Cable/Net Game, but by any name, the key will be gaining the trust of the viewer/clicker.
