Funferal

Media channel developments

Media Channel, Danny Schechter’s site devoted to reporting and analysing mass media news coverage, has circulated a mail to members looking for support, which I have included below. MediaChannel is one of the more prominent websites doing ongoing analysis of the corporate media, and their mail is interesting for a number of reasons:

• They’ve adopted the signature format developed by MoveOn, with all staff members signing their mails. They aren’t the only people to do this, but it is interesting to see the approach spread. The idea is obviously to humanise the organisation, but I wonder how valuable this is a technique, (and how long it will retain that value).
• They have two levels of membership, which is not in itself unusual. However, they don’t specify time limits for either. It seems – especially given the $250 cost of the upper level – that they may be envisaging once off donations, but this could be a problematic approach, given the ongoing benefits accruing to donors. While ‘premium benefits for donors’ is a model gaining ground – see for instance Free Press – and has worked for public radio, I have a sense that the details of the method have not been properly nailed down by anybody yet. Not that I necessarily know the answer, but I see further ‘tweaking’ being needed.
• The fact that the news feed is available in return for a $250 donation puts it out of the reach of small outlets that would be interested in gaining an extra feature. Given that such a newsfeed typically draws traffic to the originating site this is a complicated issue. Obviously, a large organisation might see the feed as worth $250 in itself, but individuals such as myself would not be able to afford that much, even if we were interested in expanding the coverage of our sites (the total annual budget of funferal at the moment is under $200). So why not make the feed available for a separate donation, or link it to a lower level? (I would also wonder whether the entry-level membership should be below $50, maybe $15-$20)

Dear MediaChannel user:
MediaChannel is mobilizing to win back media control from private
interests. This has become especially urgent as we approach the next U.S.
election cycle. We’re readying our base of users to demand more diverse and
accountable media coverage of this important democratic process.
MediaChannel users have told us that this issue strikes a raw nerve because
it affects a democratic ideal that many of us now feel is at risk. Media
that once were thought to serve the public’s best interests — keeping in
check the powers of government and other elite – have today become
bedfellows to this same privileged class.
MediaChannel’s new initiative involves daily media alerts on campaign
coverage, write-in campaigns holding news executives to a higher standard
of coverage, and placing election-night media monitors at every major news
outlet to guard against the types of media abuses that occurred during the
2000 vote.
But we need your urgent assistance.
After three years at the forefront of the independent media movement,
MediaChannel.org is taking our user community to the next level. We have
built the world’s largest media issues network, now we’re offering you the chance to have more impact and involvement as a Member of MediaChannel’s
Global Movement:
Become a supporter of MediaChannel.org by donating your time and money.
Your Time:

1. Visit MediaChannel each day and subscribe to receive our breaking media news and action alerts.
2. Participate in MediaChannel’s “Citizens Media Watch” by sharing your
   views, news and contacts with others of similar concern.

3. Register for MediaChannel daily weblog updates from News Dissector
   Danny Schechter.

4. Tell others about MediaChannel.org and point them to our site and services.

Your Money:

1. Become a MediaChannel.org Media Savvy Member.
   A $250 contribution makes you a member of MediaChannel’s “Media Savvy” and entitles you to a signed copy of “Media Wars” and “Embedded: Weapons of
   Mass Deception,” the just published e-book on the media coverage of the war
   in Iraq. Media Savvy members also receive “Media News Now” a real-time,
   syndicated media feed ready for posting at your site or by email.

All members receive MediaChannel’s periodic updates on the global media
movement as well as our daily newsletters covering breaking media news
drawn from more than 1,000 independent media affiliates worldwide. This is
available both as an email alert or RSS feed depending upon your needs.
More than that, joining MediaChannel sets you at the center of the fight
for better media at home and abroad.
More information about MediaChannel Memberships is available online.
Join MediaChannel today,
Regards,
Danny, Elizabeth, Doug and Tim
MediaChannel.org