Last week I attended
NATOA's annual conference in Atlanta. It was a fantastic experience,
with tons of enthusiastic attendees to have great conversations with
and a host of interesting speakers to learn from, really one of the
best events I've been to in a while.
There's lots to share about my experiences there but the biggest
thing I came away with was a newfound excitement over the future of
PEG. There are just so many intriguing projects and trends underway.
Here's a overview of some of the major ones:
- While not happening everywhere, many PEG stations are beginning to
utilize social media tools. The focus of Web 2.0 too often seems to
ignore physical proximity, yet those tools hold tremendous potential
for strengthening the bonds between neighbors in a community. If PEG is
going to achieve that larger goal of enabling local community media,
finding innovative ways to use them is essential. I'm eager to learn
more about this space.
- Wish I could give greater detail but for now all I can say is that
there are some interesting projects afoot aimed at improving the
ability of PEG channels to share and collaborate. What makes this so
powerful is that individually most PEG stations are minuscule, but
taken as a whole they represent the largest TV network in America.
- Reconnecting with Tom Spengler, CEO of Granicus, I learned that
their government webcasting solution has been going gangbusters this
past year, with communities all across the country coming to realize
how the use of online video can strengthen the democratic process.
- On another front that I unfortunately have to keep a bit under my
hat, there was some talk of highly intriguing experimentation going on
in the coming months surrounding redefining what PEG can mean,
especially in a big bandwidth environment. I don't think I'm yet
supposed to share any details, but know that as soon as I can I'll be
doing so as I'm a fervent believer that PEG has an opportunity to be at
the center of an incredible amount of innovation over the next few
years, both in the delivery on online content and the evolution of TV.
- The final thought I'll share stems from a sense that while we
can't just drop the contentious issues surrounding protecting PEG's
present as it comes under attack from cable operators not wanting to
pay franchise fees and not treating PEG fairly, there's also a growing
hunger to move the discussion forward to focus less on the passing
paradigm and more on figuring out how PEG can be establishing a new
paradigm for itself in the 21st century.
Needless to say, I couldn't be more excited about PEG's future.
While there are most definitely bumpy roads ahead, the promise of
what's possible seems closer than ever and the energy of the people who
are working to reach those goals is infectious.
I'm now more eager than ever to continue my exploration of what PEG
can mean in the 21st century as the more wonderful people I meet the
more I learn the more possibilities I see for PEG to continue its role
at the heart of America's democracy and public discourse.