From You Tube to the E! Channel

The E! network, known for the Kardashians, has a new star. Grace Helbig has translated her You Tube following into a 30 minute quirky comedy show where she displays her odd outlook on life. The Grace Helbig Show airs after Joel McHale's pop culture show The Soup, Fridays at 10:30 pm eastern on E! She has aired 3 shows so far and her guests have included people like Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Aisha Tyler (The Talk, Archer), comedian Nick Kroll and fellow You Tube star Miranda Sings. Helbig is 29 years old and she has over 2 million followers on You Tube. Check out her You Tube channel here. Just 10 years ago, You Tube was launched and it has created many stars who can earn big bucks if they have a large number of followers. Helbig told Entertainment Weekly magazing that her show is "a curious introvert's nighttime talk show". Her dream guest would be wrestler turned film star The Rock. Her You Tube channel will continue even though she has a show on cable. She says it is her core, her hobby, job and center focal point. She wants to continue to engage with fans via social media. She appeared on James Corden's CBS Late Late Show to promote her new venture. Find out about her show here.

It's a new phenomenon for television executives to seek out internet stars who can make the transition to traditional media, but it will probably become more and more common. Internet stars can attract young viewers, who advertisers desire.

* Some information from Entertainment Weekly magazine, April 3, 2015

The Roth Show

If you're a fan of David Lee Roth and/or Van Halen, check out his You Tube program, The Roth Show. Most shows are 30 -45 minutes and they feature "Diamond Dave" talking about whatever is on his mind. He discusses his formative years growing up in New York and California. He discusses his brief radio career as the replacement for Howard Stern. He talks about Japan, where he has spent a lot of time, and how it differs from the United States. He talks about the making of various Van Halen songs and videos. Dave loves to talk (about himself especially) so this show is not for everyone, but no doubt he has lived an interesting life. He is very proud of his uncle Manny who owns a New York City haven for entertainers, Cafe Wha? When Van Halen released their most recent album a couple years ago, the guys performed in the venue which was popular in the 1960's with beatnik poets, comedians and musicians. Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond performed there early in their careers. Check out the show here.

New Media Presents Challenges for Old Media

These days, so many people get a lot of their information via the internet. When I was in college in the late 1980s/early 1990s, things were much different. In college I did not know anyone who had a computer in their dorm room. No one had a cell phone or an mp3 player. None of us had heard of Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Google or blogs. My term papers were typed on an ancient device called a typewriter.

The past 15 years or so have been challenging for media outlets. TV stations, radio stations and newspapers have experienced shrinking customer base which leads to less advertising revenue. People figure, why buy a newspaper when I can get information free via my computer? Why listen to the radio when I can get free pod casts and download songs to an mp3 player? People can watch full length TV programs on the internet as long as they have a fast connection, so traditional broadcast TV stations have fewer viewers than they used to. Yes, broadcast TV has had competition from people renting movies, watching cable stations and doing other recreational activities like playing video games. But the internet has been a fierce competitor that changes people's habits concerning how they get entertainment. If you have been in a movie theatre lately, many of them seem to have few customers since people watch movies at home and download films legally (and illegally). Newspapers, radio stations and TV stations seem to be putting more of an emphasis on their online presence which only makes sense.

With a blog like this one, I can put my ideas into a format that is free. It can be distributed widely or selectively. No wonder that we see some news sources like The Huffington Post that is 100% online. No need to purchase printing presses, paper and ink, just put it online. Adam Carolla has a very successful pod cast that many people enjoy. He does not need to have a broadcast transmitter and all the equipment like a radio station does. A person can make a video with a $100 video camera and upload it to you tube for free. Times are changing so quickly, it is amazing to see what has happened, especially since about 2000.

Is the explosion of the internet good or bad for society? That is not easy to answer, and it is up to the individual to evaluate that. The internet has created many jobs, but it has caused many to lose jobs as well. There's no use in fighting about it since we can't go back, only forward. When society went from using the horse and buggy for transportation to the "horseless carriage" or automobile, many were put out of work in that transition too, such as blacksmiths and buggy makers. But, on the other hand, the auto industry created millions of jobs. The only constant in life is change.