Happy New Year dear readers. I’ve been tagged by James at 77 PR as part of Ged’s My Week in Media meme which looks at what you’ve been watching, reading, surfing and listening to. Many of the blogging great and the good have already responded. See Iain Dale, Stephen Waddington, Stuart Bruce and Stephen Davies. It’s not been a typical week but here you go…
What I’ve watched
Unlike many of the respondents so far, I can probably be classed as a telly addict and that was particularly the case over the festive period. I have a friend in the States who sent me Season 2 of Heroes just in time for the Christmas break, which has been compulsive viewing. The ratings for second series have plummeted – apparently the US audience have had difficulty with the slightly faster moving plot and multiple storylines (you can add your own punch line). In my opinion the acting and script has been ace and it’s a shame that the Hollywood writers strike has stopped the current run at episode 11 – get back to work people! I’ve also been making the most of my LoveFilm subscription with Season 6 of 24, which hasn’t so much lost the plot as failed to find a new one. Christmas movie watching consisted of The Kingdom with the brilliant Jamie Foxx, again on DVD and Pan’s Labyrinth on Film4.
What I’ve read
The US elections have become a bit of an obsession, especially as the Primary season finally gets underway. The online sites of the major US news networks have been a good starting point, particularly CNN and ABC with a bit of Fox thrown in for pure amusement. US political blogs are in a world of their own and I’ve been relying on Instapundit and Daily Kos to provide some pointers to the best. The UK’s PlayPolitcal has been fantastic at gathering together the TV and YouTube campaign broadcasts being put out by the contenders – including the controversial Mike Hukabee Christmas message, complete with subliminal floating crucifix. The online campaigns being run by most of the candidates have taken centre stage and it’s going to be fascinating to watch the boundaries of online campaigning being pushed to the limits once the proper Presidential race gets underway. There will be plenty of lessons for the PR industry. My money is on Obama.In terms of reading things you actually hold, it’s been Seth Godin’s The Dip, on the train between London and Leamington Spa – highly recommend it, especially if your contemplating a new year change of career.
What I’ve listened to
I have to admit to growing out of radio since leaving University, where a self imposed ban on TV in my second year (in an effort to do some work) led to a temporary addiction to Chris Moyles and Radio 4. Few things are as amusing as David Starkey on the Moral Maze. So listening to stuff has been a case of wading through my massive backlog of podcasts on my iPod, a mixture of work and pleasure with the brilliant Hobson and Holtz and the iconic Terry Tibbs – Talk to me!
What I’ve surfed
I have to agree with my fellow bloggers that this category seems a little defunct when it comes to modern media consumption. However, one site I have been spending some time on is E4’s Skins site. The new series starts in February and a special site has been created to fill in the ‘Lost Weeks’ since the cliffhanger season finale. Again, exploring the site has been partly a professional exercise. Skins is a show that’s pioneering the blurring of traditional terrestrial and online viewing, using a variety of online tactics to build both an audience and community around the show. The creation of individual blogs written by each of the main characters seems to have been a particularly effective move. I’m hoping we get to see more of the much underused Posh Kenneth when the show returns to the screens.Who I’m tagging?
Tanya Goodin, Giles Shorthouse, Richard Bailey, Will Sturgeon and for a European perspective the Sourcerer himself Tapio Liller.
