The End Of Free TV In Sight?

This article at ABCNews is indicating the business model that over the air television has enjoyed since its inception is under threat. Cable, satellite, the internet, and other entertainment media (DVD, video games) have fractioned the audience to a point that free broadcast TV may not work much longer.

For more than 60 years, TV stations have broadcast news, sports and entertainment for free and made their money by showing commercials. That might not work much longer.

The business model is unraveling at ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and the local stations that carry the networks' programming. Cable TV and the Web have fractured the audience for free TV and siphoned its ad dollars. The recession has squeezed advertising further, forcing broadcasters to accelerate their push for new revenue to pay for programming.

That will play out in living rooms across the country. The changes could mean higher cable or satellite TV bills, as the networks and local stations squeeze more fees from pay-TV providers such as Comcast and DirecTV for the right to show broadcast TV channels in their lineups. The networks might even ditch free broadcast signals in the next few years. Instead, they could operate as cable channels — a move that could spell the end of free TV as Americans have known it since the 1940s.

Panic Attack!

A producer from Uruguay made this short science fiction film and uploaded it to YouTube. He has now landed a film deal with Sam Raimi's Ghost House worth $30 million.
Fede Alvarez's short film "Ataque de Panico!" (Panic Attack!) features giant robots invading and destroying Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. It is now approaching 5 million views, not counting the numerous repostings by other users on Youtube and other video streaming sites.

Brittany Murphy Dies At 32

Numerous sites are reporting the untimely death of actress Brittany Murphy. AP has made this official release:

Brittany Murphy, the actress who got her start in the sleeper hit "Clueless" and rose to stardom in "8 Mile," has died in Los Angeles. She was 32.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Spokeswoman Sally Stewart said Murphy died at 10:04 a.m. Sunday. She would not provide a cause of death, or any other information.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at 8 a.m. Sunday from a home that is listed as belonging to British screenwriter Simon Monjack, who is married to Murphy, spokesman Devon Gale said. Gale said one person was transported to a hospital.

Messages left for Murphy's manager, agent and publicist by The Associated Press weren't immediately returned.

Born Nov. 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Murphy grew up in New Jersey and later moved with her mother to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for parts in "Girl, Interrupted," "Clueless" and "8 Mile."

Her on-screen roles declined in recent years, but Murphy's voice gave life to numerous animated characters, including Luanne Platter on more than 200 episodes of Fox's "King of the Hill" and Gloria the penguin in "Happy Feet."

She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming film, "The Expendables," set for release next year.

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Weird Spiral In Sky Over Norway

This is now suspected to be a result of a failed Russian missile test.

SpaceShipTwo Christened VSS Enterprise

Yesterday, on the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Richard Branson unveiled his newly christened VSS Enterprise (formerly Spaceship Two) to the public for the first time.
You may recall Branson's Spaceship One winning the X-prize in 2004 for Suborbital Spaceflight. VSS Enterprise will be the first commercial passenger spacecraft and the first vehicle named Enterprise to travel in space.
In 1977, the first Space Shuttle was named Enterprise but was a test vehicle, never intended for actual space travel. Even so, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and most of the cast of the original series of Star Trek were on hand at Enterprise's dedication ceremony. Shuttle Enterprise is now on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where it is the centerpiece of the space collection.

SpaceShipTwo was built by Scaled Composites under the guidance of legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan. The carbon composite spacecraft uses the same fuselage as its mother ship, VMS Eve. After a year of rigorous testing, VMS Eve completed flight testing earlier this fall. Rutan didn’t specify when flight testing for SpaceShipTwo would begin, though it is expected to start early next year.

Sub-orbital passenger flights could start as early as 2011 from Virgin Galactic’s space port in New Mexico which is currently under construction. Tickets for the early adopters are $200,000 for a training program culminating with the ride into space. Both Rutan and Virgin Galactic founder, Sir Richard Branson have repeatedly said they expect the prices to drop rapidly similar to many new technologies, including the early days of air travel.

The Spark Series, Part 3: OPEN

A segment on Leo Laporte, part of The Spark Series, over at eguiders.

The story of TWiT really began at the Paul Allen backed TechTV Network, which Laporte helped launch in 1998 (formally known as ZDTV). Millions became aware of Laporte through successful shows like 'Call For Help' and 'The Screen Savers.' I was one of those viewers who tuned in to the network and became a fan of Leo's approachable style and genuine enthusiasm for helping us with our PC (Personal Confusers) issues. The Network wasn't reaching the scale of audience required by the mainstream media paradigms to survive. In 2004, TechTV became G4TV and switched its focus to gaming. In April of 2005, Laporte launched his flagship 'netcast' TWiT - This Week in Tech. Today, the network and its website twit.tv receives 2 million views per week.

Laporte still has a presence on terrestrial radio through his syndicated 'The Tech Guy,' heard on over 200 radio stations throughout the country. The broadcast is for those who want to hear about the latest gadgets and tech issues. TWiT visitors can explore the myriad of show offerings including 'net@night,' This Week in Google,' 'MacBreak Weekly' and 'Windows Weekly.' All the info about the TWiT network can be accessed through http://wiki.twit.tv.

The Spark Series, Part 2-not another twitter conference

Documentary filmmakers Marc Ostrick and Michael Sean Wright continue their journey through the world of social media. Not another twitter conference, explores the various ways people are using social tools like Twitter to empower their voice. Filmed at the recent #140conf in LA, the mini-documentary features thought leaders from around the world who are harnessing the power of real-time connection.

The Spark Series, Part 1-The New Dial Tone

Marc Ostrick and Michael Sean Wright set out to document a day at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas. Ostrick, Co-Founder of eGuiders, teamed up with fellow documentarian Wright, founder of nicefishfilms, to take the pulse of what some are calling the new media ‘revolution’.