Media
Visions
How media
visionaries foresee their work affecting our lives and
our world in the 21st Century.
by Ken Judah
Freed
Publication
pending
Imagine
Edison, Bell, Marconi, Sarnoff, and other historic
visionaries in mass media's evolution gathered around
some table for a vigorous meeting of minds in about how
their work would change the world. This what 's proposed
today with modern media visionaries discussing the impact
of the interactive global media networks they are
inventing.
Intended as a book and TV
documentary, the format will be like a roundtable
discussion, ideally created by staging and recording the
meeting. Alternately, we can edit separate interviews
into a series of conversations, as I now put together a
magazine or radio story from assorted interviews on a
topic.
The first chapter will discuss
the known media trends, then six chapters will cover how
media may affect our homes, schools, jobs, communities,
nations, and world. The book will voice their visions of
what new media could do for us, or to us, depending in
our media choices (deep literacy).
Back in 1996, at the peak of the
hoopla for interactive TV, a dozen key industry leaders
agreed to participate in a book and documentary to be
called, "TV Visions." Steve
Allen agreed to write
the foreword (creator of the Meeting of Minds
series on PBS). The book did not sell when the hype
balloon burst for the iTV market, the same as it recently
popped for the Internet. Now iTV is commercial and the
Internet is getting grounded in reality, too. Thus, the
time is right to revive the book. I will not have the
same leaders as before, but the concept still feels
compelling.
Why do I believe major leaders
will participate? Through my work as a media journalist,
I've interviewed many movers and shakers in the media
industry. They focus on profits, yes, but leaders with a
social conscience complain that the press rarely or never
asks them about all the good they see being done by their
media ventures. About a half dozen leaders remain willing
to participate, I'm happy to report, and I know who to
call for the others. They may welcome the forum to voice
their own highest ideals.
Length may be 200 pages. General
and niche markets abound in America, Europe and Asia,
anywhere digital networks are deployed. The world market
is growing. Books about the future often enjoy a long
shelf life.
(FYI, Videotaping the
interviews will support producing a documentary
and interactive
content for commercial
and educational channels. Any book about interactive
media is a natural for digital formats. The potential is
palpable.)
Interested? Please email from
http://media-visions.com/contact.
.
