The Main Stream

So we are in week two of the COVID-19 lock down and I have just been explaining to a friend why it’s  called COVID-19. In case you were wondering it’s the COronaVIrus Disease (COVID) and 19 because it was named/discovered in 20″19″. I also added that the pro’s call it SARS-2 or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 because it’s the second of its type.

Anyway, apparently pandemics are a bit like the Americas Cup, we are all experts when they come around..

But that aside I wanted to share my thoughts on what should now be obvious to all. The “Main Stream Media” is not where you left it. It’s moved. 

To be fair it moved a long time ago

But generations like mine and older than mine have been very reluctant to admit it.

How can we tell? Well, Bauer media is gone and Tik Tok are hiring. 

The truth is, this car crash had been coming for a while. The print industry and the closures within it have been the canary in the coal mine for the publishing industry that feeds it for so long now that the closure of Bauer should come as no surprise.

Heartbreaking – Yes. 

A massive loss to New Zealand’s and the worlds culture – Yes

But a surprise – no. Not for anyone who has visited a loved one in the hospital lately only to realise that it was probably the first time they had purchased a magazine in years (unless you have been recently married in which case you most likely have 10 wedding magazines on hand). 

So it sucks, for sure.

But what I think/hope will come from it will/could be amazing. The way I see it is that there is no need for this content to vanish. It just needs to find a new home.

See once upon a time a closure like this would have meant the end for many in the industry. But today, we have amazing platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and even Tik Tok.

So, my hope is the wonderfully talented people of Bauer see the potential and embrace the new opportunity in front of them.

Why? The country needs them, but more importantly for some time now we have needed them to be FREE. No more being held to the corporate narrative. No more towing the company line. These creators are now free to develop and share their content at will and let the market can decide what works.

We all know our thirst for gossip, beauty, food and Gardens won’t be going away any time soon, so lets hope as many of these wonderful writers, photographers and producers take advantage of these platforms and launch themselves new successful independent careers. 

So if you see these fine folk in the “New Main Stream Media” and they resonate on your frequency, support them. Watch their ad’s, hit that like button and share their content (if it’s good) and let’s do our part to keep NZ’s voice alive. If we don’t you are going to be seeing a lot more foreign media than we do today. 

What about you? What are you doing?

Well, what you should be doing is revising your advertising and communications strategies. More importantly your “New Media” strategy. 

With all that said, while you are catching up with the latest Tiger King on Netflix ask yourself this question – when will we see the first TV station shut down? This year or next? And will traditional radio go before it or after it?

Stay safe out there,
Andy