I was speaking with a fellow research consultant who said that he believed that those who "own the screen" will win the day. In my opinion, those who own the "screen" WILL win the day, but only if you consider a computer monitor is a screen too! I believe television and the internet will be merged in the future into one central media center in the home. If we can examine the strengths and weaknesses of each medium and link them into ONE source - think of the possibilities!

Consider this:

Television Strengths:

• Local Local Local
• Personalities people know and trust
• A big beautiful visual screen that families gather around (ever gather your family around a computer monitor for "quality family time"?)
• Viewers' comfortable home in urgent news situations
• Mass reach

Internet Strengths:

• On Demand, Consumer Driven
• Vast source of content
• User-generated Content
• Interactivity
• Social networks
• Viewer feedback

I imagine a world in the not so distant future, where I can turn on my HDTV, watch a combination of entertainment programming and local news in whatever order I desire, while simultaneously checking my email, surfing the web. A commercial comes on the TV with a program I want to buy? I click a button on the remote and purchase it directly from the advertiser, without ever leaving the program I am viewing. If the news station wants to run a poll on the current elections, I can vote right there during the newscast using my remote. Imagine a weather cast where I can zoom in right to my particular area WHILE the weatherman is delivering the weather - or better year, the weather map automatically defaults to my location during the news. If there is a hurricane, my newscasters can talk about open shelters, and point to a link right next to their head, telling me to click here for local shelters. The wireless keyboard connected to the TV will sit side by side with the remote in every home. My head is reeling with ideas for "Local News Station 2.0".

Where that leaves newspaper? I'm not sure. I think there is still a place for newspapers. Perhaps part of the problem is that newspapers have been reigning king of media for a hundred years and haven't quite figured out that they really need to change their ways. Why in this world of pay-per-click internet ratings and minute-by-minute television ratings are newspapers still out selling on 6 month old ABC Audit total circulation numbers!?!?