The future still has glamor
The future of electronic media was also discussed at the Edi award ceremony
The future of electronic media was also discussed at the Edi AwardsBy Andreas Panzeri What does the script of the future look like for the new TV program "Fusion of Film, Internet and Television"? And does this development even have the potential to become a hit with the public? Answers to these questions were sought in a panel discussion with a prominent cast at the Edi Award ceremony.
"Tomorrow will be like today. Things don't change that quickly." That was Joseph Weizenbaum's provocative opening statement. The computer pioneer and guru from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, was the guest of honor at the discussion led by WerbeWoche author Wolfgang J. Koschnick.
Of course, his prominent panelists were unable to turn the wheel of time forward into the future with binding promises of profit. But it was still enough for a few crumbs of entertaining prophecy. "The television of the future will look different. But many people will continue to use it with a remote control," said Jürg Wildberger from TV3.
Referring to his big brother at Tamedia, he explained: "As a producer, I will no longer be able to finance new programs via free TV alone in the future. I have to look for a majority of new channels."
In the evening, the consumer wants to sit passively in front of the box
"Every mass medium is 90 percent junk. And that will remain the case. For me, that's a law of nature." Weizenbaum would also not feel particularly encouraged to watch more TV by a "Big Brother" format in all conceivable variations.
Florenz Schaffner, Head of Communications at SF DRS, took a pragmatic view: "Users will hardly be interested in the technical means by which communication is achieved." Above all, he believes in the allure of content.
Neither the Internet nor a TV screen could evoke nearly as much glamor as a scene in the cinema, Schaffner continued. The original media would continue to exist alongside the craziest internet developments. Both Schaffner and Wildberger agree that many normal receptors who spend their evenings in front of the TV are no longer interested in interactive television if they have already had to be constantly active at work.
Christian Vaterlaus, Coordination Manager for www.skim.com, assumes that in future, enlightened people will watch a program "when they feel like it" and no longer when it suits the program director. The code word for the "abolition of prime time" operation is "broadband".
A TV company without prime time must of course develop completely new forms of advertising. Gunter Guzielski, Technical Managing Director of Fantastic Corporation (Germany), believes there will be a shift towards more product placement, as advertising integrated into a scene cannot be amputated in the future with technical sub-ties like conventional commercial breaks.
For computer pioneer Weizenbaum, it is clear that storage capacity will continue to increase in a revolutionary way in the future. For him, video recorders that record five channels simultaneously non-stop for a whole day, for example, would be possible. In the evening, you can then delete what you think you can do without at the touch of a button.
Towards the end, everyone agreed that people might still have a secret longing for a traditionally structured daily routine the day after tomorrow. Even if the "Tagesschau" can be watched on SF2 at a different time today, most viewers still tune in at the usual hour. Real fans roll out of bed for a Formula 1 race from Japan, even at the most ungodly hours of the morning.
Only some viewers will therefore be keen on information on demand. The majority will want to continue to enjoy the collective event. In any case, the discussion at this podium has not yet been time-shifted to the Internet. The summary of the panel discussion was at least transcribed from an analog tape.
"Tomorrow will be like today. Things don't change that quickly." That was Joseph Weizenbaum's provocative opening statement. The computer pioneer and guru from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, was the guest of honor at the discussion led by WerbeWoche author Wolfgang J. Koschnick.
Of course, his prominent panelists were unable to turn the wheel of time forward into the future with binding promises of profit. But it was still enough for a few crumbs of entertaining prophecy. "The television of the future will look different. But many people will continue to use it with a remote control," said Jürg Wildberger from TV3.
Referring to his big brother at Tamedia, he explained: "As a producer, I will no longer be able to finance new programs via free TV alone in the future. I have to look for a majority of new channels."
In the evening, the consumer wants to sit passively in front of the box
"Every mass medium is 90 percent junk. And that will remain the case. For me, that's a law of nature." Weizenbaum would also not feel particularly encouraged to watch more TV by a "Big Brother" format in all conceivable variations.
Florenz Schaffner, Head of Communications at SF DRS, took a pragmatic view: "Users will hardly be interested in the technical means by which communication is achieved." Above all, he believes in the allure of content.
Neither the Internet nor a TV screen could evoke nearly as much glamor as a scene in the cinema, Schaffner continued. The original media would continue to exist alongside the craziest internet developments. Both Schaffner and Wildberger agree that many normal receptors who spend their evenings in front of the TV are no longer interested in interactive television if they have already had to be constantly active at work.
Christian Vaterlaus, Coordination Manager for www.skim.com, assumes that in future, enlightened people will watch a program "when they feel like it" and no longer when it suits the program director. The code word for the "abolition of prime time" operation is "broadband".
A TV company without prime time must of course develop completely new forms of advertising. Gunter Guzielski, Technical Managing Director of Fantastic Corporation (Germany), believes there will be a shift towards more product placement, as advertising integrated into a scene cannot be amputated in the future with technical sub-ties like conventional commercial breaks.
For computer pioneer Weizenbaum, it is clear that storage capacity will continue to increase in a revolutionary way in the future. For him, video recorders that record five channels simultaneously non-stop for a whole day, for example, would be possible. In the evening, you can then delete what you think you can do without at the touch of a button.
Towards the end, everyone agreed that people might still have a secret longing for a traditionally structured daily routine the day after tomorrow. Even if the "Tagesschau" can be watched on SF2 at a different time today, most viewers still tune in at the usual hour. Real fans roll out of bed for a Formula 1 race from Japan, even at the most ungodly hours of the morning.
Only some viewers will therefore be keen on information on demand. The majority will want to continue to enjoy the collective event. In any case, the discussion at this podium has not yet been time-shifted to the Internet. The summary of the panel discussion was at least transcribed from an analog tape.
