Richter7 Weekly Retro

The TV-Watcher’s Issue:

After 25 Years, Larry King Pulls the Plug

Is Larry King’s decision to call it quits with CNN indicative of a changing fashion of news personalities and interviewing techniques among top reporters in the U.S.?

CNN's Larry King Live. Credit: The New York Times

Though audience numbers for “Larry King Live” had been cut in half since the last presidential election (down to about 674,000 viewers, the show’s lowest viewership in at least a decade), King was often criticized for not asking questions tough enough to rile his A-list guests. Falling behind competitors such as Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddowon and Glenn Beck, King’s farewell provides great insight to the challenges facing the competitive world of media.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/arts/television/01watch.html?_r=1&ref=television

Hulu Joins the Subscription Bandwagon

TV fanatics have another option for streamlining their favorite shows (maybe even old reruns of “Larry King Live”). If cable, DVR, PS3, Netflix and on-demand channels aren’t enough for you, Hulu is now charging $9.99 for subscriptions to its Hulu Plus service. The new alternative will allow users to unlock full seasons of premium shows on ABC, NBC and FOX across a variety of new platforms for a flat monthly fee.

Introducing Hulu Plus. Credit: hulu.com

Is it possible to have too many options for streamlining content (video, text, photos or other)?

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=144729