ViodiTV event coverage from Minnesota Telecom Alliance (MTA) 2010 Annual Convention. From Batter to Cliff to Video World we cover the MTA Associate Member's baseball theme with Cliff Albertson to Planning for an All Video World. In the middle are video copyright issues, similar in difference with ACA, Gadgets, Torches, Electric Grids, MoCA, political friends, and testimonials that make it even more rewarding for Ken and Roger.
ViodiTV at MTA was sponsored by the MTA Associate Members.
Matt Polka of the American Cable Association gave the keynote speech at the 2010 MTA Convention. He emphasized the commonalities between independent telcos and independent cable operators. Some 40% of the ACA membership consists of independent telcos. In his talk, he likened ACA members to David and big media to Goliath and that ACA has been fighting for the small operators since its inception in 1993.
In this video interview, Polka discusses some of the current issues that are at the forefront of his organization’s agenda including the ACA’s concerns regarding the Comcast-NBC merger, the high cost of retransmission consent and the direction media conglomerates may be moving with over their top video efforts.
Polka’s comments on retransmission consent reminded me of an earlier post (The DTV Transition – at What Cost) we wrote on the topic of the real costs of over-the-air broadcast. He referenced a recent op-ed piece written by Steve Friedman, CEO of cable operator Wave Broadband regarding the arcane FCC rules regarding retransmission consent and the costs this regulation imposes on consumers.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2011132689_guest22friedman.html
Brent Christensen, Vice President of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, brings a fresh perspective to telecommunications. Although born of a telecom family, he followed his father’s footsteps in that his first career was outside of telecom. Starting at the birth of the 1996 deregulation, Brent started as a technician and progressed to the role of general manager at Christensen Communications.
His recent appointment as Vice President of the MTA comes at a time as the industry continues its transition to an all IP world. Judging by the record setting number of attendees (approximately 1,400) at the 2010 MTA Convention, there is a great deal of interest from telcos in the upper Midwest regarding how they remain, “One step up on the road ahead.”
Brent explains in the following video how his experience as a customer gave him an appreciation for what is required to serve. Similarly, his previous vocation gave him plenty of experience serving the public. Brent spent 14 years as a deputy sheriff in the Austin, Texas area. Surprisingly, he draws four parallels between his role in law enforcement and his work as a technician at a telecommunications company. You will have to watch the video to hear his comparison of these vocations.
An interview with Tony Rubleski of Mind Capture Group at the WSTA 2010 PR/Marketing seminar. I asked Tony to describe his 2 day workshop using items from his presentation (controversy and problem solving) and to highlight his message.
This segment of ViodiTV is brought to you by HEM Productions. Produced by Roger Bindl.
Jan 31
What happens to your on-line accounts after death? Are your digital assets covered in your will? Social Media posts and pictures can already haunt you, but what about those accounts after death. Who can get to them, or get rid of them. Jesse Davis of Entrustet talks about them in the combination interview and excerpts from his Pecha Kucha presentation during High Tech Happy Hour in Madison, WI. Produced by Roger Bindl for ViodiTV.
Jan 14
Kodak's KZone at CES 2010 with the WebTV panel and our interview with Illeana Douglas. The text for this post will follow.
ViodiTV is produced by Roger Bindl and Ken Pyle.
One of the downsides of the franchising of America is the resulting homogenization of our experience. The hotels, the restaurants and the big box retailers are definitely a far cry from the Americana of yesteryear. They are all the same, almost anywhere you go.
Fortunately, there are still some things that cannot be franchised and that are unique to certain areas. For instance, ice fishing is an abstract concept to a California native. Sure, ice fishing would appear in an occasional movie or television show, but it just didn’t seem real.
Then, last summer at the Lakeland Appreciation Day, I met the inventor of the Flirty Girty. Dave Sumner is an entrepreneur, extraordinaire, as he owns several businesses including a cable installation operation. Sumner is also a champion ice fisherman.
In this brief video interview, Sumner discusses ice fishing, the ice fishing community, and how technology, such as GPS, helps him position his ice-fishing house. He also explains some of the benefits of the Eskimo portable, pop-up, ice-fishing tent. In these times of non-stop chatter, I can definitely see the appeal of the stillness of a Wisconsin frozen lake and the warmth of a ice fishing chateau.
Maintaining a steady camera can be difficult for many. This video demonstrates an inexpensive alternative to somewhat bulky, and often expensive steadicams. I've been using a monopod for several years now and find that the counter weight and fulcrum effect of the monopod works well to steady the camera. Propping the pod into your waist also works well, or extending the sections as intended. The video shows a larger camera in the beginning with a short example in the end with a tiny still camera for video. Produced by Roger Bindl HEM Productions for ViodiTV with Creative Commons music by Morgantj "caf connections" from ccMixter.org.
David Lewis of TCA explains how he has collaborated with a pastor to bring computers and technology to locales in Guyana and Haiti. In this video, filmed at OPASTCO’s 2009 Summer Convention, Lewis explains how he and his wife have been making regular visits to his South American “family” and the inspiration behind these treks. They are always looking for computers to bring to their friends from Guyana and Haiti. Contact David if you have some old computers that you could donate to help his efforts.
Oct 23
Lori Vergin’s tale of the telco that used popcorn in their showroom to help drive sales for its video service, reminded me of the old real estate trick of having the aroma of freshly baked cookies at an open house. The cookies are supposed to make prospective buyers feel at home and provide some sort of emotional connection with the house (and open up their checkbooks).
I lived this aroma theory at the MTA show last March in Minneapolis, as my normally insensitive proboscis detected the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies. In this reenactment, you can see how I was pleasantly surprised to find delectable disks of cookie joy on the tradeshow floor. Bauman and Associates, a CPA firm, was the brains behind this clever promotion.
This promotion worked, as seeing Bauman and Associates with their cookie oven at last week’s WSTA, reminded me of our video and how this simple promotion provided a lasting impression.
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