■ media Easy streaming Smartphone app changing the way we broadcast news. By Gerard Matthews
n Things have really changed over the course of my career as a journalist. Actually, to call it a “career” is really a bit of a joke – I’ve only been here for two years. The point is that even in that short time, we’ve seen some exciting changes in the way news is transmitted to readers/ viewers. For hard-core newshounds, Twitter really was a game-changer. The service, at least to my knowledge, wasn’t widely used even two years ago, but that’s changed. Every news outlet and most local reporters have informative and oft-updated feeds. Can’t attend a meeting or an event? Don’t worry about it. Someone else is, and they’re live-Tweeting 140-character updates, keeping you posted on what’s going on. Like anything, you have to consider the source, but with a good mix of feeds you can usually come away with a pretty good understanding of what happened. But Twitter is so last year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an obsessive Twitter user, but now there are ways to get the news to an audience more quickly and without a filter. I’m talking about live streaming video. You no longer need a $200,000 satellite truck, high-quality cameras, professional photographers, well-placed microphones or high-dollar light sets to do it. All you really need is an Android phone. Justin.tv, a live-streaming smartphone app, allows users to broadcast instantly from anywhere. You can download the app to your Android phone or iPhone, although the iPhone doesn’t have a broadcast option just yet. That’s coming, developers say. What’s great about the service is you no longer have to rely on anyone else for instant analysis, or keep up with multiple Twitter feeds. You can watch a news event as it unfolds. Two weeks ago the Times broadcast a press conference held by Republican candidate for governor Jim Keet. I sat in the front row, phone in hand, and broadcast the entire presser from my Justin.tv channel. The video, which can be embedded directly into a blog post, was then placed on the front page of our website on the Arkansas Blog. Live video. On a blog. We couldn’t believe how great it turned out. If you miss the live broadcast, you can tune in later and watch a saved version of the video, as nearly 3,000 people have 24 SEPTEMBER 16, 2010 • ARKANSAS TIMES
done with the Keet video (that’s a lot of viewers for a boring, run-of-the-mill press conference). And the quality’s not that bad. The video was a little pixilated, but that’s to be expected. The stream was steady and reliable, unlike a couple of other services we’ve tried like Qik and Ustream, and the audio was clear. The best thing about Justin.tv’s app is its simplicity. It’s easier to use than other services, the interface is very similar to a Flip camera (that is, it’s idiot-proof) and letting people know you’re going live is a snap. Once you press record, the service sends a message to all of your Twitter followers and Facebook friends and provides a link to the broadcast. According to Mashable, a popular tech blog, “Justin. tv may not have been the first player in the live-video-from-mobile game, in our opinion and experience, its product is still the best available to consumers right now.” Jason Tolbert, author of the Tolbert Report blog, broadcast the recent Lincoln/ Boozman debate live from Justin.tv (my
battery was dead). The event also got the streaming treatment from Fox 16, which did a great job and offered a slick, wellproduced broadcast on its website. The content was the same; the only difference was production value, quality and the price tag. I doubt any local news outlet can broadcast an event at literally no cost. One thing that YouTube and the Internet have shown us is that people are willing to watch a low-quality video as long as they are interested in the content. Of course, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it all the time, or rely on the technology too heavily. Journalists should not abdicate their responsibility – giving a careful and thoughtful account of a news event, complete with enough information and analysis to place that event in its appropriate context – to a smartphone app. But it will be interesting to see how these tools are used in the future and how audiences and news organizations continue to interact with them. As with any new technology, it will be a wonder to see what new gadget will render it completely obsolete.
Calendar
Continued from page 23 free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads. Farmers Market. River Market Pavilions, 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info. Little Rock Multitap gaming night. A bi-monthly video competition night. ACAC, third Saturday of every month, 6:30 p.m.; first Thursday of every month, 6:30 p.m., $5 membership fee. 608 Main St. 501-244-2974. www.littlerockmultitap.com. SOAR Network Volunteer Training Camp. Workshop on ways to address the local homelessness problem. Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 9 a.m.:30 p.m., free. 3805 West 12th Street.
Film
Director’s Spotlight: Jane Campion. The Faulkner County Film Society screens two films by the New Zealand-born director, Jane Campion. 1996’s “Portrait of a Lady” plays at 9 p.m.; 1999’s “Holy Smoke” at midnight. Faulkner County Library, 9 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 Music
The Bad Choices open blues jam. Khalil’s Pub, 5 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-2240224. www.khalilspub.com. Caitlin Cary. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace.com/whitewatertavern. Hot Springs Jazzfest: Jazz Mass. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 10:45 p.m. 228 Spring St., Hot Springs. J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Wicked Good, Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $7. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Jason Reeves, Joe Brooks. Revolution, 8 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090. revroom.com. Shannon McClung. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Sept. 19, 8 p.m.; Sept. 24-25, 8 p.m., free. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens.com. Successful Sundays. Ernie Biggs, 9 p.m. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs. com. “Sunday Funday” dance party. Sticky Fingerz Rock ’n’ Roll Chicken Shack, Every other Sunday, 5 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com. Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.
Events
28th Annual Minority Enterprise Development Week. See Sept. 16. “Best of the West” Family Fest. See Sept. 17. New Cemetery History Tour. Local cemeteries celebrate their recent listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Mayor Stodola unveils the plaque at 2 p.m., a cell phone tour of the cemeteries to follow. For more information, visit oakland-fraternal. org. Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery, 2 p.m. 2101 Barber Ave. 501-372-6429.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Music
Despised Icon, Misery Index, Revocation, A Darkened Era, Moment of FIerce Determination. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 215 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com. Hana Pestle. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $10. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Monday Night Jazz with I.J. Routon and Friends. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., $8. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.
Events
28th Annual Minority Enterprise Development Week. See Sept. 16. MED Week Awards Luncheon. The conclusion of MED Week honors minority businesses, entrepreneurs and supporting businesses/organizations.
Korto Momolu emcees. For more information, visit littlerockchamber.com. Philander Smith College, 11:30 a.m. p.m., $25. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Dr.
Lectures
Mary Mel French. The nation’s chief of protocol during the Clinton administration shares her personal experience and signs her new book, “United States Protocol: The Guide to Official Diplomatic Etiquette.” For more information, visit clintonpresidentialcenter.org. Clinton Presidential Center, 6 p.m. 1200 President Clinton Avenue. 370-8000. www. clintonpresidentialcenter.org. “The Ousted U.S. Attorneys.” A panel discussion featuring former U.S. attorneys who were fired in 2006 during the political shakeup by the Bush administration Justice Department. Reserve seats by calling 501-683-5239. UALR William H. Bowen School of Law, 12 p.m. 1201 McMath Ave. 501-3249434. www.law.ualr.edu.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 Music
Dr. Sin-Hsing Tsai, pianist. Harding University, 7 p.m., free. 900 E. Center Ave., Searcy. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub. com. Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550. Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717. The Subteens, Sweet Eagle. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www. myspace.com/whitewatertavern. Tequila Tuesdays with DJ Hy-C. Bill St. Grill and Pub, 8:30 p.m. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-353-1724. Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. Turbid North. Sticky Fingerz Rock ’n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.
Dance
“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090. www.revroom.com.
Events
28th Annual Minority Enterprise Development Week. See Sept. 16. Farmers Market. River Market Pavilions, 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Music
Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. American Aquarium. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace. com/whitewatertavern. Black Tusk, Iron Tongue. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $6. 215 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com. Blackberry Smoke. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717. Cody Canada & Seth James. Revolution, 9 p.m. 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090. revroom. com. Chris DeClerk. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com. The DDG Trio. UCA, 7:30 p.m., free. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway. In Ground Zero, Still Reign, The Last Shade, poisonwood, Shadowvein, Synapse Defect. The Village, 6 p.m. 3915 S. University Ave. 501-5700300. www.thevillagelive.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Jukebox the Ghost, Hooray for Earth, Via Audio. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $7 adv., $9 d.o.s. 1300 S.