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The Big Picture: Frank Beacham
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Frank Beacham is a New York City-based writer and producer. Visit his Web site at www.frankbeacham.com. E-mail: frank@frankbeacham.com.
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The Replicating Nature of ‘News’ in Cyberspace
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by Frank Beacham, 5.01.2008
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There are fewer people reporting genuine, long form hard news stories today than anytime in the past 25 years.
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Could It Be the End Of TV News?
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by Frank Beacham, 4.14.2008
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One of the great mysteries to me in these final months of the DTV transition is why call letter television stations continue to allow their news departments to operate in such an abysmal way.
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The Expensive Afterlife of Digital Movies
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by Frank Beacham, 1.23.2008
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Surprise, surprise! Now after the shift to digital filmmaking is almost complete, we discover that archiving film for the future is more expensive than expected.
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Trapped in an Endless Commercial
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by Frank Beacham, 11.21.2007
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In the spring of 1987, I was privileged to attend a 10-week series of lectures at UCLA by Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, a remarkable broadcast pioneer who served as president of NBC between 1953 and 1956.
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The Dark Side Of Apple’s iPhone
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by Frank Beacham, 7.25.2007
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The controversy involves a very real threat to “net neutrality.” It was spawned from a remarkable statement made by a top executive at AT&T, the telco that has exclusive network rights to the iPhone.
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World Events Provide Window To Turbulence in Big Media
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by Frank Beacham, 2.21.2007
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Open your eyes and ears. Observe. Think. Note that we're experiencing rapid changes in how we learn about world events.
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The New Video Crafts For Multimedia
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by Frank Beacham, 11.15.2006
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In the film industry, new technology has traditionally come at a snail's pace. Because of this, filmmakers have had time and tradition for perfecting their craft.
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Crossing the Line to On-screen Confusion
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by Frank Beacham, 9.20.2006
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Every video--whether an industrial, educational, commercial, documentary, or dramatic production--is designed tell a story. How the videographer selects the individual images and pieces them together in an edited sequence determines whether the story is effectively told or leaves the audience confused.
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2005: The Year TV Broke Out of the Box
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by Frank Beacham, 1.25.2006
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At the beginning of 2006, we are at an exciting juncture in the history of television. Even as the old aristocracy attempts to cling to what was, the emerging new technology won't be tamed, controlled, or mandated by Congress.
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Where's the Big DTV Sound?
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by Frank Beacham, 11.23.2005
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During a dinner at the recent AES show in New York City, I listened as a highly respected audio expert ridiculed the sad state of television sound.
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Hurricane Katrina Energizes TV News
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by Frank Beacham, 10.19.2005
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Live 8, the return of the space shuttle, and the London subway bombing each had an enormous impact on television technology in the summer of 2005. Then, Katrina paid a visit to the Gulf Coast.
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Seeing the Forest Beyond the Trees
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by Frank Beacham, 9.21.2005
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To fully understand the broad implications of any new technology, it's important to see the forest--not just the trees. That's common sense, one might think, until it comes down to trying to separate the forest from the tree people.
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Finally, FCC May Turn to Real 'Indecency'
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by Frank Beacham, 7.20.2005
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It's hard to imagine a greater "indecency" on broadcast television than faking the news or tricking viewers into believing commercials are genuine informational programs.
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Antenna Myths: Who's Really Watching Free TV?
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by Frank Beacham, 6.22.2005
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Reports from Capitol Hill say the toughest unresolved issue in legislating a hard deadline for the end of analog TV is what to do about the "disenfranchised."
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Grand Compromise Could Resolve DTV Transition
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by Frank Beacham, 4.18.2005
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When we were all much younger, the Grand Alliance was created to hammer out technical standards. Now, a Grand Compromise is needed to bring finality to what has become an endless journey through political quicksand.
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Broadcasting Comes To a Crossroads
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by Frank Beacham, 3.28.2005
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On panel after panel at the McGraw-Hill Media Summit, there was hardly a mention of over-the-air television.
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2005: The Year of HDTV
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by Frank Beacham, 2.16.2005
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If you're not an HD program provider, you're not going to be a successful survivor in the digital era.
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Can We Restore Media Diversity?
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by Frank Beacham, 1.19.2005
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There is no more important an issue on the agenda this new year than restoring the diversity of electronic media in the United States.
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TV News Suffers An Identity Crisis
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by Frank Beacham, 11.24.2004
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October provided an unusually visible stress test for television news.
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The Age of Innuendo
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by Frank Beacham, 10.20.2004
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Rather than seeking truth through objectivity, news and information programs--indeed, entire networks--seek to attract an audience through a distinctive point of view.
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