Is it The End or the Beginning?

(If this seems off-topic, I apologize - it's for class. But feel free to read it anyway.)

Remember the Y2K paranoia? People could do nothing but stockpile canned foods, bottled water and AA batteries while they waited for the Dark Age. Emotions ran high and panic ran, well, everywhere really.

Sure enough, at the stroke of midnight, everyone was fine – sheepish but fine (not to mention ridiculously well-equipped for a romantic dinner of canned tuna by candlelight).

The End, CBC’s three part series on the fate of traditional media, beckons me back to that time. Hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, The End explores new emerging digital media and the threat they pose to the survival of terrestrial radio, television, and print media.

 Over the course of the three sections, there seems to be two camps:

1. Tradition: the stodgy snobs and starchy suits preaching order, discipline and the “right” way.
2. Revolution: the young rebels, with their shaggy hair and their trendy slang, rolling their eyes and speaking in air quotes about freedom, choice and democracy. 

With radio it’s CHUM FM vs. XM Satellite.

With television it’s CNN vs. GNN (Guerilla News Network).

With print it’s Margaret Atwood vs. Google Books.

While both sides get in some good digs (my personal favorite being Margaret Atwood’s snide “Have you ever had your system crash?... Books don’t crash”), neither one seems to present a solution. They just kind of stand there, sticking their tongues out and blowing raspberries.

In the meantime, there are some who have decided to make friends and share their toys. 

The End highlights some media outlets that are working towards a middle ground. My favorite example, The New York Times, refer to themselves as “platform agnostic”: they don’t care how their content reaches the masses so long as it does. Although they still offer the print version of their magazine, they also offer it online, in podcast, on video, and along with discussions, blogs, and photography. They’ve even started mixing up the visual layout, offering everything from traditional print style to block text and bullet point. And why not?

Yes, audiences now expect choice.

Yes, audiences now expect personalization.

Yes, audiences now expect variety.

So doesn’t it make sense to offer more than ONE SINGLE SOLUTION?

I think NYT has it right. I hope when the dust settles the others are standing behind them. Actually no, scratch that - I hope the dust never settles at all. I hope media platforms continue to evolve and diversify without getting stuck in the mud ever again.