Future: A Note from Tom Rieland

(General Manager of the WOSU Stations)

When Bob Higgy, the first director and chief engineer of WOSU, put WOSU.TV on the air in 1956, he must have wondered about the future of television. It’s unlikely, however, he imagined color television, remote controls, cable and satellite distribution, closed captioning, 5.1 surround sound, digital broadcasting, HDTV, video on-demand, or 2.5 inch iPod^® screens. What about the next 50 years? In 2056, what will our future be? Like Higgy, I don’t know, but here’s my perspective on the future of broadcasting and WOSU in particular.

In the future, television viewers will use more devices to download and enjoy audio and video (iPods^®… wristwatches… cell phones). The success of iTunes^® suggests we’re more amenable to paying a buck for a program rather than $40 a month for hundreds of channels you won’t watch. With broadband wireless Internet access, new micro-cameras the size of an eyeball, and new advances in digital compression, anyone can exchange high-definition video and audio information from anyplace at anytime, instantly.

In the future, television networks disappear. “Broadcasting” will be just a memory, and everyone will create their own radio and television program schedule at home. Cheap and simple to produce, homemade videos will make everyone a producer!

A few mega-monopolies will compete to provide the fiber optic pipe into your home providing a bundle of services—telephone, television, Internet, video security, and interactive gaming. You’ll still watch video programming and listen to your favorite radio programs, but your programming menu will cater directly to your interests and will even suggest programs it “thinks” you’ll want to watch.

Where does WOSU fit in to such a world? When content is king and the delivery of that content comes in all shapes and sizes, WOSU will become your source for extensive local programming covering the arts, civic life, and lifelong education. WOSU will be a trusted aggregator of content, a much-needed filter when so much information and entertainment is at our beck and call. We will continue to build innovative revenue-sharing partnerships and work with local performing arts organizations to capture their performances to an online archive so you can view and hear those performances on your time schedule.

With studios at COSI, Fawcett Center, and other remote locations across central Ohio, WOSU will capture concerts, lectures, seminars, debates, and town forums, delivering them to you in real time, allowing you to build your own on-demand archive. WOSU will provide a place for future media producers of all ages to learn, create, and tap the talents of the growing community of independent producers. WOSU will become a gathering place for civic engagement to discuss major issues facing us, and we will play a critical role in providing lifelong education and health information.

I was born a few weeks after WOSU.TV went on the air in 1956, and I’ve seen so many changes! Those born in 2006 will see changes as well, but as they grow, WOSU will grow with them. Our success will be tied to our ability to be an integral asset to the communities we serve (and less to the success of a national service like PBS or NPR)—which is why central Ohio is so important to us. Our future is directly tied to your future!