Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
February 5, 2007
Pg. 5B
Plan is to see war through their eyes
By David Lieberman, USA Today
NEW YORK — A cable channel geared toward soldiers and their families is about to launch an offensive to turn front-line fighters into stars in the fast-growing world of user-generated video.
With support from the Defense Department, Discovery Communications' Military Channel has been asking soldiers to shoot and send in camcorder videos for use on the cable and satellite TV service, as well as its website.
"The Military Channel at its essence is the voice of the troops," says Discovery CEO David Zaslav. "We want to see the war through their eyes. That will help us understand what's going on there."
The fruits of that effort will first appear on Valentine's Day. Operation V-Day will devote 24 ad-free hours to clips of soldiers greeting their loved ones.
After that, the channel will run different soldier-generated videos at the top of each hour.
"It's not limited to feel-good stuff," says Bill Smee, Discovery's vice president for current affairs. "Some of these guys are recording on patrol with cameras in tow, and stuff breaks out. I don't want to overpromise firefights, but you may see the aftermath of an improvised explosive device."
This is Zaslav's first big initiative since he took charge of Discovery last month, after years of overseeing NBC Universal's cable networks. He hopes to accelerate the growth of its widely distributed channels, which draw modest audiences. Along with Military, there's The Science Channel, Discovery Times, Discovery Kids, Discovery Home and Fit TV.
"Discovery is the No. 1 non-fiction media company in the world," Zaslav says. "We have these fantastic platforms. The challenge is to grow those. And the best growth engine for any cable channel is a very strong brand that has a connection with its viewers."
The Military Channel, which replaced Discovery Wings two years ago, appears ripe to break out. It reaches about 27 million cable subscribers — most to the digital package of services — and 17 million satellite homes.
That's enough to make a nice profit. Insurance companies, the armed services and auto and pharmaceutical companies are the leading advertisers. Cable and satellite companies also pay an estimated 10 cents per month for each subscriber getting the channel. About half the estimated $50 million in revenue last year went to cash flow.
But it hopes to do better by boosting its audience from the average in January of 81,000 homes.
New programming may help. It just launched Combat Zone, in which soldiers discuss recent battles in Iraq and elsewhere. A show in development will focus on pilots discussing their dogfights. Another will tell soldiers' life stories.
The new user-generated video could make Military Channel more timely and unpredictable.
"There's a concerted effort to not be the World War II network," Smee says. "The History Channel has dined out on that endlessly and well. The more contemporary we can be, the better we'll be."
February 5, 2007
Pg. 5B
Plan is to see war through their eyes
By David Lieberman, USA Today
NEW YORK — A cable channel geared toward soldiers and their families is about to launch an offensive to turn front-line fighters into stars in the fast-growing world of user-generated video.
With support from the Defense Department, Discovery Communications' Military Channel has been asking soldiers to shoot and send in camcorder videos for use on the cable and satellite TV service, as well as its website.
"The Military Channel at its essence is the voice of the troops," says Discovery CEO David Zaslav. "We want to see the war through their eyes. That will help us understand what's going on there."
The fruits of that effort will first appear on Valentine's Day. Operation V-Day will devote 24 ad-free hours to clips of soldiers greeting their loved ones.
After that, the channel will run different soldier-generated videos at the top of each hour.
"It's not limited to feel-good stuff," says Bill Smee, Discovery's vice president for current affairs. "Some of these guys are recording on patrol with cameras in tow, and stuff breaks out. I don't want to overpromise firefights, but you may see the aftermath of an improvised explosive device."
This is Zaslav's first big initiative since he took charge of Discovery last month, after years of overseeing NBC Universal's cable networks. He hopes to accelerate the growth of its widely distributed channels, which draw modest audiences. Along with Military, there's The Science Channel, Discovery Times, Discovery Kids, Discovery Home and Fit TV.
"Discovery is the No. 1 non-fiction media company in the world," Zaslav says. "We have these fantastic platforms. The challenge is to grow those. And the best growth engine for any cable channel is a very strong brand that has a connection with its viewers."
The Military Channel, which replaced Discovery Wings two years ago, appears ripe to break out. It reaches about 27 million cable subscribers — most to the digital package of services — and 17 million satellite homes.
That's enough to make a nice profit. Insurance companies, the armed services and auto and pharmaceutical companies are the leading advertisers. Cable and satellite companies also pay an estimated 10 cents per month for each subscriber getting the channel. About half the estimated $50 million in revenue last year went to cash flow.
But it hopes to do better by boosting its audience from the average in January of 81,000 homes.
New programming may help. It just launched Combat Zone, in which soldiers discuss recent battles in Iraq and elsewhere. A show in development will focus on pilots discussing their dogfights. Another will tell soldiers' life stories.
The new user-generated video could make Military Channel more timely and unpredictable.
"There's a concerted effort to not be the World War II network," Smee says. "The History Channel has dined out on that endlessly and well. The more contemporary we can be, the better we'll be."
