Thanks,
Nancy

I totally agree, it’s a problem. I remember in the 80s when desktop publishing debuted, the graphic designers and typesetters were up in arms — understandably. The amount of visually horrid crap that came out was astounding, and people who cared about typographic quality were appalled. They were also losing business big time. That was a far-from-optimum situation all around.

Eventually the tools improved, and the businesses that offered quality production found new niches that allowed them to practice their art and make a living again.

Yep, the advent of VOIP and the proliferation of cell phones, and the decline of landlines, has got to be painful for audiophiles, despite all its benefits. Still, it’s a question of how to adapt — even though the situation isn’t optimal yet. There have got to be opportunities in here that don’t require clinging to technology that’s phasing out.

- Amy Gahran

LOL! I turned down an engineering job 3 years ago for a company that made high-end equipment for large broadcast TV operations. I said to my friends at the time that this company made the equivalent of high-tech carbon-fiber & titanium buggy whips.

Amy also wrote: “Journalists and other media folks — perhaps more than anyone else — need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances.”

Yes, you’re preaching to the choir on this point. But my complaint is that it’s painful when a new technology replaces an old technology before the new technology matures enough to provide all of the advantages of the old technology. [Geeky dissertation about core phone technology deleted.]

I know a lot of radio and other audio folks who cover other beats though, and I’m sure they’re finding it harder and harder to get the kind of audio they’re used to. Gotta wonder how they’ll adapt. Saying “I won’t interview you unless you have a corded phone on a landline” is starting to sound like “only those with buggy whips need apply.”

And I’m not dissing buggy whips — they were the best tool for their primary job for quite a while. But things change. Journalists and other media folks — perhaps more than anyone else — need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

IMHO, of course

- Amy Gahran

Perhaps so. But in my case, the majority of folks who are experts in things outdoorsy, or who have positions in public land management agencies (the focus of my work) either live/work in places that are too rural for broadband, or are not sufficiently technical to deal with something as geeky as Skype. The expensive and slow alternative is to pay more remote field producers to go on-site to do the recordings. (Sigh!)

Thanks — but of course I wan’t intentionally frugal. I was inadvertently driven to frugality by bad customer service at the higher-priced vendor.

- Amy