CITIZEN ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALISM
The FX network has taken podcasting to a new level.
With the fourth season of its provocative original series Nip/Tuck now on air, the network has introduced an interactive “fancast.”
Diehard fans of Nip/Tuck will especially enjoy this new breed of podcasting that enables the average viewer to interview cast members and have it podcasted for the world to hear.
Viewers can also listen to other enthusiasts who have recorded comments about recent shows on the fancast to “hear what the Nip/Tuck community is talking about.”
What makes this feature so interesting, at least to me, is how it works. Users select which actor they wish to ask a question to during a certain fancast. Then the user enters their name, phone number and e-mail address. The system will call the phone number the user entered and will record the question. Once the fancast is put together, users can listen weekly to see if their question was one of only five selected for the actor to answer.
This isn’t the first time FX has tried to make their television shows interactive. During the previous season of Nip/Tuck, viewers could visit a character’s MySpace web site. The site was updated by “The Carver,” a serial butcher whose identity remained a mystery until one of the last episodes of the season. The personalized web site kept by “The Carver” contained some clues as to the identity of the person. Viewers also posted messages stating their theories as to who the person was.
One can argue that the fancast is just an online message board with audio instead of type, but doesn’t it seem cooler to hear your voice interviewing one of your favorite television characters? It’s similar to citizen journalism, only the citizens are not reporting on local selectman’s meetings, they getting access and interviewing some of their favorite Hollywood celebrities.
Will more networks or media outlets pick up on this new experience of television viewers?
Stay tuned.
The FX network has taken podcasting to a new level.
With the fourth season of its provocative original series Nip/Tuck now on air, the network has introduced an interactive “fancast.”
Diehard fans of Nip/Tuck will especially enjoy this new breed of podcasting that enables the average viewer to interview cast members and have it podcasted for the world to hear.
Viewers can also listen to other enthusiasts who have recorded comments about recent shows on the fancast to “hear what the Nip/Tuck community is talking about.”
What makes this feature so interesting, at least to me, is how it works. Users select which actor they wish to ask a question to during a certain fancast. Then the user enters their name, phone number and e-mail address. The system will call the phone number the user entered and will record the question. Once the fancast is put together, users can listen weekly to see if their question was one of only five selected for the actor to answer.
This isn’t the first time FX has tried to make their television shows interactive. During the previous season of Nip/Tuck, viewers could visit a character’s MySpace web site. The site was updated by “The Carver,” a serial butcher whose identity remained a mystery until one of the last episodes of the season. The personalized web site kept by “The Carver” contained some clues as to the identity of the person. Viewers also posted messages stating their theories as to who the person was.
One can argue that the fancast is just an online message board with audio instead of type, but doesn’t it seem cooler to hear your voice interviewing one of your favorite television characters? It’s similar to citizen journalism, only the citizens are not reporting on local selectman’s meetings, they getting access and interviewing some of their favorite Hollywood celebrities.
Will more networks or media outlets pick up on this new experience of television viewers?
Stay tuned.
posted by Michael Naughton at 1:51 PM
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