TV news company WebsEdge is soliciting historical research centers, government agencies, libraries and archives, schools, colleges and universities, museums, and institutions from around the country to sign up for five minute profile segments to air during 30 minute news programs, on what they are calling HistoriansTV, during the 123rd annual AHA meeting. Apparently, one of the draws is that this video can later be used for promotions. Cost? Almost 20,000 dollars. I don’t know what the budget for these institutions might be, but a five minute news segment is NOT worth 20,000 dollars. I think I could do it by myself, leaving out the second rate reporters featured in their sample pieces and hiring second rate voice talent to track it later in my apartment, for maybe…$4,000, if I had to fly to Hawaii. These television people are living in the dark ages. History related institutions need to put that money into their websites. Television production does not cost very much these days. Right now, I am sitting in front of a machine that edits better than the $100,000 linear ‘digital’ editor that I learned my obsolete craft on. It’s a good idea I guess, even though I’m not sure they could prove that many of the people at the meeting are going to want to watch a news show about the meeting, when they could be at book world or whatever it’s called. $20,000!? I wonder if they are hiring…
November 9, 2008...12:03 am
HistoriansTV
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November 9, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Hi Andrea,
I agree! I was beyond astonished when I saw this notice on the AHA website…to me, the whole thing sounded like a scam. Leave the “promotion” pieces to the institution’s development departments – they know what they’re doing and probably know how to get it for far less that $19,500.
November 16, 2008 at 5:59 pm
The example of “WebsEdge’s” work is for ICMA and nowhere mentions what ICMA stands for.
I went to their site and found:
ICMA (International City/County Management Association)
In addition to supporting its nearly 9,000 members, ICMA provides publications, data, information, technical assistance, and training and professional development to thousands of city, town, and county experts and other individuals throughout the world.
The organization is an internationally recognized publisher of information resources ranging from textbooks and survey data to topical newsletters and e-publications.
If ICMA “provides technical assistance” and is “an internationally recognized publisher of..e-publications” it would seem like they could run their own site and not farm it out.