Talking Tech, Friday, November 3

0.30 – Mark addresses the declining circulation of the major North American newspapers in the first half of the year.  Are newspapers simply irrelevant to today’s generation?  Kevin thinks that newspapers haven’t been able to adapt to the world of free content – online and offline

2.53 – Newspapers have to stop focusing on the news and train their reporting onto the perspective, context and analysis.  The industry needs to report smarter which means smaller newsrooms with young reporters gathering information and experienced journalists telling people what the news means

5.13 – Some newspapers have embraced the new web better than others.  Business 2.0, a monthly business magazine, has launched 16 new blogs but this will have to spark a sea change in the attitude of the reporters

6.44 – If the newspapers want to maintain their relevance, they need to change their thinking to come around to the new way of thinking

7.26 – BCE and Telus are not being allowed to convert into income trusts, an announcement that saw their shares drop.  Mark says that BCE’s own decision to convert to an income trust was a defensive move pressure the federal government into closing the tax loop hole

9.00 – Kevin thinks that the decision was a blessing in disguise – if both had been income trusts, the investment levels into network infrastructure across the country would have been limited

10.04 - Mark agrees that the money not being diverted to unit holders can be used to innovate, expand and defend against the aggressive cable companies like Rogers.  It doesn’t make sense to cap your potential spending in capital investment

10.51 – He goes onto predict Telus will be in a stronger position after the announcement due to their bigger wireless division.  The only people that the decision to stop the conversion won’t be good for are unit holders and

Bay Street

bankers

11.40 - Kevin thinks shareholders will benefit, especially after Telus’s announcement it will raising its dividend by 36 per cent this year

12.24 – Income trusts may not be sexy, but the LG Chocolate phone launch in Toronto was!

12.54 – Kevin says that the phone’s technology is not revolutionary, but there is a huge amount of buzz in Canada around this cool new product.  He gives the phone his seal of approval

12.50 – Mark laments the end of the big PR launches with free bars, great bands and big swag bags.  In Kevin’s mind, the downturn of events is linked to the downturn of the IT industry and the lack of VC money compared to the first dot com boom

Audio comments for Mark and Kevin can now be left on the Talking Tech hotline: [phone] or emailed to [e-mail].

Special thanks to our new announcer, the lovely Amber Mac. The music, as usual, is No Mojo by Anthony Stauffer and Holy Smoke which is available on the pod safe music network.