The Future of Media?

After yesterday's decision to create the Canadian Media Fund I've decided to set up a discussion group on the future of media. The current models, TV, radio, newspapers etc., seem to be broken. The CBC is cutting back annually, local stations are going away, newspapers are laying off and folding and most internet financial models are still unproven.

Most mass media is less than 100 years old (tv, radio, film, recorded music, mass publishing, etc) so the obvious questions are

Is it going away?

Are there economic models that would make it work?

If it is going away and there aren't models to make it work what are we going to replace it with and how?

What are local markets going to do if everything is consolidated into national networks and big cities?

What is the future of public and public service broadcasters?

How is any of this going to work in a deeply fragmented marketplace where audiences are small and demanding?

Calls to increase funding to the CBC by you, me or the Heritage Committee appear to be falling on deaf ears, and calls to increase subsidies are meeting more and more resistance. So if people won't subsidize it, and won't pay for it at all if they can avoid it, how does/should the new model work?

So my question(s) are are you interested in participating in such a group and if so what works best for active conversation? A bulletin board? Facebook Group? Google Group?

If you're interested get in touch.