View From the Phlipside

One of the shows fans (Dude, I have fans! So excited) asked if we could spread the scripts out over several days for longer enjoyment. So I figured we could try. One Wednesday, one Thursda and one on Friday.


These are the scripts from my weekly media commentary program on WRFA-LP Jamestown

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the movies and more. I love 'em and I hate em' and I always have an opinion. Call this the view from the Phlipside

Have you ever seen a Redbox? Not Redbook but Redbox the little DVD rental kiosks. There are several of them at least in our area. Now as an owner of a private movie collection that numbers up around a 100 titles and a Netflix subscriber I don't pay them much attention. Till I discovered that some of the big movie studios have got their panties in a twist over them. A quick background - Redbox is exactly that a big red box with a selection of movie DVDs inside that you can rent for a dollar a day. You pay with your credit card and you can drop your movie off at any Redbox. Very simple.

And the movie studios are just hopping mad. They don't like their movies being rented for so little, a number of them have relationsips with video stores and they see this as competition (Redbox has 19% of the market right now, video stores have 45%). They say Redbox is to the movie industry what the internet was to the music industry. Needless to say they may be right and promptly miss the point. The music industry is in the final stages of losing their initial battle with the internet. A whole new way of doing business is rising out of the ashes. Somehow the movie moguls figure they can win.

I've got news for them. They can't.

Lower prices for the same product is going to win. Every time. The movie studios are currently fighting back by making sure that Redbox doesn't get new releases till the stores have had them for 28 days. My solution is simpler. If you can't beat them, join them. Suppose you walk into a store and are confronted by two kiosks. One says Redbox, other says Blockbuster Box (or whatever). Same products, competitive prices. Who you gonna trust, especially with a credit card number. If video stores are on the way out then at least you get your foot into the future of the industry. If not then at least you've got all the bases covered. In reality you have to wonder if the Redbox concept will really cover everyone's needs. Other than the impulse DVD renter and the extreme low budget renter you still get more choice at a store, you get more copies of your choices at a store and you usually get a fairly informed staff to help out.

You have to wonder however how long the media king pins are going to keep believing they can stop the tide.


Call that the view from the Phlipside