ABC News and Yahoo Are BFF Now

Brian Stelter of the New York Times reports that ABC News and Yahoo have formed a partnership to share material and feature web video. Is this what MSNBC wanted to be 15 years ago?

The partnership, announced this AM on Good Morning America (disclosure: my old employers) was described as a “game changer” for network news, already considered a dying animal. ABC News and ABCNews.com already languish low-ish end of the major news brands in terms of Web and broadcast traffic, hope that joining forces will help that.

Yahoo, the #1 online news source (unconfirmed) has had its own bad news in the past few months, it’s struggling with stagnant advertising revenues, and last month fired CEO Carol Bartz. The alliance with ABC will bring Yahoo’s news site brand-name stars like the smooth-jazz-voiced Diane Sawyer and network-hopper Katie Couric.

Each Web site will have editorial independence, but the news organizations will share content, co-produce coverage of some news events and have “integrated bureaus” in New York, Washington and Los Angeles, according to a news release. In addition, to leverage its most visible broadcast presence, Good Morning America, ABC/Yahoo has launched a new online presence at GoodMorningAmerica.com.

As with AOL’s (another dying dotcom dinosaur) acquisition of The Huffington Post earlier this year, the alliance is an example of two major media monsters joining forces to each become stronger on the Web, where audiences are fractured, other content is just a click away, and audience allegiance is fleeting.

With typical morning-anchor energy and enthusiasm, the anchors billed it as “a brand new partnership that is instantly going to become the No. 1 news source online.” That won’t be too hard for Yahoo News, assisted by the enormously popular (!) Yahoo home page, which is already #1 on its own. To wit, in August 2011, Yahoo had 81.2 MM unique visitors, CNN’s sites came in at #2 with 75.3 MM, and the aforementioned HuffPo-AOL was #3, with 56.7 MM, just edging out MSNBCm which had 55.6 MM. ABC News drew 24.4 million (thank you, ComScore).

Yahoo and ABC project that they will together reach 100 million visitors a month. Is that realistic? I’m not so sure yet, but ABC will definitely see a lot more traffic. As a broadcast news network without a 24-hour cable presence (they’ve considered it), it certainly may be more cost-effective and future-facing. As more and more folks are equipped with broadband video viewing capability, from home and mobile, utilizing the penetration of Yahoo and the brand credibility of ABC may be very useful. When MSNBC started in the mid-90s, it was hailed as a great partnership with giants of Computers and News, with the rise of the Internet. I thought it was a great idea at the time, but also ahead of itself: most people, if online at all, were on dial-up. A mobile phone, if you had one, was just a phone.

Now, 15+ years later, these technologies have matured, and there’s greater penetration (and consumer habit) of use. What’s this mean? There will be greater, and easier access to ABC News. All that good stuff that ABC News produces will be pushed out on the giant Yahoo network. Yahoo gets more news credibility, network-quality contents, and ABC network stars. With the launch of GoodMorningAmerica.com (which I need to play with, and report back on), they’re leveraging ABC’s most visible broadcast presence online. It’s the place that starts many mornings, has the glossiest headlines and talent (Hollywood and ABC), the most branded segments, and probably the most interactive audience. Let’s revisit this in a year, and see what happens (with apologies to AMC).

Latest items...

• the Magic Container Garden as seen through the Kitchen Aid Food Processor. Stay tuned for the unboxing.
• Tito's Martini, Dirty. Ice Cold.
• Pulled Pork and Onion Rings from the Whippi Dip of Fairlee, VT. Food tip fromRussell Hirschler

Garden Update

We've had a few HOT days here in NYC, and it's really given the garden a boost (along with my electric bill).

I pinched off a bit of basil from the two (four?) plants a couple of days ago for a nice hot-weather lunch of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil (and some salami —shh!) dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette and served with a baguette. Yum. It's the taste of summer.

Lunch didn't last long enough for pictures, so here's more of the garden.Overall, we've gotten some really nice growth, and the basil's been plentiful. Rosemary's going to have to be a bit bushier before I harvest any. The oregano is growing well, but still only a few lonely branches.

More basil will be utilized this evening with a flank steak…!

Rosemary: 22cm +3

Basil 1: 22cm +7

Basil 2: 22cm +7

Oregano: 20cm +5

Return of the Garden (Episode III)

Yay, it's that time again!

I've planted my 2011 Garden, and I'm looking forward to the bounty of herbs this summer. I've switched it up a bit this year; so far, only

select

herbs, and giving them a bit more room. This year, I'm going with rosemary, basil (2/4) and oregano thus far.

The oregano miraculously survived the winter, marking its third y

ear in the container. It on

ly has a f

ew shoots left, down from the small bush that it used to be. With so

me pruning and a lot of love, hopefully it'll catch up.

The rosemary (new) will be isolated on one side, as it likes a bit drier soil, and was previously living next to the basil, which likes it wet. I'm considering (and looking for) a waterproof separator.

For basil, I'm rocking two sets of two plants this summer – you can never have enough basil, and I preserve it for the winter. This year, I'm separating them out a bit, so as not to get too crowded. 2010's crop was slow and sat close together– sometimes would shield other parts from the sun, which led to a lot of immature leaves, and slow growth.

I'm going to attempt to actually track growth this year on a consistent basis, so here's the base

line:

• Rosemary: 19cm
  
• Basil 1: 15cm
  
• Basil 2: 11cm
• Oregano: 15cm
  

I had suspended my weather station sensor from the container (to mostly shield it from sun and elements and increase accuracy), but that attachment rusted in the spring rains. I need to

find a new solution to mount it there, and get it off the windowsill.

An extreme close-up of the rosemary… You can see the texture pattern of the leaves and tiny little hairs as well (oooh… scary!). Yay for macrophotography. Something to play more with.

We had a TON of sun/heat yesterday – my weather station recorded a 96 at one point during the day— and a TORNADO WATCH, for f's sake, so I hope to get a lot of growth over the next few days.

Bringing Back the Urban Garden

OMG... My container garden is a major shitshow after this winter. Everything's dead (dormant?), and even Wormie (the little water buddy) looks like E.T. when the dudes in spacesuits came to get him.

That said, my weather station says that it's 54.1F out today, and I have peak sun (before it goes behind that frickin' dorm) on the sill starting around 11a for a few hours. I'm going to add some Miracle-Gro to some warmish water, and see if I can jumpstart some photosynthesis action.

Also, I'll try to MacGyver a solution to secure the outside weather sensor for the Weather Station. I hope to utilize the container and plants to shade the sensor, while also raising it off the sill itself. I'm sure there's something I can work out with a large metal clip.

Debating whether or not to post images... It's really an ugly scene.

Pot Roast with Porcini Mushrooms

Epicurious Red-Wine Pot Roast with Porcini Mushrooms

iPad, ready for action. Really a great tool (paired with Dropbox) for the kitchen. I sync my lappie to the iPad with a Recipes folder. Wrapped in Saran, it's well-protected, and not as much of a space/damage risk as having the laptop in the kitchen. Amazingly, the touchscreen works really well through the wrap.

Browning on all sides. This is the new Mario Batali Dutch Oven we got for our engagement. Half the price of the La Creuset, and just as badass.

At rest, next to the chopped veggies.
Building the braise, including browned veggies, San Marzano tomatoes (Rogee-crushed), a cup of Simi Cabernet, some dried oregano from my container garden, 2 cups of Mama Resnicoff's chicken stock (from the freezer, when Sweetie had her knee surgery).

Into the oven for 3 hours, while I go to do yoga down the street.

Mayan Riviera, Mexico - "Japanese" Restaurant

Ray's Hell Burger -Washington, DC

• Ray's Hell Burger, Arlington VA
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• The Burger of Seville
• (Yes, you're next. You're so next!)
• Seared Foie Gras, Sauteed Mushrooms, Bordelaise Sauce, Truffle Oil

• Let's Get It On (We are All Sensitive Burgers With So Much To Give)
• Applewood Smoked Bacon, Swiss & Vermont White Cheddar Cheeses, Cognac & Sherry Sauteed Mushrooms, Grilled Red Onions, Sauteed Peppers, Roasted Garlic, Lettuce & Tomato
  
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Makin' Pot Roast

Making a pot roast with the new dutch oven-- if I could share via @epicurious website, I'd be able to share the recipe.. Hint, hint. #socialmedia #FAIL

Social Media Week: Foodies and Geekery

Social Media Week – it was a whirlwind.

Aside from the fact that I was closely following the Egypt situation that week, in nine cities spanning the globe, social media hobbyist, enthusiasts, professionals, wanna-bes, tyros, ninjas and the like (no ‘gurus’ allowed) gathered to discuss trending topics (haha) IRL, instead of just online. It was a place that I could tell people that I’m using QR codes for my wedding, and the women there thought it was cool.

Some events were hits, some were misses, but most provided the audience with some level of valuable insights into current industry directions. There were six hundred events, both scholarly and cocktail-lubricated, and most were livestreamed. That increased the attendance from 30K+ IRL to around 180K(!). I hope to recap some of the things I learned/experienced…. Soonish.

Since I need to update my food blog too, I’m going to try to crush two pigs with one angry bird and cross-post this. The final (and most fresh in my mind) session I attended was a discussion about how al the digital tools that I love to play and work with enable marketers to build communities around what appears to be America’s Favorite (real) Pastime: Eating. It’s certainly in

New York City, and it certainly is mine (hence the sister blog). More than ever, social media has allowed us to see, discuss, make and share some of our favorite foods. This meeting was entitled, “Almost Good Enough to Eat: Food Communities and Social Media”, and the (great) panel was made up of:

• · Moderator: Sarah De Heer, Community Manager, AOL's KitchenDaily and Slashfood
• · Rebecca P. Bauer, Executive Digital Editor, Food & Wine Magazine
• · Colin Sterling, HuffingtonPost Food
• · Hillary Mickell, CMO/ Co-Founder, Foodily
• · Sarah Simmons, In-House Chef, Foursquare

This panel discussion was supposed to explore the social nature of food and how food communities online grow and prosper. Didn’t quite work out that way, but valuable and enjoyable nonetheless. Considering that it was Friday morning at 9a, the event was packed with food and social media geeks – my kind of people. The sunny penthouse of the Hearst Tower played host, and the discussion ranged from how to integrate social networking technology (sites, apps, GPS, imagery, blogging), tools and techniques to check out for personal enjoyment. There appeared to be quite a few amateur foodies (no disrespect) with visions of Food Network stardom dancing in their heads (or at least easy sponsorship) eagerly looking for information how to connect with the pros. It happens.

As a foodie and wanna-be chef myself, I was raised to believe that food is brings people together and is the center of family and friends. I’ve always said that I’d like to live on a cooking show set; a big kitchen, places for people to sit. That’s it – I can sleep in a loft.

Some negative Nancies say that social media isn’t a great fit for food, as it de-personalizes the experience. To a certain extent, I agree. However, I believe it enhances the long-tail connections and experiences amongst a network; social media enables people to share in that when they can’t be together IRL, with the hopes that it will spur and IRL meeting, or at least an exchange of ideas. Much like Facebook, it’s a way to keep up with all of your friends and contacts to the extent that you want to, and perhaps find some more commonalities along the way. It’s also a way of sharing opinions and advice, on places to eat, items to look for,

or recipes to cook. And isn’t that what Social Media is all about?

Also, I met a fellow food-geek/flack there, who tipped me off to a pop-upstore that Dorie Greenspan (@doriegreenspan) was selling her hand-made cookies at, which we braved the bitter February winds to check out.Cool!