PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

The Media Center keeps the community on the cutting edge of media trends. On June 6, 2007, the public is invited to an insightful and informative discussion, What next? Our Historic Technology and Media Transformation: The Demise of Old Media, the Rise of New Media, and the Massive Ramifications on America, Businesses, Non-profits and You.

$ YouTube sends out 100 million video streams per day.

$ Google had $10 billion in ad revenue last year–more than any television network.

$ 53% of all adult consumers state they view video online, evidence of mainstream adoption of Internet video.

America is in the midst of the biggest technology and media transformation this country has ever been through – far bigger than the arrival of broadcast television. Anytime you fundamentally change the technological underpinning and the media through which Americans are entertained and informed, the ramifications are huge. All businesses – large or small – that use media to market and advertise need to adapt. All non-profit organizations that want to reach out and connect with citizens need to understand these new ways. And the ramifications do not stop at the economy or society, but are deeply changing politics too.

Peter Leyden explains the whole transformation in an accessible and entertaining multimedia talk that leaves you with a deeper understanding of the traumatic transition we are in, but also leaves you inspired by the positive possibilities that are unfolding. Leyden has been watching this story since the early 1990s, as the managing editor of the original Wired magazine, as the co-author of two books on the subject, as part of the futures think tank Global Business Network, and now as the director of the New Politics Institute, a think tank studying new technologies and new media’s impact on politics.

Leyden explains the demise of old media, and the explosive growth of new media. He also talks about the changing audience who consumes these new media, particularly the up-and-coming Millennials Generation, the young people now in their 20s and under who are bigger than the famed Baby Boom generation and substantially more tech savvy. What Leyden does best is connect all these disparate developments in the news, put them all in a larger big-picture context, and show where they are all heading so that you, your organization, or your business can be better prepared for what lies ahead. The event will take place at the Media Center, 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto, on Wednesday, June 6, from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. It is designed for local businesses and non-profits as well as the general public. An optional $10 donation is requested.

This will also be an opportunity to get to know your local media center. Enjoy wine, cheese, social networking, and learn more about the Media Center and how you can make use of it for your own media communications needs. The Midpeninsula Community Media Center (the “Media Center”) is the Mid-Peninsula’s local cable television station. It offers the community professional television, web, and video production services, and classes, as well as public access to all in the service area, which is Atherton, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Stanford.

For more information about this event contact pencavel@gmail.com or call 494-8686 extension 36.