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Do you read what others are saying about traditional media? From the sublime to the ridiculous, there are dozens of unique and valuable voices available online to inform, infuriate and inspire.

If you have now committed to try anything and everything to improve your local voice - on-air and online- to expand your brand, your reach and revenue, and wonder where to start, start reading. I have links on this page to just some of the resources you should make it your job to read at least every few days. And there are many more if you just follow the trail each voice provides. These are individual blogs and topic-oriented desitinations that feature numerous voices and expertise. And it's all free.

PaidContent.org and TechCrunch both leave me reeling at the sheer volume of creative entrepeneurs that are creating new applications and tools and destinations online. The number of ventures in alpha, beta or debut is mind boggling - and it points to a reality that should make traditional media very nervous. It makes me nervous. There are people you've never heard of out there doing things that appeal to the audience you're losing. Lots of them. I don't even understand half of it - which just makes me dig deeper. Social media, web 2.0, search, WiMax, widgets, ajax, mashups, semantic web, Twitter...all terms that impact our future in one way or another.

Traditional media should be leading this change, not idly watching it, or worse, not even being aware of it. The big networks have the cash to acquire these start-up companies as they succeed or at least offer a new revenue potential - but local broadcasters seem caught in the headlights. Not to mention how many local broadcasters have outsourced their web presence to third-parties.

It's about web developers, code writers, creative digital media pros, people who don't carry the burden of history on their backs - these are the people we all need to embrace. And ultimately the cultural change they bring is as important as anything tangible they create.

Change, innovate, experiment and forget what you think you know. The enemy of learning is knowing...

At the very least, make an effort to see what's going on all around you - and plug in to the contrarians and visionaries that will shake you out of your complacency and challenge all your assumptions. You may disagree, you may even be offended, but you will be enlightened and part of the future instead of part the past. In the end, no one really has a complete grasp on where this is all headed and how to make money doing it - there are hundreds of companies trying to figure it out and rolling the dice. Broadcasters need to be in the thick of it and are mostly following instead of leading.

Easy to say - harder to do, I know. But at least start by doing some reading.
It couldn't hurt.