DIALING UP A TV REVOLUTION CELL-PHONE USERS TO HAVE ACCESS TO ALTERNATE ENDINGS, LATEST IN NEWS.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

UNIVERSAL CITY - If reality TV show ``Big Brother'' doesn't end the way you think it should, cellular phone-toting fans may soon have the ability to alter the outcome.

At least, that's what online news pioneer Larry Kramer said Wednesday at the iHollywood Forum in Universal City. Kramer, now president of CBS Digital Media, unveiled several new forms of mobile delivery for the network, including the ability of cell-phone users to tap into alternative endings for their favorite shows.

Before a show even airs, CBS will ``work mobility and interactivity into the programming,'' said Kramer, who didn't specify when the technology will be available for consumers. ''I can't tell you what direction we're going in, but we're going fast.''

CBS is also looking into alternative methods of news delivery. Other networks developed cable TV brands to deliver 24-hour news coverage. But CBS has completely bypassed cable to focus on digital forms of news delivery, said Kramer, who created what is today business-news Web site MarketWatch.

``What's happened in the last four years is a seismic shift in news content. And the biggest barrier is how to change,'' he said.

Of course, consumers also have to purchase the technology. It's virtually impossible to find a cell phone for under $100 that plays music and TV-quality videos, according to David Bluhm, chief executive officer of goTV, a Sherman Oaks company that creates TV content for mobile devices.

``And I think we're two Christmas cycles away,'' said Bluhm, estimating how long it will take before mobile video phones are more mainstream.

Despite his forecast, goTV already has hundreds of thousands of subscribers to its Pure Phat music channel. For $5.95 a month, subscribers gain access to interviews with rap artists, hip-hop music and live chat forums.

The challenge is keeping the consumer's interest when watching a cell phone. ``So we try to keep shows within three to seven minutes of length because watching a video on the phone can be highly interruptive,'' Bluhm said.

That's why Ian Blaine, chief executive officer of thePlatform, is developing technology to minimize the blips and bleeps of content delivery. His Seattle-based company doesn't foresee a single mode of delivery for music, video and news updates.

``The canvases are going to be different. And the value will be in providing content specific to consumers' needs,'' Blaine said.

Cable TV is almost a template when it comes to the future of how mobile devices will deliver media. And consumers will be able to pick and choose what they want to view, said Blaine, whose company provides publishing services for CNBC, Comcast, Microsoft and the Wall Street Journal Online. Blaine compared media delivery with video on demand. ``It simply goes hand in hand,'' he said. ``And that's how we'll see it delivered.''

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com