The Net Nabbed TV's Best: Where Are They Now?

The sudden boom of dotcom disasters hammered reality into web know-it-alls and high-profile broadcasters into the ground. Television technicians, managers and journalists were originally lured to the web by stratospheric salaries. Now the kaboom of consolidation and site destructions have landed these folks back where they started. Or did it?

Journalists, for example, ventured to the web because it allowed them to exceed the typical 30-second TV sound byte, and also provided links to graphs, charts, sidebars and other sites. You name it, the Internet had it. But something was missing: the web couldn't generate enough revenue to stay afloat.

So what does this mean for web employees? Many web employees did not want to go on the record or refused to return telephone calls concerning their dot bombs. But according to Internet research, the publishing industry is a common destination for those who have fallen off the web. According to The Industry Standard magazine website, as of press time, 133,972 jobs have been obliterated in the U.S., during the past year, many of them media-related.

Jenny Ambrozek, founder of SageNet LLC, inferred "Some very senior people will go back to established organizations. For the people who have been in New Media for a long time in senior-management positions, it's been a real challenge. A number of people established themselves in a consulting situation. The roles they had before don't exist. The bounty of people in the labor market makes it very competitive." Michal Harris, who recently resigned her position at New York Times Digital (NYTd), reported that some of the people who were let go from NYTd "pursued other dotcom or computer-related jobs."

Jeannette McClennan, a senior partner at Ogilvy interactive's North American division, is optimistic. "The experience for those who have gone to interactive companies can only make them a stronger, more-qualified talent for new adventures. Even though there has been downsizing in interactive companies, one of the things that is going on in media corporations is the desire to acquire [former web employees'] experience and to have them back at mainstream corporations." She went on to say that the entrepreneurial bug may be buzzing about. "There will be a lot of smart, next-generation interactive or Internet-oriented companies coming around. They won't just be pure play. What businesses have learned through the adoption of the Internet is that customers tend to do things like get in their cars and go to the store. They still pick up their telephones and have full lives that aren't led completely by the web. There will be a need to understand this channel and how it will play for the consumer. In doing so, it wil l open up a lot of interesting job opportunities for people who can be multi-channel oriented, McClennan predicted."

However, there is still a downside to such new opportunities -- especially for those who stuffed their pockets with exploding dotcom salaries. McClenna explained, "They have to make sacrifices on the short term financially." But, she added: "I don't think it will b so harsh that they can't afford their lifestyle."

Company reps generally do not want to acknowledge any drastic faults such as why their Internet company faltered so rapidly. McClennan suggested "Often there were smart product ideas that really didn't warrant a business The second factor is that a lot of ideas were too dependent on one dream. The third is probably the most important reason -- execution."

After the downsizing of web workers, what is next for these companies as a whole? To Harris, online businesses "will be fine. It is a new market that must go through 'market boot-camp' before things stabilize." And what does that mean for web journalism? One thing is for sure - it is not over. It just needs a bit of revamping. "The role of the website with publishing companies is something that we saw with the integration of communications technology in day-to-day business. If you look at the lay-offs from dotcom concerns like CNN or Fox, it's because they were created as separate entities." Ambrozek explained that television works well with the web, but not as a competitor. "TV stations do not make any sense without the web. It is an integral part of doing business. For example, The Today Show staff knows how to use interactivity. Look no further than the people outside [the studio]. They are using NBC.com to gather e-mail, put together shows and do special features. When Matt Lauer goes around the world -- you can track him on the website. That is where television is heading with integration."

Ambrozek hypothesized, "we understand now what the web is and what it isn't. Websites aren't going to make money out of advertising." Citing CNN.com as a great example of using the web to tie in with television (despite its abundant employee layoffs), SageNet's founder hypothesized about what tools may help to ascend the Internet superhighway of the future. "We need to find other business models so they can be a part of day-to-day operations" she pronounced.

According to the latest trends, one of the ways to find success on the Internet is to stay focused on one idea and not to waver. McClennan pointed out why Ogilvy is at the top of its game. "For one, we didn't spin off Ogilvy Interactive and make it a stand-alone company although there was an awful lot of pressure on us to do that."