#Learfield

@pedluna.bsky.social

6 months ago

Thank you @secnetwork.bsky.social for the shoutout of our coverage of @losaggies.bsky.social for #Learfield of #AggieFootball during the #CashiusHowell #SackTrick @tamu.bsky.social #12thMan #GigEm #LosAggies

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LLMs

@llms.activitypub.awakari.com.ap.brid.gy

6 months ago

The Internet in 1993 1993 is often marked as the year the Internet “went mainstream.” The Mosaic web browser (released by NCSA in January) [link] was the first to make the World Wide Web accessible to ordinary people—images inline with text, point-and-click navigation, bookmarks. It spread like wildfire. Tim Berners-Lee’s protocols (HTTP, HTML) had been around for a couple of years, but Mosaic lit the match. Until then, the Internet was largely academic and government-funded. Companies like AOL, CompuServe, and Prodigy were still running their own walled gardens, but suddenly the “open” Internet looked much more attractive. 1993 saw the launch of the first graphical web magazines (e.g. Wired’s early web presence, the Internet Underground Music Archive). Newsgroups (Usenet) were still the beating heart of online culture: technical forums, fandoms, flame wars, and the infamous “Eternal September” (AOL unleashing new users onto Usenet). Fewer than 100 websites existed at the start of 1993. By year’s end, there were over 600—an exponential curve was beginning. Internet users worldwide numbered around 14 million. Compare that to billions today. In hindsight, 1993 feels like the “hinge year.” **Before** : academics, researchers, and a few hackers exchanging text. **After** : browsers, commercialization, and the first glimpse of the Internet as a global medium for culture, business, and daily life. In 1993 I had been working for **Learfield Communications** for eight years. The company operated regional radio networks throughout the midwest and there wasn’t much interest in what most of my co-workers referred to as “that Internet thing.” I, however, was smitten and quickly became very annoying on the topic. Over the course of the next five years I pissed away a lot of company resources (money and man-hours). After retiring in 2012 I made some **notes on that period**. A half-assed history, if you will. This morning I uploaded those notes to ChatGPT and it came back with a timeline. * * * **1993–1994: Early Signals****** * Internet begins morphing into the World Wide Web. * Learfield explores creating a low-cost alternative to AP for radio affiliates. * First banner ads appear (Hotwired.com, October 1994). * A St. Louis company registers **MO.net** ; Learfield doesn’t contest. **1995: First Steps into the Web****** * **April** : University of Missouri demo of Netscape Navigator at Learfield offices. * **Spring** : Dan Arnall (journalism) and **Allen Hammock** (computer science) recruited via MU’s J-School. They form **Echo Communications**. * **May 22** : Clyde Lear memo acknowledges Learfield’s interest in the Internet’s advertising potential. * **May 31** : Strategy meeting at Lake of the Ozarks. * **August** : Learfield registers **Learfield.com**. * **September** : Mark Cuban calls—his new company **AudioNet** (formerly Cameron Audio Networks) seeks sports streaming rights. * **October 31** : Clyde Lear memo proposes $80,000 equipment + $35,000 annual ops for live Internet broadcasts. * **November 6** : Memo announces contract with Echo Communications, plan to stream nine university sports broadcasts. * **November 10** : Meeting with Mark Cuban in Kansas City—he offers 10% of AudioNet for ~$500k–$1M (Learfield passes). **December** : * Agreement signed with **AudioNet** for Internet distribution of Learfield sports programming. * Clyde memo sets **Jan 6, 1996** as launch date for live basketball streams. * New Learfield LLC formed for Internet project, named **Straylight**. **1996: Going Live****** * **January 6** : First live basketball broadcast streamed on the Internet. * **January 13** : Exclusive live Internet coverage of Republican GOP candidate debate from Iowa. * **Spring** : Radio Iowa launches **Campaign Countdown** for caucus coverage. * **July 1** : Official launch of **Straylight** as its own company (Learfield majority-owned, with employee investors). * **July** : Arnall, Hammock, and Steve Mays visit Mark Cuban’s Dallas warehouse operation. * Learfield begins registering domains for all networks. **1997: Expansion & Relocation****** * **July 1** : Straylight opens new office in **Seattle** to be closer to Internet startup scene. * Allen Hammock appears on _The Derry Brownfield Show_. * Clyde Lear’s October memo highlights products: **Gamecruiser** (audio, chat, stats, fan pages) and **AdActive** (interactive ad platform). * **November 12** : Clyde memo notes Straylight’s new basketball website, AdActive still in development but sales weak. **1998: The End of Straylight****** * **July** : Straylight stops working on Gamecruiser; focuses entirely on **AdActive (“intelligent ad banner”)**. * **October** : Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner visit Learfield in Jefferson City. * **December** : Straylight ceases operations (just months before Cuban sells **Broadcast.com** to Yahoo! for $5.7B in April 1999). That’s the arc: from cautious curiosity in 1993 → bold launch of Straylight in 1996 → expansion to Seattle in 1997 → shutting down by end of 1998.

The Internet in 1993 1993 is often marked as the year the Internet “went mainstream.” The Mosaic web browser (released by NCSA in January) [link] was the first to make the World Wide Web access...

#Learfield #internet

Origin | Interest | Match

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LLMs

@llms.activitypub.awakari.com.ap.brid.gy

7 months ago

The demise of “Hometown Radio” Like a lot of small town radio stations, **KBOA** billed itself as “Hometown Radio.” And it was truly that. My father worked in small town radio for most of his career and I was lucky enough to be **part of it for a dozen years** (**1972** -1984). I spent most of the next dozen years doing affiliate relations for **a company that operated regional radio networks** throughout the Midwest. It was during this time I witnessed the beginning of the end for small market radio. GPT-5 does a pretty good job of explaining what happened: * * * _The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 wasn’t aimed squarely at radio–it was about deregulating cable TV–but it reflected a broader Reagan-era communications philosophy: Government should step back from regulating the content, ownership, and rates of communications media. Let the “market” decide what thrives._ _The FCC, taking its cues, started softening enforcement of long-standing rules that had kept local radio… well, local. Things like:_ * _Community service requirements (public affairs programming, coverage of local issues) were dialed way down._ * _Stricter ownership limits were already easing before ’84, and the climate was shifting toward more consolidation._ * _Stations were no longer expected to keep those old public inspection files full of quarterly reports on local needs and issues–meaning less accountability to the towns they served._ _The 1984 act didn’t kill local radio overnight–it just removed some guardrails. A few key dominoes followed:_ _**Late 1980sEarly 1990s** – Satellite-fed music formats and syndicated talk shows exploded, replacing live local talent in small markets. Automation systems (cart decks reel-to-reel hard drives) made it cheap to run a station without a staff in the building._ _**1996: The Big Bang** – The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the knockout punch. It removed most caps on how many stations one company could own, nationally and in a single market. This triggered a buying frenzy–Clear Channel (later iHeart), Cumulus, and others hoovered up hundreds of small-town stations._ _Once ownership concentrated. Programming decisions moved to corporate headquarters, often hundreds of miles away. “Local” DJs became voice-tracked personalities who might never set foot in the town they were “serving.” Newsrooms were gutted–where a station once had three or four reporters covering city hall and the high school football game, it now had none. Ad sales shifted from helping the Main Street hardware store to courting regional and national accounts._ _The result: radio still exists in small towns, but it’s usually a relay tower for something produced in Dallas, Atlanta, or New York. The legal call letters stay the same, but the civic connection is gone._ _For listeners, the change was gradual–like your favorite diner quietly replacing homemade pie with Sysco desserts. The signal was still there, but the soul wasn’t. By the 2000s, “hometown radio” as it existed in the 1960s80s–local DJs, swap shop shows, remotes from the county fair, and funeral announcements–was mostly gone. Streaming, podcasts, and Spotify just finished what deregulation and consolidation started._ _If you draw the line straight: 1984 Act deregulation climate weaker local obligations syndication & automation 1996 Telecom Act mega-consolidation death of small-market localism. It’s not that the 1984 law alone killed hometown radio–it’s that it was the first shove down the slope._

The demise of “Hometown Radio” Like a lot of small town radio stations, KBOA billed itself as “Hometown Radio.” And it was truly that. My father worked in small town radio for most of his c...

#Learfield #Politics #& #Government #ChatGPT #Radio

Origin | Interest | Match

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Texas Longhorns - The University of Texas at Austin

@utlonghorns.bsky.social

8 months ago

did what we do 💪🤘

#HookEm | #Learfield

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Seefinish - Publyk Sqyare

@seefinishpublyk.bsky.social

1 year ago

Summary Analysis of Technology Headlines - Seefinish & Insights Summary Analysis of Technology Headlines. Text Mining, Sentiment Analysis and Info-Emotional Themed Classification of Aggregated Headlines. Discover Positive and Negative Sentiment headlines, covering...

Top Hashtags from Technology Headlines Analysis 2025-03-12:

#technology #ai #best #apple #new #macbook #air #m4 #latest #little #laptops #3a #tiobe #index #march #languages #legacy #step #guide #cutting #learfield #sports ..

Discover more 🚀🚀.. seefinish.com.ng/summary-anal...

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Seefinish - Publyk Sqyare

@seefinishpublyk.bsky.social

1 year ago

Top Hashtags 2025-03-11: #technology #ai #3a #review #macbook #air #earbuds #pro #march #tiobe #index #legacy #languages #learfield

Tech headlines sentiments analysed, 23(60.53%) had Negative, 15(39.47%) Positive sentiments

Technology Summary Analysis : Discover More seefinish.com/summary-anal...

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

Gallatin Raptor TDs.

Rylan Schlepp opens the Bobcat scoring in the QF of the #FCSPlayoffs.

That alley-oop, slam dunk touchdown.

I'm not sure tight ends are supposed to be able to do that.

#BehindTheMic #Learfield

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

Touchdown Tommy #40 on the ground. 2nd only to Cody Kirk.

This started the 42-point avalanche for the Bobcats.

#BehindTheMic #Learfield #FCS

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

That scootin' butte didn't even hit top speed on this run.

#Learfield #BehindTheMic

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮

This was Tommy Mellott's 50th career passing TD, 5th all-time, and his 90th TD responsible for.

#BehindTheMic #Learfield

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

Montana State starts the season with a comeback FBS win at New Mexico.

They finish with back-to-back top 10 wins.

The Bobcats are 12-0 heading into the #FCS Playoffs as the #1 seed.

#BehindTheMic #Learfield #MSUBobcatFB

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

Anyone in Bozeman today "bringing the juice?"

Tommy Mellott explains what he needs from Bobcat Stadium when he's finishing off one of his patented breakaway TDs.

How many more touchdowns from Tommy are left at 11th & Kagy?

The 123rd Brawl of the Wild is here

#MSUBobcatFB #Learfield #BehindTheMic

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

First sideline snag of the year.

#BehindTheMic #Learfield

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

Even being that wide open, this catch has a high degree of difficulty, especially for a tight end.

#MSUBobcatFB first touchdown of the game and the start of 30 straight points.

#BehindTheMic #Learfield @bigskyconf.bsky.social

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

Here is how #MSUBobcatFB grabbed the Big Sky Football Championship.

#Learfield #BehindTheMic @bigskyconf.bsky.social

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Gillogly

@gillogly-keaton.bsky.social

1 year ago

It was cool hearing how Simeon Woodard, senior cornerback, found his academic passion through a love of reading.

#BookSky #Learfield #BehindtheMic #CatChat

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Posts tagged #Learfield