President Chuck kicked off the meeting by relating the adventure of Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon Jr, who completed the first non-stop, trans-Pacific flight on today’s date in 1931. They flew over 41 hours in an early version of a retractable gear airplane (actually, they jettisoned the gear over the ocean) from Japan to Washington State. They belly flopped into the United States near Wenatchee.
Announcements:
President Chuck encouraged us to attend next week because it will be the kick off of our 2015 Major Project Fundraiser.
He also guaranteed that we will enjoy the humor of District Governor Bill Robson.
Guest of Rotarians:
Joe Coons brought Dr. Matt Dorsch, local dentist
Dominique Zervas introduced Jennifer Slattery, great grand daughter-in-law of Bud Peth
Teri Treat brought Phillip R. George with George Law PLLC
Program:
Bill Gorman, a local Rotarian (Bellingham Bay Club) and assistant District Governor, presented a sweeping overview of the many changes in the way that information and entertainment are delivered to us today.
A Bellingham resident for 40 years after graduating from Western Washington University, Bill is now doing freelance Public Relations work with his wife, Tami, as Gorman Publicity. He has extensive experience in the field of communications, and is extensively engaged in community and philanthropic endeavors.
A number of demographic and other trends are driving the current, rapid pace of change in communications. This year, for the first time, the number of members of the "Millennials" generation(generally described as those with birth years ranging from the early 1980s to early 2000s)has surpassed the number of "Baby Boomers." This younger generation's penchant for social interaction unbounded by proximity flourishes largely through connected gaming. Individuals now connect to anywhere in the world for shared game playing, and the social interaction that goes with that experience.
High speed internet is essential to this interaction, and in the US over 70% of households now have broadband connections. In Bellingham, that percentage is well over 90%.
The internet has changed many business models in the recent past, including text based communications (books and newspapers) and music and video distribution. Television, which once was funded 98% by advertising, is now closer to 50%, as revenue from content providers and others displaces traditional ad revenue. The natural progression of technology adoption in television has now reached a tipping point, and it is anticipated that the internet will be the predominate source of TV content in a very short time.
It appears that the size of the viewing screen is less important than one might expect, and video streaming to all devices – regular TV screens, computers, tablets and smart phones – will be engaged.
In response to questions from Club members, Bill offered the following insights:
• Figuring out where where and how to place advertising will be more difficult than in the past; • Local newspapers and radio still have some traction; • Facebook is the new place to advertise, and people pay a lot more attention to video messages; and • Virtual reality is not yet ready for prime time (using it still makes many users sick).
Bill's program was an interesting portrayal of what are likely to be turbulent and exciting times ahead.