In February 2013, Delia Smith vowed never to star in another TV cookery show – instead choosing to offer online cookery tutorials. The veteran TV chef is reported to have made the shock announcement at a Birmingham consumer trade show – according to a report in the Telegraph – stating that she has turned down a (no-doubt lucrative) request from the BBC to develop a new programme for the broadcaster, in favour of a new career in exclusively online content.

“As soon as my Waitrose contract ended” Delia explains “the BBC called me up and said ‘what can we do?’ And I said ‘no, thank you’. I am afraid to say this is the end when it comes to Delia on the telly.”

Now before you turn your John Lewis Chef’s Blowtorch upon yourself in horror – or plan a bath with your Kenwood Food Processor… Let us consider the following; Is this indicative of astute, forward-thinking technological and commercial acumen – or rather purely symptomatic of growing frustrations with television formatting requirements? Has savvy Delia dished up her very last TV meal and identified a brand new recipe for success through pre, post and mid-roll advertising-revenue? Afterall, writing in this month’s Wired magazine, Tom Cheshire publicizes Britain’s “new screen superstars – a generation that has built a global fanbase (and a chunky living) on their YouTube channels”. Is dear Delia really planning to bite the hand that… ahem… feeds her – and join the likes of ‘nerimon’, ‘itswaypastmybedtime’ and ‘charlieissocoollike’?

Delia’s first BBC show aired in 1973, while her last appearance for the broadcaster was in 2010, with Delia Through The Decades. I would love to report that the no-nonsense chef is the first of an inevitable tide of on-screen talent to make this shift – but, before analysing her motivation, was this very public pledge really necessary at all?

The inevitable mass uptake of connected television over the coming years has the potential to level the playing field between UK broadcasters and short-form online content. In our convergent/transmedia times, this mirrors the manner in which the distinction between broadcast production companies and digital agencies is increasingly more blurred than ever. Will audiences really care how their content is delivered – be it digi-box, cable, satellite dish or over the web? Once ‘Pandora’s (in)-box’ is opened (see what I’ve done there?) and consumers have the opportunity to access the internet through the device that is still the undisputed star of the home, broadcasters will have to work harder than ever before to maintain their audiences and advertising partnerships – as consumers become accustomed to ‘grazing’ on short-form content and the entire TV eco-system is shaken to its core.

Since web content and traditional ‘TV’ will be delivered through the same device – whilst “Saint Delia’s” announcement signals the potential end of a long, tasty relationship with the BBC, it has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the manner in which fans will consume her content – or should I say the device.

Smith cites undue emphasis on entertainment over education as her primary frustration: “When I started, there was further education in the BBC; now you have to entertain. You have someone telling me I haven’t got time to show this, or I haven’t got time to show that.” She does, however, exhibit a refreshing and pioneering understanding of how technology and the nation’s collective viewing habits are evolving, amongst broadcast on-screen talent – that is, declaring “This is the future for me and the population. It’s miles ahead.”
I, for one, salute her commitment and willingness to embrace what many of her generation might deem daunting ‘new’ technology. Good for you Delia… Let’s be ‘avin you.

With some experience as a journalist (I completed my MA degree in Fashion Journalism and worked briefly as a freelancer) I know well enough that you need sources to get good stories.
PRs often provide those stories for you. Depending on what is your field of specialty, PRs are often necessary to get first hand information that your readers and audience want to read or watch.

Now that I have taken on a PR role in a digital communications agency, I also realise how important it is to build relationships with journalists.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of ‘less than newsworthy’ stories out there that PR people try to push on journalists to get press for their clients. Journalists are not always overexcited when someone calls to pitch a story that they are not looking for and doesn’t work for them. However, if the stories that you have are relevant and good, they will be thankful that they was given the scoop.

To make that pitch easier, having an initial relationship with the journalists is key. When a journalist knows you and knows what they can expect from you (hint: stuff that is relevant and useful) they will be more likely to take a look at it and consider it for their site. As we work with clients in different areas, the stories have to send out to journalist won’t work for all of them. Fashion related content will be used by fashion journalists and beauty content by beauty journalist. Rather than bashing out everything you want featured to every journalist you know, make sure that you send it to the ones that actually will be able to use it. Quality over quantity is always a good strategy.

Initially, always call journalists rather than e-mailing. If they don’t know who you are, they are less likely to look at your e-mail. Try to get to the right person to speak with at the publication, if you don’t already know who that is, and pitch your story as quick and efficient as possible while keeping it engaging and interesting. Unless they tell you that they are not interested, send them an follow up e-mail.

When you have spoken to a journalist a few times, it is a good idea to contact him and her to ask what content they usually are looking for and what kind of stories they would run. If it feels natural, invite them out for a cup of tea or a lunch to tell them more about what you do and what you can offer and also to get to know them.

Bottom line, PRs and journalists work very much together and they both need the other. Focus on building a relationship with the journalists that you send stories to on a regular basis.

Adobe has finally conceded that they have lost the battle to be the dominant video player on the mobile web. Earlier today the Flash player for Android was removed from the Google play store. Adobe will continue to develop Flash for desktops, but have   acknowledged that HTML 5 had become ”the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms”

Flash has never been part of Apples iOS platform and the late (and great) Steve Jobs famously (and correctly) said that Flash would compromise the reliability, battery life and security of Apples mobile products, iPhone & iPad.

We have been big fans of HTML5 and have all our clients on the platform but what are your options if you have Flash video on your site without HTML5 fallback?

1.)  Leave it as it is, Mobile doesn’t matter. (not recommended)

• In 2014 mobile internet is expected to take over desktop internet use
• Half of all local search are performed on mobile
• 86% of mobile internet users use their mobiles while watching the telly
• 200 million views on YouTube are on mobiles

2.)  Convert Flash video to .mp4 (recommended)

There are a number of programs, which can do this. The program I’m going to demo is HandBrake.

Below is a screenshot of Handbrake for Mac set to the Apple universal settings. These are compatible, full resolution settings for all current Apple devices: iPod (6G and up), iPhone, AppleTV, and Macs.

If you need more convincing about the importance of Mobile I recommend you watch this video.