It has been too long.

Much has happened since the last post here – both professionally and personally.  My wife and I have turned our lives upside down by leaving the US and moving to the UK, an unexpected return for me but a fresh start for her and our two daughters.

Future posts here will be short but more frequent.  There’s lots to share here – people’s behaviour with media is not going to stop evolving and changing any time soon.  Content providers are not going to sit still and technology companies will continue to create more amazing devices and services that we did not know we need.  It’s never dull and it’s constantly changing – that’s why I love to write about it.

First, let me explain the purpose, getting beyond the title of this blog.

There’s a lot of information to share here.  I’m going to post key findings from the latest media research.  I’m going to point out how the way we consume media is quickly changing, and will likely only accelerate further.  I’m going to highlight what to keep in mind in how media usage is measured.  And I’m also going to share my own perspectives on how those who create media content need to be in a constant mode of change.  Times are changing and the audience is now in control.  Things aren’t going to back to how they were.

My own interest in how people use media stems from academia (learning how global news events are portrayed in the news media), to my work in London on how the news media covers specific issues, to my work in the US on how people use media and what they want and expect.

In the most recent chapter of my life, I worked at NPR.   I helped efforts to turn around shows such as Talk of the Nation that recently bowed out at a ratings-high.  I worked with the newsroom to help them better understand what the audience expects in the lead-up to a Presidential election. And I provided guidance to help de-mystify broadcast & streaming ratings so that staff and NPR member stations could better focus on the factors within their control, not what is beyond them.

I’m excited about this blog.  It’s a new direction for me and I hope it can be a means to start new conversations to help us all have a better understanding of how people use media.  I’ll also be posting much briefer updates on Twitter @HowPplUseMedia, and  I would be delighted to hear from you.