Rupert Murdoch Gets Down with Crazy Kids, Snack Culture

Rupert Murdoch? Promoting innovation in broadcasted programming on the pages of Forbes? I guess we've seen stranger things. In his open letter titled "Mixed Media" Murdoch waxes innovative while warning old media to diversify its outlets:

Options abound. Fans of small niches can now find new content they could never before. Going elsewhere for news and entertainment is easier and cheaper than ever. And people's expectations of media have undergone a revolution. They are no longer content to be a passive audience; they insist on being participants, on creating their own material and finding others who will want to read, listen and watch.

Although we're pleased to see Murdoch onboard for the Snack Culture revolution, we have to admit it's disarming to hear a Web 2.0-friendly message and the phrase "options abound" coming from a man who loves the smell of aquisitions in the morning. Murdoch is all about purchasing innovation rather than masterminding it--so his 'evolve or die' stance strikes us as lip service. In spite of this, there was a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel:

Quality is more important than ever, because the marketplace is more ruthlessly competitive. Options are not merely one click of the remote away; devices undreamed of a few short decades ago are at least as tempting as a change of the channel. Old media can survive--and thrive--in this new environment, but they must adapt. We must learn how younger generations of consumers prefer to receive their news and entertainment, and we must meet those expectations.

We're hoping this means more programming like American Dad and less like The Half Hour News Hour, but we're not holding our breath.

Read "Mixed Media" on Forbes.com