AOL CEO Falco: Mobile Video Will Save Us, Someday (TWX)

Eric Krangel | September 22, 2008 1:00 PM

WatchmanFD-20.jpgCan handheld mobile devices save a media industry flummoxed by technological change? That's what AOL CEO Randy Falco thinks. Speaking to a panel of media bigwigs this morning at an Advertising Week talk, Falco told his collegues from Univision, Hearst Magazines, and Isobar not to worry:

Radio was supposed to die 50 years ago. The reason radio is still around is because of mobile.

We're not sure what exactly Falco meant by that. Walkmans? Car radios? Whatever it is, it will also save traditional media. All of it.

The reason broadcast will still be around 50 years from now is because of mobile. All of our businesses up here will continue to grow because of video applications on mobile.

Falco's co-panelists didn't seem visibly relieved.

See also: AOL's Third Screen Media Tailors Web Ads For iPhone
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Time Warner: AOL Not Terrible, Actually
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22 Comments

HoubaHouba (URL) said:
It's all ball bearings nowadays. Or plastics. Or maybe mobile.
EPS said:
The big advantage radio has in the mobile realm is that you can listen and drive at the same time. It's much harder (and possibly illegal in some states?) to watch a video and drive at the same time... I suppose you could watch video if you were on a subway or bus or something.
media dude said:
Genius - sheer genius. How mobile video will save a 1.0 company is beyond me. If Hulu, nbc.com, and others' recent success show us is that content principals will be the ones teeing up premium content directly (Hulu, due to its ownership structure, qualifies under this.)

How a high-cost intermediary participates is tough to determine, unless they saddle themselves with content licensing deals, but that is a play noone has made work.

I am shorting Randy personally.
eric said:
Mobile will save us??? Hmmm me thinks not....having an understanding of the business you're in might, but you proved that was a lost cause a while ago. Where were you when I was selling time share?
farmdog said:
"Mobile" should be Randy's new theme song:

"...I'm goin' home
And when I wanna go home
I'm goin' mobile...
Well, I'm gonna find a home
And we'll see how it feels
Goin' mobile
Keep me movin'...
Over 50
Keep me groovin'
Just a hippie gypsy..."
(credit: Pete T.)
!!!
AOLMobileGuy said:
Radio??? This guy is just learning about the "talkies." Can't believe this dinosaur is in charge of wannabe Web company.

And if it's all about mobile, then why does he keep cutting the mobile team? They're not even allowed to travel.
formerlyofCC2 said:
This story is pretty funny.

Falco was never even close to being qualified to run AOL, and to hear him espouse opinions on technology is downright hilarious.

Kudos to the writer for the last line - "Falco's co-panelists didn't seem visibly relieved." Well done...
Ready_For_A_War! said:
Where's the beef? I thought Bewkes taking over was the answer to all the ills of AOL.

dub said:
Travel? No one has budget for travel. They don't water the plants or wash the exterior windows anymore. They just barely keep the bathrooms clean! And you want to blow a couple thousand on a trip?

Randy is a joke, and Ron is incompetent. Neither is trusted or respected by employees (obviously). That started with Randy's statement when he came in about no layoffs being necessary, followed soon after by a sizable round of firings just before Xmas. Nice touch.
dub said:
...so my point is, since increasing revenue is proving difficult, the only way to improve overall numbers is by cutting costs. And they are being cut anywhere and everywhere.

I imagine we'll see some more layoffs soon, maybe next month. No specific info, just the usual Oct/Nov annual blood-letting.

gander said:
grant is a goose
ElvisIsHere878e34 said:
Save Us?? Yeah Right !!

CC6 is gone, CC5 is empty and ready to go. CC3 is half empty. Guess after this christmas ^event^, AOL can be lean and mean comprising of HQ, CC1 and 2, at least they can save some money by making money on real estate leases. Can someone put them out of there misery and send Randy + Ron back to NY for good?
Nick Charles said:
Maybe Falco was referring to the recent innovation of putting radios in automobiles? We should all look forward to the pseudonymous post from the AOL Corp Comm group--which should come later this morning (unless they have no idea how to make Falco look smarter either). If Falco and Grant had been more focused on making the business work than about policing their image in the blogs, maybe things would have turned out differently.
Not Corp Comm - I Mean It! said:
Randy's comment is taken out of context. What we - sorry he - meant is the following:

"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our [children]."

We hope that clears things up.

P.S. Randy, do I still have a job after this? I love you!!!
Rob in NoVA said:
In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone to far.

Pictures came and broke your heart, put the blame on VTR.

Falco is a radio star!
cynic said:
Good thing Rondi didn't lay off half the mobile team a month ago! Otherwise people would question AOL's commitment to innovation and operating with integrity!



No wonder they had local chiropractors out to Dulles to offer free spine evaluations and drum up some business recently -- it's not working at computers that screws up postures at AOL, it's caused by the strain of spinning your head to keep up with all the changes in direction. There's more back and forth than the finals of Wimbledon!!!
900PrenticeDriveAshburn said:
With the gloomy financial markets and a looming recession, I guess AOL torturous journey will continue as I don't see anyone buying them any time soon. The poor employees are in for a bumpy ride.
judie (URL) said:
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azure (URL) said:
640-802 AOL CEO Falco: Mobile Video Will Save Us, Someday (TWX) At least everyone's all right. You think too much.
dalton (URL) said:
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