YouTube's Ad Challenge, Twitter's New Business Model And More On This Week's CTRL ALT Delete Segment On CHOM 97.7 FM

Posted by

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 5 to 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on iHeart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed: 

  • YouTube has a major advertising problem. The issue exploded last week after the London-based Times newspaper reported that some ads were running with YouTube videos that promoted terrorism or anti-Semitism. The U.K. government and The Guardian newspaper took down ads from the video site and then many of the world’s largest advertising and marketing companies started pulling their clients’ ads from Google‘s display ad network and YouTube. On Wednesday, it spread across to North America and brands that are among the heaviest ad spenders pulled back, potentially costing Google and YouTube hundreds of millions of dollars in lost business. Is this a problem YouTube can even fix? 
  • Is Twitter tinkering with a new business model? LinkedIn has premium services for those who pay. Medium just launched a $5 per month subscription services as well. Looks like Twitter is toying with the idea of a premium version. This makes sense, but is it a long-term solution to their current growth challenges? 
  • 60 Minutes took a look at the fake news problem. It’s not what you think.
  • App of the week: Streetography.

Take a listen right here