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\title{The Web as a Broadcast/Publishing Hybrid}
\author{Matthew Gray}
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\section*{Introduction}

Often, when the web is described is is contrasted to broadcast media
and to publishing media.  These comparisons to existing media forms
typically are made to help people better understand potential
applications and impact of the new media.

\section*{Broadcast Comparison}

In many ways, the web has become used much like television or radio,
as a way of delivering content to a large number of viewers.  In some
forms, such as RealAudio, StreamWorks, and other streaming forms, the
comparison is inevitable, and fairly accurate.

\par

For many other forms, such as news or entertainment web sites, the
comparison is somewhat apt.  The salient features of broadcast media
tend to be a single high quality source disseminating information in
one direction to a large number of viewers.  Typically, there is
advertising (as in the case of radio and network television), or a fee
for receipt (as in the case of cable television).  Additionally, the
content is typically audiovisual.  This clearly applies to many
existing web sites and is a popular view.

\section*{Publishing Comparison}

Another popular view of the web is to compare it to a large library of
self published books, magazines, articles.  The salient features of
publishing tend to be similar to that of broadcasting, on close
inspection.  The information tends to be from a range or sources, and
made available to a large number of readers.  Typically the material
is purchased, and sometimes contains advertising.  Typically the
content is largely textual, and somewhat graphical.

\par

In terms of the web, this model fits even better from a content point
of view.  Despite many technologies enabling other forms of content,
the vast majority of web content is still textual and grahical.  The
underlying economic structure, however is not terribly similar.  Few
for fee web sites exist outside of specific markets, and most free
traditional publications are far more heavily advertising supported
than the web currently is.

\section*{Differences in Broadcast and Publishing}

In many ways it might appear that Broadcast and Publishing are the
same, save for the form of their content and their economic support
structure, but this is fairly clearly not the case.

\par

Important differences lie in the media background and how they are
perceived.  Much of the difference is in the perceived accessibility.
To the average individual, broadcast media are much more grandiose,
and less accessible.  Publishing on the other hand is seen as
reachable.  In this sense, an average person may consider (and
execute) the publication of some content they generate, when they
would never consider the same for a broadcast medium.  This is
substantially due to the perceived ease in creating the content.

\section*{Hybrid}

In many ways, the web is a hybrid of these two media forms, though it
does seem to be more of a publishing form.  Some content, even simply
text and images, could easily be considered broadcast, and yet the web
is typically seen as rather approachable, as evidenced by the ubiquity
of personal home pages.

\par

This hybrid form has its own problems in terms of people identifying
with one component and failing to realize that it is not excluslively
a publishing or broadcast medium.

\section*{Conclusion}


In conclusion, the web contains many of the facets of both a
publishing medium and a broadcast medium.  It does, however, not fit
either of these models in a number of ways, partly by nature of its
mixed forms (text, graphics, video, audio, application content). It is
partly by the fact that it is less one directional than broadcast or
publishing traditionally are.  While a viewer or reader can write,
call, fax or even email the producers of published or broadcast
content, the response mechanism is not integrated into the viewing
mechanism as it is in the case of the web.

\par

Overall, the web is {\em similar} to broadcasting and publishing, but
not sufficiently modeled by only these two comparisons.

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