YouTube will never replace the evening newscast.
Back when MTV was born in 1981, record labels were convinced that video would kill the radio star. Now that YouTube and other similar Web sites have come to dominate the time of the younger generation, television news outlets are convinced that
YouTube will eventually kill the evening newscast.
The majority of the younger generation doesn't care much about the news anyway. They are tired of hearing the same stories about fires and murders and wars over and over again. They have better things to do with their time, like watching the Hills or hanging out on Myspace and Facebook. If they do watch the news, they are more likely to watch news that appeals to them, softer celebrity news like whether or not Brittany Spears is wearing panties.
The fact is that video didn't kill the radio star, iPods and mp3 players did. YouTube probably won't replace TV newscasts, but it will probably open the door to some other technology that will come close.
We are probably looking at the wrong target. While YouTube is gaining popularity with viral videos, there is most likely something else under the radar, ready to undermine the TV newscast.
It has happened throughout history, while we are looking in one direction trying to predict the future; something else comes up behind us and bites us in the ass.
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