One of the easiest ways to promote the virtues on new media marketing is to remind clients that everything that you do to attract customers online can be measured for its level of effectiveness. Site stats, blog subscribers, email newsletters, online conversion rates; it’s all completely measurable, and 100% accountable as an investment.

Not so with traditional media. But that might be changing (even though it’s not going to make much difference, imo). Seth Godin reported the other day that Nielsen will finally be rating the viewership of commercials. This is scaring everyone in the TV ad business. They’re afraid of what they might find out. I’ll make a prediction: You’ll find out that for the most part you’re setting money on fire. Plus, you still won’t be able to equate viewership to sales, so alas you’re still not proving any definitive value on your investment. He also reports the belief that newspaper distribution numbers are a lot less accurate than they used to be, likely in an attempt to keep up the illusion that people are still reading them (my words, not his).

I know sometimes I sound like such a critic of mass media, but for the most part I’m not. I watch a lot of t.v., and a lot of commercials. I read a lot of newspapers, too. I just disagree with the cost of mass media advertising, and the lack of accountability for the money spent.

Advertisers must be feeling the same way I do, too. This week in Canada, one of the largest media networks (I say media, because they own several) bought out one of the other big ones. BellGlobeMedia, already a media behemoth in Canada, now owns all of CHUM’s TV and radio stations, consolidating the media landscape in Canada even further. It’s funny too, since CHUM only just recently abandoned the concepts that their company was built on, and very quickly proceeded to tank, and get swallowed up by the competition. Full disclosure: I’m a former CHUM employee (a rather jaded one at that, but then again right now they all are). I used to edit the Speaker’s Corner show in Victoria, with my good friend Dan Lupton, among other duties. One former CHUM employee shares her recollection of what once was, in this touching article from BC’s The Tyee.ca. Carla, I too bought into Moses’ vision, and although I haven’t even met the man, I still believe in it.

Finally, to round out this gloomy look at the state of the TV business, I point you to Adcouver, where Ryan Ashton (who now lives just three blocks from me) relays a post from Steve Rubel about how YouTube has reached 100 million video streams per day, while the major US networks are reporting record lows in their ratings.

Is the future bright for television? Yes, but not the way we know it now. The major US networks should first learn a lesson or two from the likes of Rocketboom, who now have a new host, and she’s great! Hell, they could learn a lot from any number of the millions of kids out there with nothing more than webcams and ideas, that have made YouTube the success that is today.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an episode of Entourage to download.

Update: Holy hell! Talk about great TV! Found in the Rocketboom episode today: Human Space Invaders, and Human Pong, et en Francais, aussi!!