PopMedia

PopMedia is entertainment and news programming created by independent producers instead of huge Mediacorps. It became the main format through which to disseminate information and programming after the Fourth Corporate War and the DataKrash.

Overview
The MediaCorps were the hardest hit by the Fourth Corporate War and the DataKrash, since they depended on the Net's instantaneous communication and access to huge TV/radio transmitters to broadcast their programming. As these established media outlets fell apart, new ways to disseminate information and programming came to fill the gap. The main format to do so was PopMedia, where independent content producers offered the entertainment and news coverage that until then was mostly controlled by the multimedia Megacorps.

PopMedia in the Time of the Red combines audio, data and visual images in a "podcast"-like format, which represents most of the era's programming - which includes a vast amount of trash content. The five main sources of PopMedia include New Mediacorps, Rockerboys, Idols, Independents, and Medias.

Mediacorps provide CGI or live action "shows" featuring variety, drama, comedy etc. A New Mediacorp can be a huge multinational operation, or a small as a dozen talented artists, techs and producers. Rockerboys are usually performers who operate without the support of a New Mediacorp. They provide performance "shows"; concert footage, music tracks with visuals,personal observations, even braindance experiences. Idols are similar to Rockerboys, but their programming tends to be equivalent to an old-style "reality" show of the 2000's—it's all about them. Independents and Medias provide news, gossip, vid/braindance shows, investigative reporting and commentary on current events. They also provide the format for most "talk" shows, as well as documentaries and informational programming; equivalent to the "news anchors" of the past.

What makes PopMedia possible is the DataPool; the citywide LAN network that links the world in the Time of the Red together instead of the old Net. Since the DataPool is an open-ended database, anyone can easily drop new PopMedia programming into it, with new entries easily found by Agent search functions. Getting a new PopMedia download is as easy as clicking a link—and once you've loaded it into your Agent once, it'll keep downloading that Download or similar ones until you say stop.

PopMedia is also flexible and viral; since the DataPool has integrated feedback, this means that it can track how many times a program is accessed and react accordingly. A PopMedia program may start out only occupying one time slot, but as subscribers mount and word gets around, it may end up dominating a huge percentage of the overall-possible bandwidth. This also means that competing shows often find themselves battling for band-width; with small outfits going toe to toe.