-Bradley Adams, football coach at Georgetown High School, when his strong safety Michael Billings was named along with 87 other players from across the state to the roster for the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl.       

e-blast is a weekly electronic newsletter created to provide the latest work of your state association, news from our member cooperatives and progress on issues important to us all.

The relentless parade of new technologies is unfolding on many fronts. Almost every advance is billed as a breakthrough, and the list of "next big things" grows ever longer. Not every emerging technology will change the business or social landscape--but some do have the potential to disrupt the status quo and alter the way people live and work. The publishing business (magazines, newspapers and books) is a dramatically different industry than it was a decade ago. The rise of digital media ripped apart a century-old business model. The increased availability of streaming video has potential to cause the same type of havoc for the television industry, the topic of a recent article in The Economist magazine.

 

Mike Smith, a former television station engineer who is now a senior engineer at Central Electric Power Cooperative, ponders whether technological forces will fundamentally change the way electric utilities do business.

 

The article: Titled 'Switching Channels', it claims the TV industry "is set for a profound upheaval," mainly due to the explosion of streaming video. This new technology disrupts the traditional business models for both network television and cable operators.

 

Smith: There is no question that change is coming for the TV industry. The internet connection speeds I have to my home today allow our family to watch streaming video over the internet--choosing what programs we watch when we want to watch them. Cable companies make money by bundling hundreds of channels and charging accordingly, whether you want them or not. I do not need 180 TV channels. I only want the one or two my family is watching while we surf the web and video chat with relatives two time zones away. I do not need cable at home if I can get everything over the internet, and at a sharper resolution.  That time is coming soon.     

 

The article: The doomsaying may be premature. Only around 7 million homes in America forgo pay-television in favor of an internet-streaming option, compared to 100 million that subscribe to cable.

 

Smith: While 7 million may not seem like a lot, it signals a significant change and trend. The younger generation is not buying into pay-TV, just as they have chosen cell phones over landlines. The power industry is facing the beginning of a similar change. There are fewer than 200 South Carolina electric cooperative members with solar PV installed on their homes, yet we recognize this is only the beginning. Technology is bringing our members options, like the ability to generate power onsite as solar does. Technology will also allow our members to manage electricity through more efficient equipment and with programs that shift energy use to times of the day when power is cheaper .       

 

 

 

Switching channels

Rosters set for 2014 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl

After reviewing a record number of nominations, coaches have set the 88-player roster for the 2014 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl. The players for the two 44 member teams were announced Monday.   

 

"The two coaching staffs had more than 340 players to choose from," said Keith Richardson, co-director of the S.C. all-star game. Team selections were made by coaches of the two squads. The South team is led by Jackie Hayes of Dillon High School, and the North team is headed by Darryl Page of Lower Richland High School.

 

The bowl game will be played December 13 in Myrtle Beach. During a special halftime presentation at the game, the five finalists for South Carolina's Mr. Football award will be recognized. The winner of high school football's most coveted prize will be revealed at the conclusion of the ceremony. Nearly 5,000 people have gone to South Carolina Living to cast an online vote for their favorite finalist.

 

Fans interested in attending the game can purchase advance tickets online for $15. Enter the promotional code "Touchstone" to save 10 percent. 

Pee Dee Electric Acting CEO Brian Kelley addresses members

More than 6,000 people attended Pee Dee Electric Cooperative's 75th annual meeting October 25 at the Florence Civic Center, where the theme was "Celebrating our Past, Growing our Future."

In honor of the anniversary, each of the 50 door prizes had at least a $75 minimum value. The grand prize was a 2008 GMC Canyon pickup truck. Pee Dee partnered with the county election commission to take photos for voter IDs and worked with McLeod Health to host a free health fair. The co-op registered 2,405 at the meeting, with members returning four unopposed incumbents to their Board of Trustees--Pat Toney, Preston Gainey, LaShon Sellers and Lee White. 

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