I had a mild epiphany while reading Lessig's "The Future of Ideas". What I've been advocating media companies do is take their archives, and permit free access, as Lessig defines free, for short periods of time. Instead of letting this stuff lie fallow, induce bursts of innovation with the material.
I'm not even thinking altruisticly. Media organizations could charge fees, and even keep the results, thus providing more grist for later mills.
Tricky bits: preventing excessive copyright infringement, and providing tools that encourage innovation.
The latter sounds like an interesting research question. Given what we now know about social structures, media, and innovation, is it possible to build culturally aware software that encourages creativity?