The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

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Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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In This Issue
The Unselfish News Brand
Obama Narrative Transends Old Media
Obama Marks 100 Days with Sweeps Press Conference
Gibbs Gives the Press Corps an "A"
CNN Stands Steadfast with 'No Bias' Image
CBS, NBC To Team Up On Kabul Bureau?
NBC Affil's Discuss ‘Weather' at NAB
"30 Rock" Allows NBC Newsers To Play Against Type
Hallmark, American Cancer Society Build Co-Branded PSAs
Retirement Living TV Series Says Sex = Long Life
Disney Presents First Black Princess
Message From Michael
Cap'n Wacky's Ideas for Saving Newspapers


Quotes

“One great, strong, unselfish soul in every community could actually redeem the world.”
- Elbert Hubbard, American editor, publisher and writer (1856-1915)

“When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb.”
- Patanjali

"Self-sacrifice is never entirely unselfish, for the giver never fails to receive."
- Dolores E. Mcguire


The Unselfish News Brand
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com

"Love isn’t something that we have, it’s something that we do.”

                                - Country Crooner Clint Black

Most stations will proudly proclaim they possess a “station brand,” but they are mistaken.  A brand is not a noun.  A brand is a series of verbs and adjectives that describes a feeling.  A brand is an emotional connection to a product, not a product feature.  For example, Madonna's brand statement could be "wild, rule-breaking extravagance."  She wore skimpy clothes, dabbled in bondage, and kissed women on national TV to demonstrate her brand, but none of those behaviors (nouns) were her brand. 

A brand is the trip, not the destination.

The BBC is a leader in international news, but its brand is not about newscasts. Its unique flair for storytelling cleverly demonstrates the brand of "stylish British panache mixed with an Indiana Jones spirit of international adventure."  The BBC uses the same news gathering tools as everyone else in the business.  What makes them well branded is the unique attitude and style they bring to this common task.

On the consumer side, back-to-basics cosmetics superstar Aveda realizes that its natural product ingredients are not its brand.  The brand is about a wholesome connection with nature, an uncomplicated life, and feeling beautiful without a lot of fuss.  By using natural ingredients, Aveda demonstrates its commitment to that brand.  Aveda makes sure its own internal agenda remains quietly subservient to the customer's self image.  Plain and simple, it ain't about them - it's about their customers. 

In the news business, this basic tenet of marketing is often forgotten.  We get so enamored with our own process that the brand is mutated from a feeling our customers share, into a feature on our newscast.

How did Aveda get it right and create one of the most successful brands of the past 20 years?  Take a look at some of these Aveda ads created by customers.  You will notice the ads are completely about the customer's experience, with not a word about the manufacturer's agenda.   The company has created an entire mythology around their product.

Customers don't just like this product, they admire this product.  Customers talk about themselves and how Aveda cosmetics connect with their own personal values.  Take a look at this very personal customer testimonial about her relationship with Aveda.  These products speak to her personal values and priorities.  She gleefully pays twice the price of normal cosmetics because Aveda products mesh seamlessly with the person she hopes to be.

Even though this ad is in Danish, the holistic brand still clearly comes through.

Here is Aveda's mission statement:
"Beauty is as beauty does.  Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society.  At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility - not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.”

What you will notice is that this mission statement scarcely mentions its products.  Aveda is not make-up remover - it is a mission from God.  Customers buy Aveda products because they connect with the company's priorities, ethics, coolness and swagger.

Now compare Aveda’s mission statement to a news mission statement I recently came across:
“Our newscasts provide the latest, most up-to-date breaking news and weather. No matter where news happens in our market, we will be first on the scene with the most comprehensive coverage of important stories.”

Notice that the viewer isn’t even mentioned.  This station is marketing to itself, not its customers.  It is arrogance branding.  The tacit message: “We’re doing breaking news here, so pay attention!”

Aveda’s brand statement doesn’t dwell on its manufacturing process for creating cosmetics.  You won’t see statements like: “we will use only the most natural ingredients.”  Why?  Because Aveda knows it ain’t about them or their products.  It’s about how customers feel about themselves when they use Aveda products. 

In this video, Aveda's president talks about the movement called "Green Beauty," a campaign for sustainability.  Aveda started with the brand, then built the products from that foundation.  They don't create products, then subsequently find a brand to put on top of them.  They create a brand, then build products that demonstrate that brand.  If your priority is wholesome beauty and a simpler life, then it just makes sense that you would use all natural ingredients.  Aveda’s commitment is to natural beauty, not aloe vera.  Your commitment should be to adventure and excitement, not breaking news. 

If your customers tell you they like breaking news, investigations, weather or whatever, that is not the brand.  It is a starting point.  Now you must discover the adjective statement that taps into what drives their passion for these components.  Remember, it’s not breaking news they are digging on, it’s how they feel about themselves when they watch your breaking news.  Most stations know that breaking news is popular, but they have no idea why.

So instead of running through a laundry list of live news attributes at your station, remember that your investigative brand needs to come at the customer from their viewpoint.  Does your news brand demonstrate an important customer passion, or does it simply describe the passion of the news staff?  Make sure you news brand isn't so busy patting itself on the back that it ignores the customer standing right in front of you.

Graeme Newell is a broadcast and web marketing specialist.  He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free.  Find out more here.



Obama Narrative Transends Old Media
The Obama White House has watched the disintegration of the old media order and drawn a simple conclusion - the president's popularity is the dominant entity in the cluttered, chaotic modern media environment.  In separate interviews this week in their adjoining West Wing offices, press secretary Robert Gibbs and Deputy Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer talked at length about the multiplicity of sources - newspapers, network and cable television, radio, blogs - that comprise a news cycle that churns virtually around the clock.  "There are so many outlets and so many places that are driving the news that, in the end, nothing gets driven," Mr. Gibbs said.  But both men indicated that this can work to their advantage.

It is harder for the White House to hammer "a central narrative," Mr. Gibbs said, but "stories that you think are going to drive the day in a negative way maybe don't have the impact" they would have had in the past.  Mr. Pfeiffer, a low-key 33-year-old former Senate staffer, indicated that President Obama is their narrative.  "The president came into office with a tremendous reservoir of good will and credibility with the American people and, as we run into the 100-day mark, he's actually expanded that since he's been at the White House, and that's been a pretty, probably unprecedented feat," Mr. Pfeiffer said.

Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Pfeiffer and senior adviser David Axelrod control the White House message and the president's image, now that Communications Director Ellen Moran is leaving for a top Commerce Department job.  A decision on her replacement - many expect it to be Mr. Pfeiffer - could be announced as early as Monday.  A senior White House official who did not want his name attached to statements about specific media outlets was more blunt about the power equation as viewed by the Obama White House.  "The way it used to be was that any White House or the Senate or the House or anyone like that was held hostage to a very small number of elite media outlets - the New York Times, The Washington Post, the networks," he said.  "The power dynamic has shifted for three reasons.  One, there are more media sources than there ever were before.  Two, there's no money.  Newspapers are bleeding money.  There are so many channels that the network channels are bleeding viewers.  They're less powerful.  They control less than they did before.  "And three, Obama is more popular than all of them combined."

Like many of his predecessors, Mr. Obama has strong favorable personal ratings in the polls just over three months into his term.  In addition, an Associated Press-GfK poll released Thursday found that the percentage of Americans who think the country is moving "in the right direction" is greater than those who don't for the first time in more than four years.  Forty-eight percent say the United States is moving in the right direction compared with 44 percent who say the country is moving in the wrong direction, the first time since 2004 that the optimists have outnumbered the pessimists.  "What the numbers are showing is confidence in President Obama even though economic conditions haven't improved dramatically. 

It's a different question than popularity," said Faiz Shakir, research director at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington.  Three months after sweeping into power, the Obama communicators acknowledged the tenacity of a constantly evolving media revolution that at times appeared to overwhelm the Bush administration.  "It used to be there was one news cycle a day, and then CNN came and then there were a few news cycles a day.  Now, there's almost no such thing as a news cycle, because there are so many of them," Mr. Pfeiffer said.

Mr. Gibbs, who said he is now "conditioned to roll over in the middle of the night" and check his BlackBerry, said the news world now is more of an unruly beast than a predictable cycle.  "There are very few ways in which you can corral it.  You just have to understand that it is," he said.
Washington Times


Obama Marks 100 Days with Sweeps Press Conference
President Barack Obama wants some more prime-time real estate from the networks Wednesday night, and he doesn't care if it is May Sweeps.  Wednesday marks the end of his first 100 days in office, and he's not going to let the TV pundits have the field all to themselves in judging his performance.  The White House Thursday announced an 8 p.m. press conference for Wednesday, and it would be a surprise if the networks and major cable channels did not cover it in some fashion.  So far, none has made their plans known, but how could ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or Fox News not be there no matter how much it might cost the networks in May sweeps ad dollars.  Obama, whose skillful use of the medium led me to describe him as having the potential to be the last great TV president, has not been shy about asking for airtime so that he could use it to try and end run the news divisions of the networks and cable channels in taking his case directly to the people.  Here he comes again -- gangway.
Baltimore Sun


Gibbs Gives the Press Corps an "A"
CNN's Wolf Blitzer spoke with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs for CNN's First 100 Days special that will air this weekend.  During the conversation, Gibbs gave the press corps a top grade.  "I'd give them a strong A," Gibbs told Blitzer.  "You guys watch everyday.  There are tough questions each and every day and they're looking at and trying to find the stories in this administration.  I think they're obviously doing a tough job particularly well."
MediaBistro


CNN Stands Steadfast with 'No Bias' Image
The election of Barack Obama does not seem to have ushered in a kinder, less-polarized environment in politics — or television.  And that’s not a good break for CNN, a network whose strategy is to steer the middle course in its news coverage.  CNN’s competitors have been finding more success pounding away at those poles — at least during prime time.  Since the beginning of March, CNN has fallen behind both the longtime ratings leader, Fox News Channel, which, as the voice of disaffected conservatives, again has an imposing lead, and the upstart MSNBC, which has tried to mirror Fox’s success by steering to the left.  CNN has even dipped behind its sister network HLN (formerly Headline News) on many occasions.  Since the beginning of 2009, CNN has finished fourth in prime time among the cable news networks on 35 out of 84 weeknights.  The development raises an obvious question: With its rivals stoking prime time with high-octane political opinion and rant, can CNN compete effectively with a formula of news delivered more or less straight?  Executives of competitors and even some of CNN’s own staff members say recent trends suggest the answer may be no.  “The people who watch these channels are news junkies,” said Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC.  “They’ve already had access to the headlines all day long on the Internet. In prime time you’ve got to stand out and make a splash.”  One veteran CNN correspondent agreed.  “All of a sudden it seems a little unfashionable to be in the middle,” said the correspondent, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely about CNN’s strategy. “I think people are struggling with that.”  CNN’s management disavows any struggles and says it is standing steadfast with its “no bias” strategy.  For one thing, they argue, it is effective: CNN’s overall ratings are up from last year, and significantly up over the last three years.  More important, they say, profits are up.  “There are several networks that reside in the cable news category, but only one that reliably delivers the news unbiased,” said Jon Klein, the president of CNN’s domestic network.  “We would do ourselves a disservice if we thought that our main competitors were the other so-called cable news networks.  They don’t have journalists on in prime time.”  CNN often cites its cumulative audience — that is, the number of different viewers who come to the network.  CNN says it reaches a total of about 74 million viewers a month, as opposed to about 61 million for Fox News and about 56 million for MSNBC.
NY Times


CBS, NBC To Team Up On Kabul Bureau?
The New York Observer's Felix Gillette writes about the Afghanistan foreign coverage focus by news networks.  NBC News correspondent Richard Engel says he's currently scouting locations in Kabul for a bureau.  "We have some local staff who have always worked for us there," he said.  "Now we'll have a fully staffed and operating bureau."  But bigger news is the possibility NBC may be sharing the bureau with a competitor.  [CBS News SVP Paul] Friedman said that back in the fall of 2008, CBS began talking with other U.S. news organizations, including NBC News, about the possibility of opening a joint facility in Kabul, which would allow everyone to share the costs of housing and providing security for their people.  According to Mr. Friedman, the talks are ongoing.  "It would be preferable for us to be able to get the expenses down far enough that we can get our own people in there," said Mr. Friedman.  "I think the cable guys are talking about going their own way because they have different demands than we do."
MediaBistro


NBC Affil's Discuss ‘Weather' at NAB
The NBC affiliates board convened in Vegas earlier this week to plan for the bigger affiliates' pow-wow in New York next month.  NBC execs John Eck and Jean Dietz stopped by to discuss network matters with the board, including, of course, Jay Leno's move to primetime in the fall.  While both the network and the affiliates' board are awaiting results of a viewer study the board commissioned before they being shaping the show, board chairman Michael Fiorile says the topic of ad inventory was discussed.  "We're confident there will be some sort of inventory participation for the affiliates that's more than we've had before," he said.  The parties also spoke about how to work content from NBC's Weather Channel into the stations' mix.  Unlike the former Weather Plus digital network, the NBC affiliates don't have an equity piece in Weather Channel.  But Fiorile says a relationship between the stations and Weather Channel is being discussed.  "We talked about proposing a partnership," he said, "some kind of content share/brand share."
Broadcasting & Cable


"30 Rock" Allows NBC Newsers To Play Against Type
"30 Rock" has brought a sort of pseudo-reality to NBC, where the network is owned by Scheinhardt Wig Company and executives can oversee both television and microwave oven programming.  It also provides a place for NBC News personalities to...expand their horizons.  Meredith Vieira was part of the plot in last week's show, in which Kenneth the Page says she threw away his sexual harassment rules and later "made me eat an unripe banana in front of her."  Vieira responded on her blog.  Brian Williams made a cameo last night, in a scene implying he picked up women Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) met at clubs.
MediaBistro


Hallmark, American Cancer Society Build Co-Branded PSAs
Supporting its upcoming telefilm Living Out Loud, Hallmark Channel has produced a series of customized public service announcements co-branded with the American Cancer Society.  Emanating from the network's Sponsorship Solution Unit, the six PSAs integrate scenes from the movie with information about the American Cancer Society, its resources and "Relay For Life," an event that brings communities together to celebrate the lives of those who have had cancer.  The spots will run on both Hallmark Channel and sister service Hallmark Movie Channel throughout the week of April 26.  In addition to the PSAs, Hallmark Channel has developed a microsite (www.hallmarkchannel.com/livingoutloud) to support the original movie, which features behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and director, photos, downloads and a community message board.  Premiering May 2 at 9 p.m.ET/PT, Living Out Loud stars Gail O'Grady as a wife and mother battling breast cancer and coming to terms with her mortality.  The theme of the movie dovetails with the American Cancer Society's newest branding campaign which has adopted the tagline,"The Official Sponsor Of Birthdays," which is intended to communicate how the organization is saving lives and creating a world with more birthdays by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures and by fighting back.  "In this cluttered marketplace, it's imperative that we work with our sponsors to create customized solutions that meet their specific marketing needs and help them stand out from the crowd," Hallmark Channel executive vice president, advertising sales Bill Abbott in a statement.  "Our Sponsorship Solutions Unit works hand-in-hand with advertisers to craft messages that seamlessly integrate the trusted brand of Hallmark with that of the advertiser.  The result is a consumer-targeted message that delivers greater ROI for our clients."
MultiChannel


Retirement Living TV Series Says Sex = Long Life
Retirement Living TV will bring its 50-plus audience up to speed on holistic treatments with its new series, Whole Body Health.   Bowing April 29 at 9 p.m., Whole Body Health will provide watchers with medical commentary and first-hand accounts of buzz-worthy and sometimes unconventional holistic practices available today.  The series explores several alternative treatments, including: bee sting therapy, superfoods, cancer and enzymes therapy, Native American healing and more.  It also features modern analysis on ancient healing practices and reveals whether these remedies truly work.  One installment featuring best-selling author of the You series Dr. Michael Roizen covers a practice viewers may want to practice: how an active sex life can lead to a long life.  "Whole Body Health explores holistic approaches to health care.  Each week we take viewers on a journey into the world of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine," said RLTV vice programming and production Elliot Jacobson in a statement.  "Distinguishing features of the program are the reality checks that involve medical experts weighing in on the alternative treatments and regular reminders to viewers to have a discussion with a primary care physician before trying any therapy or dietary change."
MultiChannel


Disney Presents First Black Princess
Disney's anointing of its first black princess, Tiana, is a milestone with an important message, say some U.S. culture experts.  "If this figure takes off, you're looking at 30 or 40 years of repetition and resonance," said Tricia Rose, who teaches popular culture and African American studies at Brown University.  "The Princess and the Frog," set for release in November will star Tiana as a beautiful black princess from New Orleans.  Tiana is the first Disney princess in more than a decade and the first ever to be black, The Washington Post reported Saturday.  Tiana's appearance comes with Michelle Obama's emergence as the nation's first lady and the Obama girls -- Sasha and Malia -- living what for many girls seems to be a fairy tale life in the White House, the Post reported.  In the movie, Tiana conveys this message: balance is important in life and women need both love and a career -- not just a prince -- to find happiness, said Cori Murray, entertainment director for Essence magazine.  "She's the first modern American (Disney) princess, and that she's black sends a huge message," Murray said.
UPI


Message From Michael
THE U VERSUS I BATTLE:  The battle between the media titans is on, and the cannon fodder are citizen journalists.  All right, that’s a little bit of an esoteric statement, but the announcement that Fox News is enlisting the aid of its sister media site, MySpace, to recruit more “citizen journalist” material does raise the bar by pitting it against CNN’s well-established franchise.   At Fox News, they’re called uReporters producing uReports; at CNN they’re called iReporters producing iReports.  According to the CNN iReport site, more than 300,000 iReports have been filed worldwide with 1,240 of them making it to air last month.  The rest are posted on the website which proclaims itself as “unedited, unfiltered news.”  Even though MySpace has been overtaken by Facebook in terms of total unique visitors worldwide, MySpace still holds the lead (albeit marginally) in the U.S. where virtually all of the iReports and uReports originate.  That should give Fox’s uReports a boost, although a visit to the MySpace ureport website showed practically nothing except a pitch by Fox’s Shepard Smith to join. Of course, it is in beta at this point.  So, watch for the battle for the minds and meanderings of citizen journalists to grow in intensity. As Adam Ostrow notes on the social media monitoring site, Mashable, the citizen media efforts produce “more news tips and more content that can be obtained quickly.”

THE CITIZEN JOURNALIST BATTLE:  According to the Knight Citizen News Network website, there are nearly 800 what it calls “citizen media” sites in the United States.  I don’t know what it says about the respective states, but, for example, there are only 10 citizen media sites listed in Georgia, but double that in South Carolina and five times that number in Florida.  Heck, tiny (population-wise) Montana has four such sites.  The Knight site is a how-to guide for would be ‘citizen journalists’ to use digital media “to enrich community, enhance public discourse and enliven democracy as we know it.”  Many of the sites are created by former mainstream journalists.  For example, the laid off reporters from the Seattle Post Intelligencer have started their own site.  In Atlanta, former Atlanta Journal Constitution reporters have launched a struggling news website GONSO (no relation to Hunter Thompson – it stands for Georgia Online News Service).  Meanwhile, many traditional journalism organizations (like CNN and Fox) have started adding citizen reports to their reporting – most notably The New York Times and The Washington Times.  A recent New York Times article about ‘hyperlocal’ news websites noted that many of the sites have a dual challenge – generating revenue and generating quality content.  The latter would be especially difficult, the article notes, if the heavily relied upon local newspapers shut down.

One of the more interesting examples of what the Wall Street Journal calls “web journalism” is True/Slant (trueslant.com) which is trying to overcome that dual challenge.  It blends journalism and social networking, by using 65 “knowledge experts” who have their own home page dealing with specific topics which are supposed to generate followers.  And (this is where it gets tricky) it also allows advertisers to create home pages.  Columnist Walt Mossberg notes the blend of journalism and advertising could “prove problematic” but he says it’s another example of how the web is changing traditional journalism.  I should also note another variation of this – Spot.us which has been given seed money by the Knight Foundation to see if it can create “crowd funded” or community funded journalism.  A recent article focused on recycling, with the authors raising $192 to fund the report, but with another $208 needed to fully cover the cost.

THINK LOCALLY; ACT GLOBALLY:  Or, at least nationally.  That’s what many of the so-called citizen media sites are doing.  There are at least half a dozen organizations launching local citizen media websites, but with some sophisticated national support.  The latest operation is Outside.in which received $7.5 Million in venture capital to further its blend of aggregated content from traditional news sites and blogs.  The website lists 50-plus cities in which it has operations, covering what it says are 11,860 towns and neighborhoods.  But it’s far from alone.  Metroblogging (metblogs.com) just announced that it has added its 57th city (San Diego) to what it calls its worldwide network.  Okay, it’s pretty much mainly the U.S., with half a dozen sites in Europe and Asia.  (Somehow, a posting about Earth Day on the Islamabad site seemed odd to me.)  Add to that Placeblogger.com founded by former MIT Media Lab contributor Lisa Williams.  It lists out what are really not so much news sites as general blogs, but it is an extensive list.  Website Everyblock.com is only in 11 cities so far, but it has an extensive database of material from local government agencies, newspapers, weeklies and TV websites as using Flickr, Yelp and Craigslist.  In the end, all of them contributing to what the Knight Citizen News Network calls “a more richly informed” 21st Century.    

Michael Castengera is an instructor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia AND President of Media Strategies and Tactics Inc., a consulting firm that works with all media but primarily broadcasting.  You can visit his website at MediaConsultant.tv.


Cap'n Wacky's Ideas for Saving Newspapers

Run more photos of Timmy Goshen - his grandmother buys copies for practically everyone she knows!

Publish more reports about how reading your news online will give you "eye-AIDS."

Put addictive chemicals in the ink.

Bribe fashion-forward celebrities to appear at fancy award shows wearing newspaper hats.

Point out that newspapers are cheaper than wrapping paper, especially around the holidays and/or global economic meltdowns.

Publish only once a year to build up demand.

Sponsor paper-boat races on the river.

Get all stupid and inflammatory and sexed-up, and then lie about celebrities, and sell your paper in the check out aisle at the supermarket.

Run a multi-part, how-to kidnapping guide, including rich people's addresses and security codes, to create a growing market in cut-out ransom notes.

Find cheaper paper to use, possibly one made of leaves and dog hair.

Cost reduction: To save ink, print only every other letter.

Cost reduction: Only print title block, then steal competing newspapers each morning and glue your name on it

Spend $10 million to hire CEO to implement brilliant cost reductions that will save newspaper $2 million

Give away a bunch of parakeets, increasing demand for cage-liner.

Complete emergency expansion of company, making newspapers "too big to fail", and watch the free money roll in

Develop gravity lens that allows you to see through time.  This will allow you to print the news in advance in China for cheap, and ship it on a boat just in time to distribute on the day the news happens.

Get newspapers to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Hold pillow over Newspapers' face until they stop struggling, then throw water fountain through window and run off over hillsides.

More local coverage: not just increasing quantity, but also proximity - with headlines like "What That Smell Is" and "Why Is That Guy Talking So Loud? Hearing Problems?"

Solution to high personnel and benefits costs: Oompah Loompahs.

Save money on reporting, composing, and printing costs by publishing the exact same generic stories every day: Unrest in the Middle East!  Britney Spears in embarrassing photos!  George W. Bush in embarrassing press conference!

Replace delivery boys with delivery BABES.

Make sure really interesting news stories are always "To be continued" in the next edition.

More pictures of sleeping puppies?

Make every issue a 'special commemorative issue.'

Cap'n Wacky print-only editions.

Print something people want to read.

Stack them in manageable piles, tie them up with twine, and place in garage.

Cap'n Wacky


--------------------------------------
The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

TVSpy.com is home to ShopTalk, the FREE daily newsletter for the TV news industry, read by more than 25,000 subscribers. For more than 20 years, ShopTalk has given TV news professionals the daily inside scoop on the industry. Read today's ShopTalk and subscribe for FREE

The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

The Marketing Ideanet is sent via TVSpy's e-mail servers. Visit TVSpy's Marketing Matters online community.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
(919) 217-4438
http://www.602communications.com

In This Issue
Promo of the Day
TelevisionWeek's 10 Most Powerful in TV News
NY Times Dominates Pulitzers
TV News Shifts Focus to Afghanistan
Pew Poll-Cable News: Too Soft or Too Harsh on Obama?
Fox Affils Vow Local Role
Fox TV Looks to Asia for Partners
Blagojevich’s Reality Denied
Now Watch PBS Online
Top US Streaming Video Sites
RTNDA@NAB: Stations Atwitter Over Twitter
Google Refines Image/News Searches
Brand Mentions Preferred Over Ads
Teens Love Live TV, Study Shows
Moving Hologram Showcased at NAB
Tax Incentives Key to US Production Levels, Panel Says
Message From Michael
The Wonderful Benefits of Animal Companionship


Quotes

“We live in an extraordinary time.  Our thinking styles are severing us from our families, our religions, our ideologies, and nature.  We are caught up in a pace of social and technological change that makes our work, business, and education sources of anxiety and unfulfillment.  At the same time, thinking about our thinking and observing our observations can bring us a new world in which work becomes a place for innovation, and in which peace, wisdom, friendship, companionship, and community can exist.  Let us design this world together.”
- Fernando Flores

“It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.”
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

"It is not whether your words or actions are tough or gentle; it is the spirit behind your actions and words that announces your inner state."
- Chin-Ning Chu


Promo of the Day
There are stories...and there are HBO stories.  And these 3 2008 Best of Show Addy Award Winners show why.

In a recent newsletter, we featured a news item about the rebranding of WGN.  WGN AMERICA Writer/Producer/Editor William Craig sent along 2 promos to show how their new brand is busting the many TV clichés and is a true representation of the diversity of both America and their programming.

And in creating a promo for the "WTOL Pet Idol" contest, Art Director Kyle Omlor shared his creative process...and fond memories:

"Never work with children or animals".  At least that's what they say. But where's the fun in that?  Plus, when you're making a commercial for a pet photo contest, you really don't have a choice.

Sometimes an idea just pops into your head.  As soon as this project came across my desk I knew exactly how the commercial should look.  I mean the whole idea behind the contest was "show us some cool photos of your pet".  Even more to the point, why do you think your pet is so cool he DESERVES to be entered into a contest.

As I flashed back to my childhood I remembered playing for hours in the yard with my dog.  He wasn't just my dog, he was one of my best friends.  When I went for a bike ride, he came with me.  When I went exploring in the nearby woods, he went with me.  He was as much a part of my imaginary world, as he was my everyday life.  That's why he was the best pet ever and that's why I would have entered him into a contest like this.

The goal of the spot was to capture this exact feeling.  The feeling of a young boy's imagination and the adventures he and his dog share together.  An imagination that transforms his pooch into almost anything under the sun, including an exploring  astronaut, a heroic fireman, and even a rough and tough cowboy.

Well, I hope the commercial captured this feeling and you enjoy the spot, cus I know I sure had a good time making it."

Creative Concept, Art Direction, Editing and Animation: Kyle Omlor, WTOL
Original Illustrations: Holly Omlor
Original Script: Gary Albers, WTOL
Filming: Gary Albers, Kyle Omlor, Peter Lipphardt,  WTOL

602communications.com/VideoExamples

Have a video clip to share?  Email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Flash (.flv) or QuickTime (.mov) files, size 320 x 240, are preferred, but WindowsMedia (.wmv) files will also be accepted.  Large files may be sent via http://www.yousendit.com.  You can also mail your clip on VHS or DVD to Graeme Newell at 1011 Lyndhurst Falls Lane, Knightdale, NC  27545

TelevisionWeek's 10 Most Powerful in TV News
It’s time again for TelevisionWeek’s list of the 10 Most Powerful in TV News.  This year’s report card comes at an awkward time: Election-year performances can’t be ignored, and yet they already seem a distant memory, as the industry is roiled by the same economic turmoil as the rest of the nation.  While there are plenty of new characters heating up the airwaves, this year we’ve opted for executives over on-air talent for the list; they are the ones trying to navigate the downturn in advertising revenues, anticipate where and how fickle viewers want to get their news, and find the programming and personalities that appeal to the national zeitgeist.

Before we jump in, let’s conduct a quick review.  The criteria? It’s highly subjective.  Ratings count, and so do revenues (not that anyone is freely handing out those numbers, but there are plenty of whispers).  So does the ability to instill fear in competitors or to spark a national conversation no matter how inane (the collective Wikipedia minds define power as “the measure of an entity’s ability to control the environment around itself, including the behavior of other entities”). And it’s worth noting that power can be used for ill as well as good, as Jon Stewart has been reminding CNBC executives.

1. NBC News Team
Jeff Zucker, president and chief executive officer, NBC Universal
Steve Capus, president, NBC News
Phil Griffin, president, MSNBC
Mark Hoffman, president, CNBC

2. Roger Ailes,
president, Fox News Channel, and chairman, Fox Television Stations Group

3. CNN Team
Jim Walton, president, CNN Worldwide
Jon Klein, president, CNN/U.S.
Ken Jautz, executive VP, CNN Worldwide, responsible for HLN

4. David Westin,
president, ABC News

5. Sean McManus,
president, CBS News and CBS Sports

6. Jeff Fager,
executive producer, “60 Minutes”

7. Comedy Central Team
Jon Stewart, host, Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”
Stephen Colbert, host, Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report”

8. Univision

9. N.S. Bienstock

10. Huffington Post

Read why they were chosen at: TV Week


NY Times Dominates Pulitzers
The New York Times dominated the Pulitzer Prizes announced on Monday, winning five of the coveted awards for investigative, breaking news and international reporting, feature photography and criticism. The Las Vegas Sun won the most prestigious Public Service Prize for reporting on the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas strip, according to the board of the Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music.  The strength of the prize winners' work shows the power and significance of print journalism, said Sig Gissler, administrator of the Pulitzers.  Newspapers are suffering badly in the recession, with massive job losses, elimination of sections and cancellation of home delivery.  A few have ceased publication, slashed salaries and filed for bankruptcy.  "The watchdog still barks.  The watchdog still bites," Gissler said.  "Who would be doing this day to day if we didn't have newspapers?"  None of the prizes went to stories about the economy or the financial crisis.  The Wall Street Journal, one of the nation's most prestigious daily papers, did not win a prize this year.  The paper has not won a Pulitzer since Rupert Murdoch bought it through News Corp's purchase of Dow Jones & Co in December 2007.  In the previous 10 years, the Journal won Pulitzers in all but two years.  Details of the awards are at www.pulitzer.org
Reuters


TV News Shifts Focus to Afghanistan
Television news operations are sending reporters and other assets to Afghanistan, which appears to have become the military priority under the new administration, the New York Observer reports. "We have all known for months that the focus was shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan," Paul Friedman, senior VP of CBS News, tells The Observer. "We’ve all budgeted for it, and we're all trying to figure out how best to get it done."
TV Week


Pew Poll-Cable News: Too Soft or Too Harsh on Obama?
The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reveals some new data on how the American public (or at least the 1,000 people in a weekly nationwide ORC phone poll) responded to questions about which of the six broadcast and cable news networks have been too critical of Pres. Obama and which have been too soft.

Here's how the cable nets stacked up:
- 29% say Fox News is too critical of Obama
- 11% say CNN is too critical of Obama
- 8% say MSNBC is too critical of Obama

- 16% say CNN is too easy on Obama
- 16% say MSNBC is too easy on Obama
- 5% say Fox News is too easy on Obama

MediaBistro


Fox Affils Vow Local Role
The Fox affiliates vowed to better make their presence felt both in their local markets and in our nation's capital during a meeting at NAB-RTNDA in Las Vegas today.  Head of the NAB committee Brian Brady urged affiliate representatives to take cable's lead and get friendlier with the Congressmen from their districts.  "Cable has done a lot better job of taking the fight to Washington," said Brady.  "It's hurting us bad.  As broadcasters we have to triple down our efforts.  We need to let them know that we are an industry that has some clout."  Board chairman John Tupper ran the meeting.  He said Fox affiliates also seek to do battle with cable in their local markets by employing a promotional campaign reminding viewers of the role stations play in the community.  The spots, featuring the tagline "Where Would You Be Without Them?" tell viewers that the likes of CNN and ESPN don't represent the market the way broadcast does and are "not required to serve the public interest."
Broadcasting & Cable


Fox TV Looks to Asia for Partners
With projects already in production in the Americas and also with European broadcasters, Fox TV Studios is next looking to Asia as fertile ground for international co-productions.  As a result, FTVS has sealed a first-look deal with "Infernal Affairs" director Andrew Lau, former Flame Ventures prexy Zack Sherman and producer Andrew Loo.  The trio plan to develop new English-language fare for Fox TV Studios that could be produced in Southeast Asia -- particularly Hong Kong -- and then sold to a U.S. network and throughout the world.  "Producers like us are fully aware that the international markets are no longer an ancillary business," Sherman said.  "The TV business is just catching up to what was a film model, the international pre-sale.  Domestic networks need a cost solution for scripted series, while foreign buyers need quality scripted fare that they've come to expect from Hollywood."  The model will emulate the one that Fox TV Studios has already engineered with shows like "Mental," which was shot in Colombia -- but actually takes place in Los Angeles and stars U.S. thesps.  FTVS partnered with Fox Intl. Channels to produce.  "We hope to create a brand that moves from country to country," Loo said.  "And we're not just limited to shooting Asia for Asia.  There's an opportunity to shoot an English-language show, be it a legal show or anything, on the ground here in Hong Kong and say it's Boston.  The whole world is in play right now, and that opens your options."
Variety


Blagojevich’s Reality Denied
Blago's a no-go.  A state judge has nixed impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's attempt to appear on NBC's summer reality show "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here."  According to MSNBC, the Illinois judge in the case turned down the request because he believed Mr. Blagojevich wasn't taking his criminal case seriously and because he needs to participate in his own defense.  The rejection came even though NBC and Granada America had agreed to pay to have retired U.S. marshals guard Mr. Blagojevich, MSNBC reported.  The ex-governor also had agreed to give up any extradition rights; the show is being filmed in Costa Rica.  It's unclear what NBC and Granada will do next.  Some industry observers have suggested NBC might be wise to move the show to an American location, making it easier for Blagojevich to participate, but NBC shot down that idea in a statement issued Tuesday.  In a statement, NBC said, "NBC is disappointed in the court’s decision today regarding Rod Blagojevich’s participation on 'I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!,' but excited about the casting announcement for the show this Friday.  There are no plans to move the show to a location in the United States."  NBC also could try to find another disgraced politico (think ex-New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer?) to fill the spot.
TV Week


Now Watch PBS Online
The Public Broadcasting Service turns 40 this year, and on Tuesday it gave itself a gift that just might make it feel young again.  PBS' new video portal (pbs.org/video) allows online viewers to stream an array of its best-known shows over the Web.  The new site gathers more than 130 episodes of nearly 20 programs, including marquee fare such as "Frontline," "Nova" and "Masterpiece Theater."  PBS says thousands of hours of programming should be available to users by the summer.  In giving its shows away online, PBS is joining on-demand video sites such as Hulu.com and YouTube -- places for younger consumers who aren't wedded to watching TV on a television.  Those two sites, both commercial, have been touting themselves as advertiser-friendly viewing destinations where video surfers can go to browse among a variety of familiar titles.  But on these sites, familiar can mean that you saw it decades earlier.  Major media companies are still wary of posting their best material online, leaving YouTube and Hulu thin on the most popular shows but overgrown with cultural castoffs such as "The Lone Ranger," "Alf" and "Coolio's Rules."  PBS' initial selection of about 20 programs is small compared with the pulpy catalogs maintained by the other sites, but full-length episodes of nearly every show in PBS' prime-time lineup have been put online.  In addition to acting as a clearinghouse for PBS content, the portal will function as the hub of a nationwide network of online affiliates, all of which can share programming through a single Web infrastructure, whose cost PBS would specify only as "in the seven figures."  "I think this is really good of PBS," said Jackie Kain, senior vice president of new media at Los Angeles' KCET public television station.  "We're all trying to create a local identity as it relates to a national identity," she said, referring to the way each station will create a unique mixture of original and borrowed content.  "We're all part of a system."
LA Times


Top US Streaming Video Sites
YouTube continues to dominate the world of online video, delivering more than 5 billion streams in March. Hulu, the No.2 site, generated a fraction of YouTube’s activity, according to Nielsen figures for the month.  A list of the top streaming sites follows.

March 2009
Brand                               Total Streams (000)     Unique Viewers (000)
YouTube                                5,479,609                      89,407
Hulu                                        348,520                        8,865
Yahoo!                                     231,795                      24,761
Fox Interactive Media                207,528                      14,719
Nickelodeon Kids & Family         196,160                        6,391
ABC.com                                  176,931                        6,881
MSN/Windows Live                    168,907                      12,076
Turner Sports & Ent                   137,621                        5,822
MTV Networks Music                  123,888                        6,337
CNN Digital Network                  103,453                        9,021

             
Source: Nielsen Online, VideoCensus
Note: Includes progressive downloads and excludes video advertising.
TV Week


RTNDA@NAB: Stations Atwitter Over Twitter
If Oprah can use Twitter, so can TV stations, said the panelists at the RTNDA session Twitter 101 in Las Vegas.  While many deride the microblogging trend as a narcissistic fad, KOMU Columbia (MO)’s Jennifer Reeves, KCTV Kansas City’s Kelly Hicks and Arizona State’s Bill Silcock said Twitter can be used like a police scanner to ferret out tips, can offer transparency about the newsgathering process, and will make for a tighter bond with viewers.  Reeves, new media director at KOMU, said Twitter is an increasingly essential newsgathering tool.  “It’s your Facebook status on crack or speed or Red Bull or whatever,” she said of Twitter’s 140-character updates.  “As journalists we have to wrap our heads around completely new ways to have conversations.”  Reeves offered tips on searching Twitter for trend stories, using the direct message function to communicate in private with valuable sources, and general rules for getting along in the microblogosphere.  Pointing out the 14 million (and rapidly growing) Twitter users, Hicks said the program is good for giving viewers a peek into the news process.  “Viewers like it when you pull back the curtain and show them the process,” she said.  Connecting with young viewers now, she added, can turn them into news viewers when they mature.  She also offered a list of Do’s (Tweet frequently, ask questions to engage viewers) and Don’t’s (diss your station, even in jest, show your hand on an exclusive story).
Broadcasting & Cable


Google Refines Image/News Searches
Google on Monday unveiled software tools that let people search the Internet using pictures or chronologically organize results of queries for news.  Fledgling versions of Similar Images and News Timeline made their way out of Google Labs, a place where engineers at the California-based Internet giant get to spend time tinkering with promising innovations.  A Similar Images feature added to Google's Image Search tool lets people scour the Internet for like photographs with a single computer mouse click.  Examples provided by Google include refining a search for "jaguar" to provide only images of the jungle cat or the luxury automobile.  "So if you see an image you like, but you're stumped on how to describe it, just click the 'Similar images' link to see more like it," reads an online posting by 'Googlers' Chuck Rosenberg, Andy Hertzfeld, and Michael Cohen.  Google News Timeline amasses stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and other sources and presents search results in chronological graphs that can be zoomed in on or navigated by dates.
Yahoo Tech


Brand Mentions Preferred Over Ads
Young people especially receptive.  Want to get Internet users to visit your Website or follow your brand?  The best way to accomplish those tasks, according to ARAnet, based on polling by Opinion Research Corporation, may not be advertising.  Compared with banner ads, pop-up ads, e-mail offers and sponsored links, articles that include brand information were most likely to lead US Internet users to read—and act.  US Internet Users Who Are Very/Somewhat Likely to Read and Take Action After Viewing Online Ads, by Format, March 2009 (% of respondents).  In addition to making a product so compelling it demands coverage, this requires a more natural, PR-focused strategy of getting the word out.  Or in some cases, tailoring ads so they look like articles.  How likely viewers were to take action depended slightly on demographic factors. About one-half of both men and women were likely or somewhat likely to respond to articles that have brand information included in them.  Internet users were more likely to take action the younger they were, and African-Americans and Hispanics were more likely to take action than whites.  Demographic Profile of US Internet Users Who Are Likely to Read Online Articles that Include Brand Information and Take Action Afterward, March 2009 (% of respondents).  “A key finding for marketers is that younger audiences respond to information that reaches them in the form of articles,” said ARAnet president Scott Severson.  “More than two-thirds of the respondents between 18 and 34 said they conduct Internet searches for products or services they read about in online articles either very frequently or somewhat frequently.”  Long-shunned pop-up ads remained the least favorable option for every audience segment, regardless of age, race, income, sex, region or size of household: 87% of respondents said they were not very likely or not at all likely to read and respond to them.  How can a company attract attention from potential customers without a large PR team, a clever writing staff or a CEO that gives out business cards to anyone with enough fingers?  Fortunately, e-mail marketing and paid search still had relatively high rates of action.
eMarketer


Teens Love Live TV, Study Shows
Not all TV teen viewers are into new TV technology -- at least not the ones that delay gratification.  According to a new study by Pangea Media, an online quiz technology company, and Ypulse, a digital youth media company, 65% of tween and teen users prefer to watch TV shows live. This contrasts with 25% who say they will view it using a DVR, and 10% who watch online.  Traditional TV genre programs also play better than new-style TV formats.  Tweens/teens prefer scripted series 64% of the time versus reality TV, at 36%.  They like programming on cable TV, at 77% of the time to network TV's 23%.  But some prevailing trends seem to follow tweens/teens.  Asked to forgo either TV or the Internet for a week, 77% of respondents overwhelmingly said it would be television.  While 60% say they have seen an original Internet video series, 85% say they have never visited a TV show's social-networking area.  Most of tweens/teens online video viewing goes to YouTube, with a 50% score.  Some 40% of the time, they go to a channel's Web site, and 20% of the time, they head to iTunes.  Multitasking is still big among this group.  They watch TV and are online 78% of the time, while TV and texting is at a 66% rate.  Television still influences their buying decisions.  Sixty-six percent say they downloaded music because they heard it on a show; with 30% saying they purchased clothes because they were seen on a TV character.
MediaPost


Moving Hologram Showcased at NAB
A system of creating a moving hologram is among the bleeding-edge technologies that are on display this week at the NAB Show.  Some industry leaders believe that the stereoscopic 3-D of today is a stepping-stone to hologram imagery. To that point, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Japan is demonstrating how its electronic holography technology can be used to create a moving hologram.  NICT hopes that in a decade it will be able to interest the broadcast industry in the notion of using holograms for television, which would offer multidimensional imagery without the need for special glasses or displays.
Hollywood Reporter


Tax Incentives Key to US Production Levels, Panel Says
The importance and value of production tax incentives was in focus during a panel of film office representatives here Tuesday morning.  Asked if U.S. federal incentives would make sense now that 40 states and DC have incentives programs, most were in favor - although to different degrees.  A federal program "would be of great value" as a supplement to states' efforts, said Richard Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office.  Sharon Pinkenson, executive director, Greater Philadelphia Film Office, pointed out that just about every country has a film commission these days. "It's about time (for federal incentives)," she said.  "The U.S. seems to be the only country that doesn't represent this industry." Congressman Steve Scalise from Louisiana, meanwhile, suggested the federal government could do "something on the jobs side" incentives-wise to avoid job migration to such countries as Canada, Ireland and New Zealand instead of giving out additional production tax credits per se.  The panel also discussed the importance of incentives amid the recession, agreeing that they are key in this environment.  The panel was moderated by George Clooney's father Nick, a distinguished journalist in residence at American University's School of Communication & the Newseum.  The panel was part of the second biennial "Business of Show Business" symposium.
Hollywood Reporter


Message From Michael
MORE ON MEDIA CORPORATIONS ANNUAL REPORTS:  As promised in last week’s message, there is more to the dozen or so annual reports we reviewed.  What follows are the other ‘key’ words that popped up in the reports, along with insights into the corporate thinking and the corporate reach.

CONSTANT, CONTINUOUS, CONNECTIONS:  Virtually every media group hit the point in their annual report that the customer expects to be able to connect to the rest of his or her world at their convenience.  But probably none of the groups put it so succinctly as the writers of the News Corporation’s annual report who make the point that, “today you can connect with any one, any time, anywhere, using any device.”  That’s why, they say, the company must continue to create content that consumers want across the “whole spectrum of media.”  Bertelsmann put it even more elegantly, noting that with digitization, “the world is spinning faster.”  That’s why they say (using very similar language) they must be there, “at all times at any place.”  Similarly Media General notes that the consumer has already “embraced a digital future” so the company has to “be there for them” because “the customer is in charge.”  Gannett hits on the media device issue as well, noting that customers expect to get “real time news and information delivered to any device” and adds that it must be “wherever and whenever the customer wants it.”  Disney also uses almost the same exact words, saying they must provide entertainment “when and where” the customer wants it.  Morris Communication puts it very simply when they note that media must become vital, “like a utility.”     

A CORPORATE CONSCIENCE:  Yes, I can hear the cynics out there saying, ‘yeah, right, that’s a contradiction in terms,’ but take a look at some of the evidence from their annual reports.  German-based Bertelsmann cites citizenship as one of its four core principles and is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact which promotes the principles of human rights.  Disney understandably cites the “well being of children” as one of its principles along with environmental stewardship.  But the company promises in its annual report to go much further, publishing soon “our first comprehensive, corporate responsibility report.”  On its board of directors is John E.Pepper, co-chair of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center which obviously draws its name from the underground railroad used to free slaves during the Civil War but which has a broader agenda now of freedom in all its aspects.  Gannett in several parts of its annual report talks about the company’s “First Amendment responsibilities” which it calls, “always our highest calling.”  Even the often maligned News Corporation promises in its annual report to be the world’s first carbon neutral global media company by 2010.  Its annual report says, “we can’t solve all of the world’s problems, but we continue to focus on areas where we can bring our experience, our reach and our talents to bear.”

DISNEY DAIRY PRODUCTS AND TIME WARNER CHOCOLATE:  It was odd but not surprising that Gannett owns Army Times Publishing or that the New York Times which sold off its television stations still holds on to a 7,000-subscriber weekly, the Petaluma Argus, in California; or even that News Corp is one of the leading newspaper insert companies with a group called NAM.  And, somewhere in the corrupted hard drive known as my brain, I remember that Disney owns cruise ships, but the statement in the company’s annual report that it is planning to launch two new cruise ships in the next two years still came as somewhat of a surprise.  But that’s the least of it when it comes to odd businesses that major corporations are involved in.  Disney also is big into Disney branded fruits, vegetables, dairy products and pasta for “families in dozens of countries.”  It has its own signature brand of home furnishings.  And not too surprisingly, but somewhat strange to see in writing, Disney corporate says in its annual report that “the pre-school segment continues to grow.”  Think about that. Media giant Bertelsmann also sees dollars in toddlers with its investment in Scoyo, an online learning platform for children.  The oddest of all though may be Time Warner’s interest in QSP, which provides school and youth group fundraising activities such as the sale of chocolate and cookie dough. Hmmm. Picture that.   

Michael Castengera is an instructor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia AND President of Media Strategies and Tactics Inc., a consulting firm that works with all media but primarily broadcasting.  You can visit his website at MediaConsultant.tv.


The Wonderful Benefits of Animal Companionship
Many of us know that animals add to our emotional and spiritual well-being.  Since we live in a day where just about anything can and is often researched, many studies have demonstrated that having a pet is good for our physical health as well!  Apparently, while we are taking care of our pets, our pets are taking care of us.

Studies abound showing that sharing our lives with animals benefits our stress levels, our blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, moods, immunity, fitness levels, the length and quality of our lives, and can even reduce health care costs.

Here are a few highlights of the hundreds of studies showing the amazing benefits of animal companionship:


Cardiovascular Health
Karen Allen, PhD, a medical researcher at State University of New York at Buffalo, reported that dog guardians with hypertension had lower blood pressure readings in response to stressful situations than those who did not have a dog.  Pet guardians were found to have lower levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels in a study reported in the Medical Journal of Australia.  Having a feline companion could reduce your heart attack risk by nearly one third, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota's Stroke Institute. Queen's University researcher Dr. Deborah Wells reported that dog guardians were 8.6% more likely to be alive one year following a heart attack than those without a pooch pal.

Health Care Costs
Having a pet seems to help with health care costs.  A study conducted by the United States National Institutes of Health indicated that people who have pets make fewer doctor visits, especially for non-serious medical conditions.  An Australian Study showed dog and cat owners make fewer annual doctor visits and are less likely to be medicated for heart issues and sleeping problems than non-pet owners.  The study indicated that a presence of pets in a majority of households could result in an annual savings in health care costs between $790 million and $1.5 billion!

Improved Immunity
A Wilkes University study found that petting a dog for 18 minutes resulted in a significant increase in secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), which helps the body protect itself from foreign invaders.  One possibility for this increased immune response is a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol.

Benefits to Children
Dr. Sue Doescher, a psychologist involved in a study at Oregon State University, reported that teaching children to care for a puppy increased the children's cooperation and sharing attributes.  A study reported in Allergy showed reduced risk of allergic responses such as eczema and asthma for children exposed to pets within the first 4 years of life.  The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported a study that found that exposure to two or more dogs or cats in the first year of life may reduce risk of allergies throughout childhood.

Benefits to Seniors
A study reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported that the physical health of seniors benefited from sharing their lives with companion animals.  A Saint Louis University study reported that nursing home residents had a significant decrease in loneliness after one-on-one visits with a dog.  The health benefits of the human-animal connection have been extensively studied for many years.  A lot of the research has resulted in wonderful practical applications.  There is a growing number of "therapy dogs," who "volunteer" to visit patients in hospitals, mental health centers, shelters, and nursing homes.  One such program is the POOCH (Pets Offer Ongoing Care and Healing) program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Visits from these caring canines often lift their spirits, calm their nerves, and relieve their loneliness.

The ways that animal companions affect our well being are seemingly endless:

Self esteem
As much as I love my family, and they are happy to see me when I come home, it's our dogs that show the most excitement, wagging their tails ecstatically, celebrating my arrival -- day after day!

Fitness
Dogs can inspire you to get or stay in shape.  When you feel like skipping your morning walk, and your dog looks at you with those pleading eyes, you just can't say no.

Pure Happiness and Joy
Animals are just embodied cuteness; they make us smile and laugh with their precious antics.  I constantly marvel at how adorable my two dogs, Charlie and Simba are.  And I tell them that every day!  Most animal guardians talk to their pets, yet few admit it.

Our Social Lives
You can meet the most interesting people walking a dog, volunteering at an animal shelter, or visiting an animal sanctuary.

Good Karma
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
-- Gandhi

I know that sharing our lives with animals benefits our spiritual health, for they truly touch our soul.  Once you have loved an animal, your heart will never be the same.  Rescuing an animal from a shelter and giving it a second chance at life is the best feeling in the world. We often wonder who actually got rescued.

Note: If you are inspired to add an animal companion to your life, please make your decision carefully.  Being a pet guardian is a long-term commitment.  Please visit your local shelter or rescue group for assistance in choosing the right pet for your lifestyle.  If you are interested in having an animal companion, but aren't sure you are ready for the commitment, please consider fostering or volunteering at your local animal shelter.

HuffingtonPost


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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

TVSpy.com is home to ShopTalk, the FREE daily newsletter for the TV news industry, read by more than 25,000 subscribers. For more than 20 years, ShopTalk has given TV news professionals the daily inside scoop on the industry. Read today's ShopTalk and subscribe for FREE

The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

The Marketing Ideanet is sent via TVSpy's e-mail servers. Visit TVSpy's Marketing Matters online community.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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In This Issue
The TV Brand Lifecycle
Survey Shows How Web Assisted Obama Win
News Sites Hold Onto 08' Election Gains
Online Radio Making Gains: Study
Sunday Morning Talk Shows Showcasing More Blacks
ESPN Dunks Most-Viewed NBA Season
Cable TV Bills Up 7.5%: Study
TiVo to Measure Local TV Consumption: NAB 2009
Kids Groups Wants Ad Ratings
Cable News Turns Theatrical: Editorial
Innuendo Abounded over Teabagging Event
Apoliticus's Political Buzzwords


Quotes

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.  Because someday in your life you will have been all of these."
- George Washington Carver

We come fresh to the different stages of life, and in each of them we are quite inexperienced, no matter how old we are”
- François de la Rochefoucauld

“Every philosophy is the philosophy of some stage of life.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche, German classical scholar, philosopher and critic of culture (1844-1900)


The TV Brand Lifecycle
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com

What are the top brands in the world?  Here are Interbrand's top picks and the dollar value they put on these strategically positioned brands:

1) Coke - $66 billion
2) IBM - $59 billion
3) Microsoft - $59 billion
4) GE - $53 billion
5) Nokia - $35 billion
6) Toyota - $34 billion
7) Intel - $31 billion
8) McDonalds - $31 billion
9) Disney - $29 billion
10) Google - $25 billion

All of these products are at different stages in their branding life.  Google, Microsoft, Nokia and Intel are relative newcomers to the game.  Coke, Disney, GE, and Toyota have all been around decades longer.  There is one particularly interesting correlation between a brand and the product's age.   Generally, the older the product, the harder it is to describe the brand in words.  For example, if I were to ask you to describe a young product brand like Google, most of us could quickly fire off a long list of adjectives - smart, high tech, upstart, or perhaps bold.  However, if I were to ask you to describe the brand position for a venerable product like Coke, the words might not come as easily. The Coke brand is more of a feeling than a phrase.  This is because it is an emotional brand.  Despite the fact that the Coke brand is harder to articulate, I'm willing to bet most of us still have a very clear understanding of the Coke brand position.

Most of us can't name McDonald's slogan, but we sure do have a strong feeling in our gut about this company.  This emotional characteristic is one of the most valuable treasures of a brand position.  It says that people don't just dig your products, they dig your company's values and mindset.  This carefully crafted emotional brand has made Coke the most valuable brand in the world.

Sure, there are exceptions to this rule.  Some older brands like Marlboro and Disney are very easily described. But if you look at the top 100 brands, the older companies have brands that are more emotionally based:  Visa, Kleenex, Gillette, Nestle, Colgate, American Express, Shell Oil, HP.

What we see here is the brand life cycle of a product.  Most companies break into a market with innovative products or services.  Google reinvented search.  Harley Davidson redefined the cult of motorcycle.  Land's End brought a whole new level of customer service to catalog shopping.  Because their products are truly different, these younger brands tend to be defined using more product characteristics.  Their features make them great.

As competitors erode any product's competitive advantage, the company must eventually move its marketing down the emotional trail, and de-emphasize product feature advertising.  When Coke was new, ads like this one prominently showcased product features like "tingle and sparkle" and the slogan "delicious and refreshing."  But grocery stores now have an entire drink aisle with hundreds of "tingly and sparkly" beverages.  These days, Coke never mentions its product characteristics. Ads like this one solely focus on emotional attachment.  When your product really isn't that different, this is the only branding alternative.

Most of Coke's customers would never admit they are the unwitting victims of emotional product marketing.  If you ask them why they choose Coke over the supermarket brand, they will tell you, "It just tastes better," but that preference is deeply rooted in Coke's very effective strategy of turning their product into a social juggernaut, not a soft drink.

Nike's waffle sole and nylon construction where the focus of early ads.  Today, running shoes are running shoes, and Nike doesn't even try to play that game.  Today's ads are all about emotional attachment.

This is where TV news branding is headed.  Huge revenue drops at stations mean that differentiating features such as investigative teams, big dopplers and fleets of live trucks are quickly disappearing.  In the harsh reality of a downsized industry, product differentiation is a very natural and expected casualty.

If you are one of the lucky stations that still has a remarkably distinguishing product attribute, then sell that feature and sell it hard.  But if you are like most stations, then it is time to get real and admit that your team of jittery reporters, speeding trucks and caring anchors just aren't that special anymore.

It means it's time to change your branding tactics.  Endlessly repeating slogan lines and narcissistic "my doppler can beat up your doppler" weather promos brand you as part of the herd.  Great brands mirror how the audience feels about itself, not how it feels about your product.

If I want great weather, I go to the internet where I can get endlessly more information on the forecast in my specific zip code, with things like pollen counts, gardening forecasts, UV indexes, even forecasts for pet care.  So why do people still watch weather on TV news?  It's because they have a relationship with your station and your weather forecasters.  The future of your company depends on fostering this relationship, and building a strong emotionally driven brand that transcends the X's and O's of the information.  Greater connectivity through the internet and PDAs is quickly making the information we present ubiquitous.

So how do you begin?  Start by changing your research strategy.  While your audience may be able to articulate some basic feelings about its relationship with your company, realize that research studies that exclusively use phone surveys are a basic tool with a very limited ability to drill down to real motivators.

George Harrison once said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture."  Having customers talk about their feelings about your company is not far from this same idea.  Smart companies realize that people are very bad at talking about their true feelings.  In his fascinating book "Blink", Malcolm Gladwell talks about how incredibly terrible we are at articulating our own true feelings. 

Last night at a dinner party, a guest of mine was dreamily recounting the magic moments of her family's week-long vacation at Disney World in Orlando.  The vacation cost them a whopping $5000 and they never left the Disney property.  They ignored the other amazing Orlando attractions such as Sea World, Universal Studios and the Kennedy Space Center.  When I asked her why it was all Disney, all week, she had some very logical answers.  She mentioned the cleanliness of the park, the customer service at the Disney hotel, and the transportation system.  But everyone at the table knew her better than she knew herself.  There are many things to do in Orlando, but there's only one place where "dreams come true."

That is the power of relationship branding.  As TV news enters an era of increasing product ubiquity, it is time we stopped doing surveys about how viewers feel about our products.  It is time we followed the lead of the powerbranders like Proctor and Gamble, Coke and Nike.  P&G doesn't spend all their time asking women about their feelings about Tide's ability to clean clothes.  Instead, they have found ingenious ways to unlock how they feel about their families, their careers, their homes and their lives. They have taken the focus off their own product agenda and found new ways to listen to their customers.

Next week, changing your brand from a noun to a verb.

Graeme Newell is a broadcast and web marketing specialist.  He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free.  Find out more here.


Survey Shows How Web Assisted Obama Win
A Pew survey released late yesterday showed that more than half of all adults in the U.S. used the Web during the 2008 race for the White House for "political purposes," from checking for news to sharing videos or Facebook postings.  It also revealed that Obama's backers used the Web far more extensively than McCain's supporters, for everything from planning meetings to donating money.  These are not exactly shocking facts and they do not really do justice to the full impact of the Web in Obama's victory last year.  When the nearly two-year presidential race ended on Nov. 4, 2008, the solid win for Obama no longer seemed a surprise.  Going back one year, however -- and finding Hillary Clinton labeled the clear front-runner -- puts the Obama victory in perspective.  Joe Scarborough wasn't the only pundit back then to pat Obama on the head for a nice effort and tell him to prepare to get ground up and "spit out" by the unstoppable double-Clinton machine.  Instead, Obama, with the help of an unprecedented grassroots funding and organizing effort, battled that machine to a standstill, then knocked out McCain a few months later.  How did that happen?  The Democratic insurgent made few poor moves, remained calm while avoiding, or wiping off, the mud thrown at him, and continually surprised the pundits, who overestimated both Clinton and McCain (and Sarah Palin) past the point that most voters abandoned them.

Then there was the Web.  A major party's nomination of an African-American for president, and the Republicans' first selection of a female candidate for vice president, were not the only historic aspects of the 2008 election campaign in the United States.  This was also the first national campaign profoundly shaped -- even, at times, dominated -- by the new media, from viral videos and blog rumors that went "mainstream" to startling online fundraising techniques. You might call it Campaign 2.008.  The rules of the game have been changed forever -- by technology.  It was more than the "YouTube Election," as some dubbed it, or "The Facebook Election," or "hyper-politics."  James Rainey, the longtime media reporter for the Los Angeles Times, declared that there is a "new-media revolution that is remaking presidential campaigns.  Online videos can dominate the evening news.  "It has rewritten the rules on how to reach voters, raise money, organize supporters, manage the news media, track and mold public opinion, and wage -- and withstand -- political attacks, including many carried by blogs that did not exist four years ago."
MediaWeek


News Sites Hold Onto 08' Election Gains
Americans have been unable to kick their addiction to online news, despite the post election/inauguration saturation coverage and the relentless stream of here-comes-another-Depression news.  The Web’s top news sites have lost little if any audience in the nearly six months since Barack Obama was elected president.  And though the hardest of hard-core political sites have experienced erosion, most have set new audience thresholds.  “We were anxious to see where traffic went heading into this year,” said Kyoo Kim, vp of sales at MSNBC.com.  “It’s been very encouraging.”  According to numbers compiled by Nielsen Online, in March category giants MSNBC.com (39.9 million uniques) CNN.com (38.7 million and Yahoo News (37.9 million) each saw their unique user bases dip just a few percentage points since their November peak.  It seems as though the mega-interest in the great race between Obama and Sen. John McCain has habituated users to garner more news online.  The left-leaning HuffingtonPost.com’s traffic had been a bit more spiky post election, actually peaking this past February at 8.9 million uniques before dipping to 6.7 million in March.  However, that site—which has widened its scope beyond politics of late—has set a new audience ceiling compared to just a year ago, when its audience sat below 4 million users.  “These are extraordinary times,” said Huffington Post co-founder and editor in chief Arianna Huffington.  “It’s not as though Obama moved into the White House and we all got back to our lives.  There is so much drama every day.”  Huffington added that the site’s Living and Style sections are also proving a draw for new audiences, helping to assuage any possible traffic dip among political junkies.  HuffingtonPost’s diversity appears wise, as the post-election period has been far tougher on pure politics players like Politico.com, which has lost 27 percent of its audience since November, and RealClearPolitics.com (down 56 percent).  Smaller, heavily partisan blogs like Daily Kos and Redstate have even seen traffic fall below Nielsen’s minimum thresholds.  “They have definitely seen the worst of it,” said Schilling.  “I don’t think it’s a sign of trouble.  People are just not coming back with the same frequency.  They’re taking a deep breath right now.”
MediaWeek


Online Radio Making Gains: Study
There is good news in the radio industry: online radio is gaining in popularity.  The number of Americans that tune in weekly to online radio grew to 42 million, up from 33 million in 2008.  Stuck in the 11 percent to 13 percent range for the past three years, weekly online listening now reaches 17 percent of the population, according to Arbitron and Edison Research, which released their 17th annual Infinity Dial study Thursday (April 16).  The number of monthly online listeners is 69 million or 27 percent of the population.  And nearly half of the population, or 49 percent, an astounding 125 million, have ever listened to online radio.  The Arbitron/Edison survey, conducted this year from January 16 to February 15 with 1,858 participants, also showed the demographics of online radio listeners don’t skew as young as they once did, more closely resembling the audience composition of traditional radio.  Twenty percent of adults 25-54 said they listened to Web radio in the last week, up from 15 percent  a year earlier.   A cross-current of factors is driving the spike in Web radio listening. For one, the availability of high-quality, professionally produced online video has consumers spending more time in front of their computer screens.  Internet video consumption solidly increased last year, from 18 percent of survey respondents saying they watch it on a weekly basis in January 2008 to 27 percent, or roughly 69 million, this year.
MediaWeek


Sunday Morning Talk Shows Showcasing More Blacks
During a "Meet the Press" round-table earlier this month, NBC's David Gregory turned to Rutgers University economist William Rodgers for an assessment of President Barack Obama's overseas trip.  Rodgers said he'd give the president a grade of either A-minus or B-plus.  There was nothing remarkable about the discussion.  Yet Rodgers' presence, his first time on "Meet the Press," illustrated a quiet effort at improving diversity on the Sunday morning political talk shows.  Rodgers' appearance marked one of 40 times a black American had been on one of the four broadcast shows this year, through April 12.  During the same period two years ago, there were 25 appearances.  The National Urban League Policy Institute was critical of the programs in a report issued four years ago that it called "Sunday Morning Apartheid."  "There is nothing more galling than having white people sitting around talking about black people, and that is often what happens during these shows," said Richard Prince, who writes regularly on diversity for the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.  "In African-Americans' absence, there may be this subtle perception that African-Americans, or women, or Latinos don't think at that level or are not able to articulate," said Rodgers, a former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor and recipient of a Ph.D from Harvard.  "From a standpoint of images where perception is reality, it is important."  The election of a black president probably makes producers more aware of the need to make the effort, he said.  "If you have an individual who can be president, then there are all kinds of people who can be just as effective," he said.  "How much you can quantify it, it's too early to tell."  Still, improvement in this area may overshadow work needed in others.  Media Matters also measured the number of Latino guests or panelists on "Meet the Press," "This Week," "Face the Nation" and "Fox News Sunday" this year for the same period.  The count?  Zero.
Yahoo TV


ESPN Dunks Most-Viewed NBA Season
ESPN heads into the NBA playoffs, which tip off tomorrow, with its most-viewed regular-season in its pocket.  The network averaged 1.68 million viewers over 71 2008-09 regular-season contests, a 14% gain from 1.47 million in the prior campaign, according to Nielsen Media Research data. That performance was ESPN's best ever with its pro hoops games coverage, according to network officials.  For the season, ESPN averaged a 1.3 household rating, matching the prior year, with households ahead 8% to just under 1.3 million, compared with 1.21 million.  On the demo side, ESPN's NBA game coverage improved 14% among people 25 to 54, 13% among persons 18-49 and 11% among persons 18 to 34.  Further, ESPN notched a 9% gain among men 25 to 54, 8% growth with guys 18 to 49 and a 7% advance with males 18 to 34.  For its part, broadcast brethren ABC scored a 16% gain to 3.68 million viewers on average for 18 games, versus 3.18 million for 19 telecasts in the 2007-08 regular season, according to Nielsen.  ABC officials said that performance was the network's best in the last six NBA campaigns.  From a ratings perspective, ABC was up 5% to a 2.3 national rating, with households improving 10% to 2.69 million.  The Alphabet dunked double-digit gains with all six of the aforementioned demo groups.
MultiChannel


Cable TV Bills Up 7.5%: Study
Even as the economy plunged into a recession through the back half of 2008, Americans saw the cost of their cable and satellite-TV services creep up to an average of more than $70 per month.  Cable-TV bills increased 7.5% in the second half of 2008, to an average of $71 a month — up $5 from a year earlier, according to a study released last week by research firm Centris.  By contrast, Centris found no significant change between 2006 and 2007 in the average amount people paid for cable TV.  Meanwhile, satellite-TV bills rose even more, up $6 — almost 9% — to an average of $74 per month in the last six months of 2008, according to the Centris study.  The higher cable and satellite bills are mainly because prices of programming packages have continued to increase, Centris president Bill Beaumont said.  Also factored into the increases may be that more consumers are taking higher-end options, like DVRs and HD service; the Centris survey didn't track those options.  In other findings from Centris' report covering the second half of 2008, the research firm estimated that nearly 46 million households have an HDTV set while 74% of them — about 34 million — subscribe to high-definition service.  About 55% of households reported having a large-screen TV set (32 inches or more), up from 49% in the second half of 2007.  All told, 50 million U.S. households have a digital TV, according to Centris.  The firm found that pay-per-view usage was flat, with 12.6 million households ordering PPV programs each month for the period, similar to the previous year's period.
MultiChannel


TiVo to Measure Local TV Consumption: NAB 2009
Digital-video-recorder supplier TiVo plans to begin this summer to provide anonymous, second-by-second ratings data for programs and commercials airing in local U.S. markets, which the company says will provide greater granularity than current ratings samples from Nielsen and other measurement firms.  The new "StopWatch Local Markets" service will only launch in a handful of markets--at least three, but no more than 10, says Todd Juenger, VP and general manager of TiVo audience research and measurement.  The company has already discussed the service with potential customers, including advertisers and station groups, which have been looking for greater accountability in measuring local content than the diary information typically used. But it has no deal for the service at this time.  Juenger says that TiVo has already gotten positive feedback on the idea from advertising agencies and local cable networks looking for better ratings information.  "There's a lot of important people and a lot of money that trades hands that's localized," says Juenger.  "But I haven't talked to a single person yet who doesn't lament the state of existing local measurement.  So the opportunity is ripe."
Broadcasting & Cable


Kids Groups Wants Ad Ratings
The Children's Media Policy Council, whose members include Children Now, The PTA, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, wants the Federal Communications Commission to fix the V-chip/ratings system, including adding ratings for "inappropriate TV commercials" and embedded advertising in broadcast and cable shows so parents can potentially block those, too.  Positioned on the other side of the argument is the Association of National Advertisers, which has asked the commission to "disavow" any effort to add commercials to the content ratings menu, saying that Congress' instruction to the FCC to conduct a study was not be treated as an "invitation to regulate."  The coalition argues that parental concerns about TV violence, sex and coarse language are not limited to TV programs, saying that mothers and fathers are also worried about content in ads for alcohol or Viagra.  The group calls the fact that the V-chip cannot block ads a "serious flaw" that needs to be addressed.  One way would be to place a content descriptor that identifies shows with product placements or product integration.  "Because broadcasters and origination cablecasters are already required under Section 317 of the Communications Act to make sponsorship identification announcements in any programming for which consideration has been received, amending the current ratings system in this manner would impose a minimal burden," according to the Children's Media Policy Council's filing.  That would hardly be the case, according to ANA, which argues rating ads could be "ruinous."  "[R]equiring thousands of ads to be rated because some may be 'offensive' or 'inappropriate' for children would be a clear example of regulatory overkill," said ANA executive vice president Dan Jaffe in a blog posting outlining the comments.  "[A]s very few ads give rise to controversy. Our comments describe the various industry self-regulatory programs that address concerns about ad placement for certain categories such as prescription drug products and alcohol beverage products.  We believe those programs are working."  ANA points out that the Child Safe Viewing Act, which the FCC study implements, stipulates that the FCC consider alternatives that "do not affect...the pricing of a content provider's service offering."  The FCC was required to open the inquiry by the Child Safe Viewing Act, which passed in the last Congress.  The bill specifically requires the FCC to collect data on the most advanced methods for blocking video content, including wired and wireless platforms, TVs, DVD players, VCRs, cable set-tops and wireless handsets.  It is then required to present that data in a report to Congress by Aug. 29.
MultiChannel


Cable News Turns Theatrical: Editorial
Regrettable is the word that comes to mind as we survey the performance of cable news outlets in recent weeks.  Their coverage of the anti-tax “tea parties” on April 15 illustrates the extent to which self-described news outlets have departed from their mission and turned to theater.  We (quixotically) urge our TV news colleagues’ better angels to assert themselves.  It’s time to take a step back from opinion, demagoguery and bickering.

In a world in which that kind of broadcasting attracts ratings, we’re pessimistic that straight news and investigative journalism can rebound.  But what we’re seeing on cable news prompts us to protest.

A survey of the cable news landscape—CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and CNBC—offers some bright spots but general disappointment.  The broadcasts lately are more World Wrestling Entertainment than Edward R. Murrow.

Take CNN correspondent Susan Roesgen’s comments while covering one of the tea parties last week.  She challenged the arguments of a tax protester in a way that the crowd (perhaps correctly) interpreted as hostile to their point of view.  When the crowd began heckling her, Ms. Roesgen said on-air: “I think you get the general tenor of this.  It’s anti-government, anti-CNN, since this is highly promoted by the right-wing, conservative network Fox.”

Tsk tsk, Ms. Roesgen.  You took the bait.  Your comments, whether true or not, gave your hecklers the paint they needed to color in their assumptions about your politics.

We don’t mean to pick on Ms. Roesgen, though.  There are offenders around the dial.

Over at CNBC, Rick Santelli, a smart reporter on markets coverage, also has foot-faulted.  He catapulted to a new level of fame by adopting the rhetorical techniques of Fox News Channel opinion celebrities Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck in an on-air rant.  The problem is that, unlike Mr. Santelli, Mssrs. O’Reilly and Beck don’t deliver straight news; they play by different rules.

MSNBC’s partisan opinion celebrities have adopted some of the rhetorical techniques of their ideological mirror images at Fox News Channel, and it’s bound to taint MSNBC’s breaking-news people.  The same thing happened at Fox, where the breaking-news people often are assumed to be in step with the network’s opinion celebrities.  (We leave aside the measurement of bias at the breaking-news operations of those two channels at the moment.)

Given the upward ratings trajectory at Fox News Channel and MSNBC, we understand the cost-benefit analysis they’ve made.  And given the tenor of the cable-news times, we understand the polemical pull exerted on straight news reporters. But none of that would matter if these journalists’ first priority was preserving the craft’s credibility.
TV Week


Innuendo Abounded over Teabagging Event
For thousands of Americans, Tax Day was a moment to protest what they see as bloated budgets and a pile of debt being passed on to their children.  For CNN, MSNBC and other media outlets, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use the word "teabagging" in a sentence.

Teabagging, for those who don't live in a frat house, refers to a sexual act involving part of the male genitalia and a second person's face or mouth.

So when the anti-tax "tea party" protests were held Wednesday across the country, cable anchors and guests -- who for weeks had all but ignored the story -- covered the protests by cracking a litany of barely concealed sexual references.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper interspersed "teabagging" references with analyst David Gergen's more staid commentary on how Republicans are still "searching for their voice."  "It's hard to talk when you're teabagging," Cooper explained.  Gergen laughed, but Cooper kept a straight face.

MSNBC's David Shuster weaved a tapestry of "Animal House" humor Monday as he filled in for Countdown host Keith Olbermann.  The protests, he explained, amount to "Teabagging day for the right wing and they are going nuts for it."

He described the parties as simultaneously "full-throated" and "toothless," and continued: "They want to give President Obama a strong tongue-lashing and lick government spending."  Shuster also noted how the protesters "whipped out" the demonstrations this past weekend. 

Tea Party participants were not amused.  The events were held in dozens of cities across the country, and while some demonstrators were criticized for wielding off-topic and sometimes insensitive protest signs, most took to the streets to speak out against government spending.

Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center, said the media coverage was "insulting," reacting specifically to CNN reporter Susan Roesgen's combative interviews with Illinois demonstrators in which she declared that the protests were "anti-CNN" and supported by FOX News.  She left the teabagging jokes to her colleagues, though.

"I've never seen anything like it," Bozell said. "The oral sex jokes on (CNN) and particularly MSNBC on teabagging ... they had them by the dozens.  That's how insulting they were toward people who believe they're being taxed too highly."

Max Pappas, public policy vice president at FreedomWorks -- a small-government group which promoted the tea parties -- said it's a "shame" media outlets cracked jokes at a genuine "grassroots uprising."

"I think what that reveals is how worried they are that this might actually be something serious.  You make fun of things you're afraid of, I'd say," Pappas said.

Jenny Beth Martin, a Republican activist who helped organize one protest in Atlanta, said she's not too worried about the protests being dismissed by some media outlets. She estimated 750,000 people attended more than 800 protests in all 50 states, and that at the very least the local media and community newspapers documented it.  "Our message definitely got out where it needed to get," she said.
FoxNews


Apoliticus's Political Buzzwords

Obsleevesion
Function: Noun
1: When the media begin to obsess over inane details surrounding a presidency, whether it be presidential golf scores, the type of dog that the first family will get, or the first lady’s penchant for sleeveless dresses.  It is political information that is a zero-calorie contribution to democracy and it will slowly liquify your brain, so you won’t be able to process the important stuff when it comes along.

“DOTPOTUS”
Function: Noun
1: The Dog Of The President Of The United States.  Whether it be a Labradoodle or a Portuguese Water Dog, DOTPOTUS (AKA The First Dog) needs to embody change, hope, and a non-partisan approach.  It also needs to be hypoallergenic and it can’t bark at daddy when he’s sneaking a smoke.

Inaugutainment
Function: Noun
1: When an otherwise mundane political event, like a presidential inauguration, becomes a much heralded, much ballyhooed collective political catharsis and a must-see TV event.

An Inshoegency
Function: Noun
1: An organized rebellion aimed at humiliating an outgoing President through the use of subversion and flung footwear.

Blagonomics
Function: Noun
1: A newly created specialization within the field of economics dedicated to the study of the growing black market for political positions.

Apoliticus

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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

TVSpy.com is home to ShopTalk, the FREE daily newsletter for the TV news industry, read by more than 25,000 subscribers. For more than 20 years, ShopTalk has given TV news professionals the daily inside scoop on the industry. Read today's ShopTalk and subscribe for FREE

The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

The Marketing Ideanet is sent via TVSpy's e-mail servers. Visit TVSpy's Marketing Matters online community.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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In This Issue
Promo of the Day
Boston Station Reverses Stance On New Leno Show
Economy Busts, Bravo Booms
Rather v. CBS Has Its Day in Appellate Court
Rescue Me Heats Up With 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
Colbert Name to Live in Space...Sort Of
Media Ads Affect Consumer Purchase Considerations: Study
Former Discovery President Tapped for Obama Post
Gates Foundation Aims to Influence Through Message Placement
UK Amazon will Phorm No More
Is Twitter Immoral?
Message From Michael
The 10 Highest Paid Politicians In The World


Quotes

"I think the great livers, the people who are fully self-actualizing and alive, are the great givers."
Mark Victor Hansen

“People are zealous for a cause when they are not quite positive that it is true”
- Bertrand Russell, English Logician and Philosopher (1872-1970)

"You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea."
- Pearl S. Buck


Promo of the Day
Two of the latest spots from KJRH Tulsa Creative Services Director Samantha Knowlton....one touting their WeatheRate win for being Certified Most Accurate Meteorologists for the 4th Year in a row...the other a Breaking News.

------------------------
From Debbie Reardon, Creative Services Director:
For May -- WFXR FOX 21/27 in Roanoke has produced a series of promos for news and our syndicated programming that reflect a positive attitude.

For News, we have produced with our anchor a simple promo that promises at least ONE good news story in the first fifteen minutes of our hour long news.

For Two and A Half Men--we tag with "right now we could all use a Laugh"

For The Doctors --we tag with "Right now, we could all use some hope"

So far, the response as been very good with viewers saying that they are happy we are being positive.

602communications.com/VideoExamples

Have a video clip to share?  Email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Flash (.flv) or QuickTime (.mov) files, size 320 x 240, are preferred, but WindowsMedia (.wmv) files will also be accepted.  Large files may be sent via http://www.yousendit.com.  You can also mail your clip on VHS or DVD to Graeme Newell at 1011 Lyndhurst Falls Lane, Knightdale, NC  27545


Boston Station Reverses Stance On New Leno Show
NBC's rebel Boston affiliate will carry the network's new Jay Leno primetime talk show after all.  A week after WHDH-TV owner Ed Ansin started a firestorm by announcing his plans not to air the show because it "will be very adverse to our finances," he changed his mind.  "Upon further consideration, we have decided to telecast Jay Leno at 10 p.m. starting in September," Ansin said in a statement.  "Jay is from Andover, where I went to school.  I enjoy his humor.  We hope the new show is a big success."  WHDH announced it would air a local newscast at 10 p.m., threatening to remove a top affiliate from NBC's fall primetime plans. NBC responded harshly, threatening to strip the station of its affiliation and warning of legal action.  In addition, the station was received boycott threats from local Leno fans.  The station's reversal reduces the likelihood of other affiliates trying to defect from the network's fall plans, though NBC says such incentive isn't necessary, and that other stations are enthusiastic about the plans for the primetime talk show.
Yahoo TV


Economy Busts, Bravo Booms
You'd think a network devoted to wealthy people and their expensive pastimes would tank these days.  Think again.  As the economy sputters, foreclosures soar and the unemployment rate races past 8%, a network devoted to wealthy subjects with expensive pastimes would seem in poor taste--or worse, unwatchable.  But the upscale offerings at NBC Universal's Bravo have proved anything but.  The 29-year-old network, made popular by early unscripted hits like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Project Runway and more recent wish-fulfillment fare like Shear Genius and the soapy Real Housewives is coming off its best quarter to date.  In addition to adding 100 new advertisers and posting double-digit revenue growth in 2008, first-quarter ad revenue for 2009 is up 21% compared to the same period last year.  "You still have florists like Erik Buterbaugh who are organizing $350,000 bat mitzvahs," says Andy Cohen, senior vice-president of production and programming at Bravo, referring to the seemingly recession-proof star of a new series, tentatively titled Eric B., in development.  "So as long as it's still happening, we'll be there to show it--and viewers still want to see it."
Forbes


Rather v. CBS Has Its Day in Appellate Court
Today's court appearance in the Dan Rather v. CBS case wrapped up late this afternoon. During the hearing, which was before the Appellate Court, arguments were heard from both sides.  CBS was appealing Judge Ira Gammerman's decision not to dismiss two remaining claims - Rather's contract dispute and his fiduciary duty to the company.  Gammerman had already dismissed five of Rather's seven claims and four of the five original defendants.  Rather's lawyers, meanwhile, were appealing Judge Gammerman's dismissals.  Attorneys for CBS released this statement to TVNewser after the hearing: "CBS is confident that ultimately -- whether through appeals, future motions for summary judgment or at trial -- CBS will prevail in full."  No rulings were made today in a case that was first filed Sept. 19, 2007.
MediaBistro


Rescue Me Heats Up With 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
Rescue Me is back from its 18-month hiatus, and the early episodes of Season 5 prove the show is again firing on all its raucous and raunchy cylinders.  But it's also turning a more focused eye back on 9/11 and its impact on the men of 62 Truck.  In doing so, this season brings mainstream attention to widespread conspiracy theories that suggest the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job."  Fireman Franco Rivera — played by Daniel Sunjata, who in real life subscribes to these same beliefs — becomes the mouthpiece for these ideas on the show, something Sunjata admits he wasn't expecting to see on his script pages.  "I was pretty shocked because I happen to know for a fact that those opinions are not indicative or reflective of FX, Denis Leary, Peter Tolan, or anybody affiliated with creating the show," Sunjata tells TVGuide.com.  "What I like about the way they're addressing the topic is that they're not pre-packaging it for the audience — the reactions span the whole spectrum from agreeing to vehemently disagreeing to a great big question mark.  I think it's laudable and admirable that with such a hot and controversial topic, FX was willing to even include it in the show."  Personal beliefs aside, these notions create great drama for the show, particularly since few others share Franco's sentiments.  His truckmates are anything but shy in calling him out, he has words with a widowed FDNY wife, and he eventually comes to blows with fellow firefighters from another house.  Still, Sunjata says it's important to ask the question, no matter what you believe.
Yahoo TV


Colbert Name to Live in Space...Sort Of
NASA on Tuesday named its new living quarters on the International Space Station "Tranquillity," denying television comedian Stephen Colbert his attempt to get the new Node 3 named after himself.  Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, appearing on "The Colbert Report" on cable TV network Comedy Central, said NASA will name the new module Tranquility, instead of Colbert as he and his fans demanded after winning an online poll conducted by NASA.  But the U.S. space agency did make one concession.  It said it will make a new Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT) -- a fancy way of saying "exercise treadmill" -- a key fixture in the space station.  "Your name will be in space in a very important place," Williams assured Colbert on his TV show.  "Everyday somebody will have to jump on the COLBERT," she said.  Initially, the comedian seemed upset, but then he hit on an idea.  "By running on the treadmill, that is what powers the Space Station?" asked a hopeful Colbert.  "Well, not really," said Williams, who in the past served as a flight engineer aboard the space station.  The comedic situation stemmed from NASA's recent public outreach to drum up interest in the $100 billion International Space Station by holding an online contest to name the new Node 3, which will house life support equipment.  Colbert, who parodies a conservative political commentator on his TV show, waged a campaign encouraging fans to vote for him and he eventually won, earning 230,539 write-in votes to 40,000 for NASA's top suggestion, "Serenity."  Contest rules stipulated that NASA retained the right to name Node 3, but in March U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah, a Pennsylvania Democrat, called on NASA to do the democratic thing and use the name that drew the most votes -- Colbert.  In the end, Colbert took Tuesday's news with a friendly handshake, and he thanked Williams and NASA for playing along with him and his fans.  It wasn't Colbert's first attempt to brand a piece of public property with his name. In 2006, he topped another public vote to name a bridge in Budapest, Hungary.  But again he lost because Hungarian law required that the bridge's namesake be fluent in Hungarian and deceased.
Yahoo TV


Media Ads Affect Consumer Purchase Considerations: Study
In the midst of a recession, consumers credit media advertising with influencing their purchase considerations, according to a study by Yankelovich and the Television Bureau of Advertising released during a presentation in New York on Wednesday (April 15).  The study examined how much influence advertising had on a consumer's purchase decision, depending on where the consumer was in the purchase cycle.  The study found that in general, media impacts 80 percent of consumers in the awareness phase of the purchase cycle declining to about 53 percent at the transaction phase.  That varied by category.  For example, in the travel category, 87 percent of consumers reported being influenced by media in the awareness phase, while 59 percent were influences at the purchase sage.  In the auto category, 81 percent were influenced by media in the awareness phase, and 41 percent were influences in the purchase stage.  Television's share of media impact is about the same throughout all phases of the purchase cycle from 54 percent at the awareness stage to 49 percent at purchase.  "The purchase funnel [awareness, consideration, preference and purchase] has been widely accepted as an important way of looking at how consumers move toward a purchase decision, but up to now very little research existed to determine the impact of advertising.  This study breaks new ground and the advertising community has already expressed great interest in seeing our results," said Susan Cuccinello, senior vp of research for the TVB.
MediaWeek


Former Discovery President Tapped for Obama Post
President Barack Obama has signaled his intention to nominate former Discovery Communications President Judith McHale to a post at the State Department.  In an announcement of a number of new appointments, the president tapped McHale to be Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.  McHale has been active in Democratic politics, including co-chairing the Democratic platform committee at the convention.  In announcing the nomination, the White House described Hale as a "a leading media and communications executive whose career has been devoted to building companies and non-profit organizations dedicated to reaching out to and connecting people around the world."  Those included distributing free educational materials to students ins Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe via the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership.  After leaving Discovery in December 2006, she continued that commitment with private equity firm Global Environment Fund, which launched the GEF/Africa Growth Fund to supply capital to small and medium-sized businesses in emerging markets in Africa.  Before joining Discovery, McHale was general counsel for MTV Networks.
Broadcasting & Cable


Gates Foundation Aims to Influence Through Message Placement
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is "set to expand its involvement" with the entertainment industry and "spend more money on influencing popular culture" through a new deal with Viacom, the parent company to television networks that include MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and BET, the New York Times reports.  The foundation -- already "well known for its myriad projects around the world to promote health and education" -- is "less well known as a behind-the-scenes influencer of public attitudes toward" global health and education issues "by helping to shape story lines and insert messages into popular entertainment," the Times reports.  For example, the Times reports that the foundation's messages on HIV prevention, the spread of infectious diseases and surgical safety have "found their way" into TV shows like "Law & Order: SVU," "Private Practice" and "ER."  The Times reports that "efforts of philanthropies to influence entertainment programming is not new, although viewers are probably less aware of it than obvious marketing tie-ins."  The Kaiser Family Foundation has been "doing this for a long time," Tina Hoff, vice president and director for entertainment media partnership at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said.  Hoff said it is "only more recently that we've begun to see more foundations and nonprofits work with this approach."  According to the Times, the Kaiser Family Foundation has worked story lines about HIV/AIDS into programs at CBS and UPN, now known as the CWnetwork.  Hoff said the main reason behind these efforts is to fight inaccurate information regarding health issues that sometimes appear in popular culture.  Hoff said it is "not about planting a message.  We start from the vantage point of ensuring accuracy."  James Steyer -- CEO of Common Sense Media -- said that philanthropic foundations typically try to mold TV programs through advice and prodding, rather than financial support.  "The difference here is the Gates Foundation is paying for this, that they are actually willing to pay for programming," Steyer said.  The Norman Lear Center, for example, was awarded a $1.37 million grant from the Gates Foundation in 2008 (Arango/Stelter, New York Times, 4/2).
Kaisernetwork


UK Amazon will Phorm No More
Amazon.com has reportedly blocked the use of the controversial behavioral-advertising system Phorm on its British site, according to a BBC report.  The move comes as the European Commission takes action against the United Kingdom, alleging that the country failed to adequately comply with data protection laws in Europe.  In the case involving the United Kingdom, the Commission initiated action after complaints arose over Phorm trials British Telecom launched in 2006 and 2007, in which it allowed Phorm's behaviorial-tracking technology onto its network without users' consent, according to a ZDNet UK report.  Phorm's technology is designed to allow its customers to observe a user's behavior while online, such as Web sites visited or keywords entered, and then serve up relevant advertisements based on that behavior.  The controversy over Phorm's technology revolves largely around privacy issues.  In the case of Amazon.co.uk, the BBC reported that the online e-commerce giant issued a statement that it had contacted British Telecom's Webwise, which markets the Phorm platform, and requested that all of its domains be opted-out of the program. According to the BBC report, Phorm noted that it has policies that allow customers to opt out of its system.  And that is what The Open Rights Group is hoping a number of major Web site publishers will do.  Last month, the organization called upon Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, eBay, and Amazon to opt out of the Phorm system, according to the BBC report.  And from that group, Amazon marks the first company to give an indication that it is taking such action, the BBC noted.
CNet


Is Twitter Immoral?
In five minutes, please walk away from your computer, take out your moral compass, and ask it for an update.  Then, please tweet the results.

Yes, after the powerful and persuasive arguments of M'lady Greenfield of England--she who declared that Facebook was making us infantile--we now have further cause to worry about ourselves and our children.

Scientists at the University of Southern California have broken away from their task of finding the next 20 or so great football talents for the university to conduct research suggesting that Twitter may take the nerve endings out of our sense of morality.

Here's how researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang put it to CNN: "If things are happening too fast, you may not ever fully experience emotions about other people's psychological states, and that would have implications for your morality."

The idea is that information is coming at us at such great speed that we don't have time to experience the pain or the joy that such information should engender.

Apparently, when scientists scan our brains, they find that we are pretty quick at responding to any sign of physical pain in another human.  But we are painfully slow at showing such feelings as compassion or admiration.

In this particular piece of research, the scientists relied on telling people different kinds of stories, and then scanning their brains and asking them to recall the stories, and the emotions attached to them, to see what effect the storytelling might have had.

I have to say that, given my occasional skepticism about research, there were only 13 people who had their brain scanned for this study.

Your brain might, at this point, be scanning the thought that if all the subjects of this research were from Los Angeles, it might be surprising that the scientists found any moral compass at all.

Of course, I couldn't possibly comment on that.  I have at least three friends who live there.  However, isn't the more general point that the demands of western life seem to have tended toward greater speed for the last 100 years?

Every piece of technology somehow offers a greater speed of something--information, communication, healing, pleasure.  Somehow, one has a sense that humans do adjust.  (But should they? Should they?)

Surely, any moral compass that exists in our souls is still more heavily influenced by those perennial scourges, like parents, teachers, lovers, social environment and, naturally, reality television.

Sorry.  Must go and check my tweets.

OK, I'm back.  Mark Cuban just tweeted: "Thought of the Day: "You don't live in the world you were born into" - think about it #FB."

Seems like a pretty moral tweet to me.

CNet


Message From Michael
OVERVIEW:  The state of the media is bleak, but not nearly as bleak as the report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism report summarized in a previous Message from Michael would indicate.  At least that’s my take after reading a dozen annual reports from a potpourri of American media corporations.  Yes, I actually did that and, yes, I need a life, but it is fascinating stuff and the subject of this special report created by yours truly.  I should note that some of the information comes from annual reports aimed at shareholders and some of it comes from the annual 10-K report required by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Now, admittedly, the corporate annual reports can be expected to paint a rosier picture, but even given that, the reports in total are less depressing.  And the reports are not Pollyanna pabulum.  They’re pretty blunt.  Words and phrases like – global economic downturn of epic proportion… global financial meltdown… most severe recession we have endured as a nation… this stinks – okay, I made that last one up.  But the others are from various corporations – Disney, General Electric, McClatchy, and the list goes on.  The Washington Post’s Donald Graham, in fact, opens up his letter to shareholders with, “Well, that was something… we could do without more years like 2008.”  But in the end, it is News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch (sounding more like President Barack Obama than he would probably like to admit) who sums it up as a problem that is more a “crisis of confidence” than a financial crisis.  In a similar vein, Disney’s Robert Iger talks about a “blend of realism and optimism” and the annual report talks about choosing either realistic optimism or optimistic realism.

That’s not to say that any of the groups dismiss or minimize the economic crisis.  In fact, one of the most consistent messages you hear in all these reports is that cost cutting has become part of the corporate culture.  It’s a statement that comes up often.  For example, The New York Times, like so many others says, “stringent expense management has become part of our corporate culture.”  Again, there is a touch of realism when the folks at Media General make the point that “cost reductions are successful for a short time but sustained shareholder value is created by generating revenues.”  Another phrase that comes up in several reports (Gannett, Disney, Bertelsmann) is “financial discipline” as in “we are committed to managing through this period with financial discipline.”  (Disney).

One of the more fascinating financial analyses comes from GE’s Jeffrey Immelt who says the global economy and capitalism will be “reset” by the financial crisis and that the interaction between government and business “will change forever.”  He argues that, “in a reset economy, the government will be a regulator; and also an industry policy champion, a financier and a key partner.”  It tells you something of the size of GE that he talks about its willingness to work with… he doesn’t quite say ‘other’ but it seems to be implied… other countries.  He makes it abundantly clear that while GE will always “invest to win globally” its strategy should always include a preeminent position in the U.S.  In an almost presidential-like statement he talks about how he “learned something about my country”  that while, “I run a global company… I am a citizen of the U.S.”  Immelt goes on to say that the 30-year-old notion that the U.S. can evolve from a technology and manufacturing leader to a service leader “is just wrong.”  In essence, he says, the problem is “real engineering was traded for financial engineering.”   As you can probably tell, I found his letter to shareholders a fascinating read, up there with the likes of Warren Buffett.       

IMPAIRMENT.  Now, that’s a word you don’t hear often.  Unless you read these annual reports.  And it’s not physical impairment.  It’s financial impairment.  And the numbers are staggering.  AOL/Time Warner had an impairment reduction of $24.3 Billion.  CBS Corporation had a pre-tax non-cash impairment of $14.18 Billion.  Belo Corporation  -- $464,760,000.  Gannett -- $747,368,000.  McClatchy -- $59,799,000.  Media General -- $632 Million.  New York Times -- $197.9 Million.  Morris Communications -- $4.3 Million.  That last one doesn’t sound like much, but it is enough to put them in the position where their company value is “likely significantly less” than its total indebtedness.  Corporate financial expert and Georgia State University professor James Owers was kind enough to explain impairment:  when firms make acquisitions, the price paid is divided into ‘assets purchased’ as measured by an appraisal and the balance over that is ‘goodwill.’  When it is determined that the ‘goodwill’ is no longer worth what was paid, it is said to be ‘impaired’ and must be written down.  Now, this part doesn’t come from Owers but from me – in the case of television stations that means its broadcast license, for example.  In the case of newspapers, it literally can be the masthead.  Back to Owers (although I might have said this, too):  “it looks as if many media firms paid too much for their acquisitions and now must face reality.”  Lastly, the Washington Post’s Donald Graham basically reiterates much of Owers’ point that the impairment charge “points to acquisitions that haven’t worked out as planned.”  Of all the corporate reports, his is the only one that addresses the issue so clearly, saying he has “no quarrel” with the accountants using the impairment process and that, bluntly, media companies better just get used to it. Graham is also the one who candidly admits that it shouldn’t have taken the financial crisis of 2008 for him to tighten up his definition of “very compelling” when deciding on acquisitions, but it did.

Now, here’s an interesting side note.  Of the dozen or so companies I reviewed, guess which was the only one that had no impairment to report?  To quote the annual report:  the company determined that the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets included in the balance sheet were not impaired.  Give up?  The answer – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.  Of course, this is the same News Corp which describes itself in the annual report as:  the most global and most competitive media and entertainment company on earth.

INNOVATION.  Now, that’s a word you do hear often.  And if you read these annual reports, you’ll hear it even oftener.  (Okay, so that’s not such good English.)  The other word often paired with it is – creativity. It’s striking how often those two words come up.  In fact, mega-media corporation Bertelsmann, which is probably unfamiliar to many Americans, cites “creativity” as one of its core values, along with partnership, entrepreneurship and citizenship.  It is part of what the company calls “the spirit to create” and clearly part of its ‘entrepreneurial’ focus.  In a similar vein, Disney and Iger talk about a commitment to creativity and innovation, providing “high quality creative content and experiences… creative work… (that) differentiates us from our competitors (and makes people say) what will they think of next.”  Gannett’s Craig Dubow says innovation was applied to every process as part of their ‘innovative initiatives’ designed to complete their “transformation into a company that is innovative, nimble and intently focused on the customer” and able to “adjust quickly and creatively.”  Media General’s J. Stewart Bryan and Marshall Morton argue that the “challenging economic times also foster innovation and new solutions.”  Even semi-little Morris Communications affirms in their 10-K report that, “we have remained committed to innovation.”  In much more grandiose terms, News Corp’s Murdoch talks about his company as "women and men with a passion for innovation, an aversion to complacency and a belief that all consumers deserve quality and choice (by) creating choice where none exists.”  And if that isn’t enough for you, he goes on, “we’ve mastered the art of nurturing the creative process to harness this passion.”   Decidedly less hyperbolic, the New York Times Arthur Ochs Sulzberger and Janet Robinson talk about “creating innovative products.”   

Probably the strongest statement comes from GE’s Immelt who, in his fascinating critique of the economic problems, writes, “in the end our businesses, our government and many local leaders lost sight of what makes a nation great – a passion for innovation.  We need an educational system that inspires hard work, discipline, and creative thinking.  The ability to innovate must be valued again.”            

EMPLOYEES.  Ah, yes, the employees.  Wonderful people.  Salt of the earth.  Can’t live with them; can’t live without them.  I’m sorry, but in the wake of the sometimes understandable and sometimes not understandable layoffs and cutbacks, it is interesting to note that virtually every report extols the values and virtues of their employees.  In some cases, the comments are clearly sincere; in others, it appears to be lip service.  I know I’m violating my rule of not commenting, but this is really more perspective than commentary. In any case, you be the judge.  Here are just some of the statements from the various companies:

Cox:  every employee is valued and every person is respected.  Gannett:  our employees are our greatest asset and the pressure on them has been intense… (they have) performed miracle after miracle.  McClatchy:  despite the difficult measures taken, our employees continue to be exemplary.  Media General:  credit for the progress and transformation goes directly to our 5,600 employees.  Belo:  despite resource constraints, employees have maintained their focus on strengthening the competitive position of our stations.  News Corp:  the 64,000 passionate individuals who make us the world’s most international media company are dedicated… Morris:  we believe that our relations with our employees are generally good… (and we have created an) environment for employees that motivates.  Washington Post:  staffed by talented reporters and editors.  New York Times:  extraordinary support of our employees (and the) collective strength, ingenuity and creativity of our people. Bertelsmann talks about its employees as “entrepreneurs” who show “the willingness to do without on the one hand and a commitment to take responsibility on the other.”  Disney talks about its “safe, inclusive workplaces (and its goal of employees being) positive and productive members of the community.”  Again, I should note that some of the language differences can be attributed to the fact that the more positive statements come from the annual reports and the more ‘down’ statements come from the much more mundane 10-k reports.  Mostly, by the way, I think the statements are sincere, but then again I still believe in the tooth fairy.      

COMPLETELY EXTRANEOUS FOOTNOTE:  The two ‘coolest’ reports, IMHO (in my humble opinion) are from Disney and from Bertelsmann.  In part that’s because both are really well written.  Some of the CEO’s should have hired writers.  The letter to shareholders by Bertelsmann’s Hartmut Ostrowski is just brilliant.  It is reproduced to look like an actual letter with Ostrowski actually making hand-written notations in the margins and a hand written introduction to “dear friends of Bertelsmann.”  The Disney annual report just contains some fascinating visuals, including my favorite of Mickey and Minnie standing in front of the Taj Mahal.  What does that say about the company?  I also found it interesting that both CEO’s Iger and Ostrowski are shown tie-less and in other reports, GE CEO Immelt is shown tie-less.  I have no idea what that says about them or their company or anything.  As the headline says, an extraneous footnote.

A NOT EXTRANEOUS FOOTNOTE:  As you can imagine, this is not a complete and comprehensive report on the annual reports.  And there will be more in a future MfM, including some oddities I found out about the companies.  In particular, we need to look further at the annual reports by the world’s five largest media corporations which are in order of size:  Time Warner, Disney, Bertelsmann, Viacom and News Corporation.  All of them in the double-digit Billion dollar range.  And all of them fascinating.      

Michael Castengera is an instructor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia AND President of Media Strategies and Tactics Inc., a consulting firm that works with all media but primarily broadcasting.  You can visit his website at MediaConsultant.tv.

The 10 Highest Paid Politicians In The World

1. Lee Hsien Loong - Singapore
Salary in dollars - $2.47 million
Salary in local currency - S$3.76 million

2. Donald Tsang Yum-Kuen - Hong Kong
Salary in dollars - $516,000
Salary in local currency - HK$4 million

3. Barack Obama - United States
Salary in dollars - $400,000

4. Brian Cowen - Ireland
Salary in dollars - $341,000
Salary in local currency - €257,000

5. Nicolas Sarkozy - France
Salary in dollars - $318,000
Salary in local currency - €240,000

6. Angela Merkel - Germany
Salary in dollars - $303,000
Salary in local currency - €228,000

7. Gordon Brown - UK
Salary in dollars - $279,000
Salary in local currency - £194,250

8. Stephen Harper - Canada
Salary in dollars - $246,000
Salary in local currency - C$311,000

9. Taro Aso - Japan
Salary in dollars - $243,000
Salary in local currency - Y24 million

10. Kevin Rudd - Australia
Salary in dollars - $229,000
Salary in local currency - A$330,000

Times Business

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