“The View From the Phlipside” is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY. It can be heard Monday through Friday around 7:30 AM. The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program. Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moment’s notice. WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed. You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com. Copyright 2013-16 by Jay Phillippi. All Rights Reserved. You like what you see? Drop me a line and we can talk.
Program scripts from week of April 18, 2016
My name is Jay Phillippi and I’ve spent my life in and around the media. TV, radio, the movies and more. I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View from the Phlipside.
Robot Ads
Talk about a story that burned fast and bright, blazing its way across the media heavens in a seeming instant. Having burned so hot and bright it could not last. But that’s only because someone was smart enough to back away quickly from the controversy.
Did you hear that movie theater chain AMC considered the idea of making their movie theaters “text-friendly” as a way to attract more Millennial audience members? The concept was broached by AMC’s CEO, Adam Aron. Variety quoted the big man this way,
“When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow, you can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s now how they live their life.”
The reality is that the Millennial generation is more likely to stream their media than head to the local cinema. The movie industry is trying to find a way to stem the tide and has noticed how much the younger generation likes to stay connected with their smartphones. The concept was to make just some of the theaters open to texting but that didn’t calm the tidal wave of angry movie lovers who blasted the very idea. It took less than 48 hours for the company to announce the concept was no longer under consideration.
So let me just say this. In the words of the immortal Ricky Bobby, Thank you Dear Lord Baby Jesus.
Let me be clear. I love my smartphone. It drives Mrs. Phlipside crazy because when I’m watching TV or a movie at home I often will check on sports scores or trivia about the show we’re watching. It’s not that I think the theater needs to be funeral home quiet either. But texting during a movie? That’s got to be the dumbest idea I’ve heard this year. The first problem is the light. It’s a distraction to everyone around the phone. Movies aren’t especially cheap these days and I’m not in favor of any kind of distraction. The second problem is piracy. The one way to catch illegal recordings of movies is the light from the device screens. If you’re allowed to have them on, the theaters have given up a huge advantage.
Of course, the other thing you lose is the great two hour excuse to avoid answering tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media interactions.
Seriously, do we really need folks taking selfies of themselves at the movies for Instagram or Snapchat? Take a break, watch the movie.
Did you hear that movie theater chain AMC considered the idea of making their movie theaters “text-friendly” as a way to attract more Millennial audience members? The concept was broached by AMC’s CEO, Adam Aron. Variety quoted the big man this way,
“When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow, you can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s now how they live their life.”
The reality is that the Millennial generation is more likely to stream their media than head to the local cinema. The movie industry is trying to find a way to stem the tide and has noticed how much the younger generation likes to stay connected with their smartphones. The concept was to make just some of the theaters open to texting but that didn’t calm the tidal wave of angry movie lovers who blasted the very idea. It took less than 48 hours for the company to announce the concept was no longer under consideration.
So let me just say this. In the words of the immortal Ricky Bobby, Thank you Dear Lord Baby Jesus.
Let me be clear. I love my smartphone. It drives Mrs. Phlipside crazy because when I’m watching TV or a movie at home I often will check on sports scores or trivia about the show we’re watching. It’s not that I think the theater needs to be funeral home quiet either. But texting during a movie? That’s got to be the dumbest idea I’ve heard this year. The first problem is the light. It’s a distraction to everyone around the phone. Movies aren’t especially cheap these days and I’m not in favor of any kind of distraction. The second problem is piracy. The one way to catch illegal recordings of movies is the light from the device screens. If you’re allowed to have them on, the theaters have given up a huge advantage.
Of course, the other thing you lose is the great two hour excuse to avoid answering tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media interactions.
Seriously, do we really need folks taking selfies of themselves at the movies for Instagram or Snapchat? Take a break, watch the movie.
High Tech AND Low Tech
Allow me to steal, and then alter, something from the greatest writer the English language has ever created, William Shakespeare. You are going to be surprised by this but today I come not to bury Rush Limbaugh, but to praise him.
That sound you just heard was head explosions throughout the listening area. Before anyone thinks I’ve totally slipped my moorings, let me say this – I agree on virtually nothing with Rush. I dislike his approach, his opinions and what he has done to political talk in America.
All of which is irrelevant to my point today.
The reason why the conservative talk icon has bobbed to the surface for me is that his current contract is about to expire. In 2008, he signed a four hundred million dollar contract with Premiere Radio Networks, which is owned by what was then Clear Channel, today known as iHeartMedia. It was the biggest contract in broadcasting history. The timing for the end of the contract couldn’t be worse. Limbaugh’s ratings are down big time, major market stations are walking away, as are sponsors. The core audience for his program is aging. In the end, the kind of bombastic, over the top commentary that made him famous is going out of vogue. His critics are doing handsprings.
But again, I come not to bury him. Because here’s the thing. Like him or not, it impossible not to recognize what a profound impact he has had on politics and the media. Limbaugh comes along at just the right moment. President Reagen had killed the Fairness Doctrine, meaning that stations no longer had to present multiple points of view. Rush changed the face of political talk in America. You may not agree with him but for a decade, you couldn’t help but listen to him. His impact was recognized from the White House on down. Within two years of hitting the big stage, he had more listeners than any other talk show host. When the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 1994 the incoming class of Congressmen made him an honorary member of their caucus. He was syndicated on over 600 radio stations. A Zogby International poll in 2008 named him the most trusted news personality in the nation. In 1998, he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Rush Limbaugh’s reign as the king of media may be coming to end. And that may even be a good thing. But there’s no way to ignore his run has been an historic period in the media that will be studied for decades to come.
That sound you just heard was head explosions throughout the listening area. Before anyone thinks I’ve totally slipped my moorings, let me say this – I agree on virtually nothing with Rush. I dislike his approach, his opinions and what he has done to political talk in America.
All of which is irrelevant to my point today.
The reason why the conservative talk icon has bobbed to the surface for me is that his current contract is about to expire. In 2008, he signed a four hundred million dollar contract with Premiere Radio Networks, which is owned by what was then Clear Channel, today known as iHeartMedia. It was the biggest contract in broadcasting history. The timing for the end of the contract couldn’t be worse. Limbaugh’s ratings are down big time, major market stations are walking away, as are sponsors. The core audience for his program is aging. In the end, the kind of bombastic, over the top commentary that made him famous is going out of vogue. His critics are doing handsprings.
But again, I come not to bury him. Because here’s the thing. Like him or not, it impossible not to recognize what a profound impact he has had on politics and the media. Limbaugh comes along at just the right moment. President Reagen had killed the Fairness Doctrine, meaning that stations no longer had to present multiple points of view. Rush changed the face of political talk in America. You may not agree with him but for a decade, you couldn’t help but listen to him. His impact was recognized from the White House on down. Within two years of hitting the big stage, he had more listeners than any other talk show host. When the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 1994 the incoming class of Congressmen made him an honorary member of their caucus. He was syndicated on over 600 radio stations. A Zogby International poll in 2008 named him the most trusted news personality in the nation. In 1998, he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Rush Limbaugh’s reign as the king of media may be coming to end. And that may even be a good thing. But there’s no way to ignore his run has been an historic period in the media that will be studied for decades to come.
Orange Street News
Sometimes it’s nice to circle back on stories I’ve done before to see what’s happened since then. This story is especially enjoyable.
It was four years ago, this week in fact, that I started a commentary by noting that sometimes it’s nice to have a story about the media that is positive and uplifting. With all the negative news that can come out of the industry, it’s still nice to hit a happy story.
Do you remember Caine’s Arcade? Caine was a nine-year-old boy who took the empty cardboard boxes in his father’s auto parts shop and turned them into a game arcade. An independent movie maker created a video about the arcade which went viral. They used the publicity to raise money so Caine could go to college. They beat their first goal In 48 hours and their second goal in a week. They began to set aside money to create a foundation and Caine became a media star.
It’s four years later. Caine is now thirteen and has been out of the cardboard arcade business for two years. His college fund is full, twenty thousand people donated almost a quarter million dollars. His foundation is called the Imagination Foundation, dedicated to creating environments where children can creatively play. They sponsor an Inventor’s Challenge and an Earth Day Cardboard Challenge. The Cardboard Challenge allows kids to re-create what Caine began. Start with cardboard and create! IN 2015, it involved over 180,000 people in 51 nations.
But it’s not just big events. The Imagination Foundation formed Imagination Chapters which are local organizations that help kids get two hours of Creative Play every week during a nine month long program. What began as thirty pilot chapters are now one hundred thirty chapters in twenty different countries.
The whole “media star” thing doesn’t appear to have slowed down either. Caine, his father George and Nirvan Mullick the filmmaker, continue to travel and speak about the amazing phenomenon. The original film has been included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
It began with a nine-year-old boy, a stack of cardboard boxes, some scissors and some tape. Make the video and share. Ten million views later, Caine’s life has been changed forever. Even better, he’s taken the opportunity to try and change other kid’s lives as well.
Yeah, it’s nice to report a good media story now and again.
It was four years ago, this week in fact, that I started a commentary by noting that sometimes it’s nice to have a story about the media that is positive and uplifting. With all the negative news that can come out of the industry, it’s still nice to hit a happy story.
Do you remember Caine’s Arcade? Caine was a nine-year-old boy who took the empty cardboard boxes in his father’s auto parts shop and turned them into a game arcade. An independent movie maker created a video about the arcade which went viral. They used the publicity to raise money so Caine could go to college. They beat their first goal In 48 hours and their second goal in a week. They began to set aside money to create a foundation and Caine became a media star.
It’s four years later. Caine is now thirteen and has been out of the cardboard arcade business for two years. His college fund is full, twenty thousand people donated almost a quarter million dollars. His foundation is called the Imagination Foundation, dedicated to creating environments where children can creatively play. They sponsor an Inventor’s Challenge and an Earth Day Cardboard Challenge. The Cardboard Challenge allows kids to re-create what Caine began. Start with cardboard and create! IN 2015, it involved over 180,000 people in 51 nations.
But it’s not just big events. The Imagination Foundation formed Imagination Chapters which are local organizations that help kids get two hours of Creative Play every week during a nine month long program. What began as thirty pilot chapters are now one hundred thirty chapters in twenty different countries.
The whole “media star” thing doesn’t appear to have slowed down either. Caine, his father George and Nirvan Mullick the filmmaker, continue to travel and speak about the amazing phenomenon. The original film has been included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
It began with a nine-year-old boy, a stack of cardboard boxes, some scissors and some tape. Make the video and share. Ten million views later, Caine’s life has been changed forever. Even better, he’s taken the opportunity to try and change other kid’s lives as well.
Yeah, it’s nice to report a good media story now and again.
Call that the View From the Phlipside
Copyright Jay Phillippi, 2016
Theme music for “The View From the Phlipside” and “TVFTP – Podcast” is “Hustle”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Stories Are My Life 
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