“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.
The podcast of this week’s programs:
Program scripts from week of June 20, 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.
Sound and Fury
I
am amazed sometimes at the time and energy that is spent in the media
on issues that don’t seem to be all that important to anyone
involved. As an example let’s take a look at the digital video
recording technology offered by Dish Network called “The Hopper”.
am amazed sometimes at the time and energy that is spent in the media
on issues that don’t seem to be all that important to anyone
involved. As an example let’s take a look at the digital video
recording technology offered by Dish Network called “The Hopper”.
Dish
debuted this DVR line back in 2012. In addition to a variety of high
tech recording functions, the Hopper also had a little something
called “AutoHop”. In simplest terms, it allowed the viewer to
automatically skip all the commercials in whatever they were viewing.
While this was popular with segments of the audience, it was treated
as the end of the world by the major networks. CBS hated it enough
that they refused to allow the website C-NET, which CBS owns, to give
an award to the Hopper at a major industry convention. Every single
network took Dish to court, claiming that the new innovation was an
attack on their business model. Whether you like commercials or not,
never forget that they are paying the bills for all your favorite TV
programs. And advertisers pay a lot of money because they assume
that people are actually watching the commercials. A commercial no
one watches has zero value. Zero value means zero new programming.
debuted this DVR line back in 2012. In addition to a variety of high
tech recording functions, the Hopper also had a little something
called “AutoHop”. In simplest terms, it allowed the viewer to
automatically skip all the commercials in whatever they were viewing.
While this was popular with segments of the audience, it was treated
as the end of the world by the major networks. CBS hated it enough
that they refused to allow the website C-NET, which CBS owns, to give
an award to the Hopper at a major industry convention. Every single
network took Dish to court, claiming that the new innovation was an
attack on their business model. Whether you like commercials or not,
never forget that they are paying the bills for all your favorite TV
programs. And advertisers pay a lot of money because they assume
that people are actually watching the commercials. A commercial no
one watches has zero value. Zero value means zero new programming.
The
problem for the networks was that the courts didn’t see a lot of
merit in their claims. They uniformly lost their copyright cases in
court. Instead, they began to use business contracts, like the
carriage agreements, to move their issue forward.
problem for the networks was that the courts didn’t see a lot of
merit in their claims. They uniformly lost their copyright cases in
court. Instead, they began to use business contracts, like the
carriage agreements, to move their issue forward.
As
of a week or so ago, all of the four major networks have now agreed
to end their court challenges and make a deal with Dish. The
timeline is kind of strange. Disney-ABC settled almost immediately,
their agreement was reached in March of 2014. CBS was right behind
them, settling in December of the same year. Meanwhile Fox hung on
till February of this year and NBC-Universal is the last one to
settle. They came to terms at the beginning of this month. Did
holding out get them a better deal? No. CBS, Fox and NBCU all got a
seven day waiting period on first run original programming. Meaning
that you can’t use Autohop to skip the commercials for a week. ABC
settled for a three day waiting period.
of a week or so ago, all of the four major networks have now agreed
to end their court challenges and make a deal with Dish. The
timeline is kind of strange. Disney-ABC settled almost immediately,
their agreement was reached in March of 2014. CBS was right behind
them, settling in December of the same year. Meanwhile Fox hung on
till February of this year and NBC-Universal is the last one to
settle. They came to terms at the beginning of this month. Did
holding out get them a better deal? No. CBS, Fox and NBCU all got a
seven day waiting period on first run original programming. Meaning
that you can’t use Autohop to skip the commercials for a week. ABC
settled for a three day waiting period.
That’s
two full years of hassling back and forth to cover just a segment of
the Dish network user base. You see, the Hopper is an upgrade DVR.
If you’re cheap like me, it’s not a function I even get.
two full years of hassling back and forth to cover just a segment of
the Dish network user base. You see, the Hopper is an upgrade DVR.
If you’re cheap like me, it’s not a function I even get.
But
here’s the really fun part. Because I just use a regular old DVR, I
can skip the commercials as much as I like. No waiting period. I’ve
been able to do that since the days of VHS tapes.
here’s the really fun part. Because I just use a regular old DVR, I
can skip the commercials as much as I like. No waiting period. I’ve
been able to do that since the days of VHS tapes.
Rather
Shakespearean really, “…full of sound and fury, signifying
nothing”.
Shakespearean really, “…full of sound and fury, signifying
nothing”.
Whence The News
Sometimes
you come across a sentence that just stops you in your tracks. Your
brain freezes for a moment, and you lock up, incapable of any
rational thought. I came across just such a sentence as I was
preparing this week’s shows. It reads as follows:
you come across a sentence that just stops you in your tracks. Your
brain freezes for a moment, and you lock up, incapable of any
rational thought. I came across just such a sentence as I was
preparing this week’s shows. It reads as follows:
“This
means Facebook is the most powerful force in global news
…”
means Facebook is the most powerful force in global news
…”
It’s
a line from a BBC.com story about shifts in how we get our news. It
is quite possibly the most frightening thing I’ve read all year. The
story is about research done by the Reuters Institute for the Study
of Journalism, which notes that an increasing number of 18-21 years
old are turning to social media as a primary news source. Because
the first technological source for news for most of us has become a
smartphone, the study took a look at the first place we turn when we
want the news using our phones. In the United States, forty eight
per cent of us turn to social media, rather than a dedicated news app
or website. It’s interesting to note that in the United Kingdom
(that’s England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, for those
raised in a post-teaching geography in school generation), the number
is reversed, with forty eight percent turning to a dedicate news site
first. And Facebook was cited more than twice as often as the second
place source, YouTube.
a line from a BBC.com story about shifts in how we get our news. It
is quite possibly the most frightening thing I’ve read all year. The
story is about research done by the Reuters Institute for the Study
of Journalism, which notes that an increasing number of 18-21 years
old are turning to social media as a primary news source. Because
the first technological source for news for most of us has become a
smartphone, the study took a look at the first place we turn when we
want the news using our phones. In the United States, forty eight
per cent of us turn to social media, rather than a dedicated news app
or website. It’s interesting to note that in the United Kingdom
(that’s England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, for those
raised in a post-teaching geography in school generation), the number
is reversed, with forty eight percent turning to a dedicate news site
first. And Facebook was cited more than twice as often as the second
place source, YouTube.
That’s
pretty scary for a variety of reasons. First, over the five years
that Reuters has run the study, Facebook has moved from a simply
offering a “place…
of news discovery”
to being a primary news
source.
pretty scary for a variety of reasons. First, over the five years
that Reuters has run the study, Facebook has moved from a simply
offering a “place…
of news discovery”
to being a primary news
source.
That’s
the second scary level. Have you seen what passes as news for far
too many people on Facebook? If I could figure out how to make it
pay, I could start a second career pointing people to the errors in
what is shared as “news”. I’d like to think that most of my
family and friends are reasonably intelligent people, but even my
Facebook circle shares some appalling nonsense as quote unquote
“fact”.
the second scary level. Have you seen what passes as news for far
too many people on Facebook? If I could figure out how to make it
pay, I could start a second career pointing people to the errors in
what is shared as “news”. I’d like to think that most of my
family and friends are reasonably intelligent people, but even my
Facebook circle shares some appalling nonsense as quote unquote
“fact”.
Finally,
there are the charges being made that Facebook employees have been
suppressing news of interest to political and social conservatives in
the “trending” news section. While Facebook maintains that it
was just the behavior of a few “rogue” contract employees, it is
absolutely appalling news for what is becoming the leading global
news sources. And for the record, I am neither a social or political
conservative. Suppressing the news shouldn’t be the goal of any news
outlet. While about a third of those surveyed are comfortable with
their news simply being chosen by an algorithm, there is still plenty
of support for a journalistic filtering function as well.
there are the charges being made that Facebook employees have been
suppressing news of interest to political and social conservatives in
the “trending” news section. While Facebook maintains that it
was just the behavior of a few “rogue” contract employees, it is
absolutely appalling news for what is becoming the leading global
news sources. And for the record, I am neither a social or political
conservative. Suppressing the news shouldn’t be the goal of any news
outlet. While about a third of those surveyed are comfortable with
their news simply being chosen by an algorithm, there is still plenty
of support for a journalistic filtering function as well.
It’s
just a question of how qualified the worldwide leader in puppy videos
and pointless clickbait quizzes is to fulfill that role.
just a question of how qualified the worldwide leader in puppy videos
and pointless clickbait quizzes is to fulfill that role.
Say The Name
There
is an iconic line from the fifth season of AMC’s hit show “Breaking
Bad”. In a confrontation with a competitor, Walt White demands
that the other man “Say my name”. Names are powerful things. In
many civilizations, knowing another person’s name can give you power
over them. In our society, there are few things more attractive than
to see your name up in lights.
is an iconic line from the fifth season of AMC’s hit show “Breaking
Bad”. In a confrontation with a competitor, Walt White demands
that the other man “Say my name”. Names are powerful things. In
many civilizations, knowing another person’s name can give you power
over them. In our society, there are few things more attractive than
to see your name up in lights.
The
question of saying someone’s name has been percolating in the news
again. Following the shooting in Orlando, the discussion of how
often to say the name of the killer moved back into the limelight.
FBI director James Comey announced during a press conference that he
would intentionally avoid the shooter’s name as much as possible.
CNN program host and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson
Cooper has announced that he will not be saying the shooter’s name or
show his photograph in the future either. The group No Notoriety,
founded by the parents of a in the Aurora, Colorado shooting in
2012, advocates that the media should limit the exposure of the name
and likeness of an alleged shooter after the initial identification,
unless further exposure helps law enforcement to capture a fleeing
suspect.
question of saying someone’s name has been percolating in the news
again. Following the shooting in Orlando, the discussion of how
often to say the name of the killer moved back into the limelight.
FBI director James Comey announced during a press conference that he
would intentionally avoid the shooter’s name as much as possible.
CNN program host and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson
Cooper has announced that he will not be saying the shooter’s name or
show his photograph in the future either. The group No Notoriety,
founded by the parents of a in the Aurora, Colorado shooting in
2012, advocates that the media should limit the exposure of the name
and likeness of an alleged shooter after the initial identification,
unless further exposure helps law enforcement to capture a fleeing
suspect.
The
concept here is very simple. There is a belief that becoming famous
is one of the motivating factors in these kinds of killings. At
least one study seems to indicate that it is a contributing factor,
along with high gun ownership. Unfortunately, the current
Congressional ban on federal funding for these kinds of studies
leaves some room for doubt. In the end, common sense says that the
media needs to think deeply on the subject.
concept here is very simple. There is a belief that becoming famous
is one of the motivating factors in these kinds of killings. At
least one study seems to indicate that it is a contributing factor,
along with high gun ownership. Unfortunately, the current
Congressional ban on federal funding for these kinds of studies
leaves some room for doubt. In the end, common sense says that the
media needs to think deeply on the subject.
Since
1968 when Andy Warhol brought the phrase “Everyone will be world
famous for fifteen minutes” into popular culture, America seems to
have taken that as a challenge. So the question becomes, how should
the media respond?
1968 when Andy Warhol brought the phrase “Everyone will be world
famous for fifteen minutes” into popular culture, America seems to
have taken that as a challenge. So the question becomes, how should
the media respond?
The
name of an alleged criminal is news. I simply don’t see that as open
for discussion. In the very short modern news cycle, it is
inevitable that the name will be repeated over and over. Once that
initial cycle is over however, it seems reasonable that the focus
should shift away from the criminal and to the victims and the
aftermath. Once they are charged, and again when they go to trial,
the name will have to be mentioned again. A complete blackout, as
proposed by Cooper, or even the very strict standards promoted by No
Notoriety, simply doesn’t match with the standards of good
journalism.
name of an alleged criminal is news. I simply don’t see that as open
for discussion. In the very short modern news cycle, it is
inevitable that the name will be repeated over and over. Once that
initial cycle is over however, it seems reasonable that the focus
should shift away from the criminal and to the victims and the
aftermath. Once they are charged, and again when they go to trial,
the name will have to be mentioned again. A complete blackout, as
proposed by Cooper, or even the very strict standards promoted by No
Notoriety, simply doesn’t match with the standards of good
journalism.
Which
is not to let the media off the hook here. In pursuit of viewers the
name and picture of alleged killers becomes virtual clickbait,
usually at time when there is really nothing new to report. It’s
shoddy journalism.
is not to let the media off the hook here. In pursuit of viewers the
name and picture of alleged killers becomes virtual clickbait,
usually at time when there is really nothing new to report. It’s
shoddy journalism.
Some
times it’s OK not to say the name.
times it’s OK not to say the name.
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
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