“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 2013-18 by Jay Phillippi. All Rights Reserved. You like what you see and hear? Drop me a line and we can talk.
Programs from week of February 11, 2018
This Week’s Podcast
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.
Using the Game
How
do you tell a story that most people don’t really want to hear?
How do you tell a story that has many, many variables and details?
Easy, you make it a game.
do you tell a story that most people don’t really want to hear?
How do you tell a story that has many, many variables and details?
Easy, you make it a game.
That’s
the approach that the folks at Bloomberg.com have taken. Part of the
business news and media conglomerate Bloomberg L.P., the website was
looking for a way to tell the story of the decline in that most
American of institutions, the mall. Once upon a time, not all that
long ago, malls dominated retail. The modern mall, an enclosed
shopping space that served an entire region, was born in Edina,
Minnesota in 1956. The Southdale Shopping Center as the brainchild
of architect Victor Gruen. In the decades that followed, malls
spread, often at the detriment of downtown shopping districts. There
was a huge boom in mall building starting in the 1980s which created
more retail space than could be filled. When many of us began moving
our shopping away from brick and mortar stores for online shopping
malls began to suffer immense financial difficulties.
the approach that the folks at Bloomberg.com have taken. Part of the
business news and media conglomerate Bloomberg L.P., the website was
looking for a way to tell the story of the decline in that most
American of institutions, the mall. Once upon a time, not all that
long ago, malls dominated retail. The modern mall, an enclosed
shopping space that served an entire region, was born in Edina,
Minnesota in 1956. The Southdale Shopping Center as the brainchild
of architect Victor Gruen. In the decades that followed, malls
spread, often at the detriment of downtown shopping districts. There
was a huge boom in mall building starting in the 1980s which created
more retail space than could be filled. When many of us began moving
our shopping away from brick and mortar stores for online shopping
malls began to suffer immense financial difficulties.
And
that’s the story that the game is designed to tell. Begun under
the auspices of the special projects desk at Bloomberg, the game
brought together both the computer design folks and the copy desk
reporters and editors. The challenges facing the mall in “The
American Mall: A 2018 Retail Challenge”.
that’s the story that the game is designed to tell. Begun under
the auspices of the special projects desk at Bloomberg, the game
brought together both the computer design folks and the copy desk
reporters and editors. The challenges facing the mall in “The
American Mall: A 2018 Retail Challenge”.
The
game is designed to look like 1990’s vintage video games. The
stores are inspired by actual brands and the problems are taken
largely from real life. Stores that want their rent reduced,
undesirable people wandering around, litter, even rats! And you get
to be the management team that has to keep your retailers happy and
afloat, keep customers coming through the door, and keep enough money
flowing in to keep the doors open. I’ve tried playing the game and
bombed pretty badly. Apparently the average play time is only four
minutes. Some folks have managed to make the system work, and
allegedly there is a way to win at the end. What happens when you
lose? You are greeted by an image of a bald headed man in an Amazon
shirt that bears a striking resemblance to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
He looks very happy about your failure. I’ll included a link to
the game with the weekly podcast on Friday
game is designed to look like 1990’s vintage video games. The
stores are inspired by actual brands and the problems are taken
largely from real life. Stores that want their rent reduced,
undesirable people wandering around, litter, even rats! And you get
to be the management team that has to keep your retailers happy and
afloat, keep customers coming through the door, and keep enough money
flowing in to keep the doors open. I’ve tried playing the game and
bombed pretty badly. Apparently the average play time is only four
minutes. Some folks have managed to make the system work, and
allegedly there is a way to win at the end. What happens when you
lose? You are greeted by an image of a bald headed man in an Amazon
shirt that bears a striking resemblance to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
He looks very happy about your failure. I’ll included a link to
the game with the weekly podcast on Friday
Whether
you play the game and save the mall or not. It’s an interesting
way to approach storytelling. The economics for large retail in
America is pretty grim. Let’s put it this way, you might almost
rather be a newspaper.
you play the game and save the mall or not. It’s an interesting
way to approach storytelling. The economics for large retail in
America is pretty grim. Let’s put it this way, you might almost
rather be a newspaper.
Finding
innovative ways to do your business, is a surefire way to win more
often than you lose.
innovative ways to do your business, is a surefire way to win more
often than you lose.
Rosie Myths
It
is an image that ranks among the best known to come out of World War
II. But at the time, it was virtually unknown. And the young woman
in it, was unknown as well.
is an image that ranks among the best known to come out of World War
II. But at the time, it was virtually unknown. And the young woman
in it, was unknown as well.
It’s
the now iconic image of a young woman in work shirt and a red and
white bandana, arm flexed and the words “We Can Do It”. Most of
us would identify her as Rosie the Riveter. That image stood for all
the women who stepped into the factories of America when our young
men went off to fight the war. If America was indeed the “Arsenal
of Democracy” it was in large part due to American women. And
Rosie became part of American mythology.
the now iconic image of a young woman in work shirt and a red and
white bandana, arm flexed and the words “We Can Do It”. Most of
us would identify her as Rosie the Riveter. That image stood for all
the women who stepped into the factories of America when our young
men went off to fight the war. If America was indeed the “Arsenal
of Democracy” it was in large part due to American women. And
Rosie became part of American mythology.
That
image, created by Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller, is not the
only image of this legendary figure. Painter Norman Rockwell had
one. There was a popular song about her as well. But neither of the
women who inspired those version were the model for this iconic
image.
image, created by Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller, is not the
only image of this legendary figure. Painter Norman Rockwell had
one. There was a popular song about her as well. But neither of the
women who inspired those version were the model for this iconic
image.
There
has been some debate over the years about her identity. Several
different women have claimed the honor but until 2010 no one had done
any in-depth research on the subject. After what became a six year
journey, an associate professor of Communications at Seton Hall
University, Dr. James Kimble, finally provided evidence of who Rosie
really was.
has been some debate over the years about her identity. Several
different women have claimed the honor but until 2010 no one had done
any in-depth research on the subject. After what became a six year
journey, an associate professor of Communications at Seton Hall
University, Dr. James Kimble, finally provided evidence of who Rosie
really was.
Her
name was Naomi Parker Fraley. She was born in Oklahoma and moved
around the country with her father’s work as a mining engineer.
The eventually landed in Alameda, California where Naomi and her
little sister Ada went to work in the machine shop at the Naval Air
Station. It was there that a photo was taken that made its way
through the newspapers of the nation. A pretty girl in loose slacks
and a polka dot bandana working at a metal lathe.
name was Naomi Parker Fraley. She was born in Oklahoma and moved
around the country with her father’s work as a mining engineer.
The eventually landed in Alameda, California where Naomi and her
little sister Ada went to work in the machine shop at the Naval Air
Station. It was there that a photo was taken that made its way
through the newspapers of the nation. A pretty girl in loose slacks
and a polka dot bandana working at a metal lathe.
It’s
ironic that the image created is so familiar today. It was designed
for internal use at Westinghouse and was largely unknown until 1980
when a copy was found and made public. It has taken off since then.
But it was never clear who that dynamic young woman really was.
Another woman, Geraldine Doyle, was commonly credited for many years.
Like Fraley, Doyle had worked in the wartime factories.
ironic that the image created is so familiar today. It was designed
for internal use at Westinghouse and was largely unknown until 1980
when a copy was found and made public. It has taken off since then.
But it was never clear who that dynamic young woman really was.
Another woman, Geraldine Doyle, was commonly credited for many years.
Like Fraley, Doyle had worked in the wartime factories.
In
the end, the artist left no definitive word on the identity of the
model. There is some evidence supporting Mrs. Fraley, based on the
photo and timing.
the end, the artist left no definitive word on the identity of the
model. There is some evidence supporting Mrs. Fraley, based on the
photo and timing.
Whoever
the original Rosie was, she is an icon and inspiration that has
outlived them all.
the original Rosie was, she is an icon and inspiration that has
outlived them all.
Naomi
Parker Fraley passed away two weeks at the age of 96.
Parker Fraley passed away two weeks at the age of 96.
Saving The Bad
Maybe
the greatest of all the benefits of having so many more ways of
watching television is that OTT services like Hulu and Netflix give
us more of the good stuff. Because they are set up with different
parameters and regulations than a broadcast network, they can bring
us a whole new range of programming. Shows like “Transparent”,
“House of Cards”, “Jessica Jones”, or “Orange Is The New
Black” would never cut it on the big networks. Not because they’re
not great shows, but because they wouldn’t get past network censors
or mass media audience requirements. The kinds of specialty
programming that HBO pioneered now is moving towards more traditional
weekly series territory, while still retaining the creative edge.
the greatest of all the benefits of having so many more ways of
watching television is that OTT services like Hulu and Netflix give
us more of the good stuff. Because they are set up with different
parameters and regulations than a broadcast network, they can bring
us a whole new range of programming. Shows like “Transparent”,
“House of Cards”, “Jessica Jones”, or “Orange Is The New
Black” would never cut it on the big networks. Not because they’re
not great shows, but because they wouldn’t get past network censors
or mass media audience requirements. The kinds of specialty
programming that HBO pioneered now is moving towards more traditional
weekly series territory, while still retaining the creative edge.
That’s
the good news in all of this. But there is always a dark and dirty
underside lurking. Turns out they may also be a safe harbor for some
really bad programming.
the good news in all of this. But there is always a dark and dirty
underside lurking. Turns out they may also be a safe harbor for some
really bad programming.
Paramount
Pictures spent a lot of time and money creating “The Cloverfield
Paradox”, a sequel to the 2008 hit Sci-Fi horror flick
“Cloverfield”. The original grossed some one hundred seventy
million worldwide, so the studio was really excited to go for a
sequel. Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way they expected.
The original debut date was delayed several times. That’s a very
bad sign in Hollywood. So as they faced a marketing campaign that
would run thirty million or more dollars, Paramount began to have
doubts. Which is why they dropped five million bucks on a Super Bowl
ad to announce the movie would not be released in the theaters. It
was going straight to Netflix.
Pictures spent a lot of time and money creating “The Cloverfield
Paradox”, a sequel to the 2008 hit Sci-Fi horror flick
“Cloverfield”. The original grossed some one hundred seventy
million worldwide, so the studio was really excited to go for a
sequel. Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way they expected.
The original debut date was delayed several times. That’s a very
bad sign in Hollywood. So as they faced a marketing campaign that
would run thirty million or more dollars, Paramount began to have
doubts. Which is why they dropped five million bucks on a Super Bowl
ad to announce the movie would not be released in the theaters. It
was going straight to Netflix.
In
the old days, like five years ago, if the movie was a turkey it was
“straight to video”. But that was a court of last resort.
Netflix offered fifty million dollars for the right to get first shot
at the movie. At that price, Paramount would show a profit instantly
for the movie and let Netflix handle a large piece of the promotion.
the old days, like five years ago, if the movie was a turkey it was
“straight to video”. But that was a court of last resort.
Netflix offered fifty million dollars for the right to get first shot
at the movie. At that price, Paramount would show a profit instantly
for the movie and let Netflix handle a large piece of the promotion.
While
that’s great news for the studio, I’m less enthralled with it for
us, the movie audience. Netflix is going to treat this like a big-time movie because of the price they paid. It’s premium content
from their point of view. It remains the same movie that the studio
had such serious doubts about.
that’s great news for the studio, I’m less enthralled with it for
us, the movie audience. Netflix is going to treat this like a big-time movie because of the price they paid. It’s premium content
from their point of view. It remains the same movie that the studio
had such serious doubts about.
It
might be a hit. The experts regularly get predictions wrong
(“Guardians of the Galaxy” was expected to be a box office
turkey). But it might be what they think it is. Instead of
disappearing with a minimal ripple, this new system may be saddling
us with ever more bad movies.
might be a hit. The experts regularly get predictions wrong
(“Guardians of the Galaxy” was expected to be a box office
turkey). But it might be what they think it is. Instead of
disappearing with a minimal ripple, this new system may be saddling
us with ever more bad movies.
And
none of us need that.
none of us need that.
Call that the View From the Phlipside
Copyright Jay Phillippi, 2018
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
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