“The View From the Phlipside” is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY, 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 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 the week of January 20, 2019
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.
Over The Top!!!
If
there was on media event that I would have thought couldn’t get any
bigger, any more grandiose, any more over the top, it would be the
Super Bowl. From its humble beginnings (the first one wasn’t a
sell-out) as the championship game of professional football in
America, it has become the biggest single day media event in the
world. There’s a whole week of preparatory events, some of which
even have to do with the game. That includes Media Day where the
coaches and players say as little as possible, and everyone waits to
see which whacko pseudo-journalist asks the most outrageous question
of the day. Then you have concerts before the show, and at half
time. All of the hubbub surrounding the commercials, and, oh yeah, a
football game. Surely we have reached the acme of the media circus,
right?
there was on media event that I would have thought couldn’t get any
bigger, any more grandiose, any more over the top, it would be the
Super Bowl. From its humble beginnings (the first one wasn’t a
sell-out) as the championship game of professional football in
America, it has become the biggest single day media event in the
world. There’s a whole week of preparatory events, some of which
even have to do with the game. That includes Media Day where the
coaches and players say as little as possible, and everyone waits to
see which whacko pseudo-journalist asks the most outrageous question
of the day. Then you have concerts before the show, and at half
time. All of the hubbub surrounding the commercials, and, oh yeah, a
football game. Surely we have reached the acme of the media circus,
right?
As
it turns out, maybe not.
it turns out, maybe not.
CBS
has the rights to the big game and they are reaching for the next
level of “over the top”. Using their CBS Sports HQ live
streaming network, they will add an additional 30 hours of coverage
between the Monday before the game and Super Bowl Sunday. That will
include a 10 hour long pre-game show that kicks off at 8 AM. The
usual stuff will be supplemented by hourly competitions between the
broadcast professionals and former NFL athletes. My brain is going
numb just thinking about it.
has the rights to the big game and they are reaching for the next
level of “over the top”. Using their CBS Sports HQ live
streaming network, they will add an additional 30 hours of coverage
between the Monday before the game and Super Bowl Sunday. That will
include a 10 hour long pre-game show that kicks off at 8 AM. The
usual stuff will be supplemented by hourly competitions between the
broadcast professionals and former NFL athletes. My brain is going
numb just thinking about it.
But
here’s the thing. This looks like the wave of the future. More
ways to watch events means more program ideas have to be generated.
During the college football playoffs ESPN gave us a look at what the
future may be. With their MegaCast programming viewers could get
much more than just the game action. With the “Coaches Film Room”
you got a room of current coaches doing play by play analysis of the
nuts and bolts of the games as the game went on. Supplied with the
full range of video playback, they could go over each play, show
exactly what happened and why. It is programming for the ultimate
football nerds. And its been popular enough that it’s already had
a fan backlash moment. For the national championship game the
network removed the coaches and put in the Monday Night Football
broadcast crew.
here’s the thing. This looks like the wave of the future. More
ways to watch events means more program ideas have to be generated.
During the college football playoffs ESPN gave us a look at what the
future may be. With their MegaCast programming viewers could get
much more than just the game action. With the “Coaches Film Room”
you got a room of current coaches doing play by play analysis of the
nuts and bolts of the games as the game went on. Supplied with the
full range of video playback, they could go over each play, show
exactly what happened and why. It is programming for the ultimate
football nerds. And its been popular enough that it’s already had
a fan backlash moment. For the national championship game the
network removed the coaches and put in the Monday Night Football
broadcast crew.
CBS
will be broadcasting the game live on television, plus stream it for
free on CBSSports.com, their sports apps and on CBS All Access.
will be broadcasting the game live on television, plus stream it for
free on CBSSports.com, their sports apps and on CBS All Access.
And
in my head I hear the lyrics to the Andrea True Connection hit from
1976 – “More, more, more, How do you like it? How do you like it?
in my head I hear the lyrics to the Andrea True Connection hit from
1976 – “More, more, more, How do you like it? How do you like it?
Not Nice To Share
One
lesson that gets drilled into our heads from an early age is
how it’s nice to share. Not all of us come to that habit easily.
But after years of correction and instruction, most of us learn how
to do it, if somewhat grudgingly at times. Well, today there is push
back on that lesson from your mother. The streaming media industry
would like you to stop sharing. And they are getting ready to come
after you if you don’t.
lesson that gets drilled into our heads from an early age is
how it’s nice to share. Not all of us come to that habit easily.
But after years of correction and instruction, most of us learn how
to do it, if somewhat grudgingly at times. Well, today there is push
back on that lesson from your mother. The streaming media industry
would like you to stop sharing. And they are getting ready to come
after you if you don’t.
When
it comes to services like Netflix and Hulu, a lot of us will pay for
a subscription and then share it with family and friends. A recent
survey the folks at Parks Associates estimated that 54% of all
American households were willing or very willing to pass around user
names and passwords for video services. The numbers ranged from
around 13% of Baby Boomer users to 42% of those age 21 and younger.
That same study maintained that this kind of sharing could be costing
the industry almost $10 billion by the year 2021. That sounds like a
lot of money. OK, that IS a lot of money. On the other hand, I
don’t think many subscribers will feel much sympathy for the
industry as it makes money hand over fist. The fourth quarter
earnings numbers for Netflix showed a 28% growth over the year
before. How high is the ceiling for these companies? Let’s just
say Netflix announced those 4th
quarter earnings and Wall Street still felt it was underperforming.
it comes to services like Netflix and Hulu, a lot of us will pay for
a subscription and then share it with family and friends. A recent
survey the folks at Parks Associates estimated that 54% of all
American households were willing or very willing to pass around user
names and passwords for video services. The numbers ranged from
around 13% of Baby Boomer users to 42% of those age 21 and younger.
That same study maintained that this kind of sharing could be costing
the industry almost $10 billion by the year 2021. That sounds like a
lot of money. OK, that IS a lot of money. On the other hand, I
don’t think many subscribers will feel much sympathy for the
industry as it makes money hand over fist. The fourth quarter
earnings numbers for Netflix showed a 28% growth over the year
before. How high is the ceiling for these companies? Let’s just
say Netflix announced those 4th
quarter earnings and Wall Street still felt it was underperforming.
So
I expect that all those companies will be interested in the
development of a company from the United Kingdom that claims to plug
that revenue leak. Synamedia says it has software that can track
down who is sharing their account and put a stop to the practice.
The program uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) which accounts are
being shared, in part by tracking the locations of the users. The
service, called Credential Sharing Insight, made its debut at the
International Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas late last year.
It offers the client a probability score for how likely it is that
the account is being shared. At that point, the service can decide
to warn the user, block the user or suggest that they buy a premium
account. The system is being used on a trial basis by a number of
companies.
I expect that all those companies will be interested in the
development of a company from the United Kingdom that claims to plug
that revenue leak. Synamedia says it has software that can track
down who is sharing their account and put a stop to the practice.
The program uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) which accounts are
being shared, in part by tracking the locations of the users. The
service, called Credential Sharing Insight, made its debut at the
International Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas late last year.
It offers the client a probability score for how likely it is that
the account is being shared. At that point, the service can decide
to warn the user, block the user or suggest that they buy a premium
account. The system is being used on a trial basis by a number of
companies.
Which
means there’s a least one clever programmer out there working on a
way around the system again. The rest I leave to your individual
conscience.
means there’s a least one clever programmer out there working on a
way around the system again. The rest I leave to your individual
conscience.
Mea Culpa
Over
the decade or so this program has been on the air, I’ve spent a bit
of time talking about responsible ways to deal with the overwhelming
volume of information on the internet. I’ve also talked about
taking responsibility for when you get things wrong. Those two
topics came crashing together for me personally last week.
the decade or so this program has been on the air, I’ve spent a bit
of time talking about responsible ways to deal with the overwhelming
volume of information on the internet. I’ve also talked about
taking responsibility for when you get things wrong. Those two
topics came crashing together for me personally last week.
It’s
the story that has captured our attention. A group of young men from
a Catholic high school in Kentucky, a Viet Nam veteran Native
American elder and a group who call themselves African Hebrew
Israelites. But the furor began with a single photo. A photo of
Nick Sandman, the teen in the Make America Great hat facing Nathan
Phillips as the older man drummed as part of a prayer.
the story that has captured our attention. A group of young men from
a Catholic high school in Kentucky, a Viet Nam veteran Native
American elder and a group who call themselves African Hebrew
Israelites. But the furor began with a single photo. A photo of
Nick Sandman, the teen in the Make America Great hat facing Nathan
Phillips as the older man drummed as part of a prayer.
Here’s
the part where I need to take responsibility. I reacted emotionally,
and made assumptions about what was going on. I posted that
emotional reaction on my Facebook page. There’s only one problem.
I didn’t have all the facts. As more video became available, it
became clear that there was a lot going on. And a lot of people did
things that made the situation worse. But as I tell the young people
I work with, I’m only responsible for what I do. And I screwed up.
the part where I need to take responsibility. I reacted emotionally,
and made assumptions about what was going on. I posted that
emotional reaction on my Facebook page. There’s only one problem.
I didn’t have all the facts. As more video became available, it
became clear that there was a lot going on. And a lot of people did
things that made the situation worse. But as I tell the young people
I work with, I’m only responsible for what I do. And I screwed up.
I
screwed up because I didn’t do what I ALWAYS tell others to do.
Don’t accept at face value, check before you react. As we discover
more about the origin of the first posts, it is becoming clear that
the Twitter account where it began is a fake. It claims to be the
account of a school teacher from California. But it has all the
signs of being a bot account. It averages 130 posts a day, posts
that are generally polarizing. Oh, and it appears to be operating
out of Brazil. That’s why Twitter has suspended the account.
screwed up because I didn’t do what I ALWAYS tell others to do.
Don’t accept at face value, check before you react. As we discover
more about the origin of the first posts, it is becoming clear that
the Twitter account where it began is a fake. It claims to be the
account of a school teacher from California. But it has all the
signs of being a bot account. It averages 130 posts a day, posts
that are generally polarizing. Oh, and it appears to be operating
out of Brazil. That’s why Twitter has suspended the account.
For
my own part, I have deleted the post I made and refrained from making
any further comments about the story. Since I can’t pretend to
take the high ground here, I would just offer myself as an example of
what NOT to do. Taking the time to read, think and then decide is
our best defense against the people who are trying to misinform,
confuse and divide us. When we do anything else, we are playing
their game. A game we can only lose.
my own part, I have deleted the post I made and refrained from making
any further comments about the story. Since I can’t pretend to
take the high ground here, I would just offer myself as an example of
what NOT to do. Taking the time to read, think and then decide is
our best defense against the people who are trying to misinform,
confuse and divide us. When we do anything else, we are playing
their game. A game we can only lose.
I
screwed up. I was wrong and I am sorry for it. I apologize. And I
will do better in the future.
screwed up. I was wrong and I am sorry for it. I apologize. And I
will do better in the future.
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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