“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 March 3, 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.
End of Blu-ray?
This story frustrates me. And
ticks me off a little bit too. Samsung, the company that first
brought a commercial Blu-ray player to the consumer market, the
largest producer of Blu-ray players in the world today, has announced
they will stop making the machines altogether. First, think about
how rare that is. Samsung controls almost 40 percent of the market.
Four of the top 10 selling units on Amazon were from Samsung,
including the machine in the top spot. The number one producer is
walking away. I can not think of another example like it.
ticks me off a little bit too. Samsung, the company that first
brought a commercial Blu-ray player to the consumer market, the
largest producer of Blu-ray players in the world today, has announced
they will stop making the machines altogether. First, think about
how rare that is. Samsung controls almost 40 percent of the market.
Four of the top 10 selling units on Amazon were from Samsung,
including the machine in the top spot. The number one producer is
walking away. I can not think of another example like it.
The
culprit here is streaming video. Our consumption of video has been
growing at an enormous rate over the last couple years. The top
subscription streaming services, that would be folks like Hulu,
Netflix and Amazon, showed a business increase of 30 percent in the
last year. That doesn’t count the billions of dollars we spent on
rentals. Meanwhile the numbers for Blu-ray sales showed a drop of
almost 14 percent from 2017-2018. Despite cutting edge and popular
new technologies that are popular with consumers, Blu-rays appear to
on their way to join VHS, Betamax, Laserdisc and other technologies
on the scrapheap of history.
culprit here is streaming video. Our consumption of video has been
growing at an enormous rate over the last couple years. The top
subscription streaming services, that would be folks like Hulu,
Netflix and Amazon, showed a business increase of 30 percent in the
last year. That doesn’t count the billions of dollars we spent on
rentals. Meanwhile the numbers for Blu-ray sales showed a drop of
almost 14 percent from 2017-2018. Despite cutting edge and popular
new technologies that are popular with consumers, Blu-rays appear to
on their way to join VHS, Betamax, Laserdisc and other technologies
on the scrapheap of history.
And
that bothers me a lot. No, not because I’m an old guy. I was very
happy when tapes were superseded by discs. The step up in quality
was worth the hassle of having to replace my library. That
acceptance was a bit more grudging when it came time to add Blu-rays
to my collection. I’ll be honest and admit that my collection is
happily divided between the technologies. I didn’t see the
compelling reason to dump everything and start over, so I’ve kept
my DVDs and augmented the collection. But I am disturbed when I hear
top people at Netflix making noises like they will be allowing their
DVD service to die, if it comes to that.
that bothers me a lot. No, not because I’m an old guy. I was very
happy when tapes were superseded by discs. The step up in quality
was worth the hassle of having to replace my library. That
acceptance was a bit more grudging when it came time to add Blu-rays
to my collection. I’ll be honest and admit that my collection is
happily divided between the technologies. I didn’t see the
compelling reason to dump everything and start over, so I’ve kept
my DVDs and augmented the collection. But I am disturbed when I hear
top people at Netflix making noises like they will be allowing their
DVD service to die, if it comes to that.
There’s
a simple reality. The selection available on the streaming services
is limited. Think about this-we’ve been making movies for over 100
years. Hundreds of movies are released every year. But the largest
streaming library is under 15,000 titles. That means most movies are
not available. Plus movies are often only available for short
periods of time. And in that more producers are moving to creating
their own service, think the coming Disney service, and you won’t
be able to get a comprehensive choice from a single service.
a simple reality. The selection available on the streaming services
is limited. Think about this-we’ve been making movies for over 100
years. Hundreds of movies are released every year. But the largest
streaming library is under 15,000 titles. That means most movies are
not available. Plus movies are often only available for short
periods of time. And in that more producers are moving to creating
their own service, think the coming Disney service, and you won’t
be able to get a comprehensive choice from a single service.
At
the surface, Samsung’s decision to get out of a business in decline
makes business sense. If you love older movies and television shows,
it may be the worst news of 2019.
the surface, Samsung’s decision to get out of a business in decline
makes business sense. If you love older movies and television shows,
it may be the worst news of 2019.
The Momo Hoax
So my question for t the day
is this- Are you familiar with the Momo Challenge? If you have teens
you are probably familiar with this latest internet phenomenon.
is this- Are you familiar with the Momo Challenge? If you have teens
you are probably familiar with this latest internet phenomenon.
So
let’s get this out of the way first. Fact number one: It’s a
hoax. Complete nonsense.
let’s get this out of the way first. Fact number one: It’s a
hoax. Complete nonsense.
If
you’re not familiar with it, I am extremely jealous. Like so many
online phenomenons this started as one thing, changed into something
else and then the media grabbed hold of it. I’m going to circle
back to that last point in a moment.
you’re not familiar with it, I am extremely jealous. Like so many
online phenomenons this started as one thing, changed into something
else and then the media grabbed hold of it. I’m going to circle
back to that last point in a moment.
The
Momo challenge involves a picture of this really weird and rather
frightening face. Huge eyes, enormous mouth. This is a sculpture at
a Japanese folklore figure called an ubume. The piece’s name is
“Mother Bird”. Someone took a picture and shared it on the
internet. Shortly thereafter someone created a story about it. One
where this character, now named Momo, is challenging teens to do
dangerous acts and possibly kill themselves. Second fact: There is
no evidence that any child has been harmed as part of this fake
challenge. Yes, there are memes and videos. But if your child or
any child starts talking about how Momo is killing kids, look them
straight in the eye and tell them it’s a hoax. 100% nonsense.
Sadly, there are some sick people in the world who are using social
networks like WhatsApp to convince people that they are Momo. They
try to talk people into doing things and post graphic photos
afterward. As yet, no police force has reported any events
verifiably related to the hoax. It’s all smoke, no fire.
Momo challenge involves a picture of this really weird and rather
frightening face. Huge eyes, enormous mouth. This is a sculpture at
a Japanese folklore figure called an ubume. The piece’s name is
“Mother Bird”. Someone took a picture and shared it on the
internet. Shortly thereafter someone created a story about it. One
where this character, now named Momo, is challenging teens to do
dangerous acts and possibly kill themselves. Second fact: There is
no evidence that any child has been harmed as part of this fake
challenge. Yes, there are memes and videos. But if your child or
any child starts talking about how Momo is killing kids, look them
straight in the eye and tell them it’s a hoax. 100% nonsense.
Sadly, there are some sick people in the world who are using social
networks like WhatsApp to convince people that they are Momo. They
try to talk people into doing things and post graphic photos
afterward. As yet, no police force has reported any events
verifiably related to the hoax. It’s all smoke, no fire.
Now
let’s get to the real problem. It’s not that there is a stupid
hoax challenge floating around the internet upsetting people. The
problem is that some media outlets, especially television stations,
have done stories about the whole Momo thing. Not stories debunking
the hoax, although there have been some, but stories “covering”
the “worldwide threat to our kids”. So now the kids can point to
their local station or videos of other stations covering this idiocy
as if it were news.
let’s get to the real problem. It’s not that there is a stupid
hoax challenge floating around the internet upsetting people. The
problem is that some media outlets, especially television stations,
have done stories about the whole Momo thing. Not stories debunking
the hoax, although there have been some, but stories “covering”
the “worldwide threat to our kids”. So now the kids can point to
their local station or videos of other stations covering this idiocy
as if it were news.
I’m
not saying a lot of stations are doing this. But it only takes a
few. A story that would have died off quickly a few decades ago, now
gets to circle the globe and terrify parents and kids. We would be
much better served if they would do some research and report with
greater caution. It may not be as “sexy” a story, but it would
be much more useful to us all.
not saying a lot of stations are doing this. But it only takes a
few. A story that would have died off quickly a few decades ago, now
gets to circle the globe and terrify parents and kids. We would be
much better served if they would do some research and report with
greater caution. It may not be as “sexy” a story, but it would
be much more useful to us all.
And,
just to be clear, Momo is a hoax.
just to be clear, Momo is a hoax.
Content PTSD
I’ve got a job description
for you: Sit at a computer desk 8 hours a day reviewing content for a
major social media site. This means that you will be reviewing
anything that has been flagged as potentially violating the
established standards. So you will look at everything from off
color jokes to videos of graphic violence. Every conspiracy theory
video, all of the racist, misogynistic, and hate filled pictures,
posts, memes and videos will flow before your eyes . Sound like a
fun job? No, I can’t imagine it does.
for you: Sit at a computer desk 8 hours a day reviewing content for a
major social media site. This means that you will be reviewing
anything that has been flagged as potentially violating the
established standards. So you will look at everything from off
color jokes to videos of graphic violence. Every conspiracy theory
video, all of the racist, misogynistic, and hate filled pictures,
posts, memes and videos will flow before your eyes . Sound like a
fun job? No, I can’t imagine it does.
Reports out of a Facebook
content moderation site in Arizona seem to back that up.
content moderation site in Arizona seem to back that up.
Workers
are reporting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, increased use of drugs
and alcohol and other “coping” behaviors to try and drive the
unimaginable filth out of their memories. Now, maybe you’re an
optimist like me. Surely Facebook and the contractor who runs the
facility, a company name Cognizant, understand the stresses and
create a supportive environment for the employees. I’ll let you
decide that. Here are the working conditions.
are reporting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, increased use of drugs
and alcohol and other “coping” behaviors to try and drive the
unimaginable filth out of their memories. Now, maybe you’re an
optimist like me. Surely Facebook and the contractor who runs the
facility, a company name Cognizant, understand the stresses and
create a supportive environment for the employees. I’ll let you
decide that. Here are the working conditions.
You
get two 15-minute breaks a day, 30 minutes for lunch and nine minutes
a day “wellness time”. Pretty standard stuff. The issue is that
there are a minimum number of restrooms in the building. There are
some 100 employees at this facility. That means you will spend most
of your break standing in line, waiting to take care of that other
business. And just so you know, some of your co-workers may be
“taking care of business” in one of those stalls at the same
time. That’s one of the other “coping behaviors” apparently.
get two 15-minute breaks a day, 30 minutes for lunch and nine minutes
a day “wellness time”. Pretty standard stuff. The issue is that
there are a minimum number of restrooms in the building. There are
some 100 employees at this facility. That means you will spend most
of your break standing in line, waiting to take care of that other
business. And just so you know, some of your co-workers may be
“taking care of business” in one of those stalls at the same
time. That’s one of the other “coping behaviors” apparently.
Does
the pay make up for the problems? High stress jobs usually come with
higher salaries. The pay at this facility is about $15 per hour.
Assuming two weeks of vacation, that’s $30,000 a year. For a job
that is creating mental health issues in employees. Creating stress
to a level that some employees come to work with a gun because they
fear what other workers or ex-workers may do. Some say they sleep
with the gun next to them as well.
the pay make up for the problems? High stress jobs usually come with
higher salaries. The pay at this facility is about $15 per hour.
Assuming two weeks of vacation, that’s $30,000 a year. For a job
that is creating mental health issues in employees. Creating stress
to a level that some employees come to work with a gun because they
fear what other workers or ex-workers may do. Some say they sleep
with the gun next to them as well.
To
be fair, the company offers a 24/7 helpline, onsite counselors and
what they term a “comprehensive wellness program”. Based on the
stories, you have to wonder if that’s enough.
be fair, the company offers a 24/7 helpline, onsite counselors and
what they term a “comprehensive wellness program”. Based on the
stories, you have to wonder if that’s enough.
Don’t
get me wrong, I understand the enormity of the challenge faced by all
social media platforms in policing their content. The job is
probably impossible, but it can’t be avoided. I just wonder if
trying to get it done on the cheap, at the cost of the mental health
of your employees, is the best answer.
get me wrong, I understand the enormity of the challenge faced by all
social media platforms in policing their content. The job is
probably impossible, but it can’t be avoided. I just wonder if
trying to get it done on the cheap, at the cost of the mental health
of your employees, is the best answer.
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
Stories Are My Life 
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