Thursday, June 15, 2017

"Deadline Every Minute!"

That was the title/Banner of a speech given by my then boss, the President of WREX-TV, CH 13, Rockford, IL in the late 1960s. While I cannot remember his name the speech was to the NAB, National Association of Broadcasters and concerned the ever-tightening spiral of time between new stories. How prophetic!

Today that spiral is a whirlpool, at best, and a black hole at the worst.

Now it is acknowledged and involves the "instant" media...

We are in much the same spiral in this arena as we are in the growth of knowledge. Neither is being handled very well.

Knowledge, as I recall, was supposed to be doubling about every five years....in 1990. While I have not seen a report on it, I'd guess that has dropped to less than 2 years in today's super-heated knowledge generation.

In the media where my old station aired news in the morning; 2 15 minute casts at 7 and 8; another 15 min. block at noon, and then the traditional 6pm and 10pm 30 minute blocks of news, weather, and sports, now 24/7/365 is near true....although the night hours have actually receded in live stuff from the old talk nights of midnight to 5 or 6am.

Sometimes I get a headache just thinking of it all. I enjoy periods such as this, alone in my office, typing away, silence in the room, except for the cars passing by in my neighborhood.

Maybe a month in a cabin in the mountains would be pretty amazing.....no TV, no phone...no tablet. Just nature!

Duke

BIG BOX Collapse!

If you but look at your own purchasing habits, and barring a completely intoverted way of life, you will know why the demise of "Big Box" retailers.

Sears announces closing of more than 100 stores....Macy's, the same, etc., etc. They cannot compete with the Amazons of the world. Overhead is the reason. Convenience to the stay-at-home shopper is a close 2nd.

I even find myself visiting stores I still frequent, and after eyeing the merchandise, going home to check the online price. In other instances I do not even visit the stores. I bought my new RAM 1500, and immediately began looking at some needed additions......YES, the additions to date were for a good reason, and i have avoided the decorative in favor of practical. I went online, found a retailer who delivered to my home, and I installed most of the additions, but left my local mechanic to install the step bar for entry.

We are a society of convenience, and Big Box is no longer the convenience.