Broadcasting’s affliction
Broadcasting’s affliction.
I’m back in Nashville after a long week of travel, meetings and other work. I’d like to write about it, but it would be unethical given the nature of what I do. Suffice it to say that local television is suffering from unchecked schizophrenia and manic depression right now, and it’s time to break out the drugs. What to do is the conundrum…continue the course that we’ve always known, or try something different. Or, can we be two, two, two mints in one?
I first started in broadcasting in 1969. My career had its share of ups and downs, but I always thought our business (TV news) was the most enjoyable job on the planet. And while I hear too many horror stories today stemming from downsizing and other financial stresses on the industry, I still believe in what we do and think this is the most fascinating time of my career. Change isn’t an easy pill to swallow, but it’s amazing how healing it can be.
It’s the only medicine that will heal broadcasting’s affliction.
The biggest block to change that I’ve noticed is a lack of knowledge. I think every TV executive should take a week off to attend classes on new media, and I may just take it upon myself to organize such an event. Not only do we not know what we need to know, but we’re afraid to let anybody else know that we don’t know what we should know. And that produces the most visible symptom of our disease, contempt prior to investigation — destined to keep us all in everlasting darkness.
