Monday, June 18, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Cost of Doing Business
Coming up on this weekends show:
I have a proposition for the FCC, either define once and for all what counts as news or stop requiring broadcast stations to broadcast news in the public interest. As it stands now, the FCC is essentially mandating a daily Paris Hilton update.
For those of you who aren't up on the history of the FCC, the reason every station broadcasts news is that they have to. They've never made money broadcasting news, it's never drawn as many people as entertainment but they used to look at it as the price of doing business.
They get to use the public airwaves, that's airwaves that technically, you and I own, in a way that basically lets them print money. They're allowed to use it because we let them. We figured they're willing to buy transmitters and we want to see Jack Benny so let's allow them to use our airwaves but the FCC mandates that because they make money off of our airwaves, broadcasters should be required to contribute to the public interest by keeping us updated on what is happening.
There was a time when it was simply accepted as the cost of doing business and even though they didn't make money with news, networks found they could win awards and enhance the value of their corporate brand by having beloved newscasters and good journalism. Think of the kind of reporting that was done by Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite and then compare that to today's top "journalists" Chris Hanson from 'To Catch a Predator"? The Daily Show?
Over time broadcast companies and stations got cocky. They figured since they're making so much money and since TV is so ensconced in American life, they shouldn't have to pay the price of doing business anymore. They started cutting news budgets, stopped investing in news bureaus and started trying to make the news more like entertainment.
Now, the news is virtually nothing but entertainment anyway. We should either tighten the restrictions on what should count as news or let them use that time to do real entertainment. I feel like I can almost guarantee that once they don't have to even pretend to cover news, we'll hear a whole lot less about the Paris Hiltons or Anna Nicole Smiths of this world and maybe the remaining news sources can go back to reporting on the news.
By the way, this new thing of not wanting to pay the cost of doing business, is running rampant through our society. Every corporation these days wants a handout. It used to be that health insurance and retirement benefits were seen as a cost of doing business. No one would work without those things.
I guess we the people, have just lowered our standards to the point past which we feel we can raise them again. Ah well, democracy is as good as the people taking part, eh?
- The Presidents Council on Sexual Fitness
- Sponsorship of Gay Pride Parades
- Many Special Announcements
- Childhood memories desecrated
I have a proposition for the FCC, either define once and for all what counts as news or stop requiring broadcast stations to broadcast news in the public interest. As it stands now, the FCC is essentially mandating a daily Paris Hilton update.
For those of you who aren't up on the history of the FCC, the reason every station broadcasts news is that they have to. They've never made money broadcasting news, it's never drawn as many people as entertainment but they used to look at it as the price of doing business.
They get to use the public airwaves, that's airwaves that technically, you and I own, in a way that basically lets them print money. They're allowed to use it because we let them. We figured they're willing to buy transmitters and we want to see Jack Benny so let's allow them to use our airwaves but the FCC mandates that because they make money off of our airwaves, broadcasters should be required to contribute to the public interest by keeping us updated on what is happening.
There was a time when it was simply accepted as the cost of doing business and even though they didn't make money with news, networks found they could win awards and enhance the value of their corporate brand by having beloved newscasters and good journalism. Think of the kind of reporting that was done by Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite and then compare that to today's top "journalists" Chris Hanson from 'To Catch a Predator"? The Daily Show?
Over time broadcast companies and stations got cocky. They figured since they're making so much money and since TV is so ensconced in American life, they shouldn't have to pay the price of doing business anymore. They started cutting news budgets, stopped investing in news bureaus and started trying to make the news more like entertainment.
Now, the news is virtually nothing but entertainment anyway. We should either tighten the restrictions on what should count as news or let them use that time to do real entertainment. I feel like I can almost guarantee that once they don't have to even pretend to cover news, we'll hear a whole lot less about the Paris Hiltons or Anna Nicole Smiths of this world and maybe the remaining news sources can go back to reporting on the news.
By the way, this new thing of not wanting to pay the cost of doing business, is running rampant through our society. Every corporation these days wants a handout. It used to be that health insurance and retirement benefits were seen as a cost of doing business. No one would work without those things.
I guess we the people, have just lowered our standards to the point past which we feel we can raise them again. Ah well, democracy is as good as the people taking part, eh?
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Gone on Vacation
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This weekends show will probably be posted by the time you read this blog. Because I'm leaving town here in a couple of hours, I asked the great and powerful Laurence Simon of 100 Word Stories Podcast fame to fill in for me and he has done so admirably. Coming up on this weekend's show:
This weekends show will probably be posted by the time you read this blog. Because I'm leaving town here in a couple of hours, I asked the great and powerful Laurence Simon of 100 Word Stories Podcast fame to fill in for me and he has done so admirably. Coming up on this weekend's show:
- Happy Days
- Abortion
- Microwaving Babies
- Tech Support
- Much Much More
Monday, June 04, 2007
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Sorry about their not being a show this week. It has been a week of massive upheaval and personal stress. Not only was this a short week because of the holiday but I moved offices this week and it took two whole days as opposed to the normal 15 minutes it normally takes to pick your shit up and walk down the hall. I'm also having something of an anxiety attack about going out of town next weekend (but that's not really any of your business) and then on top of all that, there's this whole Second Life thing.
Laurence from www.podcasting.isfullofcrap.com and the whole isfullofcrap.com empire bought himself an island this weekend in Second Life. It's called Edloe Island, and if you search for edloe you'll find your way there. In the middle of the island there is a giant clocktower and in the middle of the giant clocktower there is a Black Tie Martini Club. That's right you can go there and drink, dance and be merry without me even being there. It took a lot of time to get set up which is why I haven't done as much work on the show as I normally would have.
What does it look like? Well here's a picture of the main ballroom.
And then here's a picture of the funky lounge area above it.
There will be a grand opening type celebration probably in ten days to two weeks. It will be delayed because of my vacation that I'd rather not talk about.
So again, I'm really sorry not to have done a show this week and then next week, the aforementioned Laurence Simon will be guest hosting the Black Tie Martini Club Oddcast for me. So be kind.
Laurence from www.podcasting.isfullofcrap.com and the whole isfullofcrap.com empire bought himself an island this weekend in Second Life. It's called Edloe Island, and if you search for edloe you'll find your way there. In the middle of the island there is a giant clocktower and in the middle of the giant clocktower there is a Black Tie Martini Club. That's right you can go there and drink, dance and be merry without me even being there. It took a lot of time to get set up which is why I haven't done as much work on the show as I normally would have.
What does it look like? Well here's a picture of the main ballroom.
And then here's a picture of the funky lounge area above it.
There will be a grand opening type celebration probably in ten days to two weeks. It will be delayed because of my vacation that I'd rather not talk about.
So again, I'm really sorry not to have done a show this week and then next week, the aforementioned Laurence Simon will be guest hosting the Black Tie Martini Club Oddcast for me. So be kind.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The Black Tie Martini Club is Opening Soon!
I'll be honest folks. As of 1:30 AM Friday morning, I have no clue what is going to be on this weekend's show.
You see, I've been completely distracted during the day by moving offices and at night by Second Life.
But coming very soon in Second Life will be a live (virtual) Black Tie Martini Club. Complete with music and martinis and all the things that make Second Life worth living.
I guess I'll be talking a bit about that on this weekend's show. And probably I'll brainstorm something else... Let's hope so, huh?
You see, I've been completely distracted during the day by moving offices and at night by Second Life.
But coming very soon in Second Life will be a live (virtual) Black Tie Martini Club. Complete with music and martinis and all the things that make Second Life worth living.
I guess I'll be talking a bit about that on this weekend's show. And probably I'll brainstorm something else... Let's hope so, huh?
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Good The Bad and The Ugly (though not necessarily in that order) - recap
The idea for the How To Talk To Your Kids About Satan, came from... I don't remember what set me off but it started as My First Meth Lab. Like one of those playsets for toddlers where they can pretend to be grown up. I tried out a variety of things that would be just too horrible for little kids to do and switched it to a self help pamphlet.
The Squirrel Song, I'm sorry that the drums and Chris Walken are so bad on that. Unfortunately that is the only version I have left. That was originally mixed down on a 4-track cassette recorder and put out on my Tape, The Worlds Best Fictional Bands. I think that song was by Serge and Sam.
It's actually, the same chord structure as "Learning The Blues" a Frank Sinatra song. I was trying to show my friend Andrei how to play it and he kept getting the timing wrong and starting singing about squirrels. I helped finish the lyrics and arrange it so people wouldn't immediately go, "Isn't that a Sinatra song?" Even though it's not a high quality recording, it still is one of my favorites. I absolutely can't sing that high anymore.
Great Moments in the History of Royalty is based on a true fact about Hank 8. It's one of those weird bits of history that has always freaked me out. For the record, he was also the king who associated stank with disease and really encouraged cleanliness in a way that was seen as downright weird by Britain's finest.
How To Talk To Your Kids About Religion. turns out, it's actually about Alcohol. It just struck me that most of their arguments would fit just as well about religion and it's effects. Except for replacing the one term with the other, it's all straight from the Govt.
Honestly, I'm fascinated by the FCIC and it's many many pamphlets and brochures. They have one booklet for immigrants that should be given to every person at 18 just in case. Most of the advice in there is really obvious but its all stuff that will bite you in the ass if you don't know it.
The News. I don't know why but I was in a big tongue twister mode this week. Still, you have to admit, not enough people write new tongue twisters.
The New Covenant This all started from George Carlin's bit about why do people pray on the Sabbath when it's supposed to be God's day off? This also came from an Idea I had back in the days when Rudy Roy Moore was pimping the 10 Commandments in the Alabama Courthouse. The notion to merge those two things... just sort of happened. Still, I think we could all live by those rules pretty well.
The Squirrel Song, I'm sorry that the drums and Chris Walken are so bad on that. Unfortunately that is the only version I have left. That was originally mixed down on a 4-track cassette recorder and put out on my Tape, The Worlds Best Fictional Bands. I think that song was by Serge and Sam.
It's actually, the same chord structure as "Learning The Blues" a Frank Sinatra song. I was trying to show my friend Andrei how to play it and he kept getting the timing wrong and starting singing about squirrels. I helped finish the lyrics and arrange it so people wouldn't immediately go, "Isn't that a Sinatra song?" Even though it's not a high quality recording, it still is one of my favorites. I absolutely can't sing that high anymore.
Great Moments in the History of Royalty is based on a true fact about Hank 8. It's one of those weird bits of history that has always freaked me out. For the record, he was also the king who associated stank with disease and really encouraged cleanliness in a way that was seen as downright weird by Britain's finest.
How To Talk To Your Kids About Religion. turns out, it's actually about Alcohol. It just struck me that most of their arguments would fit just as well about religion and it's effects. Except for replacing the one term with the other, it's all straight from the Govt.
Honestly, I'm fascinated by the FCIC and it's many many pamphlets and brochures. They have one booklet for immigrants that should be given to every person at 18 just in case. Most of the advice in there is really obvious but its all stuff that will bite you in the ass if you don't know it.
The News. I don't know why but I was in a big tongue twister mode this week. Still, you have to admit, not enough people write new tongue twisters.
The New Covenant This all started from George Carlin's bit about why do people pray on the Sabbath when it's supposed to be God's day off? This also came from an Idea I had back in the days when Rudy Roy Moore was pimping the 10 Commandments in the Alabama Courthouse. The notion to merge those two things... just sort of happened. Still, I think we could all live by those rules pretty well.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
America's Favorite Non-Threatening Black Entertainers
Coming up on this weekend's show:
There's a bit that won't be in this weekend's show that is bugging the hell out of me. I had this idea that it would be really funny to have Wayne Brady and David Alan Grier, who are both immensely talented singers, comedians, and actors and have reputations as manic improvisers; starring in a very serious drama. I was thinking of something from theatre, a classic, maybe Glengarry Glen Ross, Master Harold and the Boys, No Exit, something of that ilk that requires great strength and seriousness. The obvious catch would be that they would approach this work like they're other work and riff comedically and sing through it. It would be beautifully inappropriate and might even touch on the concept that America's most beloved non-threatening Black Men are fine, so long as they are playing the clown.
But there were two obvious catches to this concept. The first is that I don't have copies of any of these great plays on me and probably couldn't get one for free in time. The second is that I don't do an impersonation of either of those two men that is even close to passable.
That said, if you know either of them, or both of them, I'd very much like to get them to completely fuck up some serious drama together. I think that would be brilliant theatre and art on many levels and entertaining to boot.
- Nazi's, Rap and Gymnastics
- How to talk to your kids about...
- Great Moments in The History of Royalty
- A Bible Lesson
- much much more?
There's a bit that won't be in this weekend's show that is bugging the hell out of me. I had this idea that it would be really funny to have Wayne Brady and David Alan Grier, who are both immensely talented singers, comedians, and actors and have reputations as manic improvisers; starring in a very serious drama. I was thinking of something from theatre, a classic, maybe Glengarry Glen Ross, Master Harold and the Boys, No Exit, something of that ilk that requires great strength and seriousness. The obvious catch would be that they would approach this work like they're other work and riff comedically and sing through it. It would be beautifully inappropriate and might even touch on the concept that America's most beloved non-threatening Black Men are fine, so long as they are playing the clown.
But there were two obvious catches to this concept. The first is that I don't have copies of any of these great plays on me and probably couldn't get one for free in time. The second is that I don't do an impersonation of either of those two men that is even close to passable.
That said, if you know either of them, or both of them, I'd very much like to get them to completely fuck up some serious drama together. I think that would be brilliant theatre and art on many levels and entertaining to boot.
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