“This is the show! If you don't like it, go to the one in Staten Island!” – Rocky Horror Announcer, Fame, MGM (1980)

Today, we’re overwhelmed with news, information and entertainment options. 

Whether you’re at home or away, broadcasters are all vying for your attention, your time, your money

That’s the evolutionary shift the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show participants and attendees struggle with these days.

It isn’t easy to move into new, uncharted areas. 

It used to be it was big studios, big iron, and big cigars.

Now, it’s less about being vertically integrated than knowing how to loosely, flexibly integrate and leverage resources.

“Economics make it necessary to terminate any operation which exceeds five percent of its primary budget.” – Male Voice, “THX 1138,” Warner Brothers (1971)

We’re quite certain John Wanamaker – who some consider the father of marketing – would be amazed if he saw the potential and the chaos of social media today.

 “Maybe we're all getting a little carried away with this. Admittedly, a few birds did act strange, but that's no reason to...” – Sebastian Sholes, fisherman in diner, “The Birds,” Universal, 1963

Back in what our son now calls prehistoric time, games were one of the prime reasons guys joined the Homebrew Club. That and trying to figure out neat things to do with oversized, limited-capacity things called microprocessors.

Games – development and play – weren’t for the faint of heart. They were for the few…the proud…the males!

“The whole world's frightened to death! So, I see Kemp couldn't sleep, he had to go downstairs, he was frightened. I put my trust in Kemp, I told him my secret and he gave me his word of honor.” --  “The Invisible Man,” Universal Pictures, 1933

Eons ago, the wife and I were in Carmel and found a metal sculpture of Don Quixote we really wanted, but we didn’t have the cash with us and she hadn’t replaced the checks.

The shop owner reached in a drawer and brought out a counter check – fill in the bank name, the amount, sign it.

That was it…done.

“I'm drowning here, and you're describing the water!” – Melvin Udall, “As Good as it Gets,” Tristar, 1997

Unless it was just yesterday, it’s probably tough to remember your first day on your job.

You know, after your HR briefing you were shown your desk, your computer and, if you did a lot of business travel, your Blackberry.

Then you were thrown in the deep end to sink or swim.

We sat on the patio of an industry analyst friend’s home watching the sun set beyond the Golden Gate, talking about the difficulty of launching a company or product, getting them understood and accepted, helping them prepare for the next great breakthrough.

He said that a marketer or publicist couldn’t be strategic, couldn’t handle anything unless he or she understood what was going on well out at sea and could deal with the immediate sea conditions he or she was in.

Did you ever wonder if we would make things better if we didn’t have bad guys?

How about keeping bad things from happening to good people? 
Or good people saying bad/dumb things?
Fortunately, none of those things are going to happen!
Way back in 1931, Aldous Huxley created a furor over the controlled world in his book“Brave New World.”

"You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...” - Brian Johnson. “The Breakfast Club,” Universal Pictures (1985)

Looking back on growing up in prehistoric times – pre-DVR, dial-up internet – life was easy for a kid. You talked to other kids, had your cliques, had the toughs and the underdogs. Someone always made fun of someone else; and if you were new, you were automatically an “outsider.”

It passed, you lived with it, you outgrew it. Well, it wasn’t quite as bad as Allison Reynolds said, “When you grow up, your heart dies.” Today’s C, i, Y generations have a whole new set of opportunities, issues, problems and challenges that old folks find it difficult to understand. It’s affecting a huge part of the world population.

According to the latest census, nearly half of the world’s population (about three billion) is under the age of 25; 1.2 billion are between 10 and 19.
The tools they have today are awesome!

 “Power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't.”

– Margaret Thatcher, “The Iron Lady,” Pathe International (2011)

A year ago, we were late in leaving for the office and noticed a lot of fathers were escorting their kids to the grade school.

Last week, it seemed as though the numbers hadn’t changed much.

With the business community being cautiously optimistic, it made us wonder if we’ll ever get back to the point where mom stays home handling the myriad of family/household activities and dad returns to the grind.

 “Power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't.”

– Margaret Thatcher, “The Iron Lady,” Pathe International (2011)

A year ago, we were late in leaving for the office and noticed a lot of fathers were escorting their kids to the grade school.

Last week, it seemed as though the numbers hadn’t changed much.

With the business community being cautiously optimistic, it made us wonder if we’ll ever get back to the point where mom stays home handling the myriad of family/household activities and dad returns to the grind.