Soul Food

Last week we took our daughters to New York City for an early Christmas present, tickets to The Naked Brothers concert at the Blender Theatre at the Gramercy. We also wanted to do a quick, drive-by visit of NYU, Fordham and SUNY Purchase for my oldest daughter who will be, hopefully, attending college in 2010. It’s the concert that got me thinking though and no, The Naked Brothers weren’t actually naked. As a matter of fact the tour was called “The Fully Clothed” tour. Plus the kids in the band are like 10 and 14.

So, the concert.

Before this economic meltdown, we Americans just loved buying stuff. Stuff to use, stuff to hold, stuff to consume. We laid down our money and walked away with . . . stuff. Have you ever thought that when you go to a concert, you don’t really walk away holding onto anything? All you have (unless you buy the CD or a t-shirt) is just a memory, some feelings and maybe emotions. For such a consumer oriented, I want to hold onto my stuff society, we sure pay a lot of money for music we listen to in person and then leave without any stuff.

I think that speaks to the power of music. I’ve often marveled at the idea that no new notes or scales have been invented and the basic instrumentation hasn’t really changed and yet we still, for the most part, play music on guitars, pianos, woodwind, string and brass instruments and so forth. Music has been with us for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years and yet there are always new melodies and lyrics with new ways to move people through the artistry of music.

And it’s very personal. People have their likes and dislikes. I’m sure you’ve all been part of a discussion that goes something like “I love all kinds of music except . . . ” and this is where you fill in the blank with country, opera, bluegrass or whatever.

Ultimately, music is like any art form. It can move you, make you think or take you to a place in your heart, mind or soul that is very personal. You can’t physically hold it but where does your mind go if you hear Johnny Mathis singing “The Christmas Song” or John Lennon singing “Imagine?” Have you seen the beginning of the movie Platoon? Doesn’t “Adagio for Strings” just make you weep?

I think it also speaks to us as humans that we hold this art form in such high regard that we spend a lot of money on it and yet can’t hold it like a commodity. And yes, okay, I know you can hold onto it with your iPod as do I. But there is nothing, absolutely nothing, like hearing music you love, live and in person. Way before the computer, video games and the internet, live music is the ultimate interactive experience.

My friend Brenda

In the 80’s I was a producer/director at the local PBS affiliate here in Syracuse. It was a great time to be in public broadcasting because the wide diversity in programming we enjoy today had not yet taken hold so we at WCNY were able to do a lot of different kinds of productions: drama, music, documentary, sports and on and on. From a professional standpoint, it was a blast. From a personal standpoint it was equally as much fun. There were many young and single people working at WCNY then and we all got along pretty well. On Wednesday, after Barack Obama was elected as our president, I was thinking of one of those people, one of my best friends, Brenda.

When I got married in 1990, Brenda was one of my “groomsmen.” There she stood along side my brother and my two brothers-in-law. She loved being the only female and I loved having her there. Brenda lives and works in Florida now and has been there for 15 years or so. Shortly after I got married her husband got a job offer down there they couldn’t refuse. So off they went, Brenda, her husband Jeff and their daughter Jordan.

Let me tell you a little about Brenda. She comes from a good, close and loud family. Her father owned a bar in Rome, NY and they worked hard. Brenda never assumed that anything would be handed to her and she had high expectations for herself and her friends. Since moving down to Florida, she got her PhD and is a member of her local school board. Her husband Jeff is a respected psychologist and a few years ago they adopted another daughter, Paige.

Shortly after she moved to Florida I was on the phone with her and she said something to me I will never forget. She was talking about how different things were down there racially as compared to the north. She said that for the first time in her life she heard the “N” word. Brenda is African-American. In that same conversation she told me that while she was checking out at the grocery store, the clerk, whom she had never seen before, said, “Oh, you’re the lady married to the white guy.” I don’t remember if Brenda had a response to her or not but she was a little creeped out that someone who didn’t know her, knew that she was married to Jeff, a white guy.

I have a feeling I know how Brenda felt when Barack Obama was elected but then again, maybe not. No clerk at Wegman’s knows whom I am married to. I’ve never been subject to racial slurs. To my knowledge, no one has judged me based on how I look. But when Obama was declared the winner I’ll bet Brenda shouted screams of joy to her husband and then spoke with daughter Jordan who is in college at Harvard right now. I’ll bet she praised God too being the good catholic that she is.

And then I’ll bet she got up the next morning and got ready for work but knowing that somehow, that day would be different.

http://www.polk-fl.net/districtinfo/boardmembers/district4.htm

Hi Mom. Hi Dad.

It’s a hell of a time to be the parent of a college student isn’t it? We’re in the midst of an economic crisis not seen since the Great Depression. Next week we’ll be electing a new president and no matter which party wins, it will be historic. Either we will elect the first African-American president or the first woman Vice-President. What a ride we’re on right now.

Perhaps it’s my wish to see it this way but my sense is that your children are very aware of both the economy and the politics. I must say that I don’t remember my generation being this involved when we were college students. In the middle 70’s we were coming out of the “the sixties” and all that represented. Plus, it was very easy to be in the bubble of college. After all, we only had four TV channels, a handful of radio stations and two local newspapers. Remember those days?

Maybe it’s because of the explosion of information available anywhere, anytime. Maybe it’s that their professors are encouraging, cajoling or even forcing them to know current events. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s you Mom and Dad.

You’ve sacrificed to get your kids to get here to Syracuse University so that they could get a college education. Along the way you probably discussed the issues of the day. You modeled the behavior that being informed and taking an active part in this democracy is not only noble, it’s expected. You set up expectations that you’d like to see met. But ultimately, it’s their choice isn’t it? They decide how active and how involved they get. Your kids decide how much effort to put into thinking and doing. And from what I see, so far, they, and in turn you, get an A.

Nice work Mom and Dad, you’re raising decent, hard-working and informed citizens. Now if we could only get them to get enough sleep, clean their rooms and do their laundry and call home more often.

u r xceptshunal

I was AWOL last week, sorry about that. I was on my home from Cleveland where I was a panelist at a conference. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

So I’ve been working here at OTN for a little over fours years. We’ve grown from an initial staff of eight and limited programming to a staff of 18 and a schedule that provides student produced programming to the SU campus 24/7 during the academic year. That’s no small accomplishment. There aren’t many college TV stations that can make that claim. Perhaps, literally, a handful. And it’s not so much an attempt to pat myself on the back as much as it is to trumpet the desire and accomplishment of you, the students. To all who are producing television for OTN and Citrus TV, a big round of applause.

Here are some other programs that deserve a mention.

Citrus TV News – a nightly thirty-minute newscast Monday through Friday.
SUper Sports – Play by play of Syracuse University men’s ad women’s athletics
Woo Hoo Comedy, Zamboni Revolution and Penguins without Pants - everything comedy and everything Syracuse University students.
The Z Morning Zoo – your student campus radio station on OTN
The Mark Zito Show - the only regularly scheduled, live call-in show on a college TV station in the country
Cuse Coverage - a weekly update of campus events and student organizations
Connect – Syracuse University’s weekly magazine show.
Reel Old Movies – Old movies with a comedy twist
Indie Flick Files – award–winning independent films

And last week I learned that the show “On The Bench” from Citrus TV won “Best Overall Sports Show” at the Open Student Television Network Media Fest. Congratulations! There’s more but I’m running out of time. I guess here’s what I wanted to say.

If television was easy to produce well, everyone would be doing it. Is everything we do perfect and of high professional quality? Well, no. But isn’t that why you’re ALL here? Whether it’s the architecture or biology major or the engineering or political science major, you’re all here to learn, make mistakes, grow and test the limits of your abilities. That’s all we’re trying to do here too. We still have some work to do. The OTN website needs a little more attention and we need to do a better job of making the program schedule easier to find.

But I think the students at this university who strive to tell their stories on OTN and Citrus TV are exceptional. I’m proud to be associated with all of you and I appreciate your dedication and hard work. To the viewers, we’ll keep trying to do the best we can to lend a visual voice to your student experience here.

See you next week.

What, me worry?

I’m not sure if the current economic crisis is on your radar so to speak, but it sure is on mine. Hard not to be. It’s not fun to think or talk about.

I’ve been through a few recessions in my life and this one feels much different than the previous ones. Perhaps it’s because I am a lot closer to an age where I might be thinking about retirement or maybe it’s because I have high school age children that are going to be (hopefully) headed to college soon, or maybe it’s because I’ve been able to get back the money I lost in my retirement account over the last few years, only to see it disappear . . . again. Ugh that hurts.

But I am grateful for a few things.

I’m very grateful I have my health. If I lose all of my money and possessions tomorrow I will be able to do something. Dig a ditch, flip a burger, deliver a package, wash a dish, I’ll be able to do something because I’m healthy. I’m also grateful that I had the discipline to have saved some money for an emergency and I haven’t extended our credit. Finally, I am very grateful I have a loving and supportive family.

Both of my parents went through some major crises, the Great Depression and World War II. I heard the stories from both of them. Believe me, this is nothing compared to what they went through. Nothing. Maybe in a future blog I’ll share some of their stories. In the meantime, I’ll be watching my weight, getting some exercise, brushing and flossing and all that other fun stuff so in case I need to go dig a ditch I won’t be winded after 10 minutes.

Time to go and do what I’m paid to do now.

PS- I was sorry to see the Cubbies go. Sorry Alex, maybe next year.

I'm a fan

As a kid growing up I played a lot of baseball and football with my neighborhood friends. It was especially fun to play football in the street in winter because the snow banks offered us the chance to make that fingers extended, feet just inbounds, sideline catch and then drop face first into the snow . . . just like Paul Warfield. I was never a great player in anything but that didn’t matter; just being able to play was enough for me.

And more than that actually, I am a fan. I like to follow my teams and the games, mostly football, baseball and basketball and since I used to play golf I follow that too. Now and then I’ll watch a little hockey and of course the Olympics which is like a sports fan’s all-you-can-eat buffet.

So when I started my television career 30+ years ago I was very excited to work at WCNY-TV in the early 80’s because we covered a lot of high school and college sports. I learned that a) I loved doing sports TV and b) I could get into games for free (and then get paid!) so it seemed like a winning combination to me.

I got a break in January 1982 when ESPN hired me to work a basketball game at St. Bonaventure. I got mileage, perdiem and a day rate. I was in heaven. Twenty-six years later I’ve worked as a director, camera operator and videotape replay for many, many different events and networks. It’s still fun.

So when I came to Syracuse to start the Orange Television Network in 2004, in the back of my mind I wanted to see if I could gather the resources to do sports television. Not an easy thing to do because most sports television happens when big networks roll multi-million dollar remote trucks into arenas and spend a lot of time and money, things I don’t have. But there was one important thing I did have: an enthusiastic and supportive group of students who wanted that experience too. So with the help of a few colleagues and some frugal budgeting, last night marked the first “SUper Sports” production of the fall semester. The staff from Citrus TV produced the UConn/SU women’s volleyball game from Manley Filed House.

And for more on that, go to the OTN Producers blog. See you over there.

VOTE

This entry will be short and to the point.

Vote in the upcoming election.

If you’re not registered, get registered. If you need an absentee ballot, get one.

Read up on the candidates. Watch the news and talk to friends, family and professors. Make an informed choice.

Vote on November 4th.

More than any final exam or project you work on, it might be the most important thing you do this year. And it will CERTAINLY affect you after you’ve graduated.

Vote.

It's not all boring, trust me!

I find myself saying, “I wish I knew then what I know now” a lot these days.

Last night I attended, actually worked on for OTN, the event with the National Press Club here at the Newhouse School. It was a panel discussion featuring professional journalists from television, newspaper, magazine and academia. It was enlightening, stimulating and entertaining. It was fun to be there.

And this morning I worked on the taping of a television show for WCNY called “The Ivory Tower.” Former dean of the Newhouse School, David Rubin, hosts the show. WCNY and SU explored the idea of doing a “remote” broadcast because it’s Homecoming Weekend and, well, it’s a good opportunity to show off the school. Like the night before, it was fun to be there.

Both events offered thought provoking discussion. There were moments when you wanted to get up and offer your own counter point as well as times when the ideas were ones you had not thought of before.

And I guess that’s what I’m enjoying about my return to college as a staff person; I get to take part in some of these offerings. And I wish I had done more of this when I was in school. Okay, I know, going to a boring lecture instead of, well, whatever you find more exciting that listening to a bunch of greybeard’s bloviate might not be your idea of fun, but as my father used to say, “You never know until you try.”

I tend to like setting goals and if I had one suggestion for you, I’d suggest you set a goal of attending one lecture each semester that has absolutely nothing to do with anything you’re remotely interested in. To me that seems like a win win. If you hate it, you can simply say, “Well I knew I wasn’t going to like that because I knew absolutely nothing about it.” The other scenario finds you saying, “Man, that was kind of cool, I didn’t know some of that stuff.”

It’s only an hour of your time and you’re spending a bunch of money to attend SU so you might as well get your money’s worth. No?

The King

I’m supposed to have lunch today with my friend Ed who works here at the Newhouse School and an SU alum, Bob Guatierri. Bob likes to be called; “The King.” The King is in town for the premiere of “The Express” having come from Los Angeles where he owns a very successful graphics company called Design on the Fly. You have almost certainly seen some of his work. Have you ever watched the Oscars, ESPY’s or Emmy’s? Then you’ve seen his work. The King is one of those guys who when you meet him, you kind of wish you had 10% of his talent and confidence. When The King is in the room, everyone knows it.

So where’s this going? Bob Guatierri is one of many SU alums that graciously and willingly gives his time and money to help SU students get started in their careers as well advancing the educational initiatives of the Newhouse School. It’s not something he has to do. Goodness knows he has plenty to do running a successful business in Los Angeles. But for many reasons, he does this. It is, I think, one of the more important assets we have at Syracuse.

You may not realize this, but as faculty and staff, we are ALWAYS talking about you, the student. You may see us doing our jobs, teaching classes and going about our business but our “business” is you. What can we do to improve this curriculum? What kind of time are we spending on individual advising? Can we improve the way we organize our infrastructure? It never ends. An old boss of mine used to say that his company was on a highway that was always under construction. I liked that analogy. Thinking that you’re never in search of a new path is challenging.

Bob Guatierri is the kind of guy who reminds us here at SU that we always need to make sure we bring our A game to the Hill everyday. It would be tough to look him in the eye, or have lunch with him, and not be able to say we’re doing our best.

Long live the King!

My 44 Link

My earliest memories of Syracuse football are of another number 44, Floyd Little. My uncle was a grad student here at SU in the 60’s and always got season tickets. About once or twice a year he would take my brother or me to a game. It was there, in old Archbold (not Arch-i-bald) Stadium that my allegiance to Syracuse football began.

I am reminded of this because of the movie that will premiere here next week, “The Express.” Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, wore the number 44 when he played running back here at Syracuse. Davis was, by all accounts, a gifted athlete, solid citizen and student and a “can’t miss” prospect in the NFL. He was called The Elmira Express as he was from Elmira, N.Y. and, well, he was fast.

While the past will be celebrated in the movie, it’s no secret that the SU football team has struggled to be competitive the last few years. And not surprisingly, the fans are anxious for the team to return to its winning ways. And while I would love nothing more than to see SU run the table and win all of the rest of their games, I’m realistic enough to know that probably won’t happen. Will it dampen my spirits? Occasionally. Will I be angry with that? Not really. Will I call for the coach to be let go? Not my call.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are different kinds of fans. There are those who gain some self-worth when their teams do well. There are those who support the team when things go well and find other things to do when they don’t. There are fans that think they know all the secrets of how to win, all the time. And finally, I think there are fans like me. I’m a fan of Syracuse football because for me, my allegiance started in the middle 60’s when my uncle took me to a game and let me sit in the student section and take part in the tradition. Watching the cheerleaders get physically passed up the on the hands and shoulders of the students. Shouting down the opponent’s fans on the opposite side of the field. And watching the occasional flask get passed around. For me, being a fan is more than winning or losing, it’s kind of pact I signed with my uncle. As long as the school puts out a team, I’ll be there to watch.

As I’ve watched Floyd Little’s life out of football, he’s been an exemplary citizen, a successful businessman and an unwavering supporter of this school. My 44 link is to him and if he won’t quit, neither will I.

Let's play two!

It’s a new season. A new school year is like the beginning of baseball season. Baseball starts when winter ends and around here, the end of winter is usually celebrated.

I have been to most parts of this country and there is no finer place to be in summer than right here in Central New York. But here at SU, summer is like the winter before baseball season starts. At first you kind of look forward to the slower pace. You have some time to catch up on the things you couldn’t get to when the students were here. You take a little time off. The university’s shifts to “summer hours” which means starting and ending your day thirty minutes earlier than usual. It feels nice. For a while.

But like winter, you’re ready for it to be over. You want to get back to the excitement and energy that the new school season brings. It’s time to play ball. And speaking of baseball, today the Cubs are still on top of the National League in their division as well as having the best record in all of baseball. I mention that because the Cubs were Alex Taft’s favorite team and one of my favorite baseball players of all time is Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. Banks loved baseball so much, any day was a good day to play baseball. So good in fact that he was often fond of saying, “It’s a great day to play ball, let’s play two!”

So as we begin the new semester and remember Alex and the Cubs, let’s play two!

Welcome back!

Last week, as a family, we spent a few days in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Our agenda was to just get away for a few days before school starts as well as take our very first “college trip.” My oldest daughter is 16 and will be a junior this fall in high school. She has her sights set on a drama career and there’s a good school in Boston we wanted to visit. So off to fight the traffic and visit Emerson College we go.

We are very early in this process so there really wasn’t any pressure to make sure this college was “the one.” The tour was good. Emerson has some very nice facilities. Since it was the dead of summer we couldn’t get a sense as to what the campus was like when school was in session but one thing we could understand right away was that it was an urban campus located in the heart of the Boston theatre district. Looking for ivy and a quad at Emerson? Forget it. But that said, for an aspiring actress it has a good feel. Anyway, we finished the tour and went off to Faneuil Hall for some lunch at “Cheers” and shopping.

Over lunch my wife and I compared notes about our tour. In the end we decided it was a good school and if Rachel felt that was where she wanted to go, and she could get in, she would be well served there. But afterwards, as I mulled over our discussion, I started to do the obvious comparisons to Syracuse.

Was it academically as rigorous? Did it have similar opportunities for students to learn and grow outside the classroom? How does our faculty stack up to theirs? Do they have a strong career center? In the spirit of professional courtesy, I won’t offer up a scorecard instead let me say something. I am deeply grateful that you are here and chose Syracuse. I do not take your decision to do so for granted. I love this school and truly believe your experience here can be enriching, fulfilling and successful. I also understand that I have a responsibility to help you achieve that success. I promise that I will do everything I can do to make that happen.

I can't wait to get started!

Ah, the French

My wife is a French teacher at a middle school here in Syracuse. She spent a year in France after high school as a Rotary student and then while in college, spent another year in France. One of her first jobs after college was working for French company that required her to travel to Paris frequently. She knows France quite well.

One of the things she most likes about the French is August. Seems that they don’t work in much in August. The entire country goes on vacation. Well, in honor of the French, I’m going on vacation today . . . . kind of. Next week I’m taking a few days off because we have good friends coming in from Chicago and then the week after that I’m going to Boston for a few days with my wife and children. So for the next couple of Fridays, the day I usually post my blog, I’ll be trying my best to be French.

So, until I get back you might want to check out a few other purveyors of TV and media wisdom. Check out:

www.shellypalmermedia.com
www.jackmyers.com
www.tvnewsday.com

When I return the start of the semester will be upon us and hopefully I’ll be ready to rock ‘n roll.

Au revoir!

American Iron

Lots of things trigger memories. When I smell shrimp I am thrust back to my childhood home on New Year’s Eve because that’s when my mother cooked the little critters. Whenever I watch “Field of Dreams,” which happens to be my favorite movie, I am taken back to a very pivotal year in my life, 1989. I bought my first house and met my wife that year. And when I see a 1966 Ford Fairlane I am reminded of my very first car.

This past weekend I went to the Syracuse Nationals at the NYS Fairgrounds. The “Nationals” is one of the largest gatherings of classic automobiles in the Northeast. There were about 6,700 cars there and almost all of them were made in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and most were American, or as my brother affectionately calls them, “American Iron.”

I got my Fairlane in the summer between my junior and senior year in high school. My father worked as a service writer at a local car dealer and he saw my car come in on a trade. He bought it for $300 in 1972. The car you see pictured is a convertible but mine was not. Mine was a green, low mileage (driven by a little old lady, honest!) two-door sedan, and automatic with a 289 V-8. I put in an 8-track player and water and oil pressure gauges. It was a TOB: “Thing o’ Beauty.”

I drove that car for two years before rust started to take its toll. I was very sad to see it disintegrate. I remember taking my first real road trip in that car going to West Point to visit a high school buddy. On that trip the solenoid crapped out in Albany, my first test with car problems away from home.

But mostly the car reminds me of my father. “Pop” was pretty good with cars and could fix almost anything. He was a child of the Depression and a veteran of World War II having been stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was a man of few words but had a gift for dialects. He could imitate almost any accent. Pop assigned everyone a nickname that made sense only to him. He had a good laugh and liked his hamburgers with a slice of onion and a beer. He really loved my Mom and credits her with straightening out his life. I never really knew what he meant by that but as I got older I kind of got the feeling that Pop had some “adventures” growing up.

Neither my wife nor my two girls share my passion for old cars and I can understand that, it’s a “guy thing.” So when I see an old Fairlane the memories are personal and private. It’s a chance for me to conjure up my father’s laugh, his smell and his voice. This summer it’s been 25 years since Pop died and the memories are still there, thanks to a ’66 Ford Fairlane.

My New Shirt

When I got back from the AHECTA conference a few weeks ago I had a lot of mail to sort through from having been gone for over a week. There was one large cushy envelope, the kind that’s padded, which I went for immediately. Inside was a real nice black “Fox News” t-shirt. Fox News is a corporate sponsor of AHECTA and I think they sent these shirts to everyone who visited their booth. This shirt has a nice embroidered logo over the left breast and another one on the right sleeve. As swag goes, this was top shelf. But Fox News? Could I wear a shirt from a network that airs Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly with pride?

Now before you go to apoplectic on me hear me out. Full disclosure here: I’m not a fan of either of those guys and readers of this blog know I like “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” so you might be thinking, “So Robinson is just another Al Gore supporting, Volvo driving (I drive a 2000 Dodge Stratus actually) latte sipping (prefer Paul DeLima French Roast) tree hugging (okay, guilty there) liberal so OF COURSE he wouldn’t wear it. Wrong. I did and am wearing it now. And okay, I did vote for Gore in 2000.

But here’s what went through my head this morning. “If I wear this shirt, what label will people attach to me? Conservative? Neocon? Republican? News junky? I guess we’ve always labeled people: rich, smart, handsome etc. It seems like you have to be either or these days. The middle has washed away. I’m not sure why that is as I’m not a sociologist but I think I’d have to say that the business I work in has had something to do with that. Between talk radio and the 24 news cycle on cable news channels, we’ve created a big echo chamber for whatever your political persuasion happens to be.

So what’s the point? I don’t know other than I decided I didn’t really care what label someone cared to assign to me. People who know me know what I’m like and what I believe and that’s all I really care about. People can think what they want. And for the record, I’m not a fan of Hannity or O’Reilly mostly because they just always seem so angry to me. They’re never happy unless they’re bashing something or someone.

As for the shirt? Nice swag, I’ll wear it again.

The Original Realty TV Show

If you google “NBC Olympic Coverage” these are a few of the results.

From nbcolympics.com . . . “NBC Universal will show 3600 hours of the Beijing Olympic Games, the most ambitious single media project in history . . .”

And this from USA Today . . . “Network and cable rivals are mostly writing off August, avoiding the launch of fresh programming to dodge the tsunami better known as the Summer Olympics . . . “

And more from USA Today . . . “Imagine the moon was colonized a few years after humans first landed. That's sort of what's happened to Olympic TV.”

It used to be that every four years, the Olympics became the 900-pound gorilla of television, dominating the airwaves. Then a few years ago (probably because of television not wanting a four year break between those gorilla visits) they went to alternating the winter and summer games so there is an Olympics every two years. And as you can see from the google results, it still garners a lot of whoop.

Televised Olympic coverage was the first, and maybe the best, reality television show. Was there a better moment than “Do you believe in miracles?” That was reality at its best. In the early years the Olympics were tape delayed and at most you’d see a few hours of prime time coverage because of the time differences but as the outlets for distribution grew, they went live but still mostly on television. And now? Thousands of hours of coverage. Go that? Thousands! Everywhere there’s a screen. Now forgive me as I digress into my little “I know I’m a dinosaur and I remember when TV was black and white” mode, but . . . OMG! Thousands of hours? I just can’t get over a few things about this. In no particular order of importance:

- I’d love to see some statistics on how many people watched and more importantly, on what device they watched it on.
- I wonder if NBC will make much money at this
- I hope our students from Newhouse have a thrilling time.
- I will be remembering Jim McKay.
- What will be the slickest production innovation NBC will unveil?
- I remember if you wanted to watch extended coverage (translate: the unpopular sports) you had to pay extra and now they’re giving it away.

“Survivor” and “The Bachelor” got nothin’ on the Olympics. Get ready for thousands of hours of coverage.

I do believe in miracles.

I Like TV

I like TV.

I’m often amused when people say, “There are 500 channels and nothing to watch!” C’mon, nothing? If you have 500 channels there’s got to be something you might like. But the truth is most people don’t have 500 channels, that’s just an expression, or more like an exaggeration actually. Even if one has basic cable or satellite, or just “regular” TV for that matter, there is bound to be something to watch. I’ll tell you some of the shows that I like to watch.

I’m a big fan of “The Daily Show.” "Frontline" gets my vote too. I like “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” most of the time but sometimes the partisan politics gets a little predictable. I like watching college football and basketball and the NFL. “Iron Chef” and “Ace of Cakes,” my daughter turned me on to those. There’s a show called “The Directors” on Reelz, which I find interesting and “Inside the Actor’s Studio” is almost always excellent. I’m never home when it’s on (probably should DVR it) but when I’ve watched “Ellen” I’ve always laughed. I like “Dexter” even though glamorizing a serial killer feels a little weird. I love TV Land especially now that they’re running “Mad About You.”

“Seinfeld, Friends and Fraser” . . . part of the old “Must See TV” which my wife and I loved. It was the last appointment television we’ve done or that I can remember as being any good. My wife LOVES to watch the Tour De France; she lives for the three weeks in July. I like “Two and a Half Men.” Not sure what it is about Charlie Sheen but he’s just fun to watch. And I’m not ashamed to admit this; I like “American Idol.” One of the reasons I like it is that it’s live. If you work in TV, you have to love live television.

Oh, and I love everything on OTN channel 2. We do some pretty good TV.

Finally, Happy Birthday USA. In spite of our current problems, I’d rather be here than anywhere else in the world.

Tell me what you like to watch.

Uncle Leonard

My Uncle Leonard died last month, the day before my birthday. Leonard was 87 and lived a good long life, his words, not mine. Now, he had his share of medical problems especially over the last three or four years. Two strokes, diabetes, leg amputations and a collapsed lung. But through all of that he was remarkably resilient and positive. He almost NEVER complained. As a matter of fact, where he was at the moment, was always the best place he could be because he made it that way. Leonard was an “in the moment” kind of guy. He almost always found pleasure in something at the moment.

Leonard never married but he had lots of friends and a small close-knit family here in Central New York. His friends were mostly from local theater groups and they knew him as “Lenny,” all his theater friends called him Lenny. Lenny volunteered for Salt City Performing Arts and The Talent Company since moving to Syracuse in 1985. He did costumes, lighting, props and any else they needed. He also did a little acting from time to time. It’s also possible that you may have even seen him walking about SU (before his medical complications of course) because he lived at McCarthy Manor on South Crouse.

Leonard lived life and I guess that sounds a little vague and trite. What I mean by that is he found things to do that that gave him pleasure and purpose. He lived an extraordinarily ordinary life . . . yet not. He traveled to Europe often and toured the U.S. working in summer stock theatre when he was younger. He worked at Gimbel’s department store in New York City for 20 plus years, retiring from there as their window dresser. Did he change the world through his accomplishments that you might recognize? Probably not. All he did was pay his bills, be a good friend and be a positive presence to those around him. He contributed his time to the arts and made them and the people who worked there a better place with his creativity. Leonard never had much money but he gave my daughters a little cash at Christmas and birthdays and every year, everyone in Leonard’s circle of family and friends would get a pen and pocket calendar with his name and address on it for Christmas. He found his passion and followed it . . . and lived it. Family, friends, travel, work, theatre. Life.

87 and no regrets. His words, not mine.

Content is king

Hello from Providence, Rhode Island where I am attending the AHECTA conference. This is a group of individuals who represent their respective cable television systems and TV stations from colleges and universities all over the country. It’s a good group of folks.

So you’ll never guess what the main topics of discussion were at the sessions so far: streaming video, video over IP and the transition to digital in February of 2009. All this talk about technology has been exciting but I’m anxious for the days when we can get back to talking about content. Content is still king in my book. It doesn’t matter if you have 50 different methods of deploying content . . . if it’s crap it’ll still be crap on all those 50 platforms.

It’s been a reminder to me that it’s never been a better time to be a student interested in making television . . . imo. When I graduated from SU in 1977 the path was pretty much get a job at a TV station and work your way up. That was it. Remember, there were only four major networks at that time, NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS. That was it. I don’t have to tell you what exists today. All the channels that are on the air in some fashion (broadcast, cable, internet) need content and isn’t it always the most interesting and creative content that gets “the most views?”

But creative and interesting doesn’t just happen because someone owns a camcorder and editing software. Like most things in life, it takes work and practice to hone those skills. Last week I touched on being an agent of change and I truly believe that storytellers can be agents of change to make this world a better place. I guess this week my blog is a little “preachy” but I’m basically trying to say that I think good storytellers are important. Good storytelling practices take time to learn. And I want to help you become good storytellers in any way I can.

Change

So I’m watching the speeches by Obama and McCain this week and it was pretty clear to me that this country wants change! That seems to be the direction both candidates are headed in with regard to their message. And it shouldn’t be a surprise, something like 80% of the people in this country believe we are headed in the wrong direction. It’s very troubling that so many people feel like we are in such a mess. So I guess the old saying is worth remembering, when you’re in a hole . . . stop digging!

If you’re a student here at SU, I hope that when you leave here you’ll be an agent of change. Perhaps that might be in the form of becoming a successful accountant who manages the books for a small company so well that many people are gainfully employed leading productive and fulfilling lives. Perhaps you’ll be an artist whose work is thought provoking to the point where other people are influenced to take positive action on some injustice. Maybe you’ll want to be a teacher and influence a generation of students to be life-long learners.

Whatever the scenario you choose, you don’t have to be a nationally known politician to be an agent of change. Change occurs in lots of small and seemingly insignificant ways. Maybe you’ll live a nice quite life, pay your bills, be a good neighbor, and maybe raise a nice family. If we had more people who just did that, maybe we wouldn’t be headed in the wrong direction like we are right now.

Next week I’ll report from Providence, RI and the AHECTA conference.

Another conference!

I know I’m supposed to say this kind of stuff but one of the things I like about my job is going to conferences. (See my first post about Streaming Media East) In a couple of weeks I’m off to Providence, RI to attend my 5th AHECTA conference. AHECTA stands for “Association of Higher Education Campus Television Administrators.” This is a group that is made up of representatives from colleges all across the country who either have their own in-house cable television system or a student cable TV channel, or both. SU falls into that middle category as we have a station but are a Time Warner campus.

Attending these conferences is a chance for me to see what everyone else is doing and get new ideas. What’s interesting to me is that in academia, we’re all about sharing ideas and information. In my old life, working in production, sharing ideas and information was tantamount to treason. Never give the other side an edge! Not so in the Ivory Tower and that’s cool.

This year I am making two presentations during the three-day session. I’m “sharing” our method for uploading our content on-line and the second session is how we utilize our multi-camera production equipment for the shows we produce. The other sessions that I see on the schedule will be covering the transition to digital and HD as well as deploying content via IP.

I know this stuff sounds so geeky but that’s they way the business is headed. You really have to have one foot on the tech side to fully appreciate and grasp how this business is changing. I’m an old dog but I’m learning new tricks.

Alex Taft

Words are not coming easily to me. They never do as I’m not a great writer but they are especially difficult to find right now because I just learned that one of my students was killed this morning in a two-car accident in Colorado. Alex Taft was on his way to L.A. to begin his career when he was hit head on by another driver. The driver of the other car, Bruce Edmondson, was going east in the westbound lane of I-70. According to the Denver Post, alcohol may have contributed to the accident. Alex, by the way, was wearing a seat belt.

I got to know Alex last fall when he was Professor Schoonmaker’s TA for multi-cam and then I was lucky enough to have Alex as a student of mine in my Production Practicum class this spring.

I liked Alex. He had a lot of nervous energy. Whenever I was talking with him he was always moving something, his hair, his limbs, his feet . . . . always something. But oddly, I never felt uncomfortable about it. That kind of behavior usually makes me nervous but for some reason it never did with Alex.

I liked Alex. He was a nice guy. He did his undergrad at Missouri although I never did learn what he did between undergrad and grad school. I knew he was older and from the newspaper account of the accident I learned he was 28. He seemed older to me.

Even though he was almost always late, I liked having Alex in my class because he was serious funny. What I mean by that is he had this sense about him that he meant business but never in a threatening or competitive way. The project he created, “Bill Wilkins: Family Mechanic” told me a lot about his sense of humor. Alex liked fun and he laughed easily. I’ll get “Bill” on the OTN website as soon as possible so you can all see the talent Alex had.

I also liked Alex because he was from Chicago. He wore his Cubs hat from time to time so I assumed he was a Cubs fan. That tells me a lot about someone. If you know anything about baseball and know anything about the Cubs, you know a little, perhaps a lot, about Alex.

I was really looking forward he hearing from him in the future and him telling me all the really fun and exciting things he was doing. The last thing he said to me at Convocation was that he’d keep in touch with me and let me know what he was up to. I can still hear how he sounds in my head.

Streaming Media

I just got back from the “Streaming Media East” conference in New York City. I was there to learn more about streaming and what kind of strategies the television industry is making to embrace this distribution platform. And I guess when I say “television industry” I’m really including all forms of video creators from You Tube to the “Big Networks.” Basically, I took away five things from the conference.

First, the “how to stream” part seems to be well established. With more broadband connections, faster computers and more robust delivery mechanisms, streaming has become easier and more ubiquitous.

Second, there are MANY content creators trying to get their videos seen. I cannot begin to list them here; suffice it to say that there are lots and lots of storytellers out there on-line.

Third, there are many businesses trying to make this happen for them. The parade of guest speakers from different companies who create advertising mechanisms, search opportunities and delivery platforms was stunning.

Fourth, the content creators are both eager and reluctant to offer up their content on-line and that’s because . . .

Fifth, while there’s a palpable thirst for content from the consumer everyone is still trying to figure out a way to make money at this.

On-line content has exploded, that’s obvious. It’s everywhere and anywhere and if you create content, you’ve got to get it to multiple sources of viewing: mobile, computer and television because the consumer expects VOD. But what most people don’t understand is that the business model, how all this gets paid for, is still being formed. Millions upon millions (billions?) of dollars are being spent without a good enough return yet to state, “Yes, this is the definitive way we are going to make money at video on-line.” The good news is that they’re all still trying to figure this out and sinking money into this expedition. I’m guessing it won’t be too long before a business model starts to take hold.

One thing is certain; change is coming for the consumer and the creator. Stay tuned.