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New Era, Same Mistakes

We talk about the bias of stories and bias of news but we don’t think about our own place in the world.

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As we approach another presidential election, we’ve seen a lot of discussion about avoiding past mistakes, specifically the election of 2016 and the inaccurate predictions of Hillary Clinton becoming the next president. While the times have certainly changed since then news media has largely stayed the same. Rather than recognizing how news coverage affects discussion and taking a more balanced approach, it is steering towards attention-grabbing headlines creating a more stressful and hostile environment.

News Media has done a poor job prioritizing which headlines to focus on in the past. The majority of Black Lives Matters Protests have been peaceful but because violence broke out at some of them.

“About 93% of racial justice protests in the US since the death of George Floyd have been peaceful and nondestructive, according to a new report. The findings, released Thursday, contradict assumptions and claims by some that protests associated with the Black Lives Matter movement are spawning violence and destruction of property.” (CNN)

Because news media had failed to take a nuanced approach, only covering the protests in which violence broke out, opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement have been able to characterize all protests as being inherently violent, prompting actors like Kyle Rittenhouse and The Proud Boys to take matters into their own hands.

“In 2016, Trump stoked nativist fears, placing his electoral chances as part of an activist strategy to limit non-white immigration. In 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests attempt to change the structure of America’s racial caste system, he is cultivating a “law and order” fear in frightened whites”. (NBC News)

By deciding which stories take precedent, News outlets steer the national conversation in a certain direction. When the person in the driver’s seat steers news towards stories that produce a profit, the consequences can end up being very real.

As with the Black Lives Matter protests, Trump’s COVID diagnosis taking precedent over the revelation about his taxes, steers the conversation away from the president’s crimes, moving it towards what drugs he’s taking, and how the president’s opponents should be reacting to the news.

Our president is committing tax fraud. Did everyone forget? Before Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 a New York Times Expose revealed that last year the President paid a total of $750 dollars in income taxes. That would be a lot for me, but I’m also a recent college graduate living during the second recession to happen in my lifetime. The New York Times bombshell report was released on September 27 a mere five days before Trump announced his testing positive for COVID 19.

While the Coronavirus is an ongoing issue, with more than 7 million contracting the disease resulting in 210,000 deaths, the news cycle continues to move forward covering the presidential and vice-presidential debates and how these diagnoses will affect the future debates. Unfortunately, these updates have not affected how the U.S is responding to the Coronavirus pandemic, the president maintaining that the Coronavirus is not a real threat. 

Trump’s COVID diagnosis has become the first  “October Surprise” of the 2020 campaign season. The concept is self-explanatory, a month before the election some revelation comes out that puts a different light on the presidential race, throwing into question all predictions preceding it. In 2016 there was a flurry of surprises in the month of October, the infamous recording from Access Hollywood in which Trump casually admitted to sexually assaulting several women, to the Comey verdict on Hillary’s emails a week before the election. 

The October Surprise has a tendency to cause a stir in the News, pundits speculating on how it affects polls, pulling attention away from other headlines.

In another universe where Trump did not contract COVID, we would be talking about how the president has repeatedly used the office of the presidency to promote his own brand, used taxpayer money to travel back and forth from Mar-a-lago to the White House, and passed a tax bill that put millions of dollars into the pockets of large corporations. The president is not only using the office to enrich himself and his family, but he is also using it to escape the law.

Several figures are still focused on the NYT’s expose. Allan Sloan, a columnist from The Washington Post reminds us why we shouldn’t lose sight of this story.

“Our leaders are supposed to set an example, both to help cover the costs of the benefits they get from the government and to encourage tax compliance by regular citizens.”(The Washington Post)

News Media not focusing on Trump’s taxes excuses his actions and contributes to the disenfranchisement of Americans taking place in the political system. “He can get away with it because he’s rich and that’s just the way things are.”

With the advent of streaming and social media, people can pick and choose which news they get. Network News is now competing against online publications, news radio, and podcasts, but we’re finding out that those sources have nefarious motivations, social media websites letting suspicious characters post fake news to their followers. Podcasts and websites being backed by big money and big politics.  

We expect the news media to take an unbiased approach, giving us the hard facts. The truth is that the headlines we see, the stories we hear, the people reporting it, are in front of us because someone cared enough to share it. Most people know this. Fox News, Breitbart, and The New York Post are associated with the right side of the political spectrum, while MSNBC, Huffington Post, and The New Yorker are on the left. From the examples, I’m using for this article you can guess where my views lie politically. In a much broader perspective News media in the U.S. has one huge glaring bias that most Americans aren’t even aware of and that is our America-centricity. 

We talk about our media bubbles as either being conservative or liberal but whichever political ideology our media bubbles sway towards they are almost always located in America. This is where I think the issue starts. We talk about the bias of stories and bias of news but we don’t think about our own place in the world. I think if we want to do something about bias in media, we should talk about the self centered-ness of the media. Learning about the world, and how it affects us. To have a more holistic media atmosphere Americans have to think more holistically as a society first. 

In order to see something different, we have to do something differently. When you repeat the same behavior and expect a different result, it’s called insanity. What would happen if we changed the way we define news? What if we didn’t separate world news from domestic? News media, in its current state, is on track to make the same mistakes as it had in the past.

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BNM Writers

News is the Only Thing Missing From Election Coverage

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected?

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A photo featuring I voted stickers

The first thought I had when I heard NBC had hired Ronna McDaniel as a commentator for $300,000 a year was to wonder how many actual journalists they could have hired for that money. Then, I recalled that NBC had laid off dozens of news staffers just a few months ago. Then, I remembered that I had just recently written a column decrying news organizations throwing pretty much anybody on the air as a “pundit” and this….

This was worse. It’s one thing to grab some rando who happened to be a minor functionary for the Executive Branch. It’s another to hire someone whose job was to promote election denialism and pretend that her opinion is something valuable for viewers. And, yes, it’s just as ridiculous when news organizations hire former presidential press secretaries (that’s you, Jen Psaki and Sean Spicer), their very jobs were to spin everything in their bosses’ favor and now you’re going to pay them big salaries for, um, what? Because they “have a name” or you’re afraid someone else will snap them up? Why them?

The McDaniel deal lasted five days, one completely unilluminating interview, and one unexpected Chuck Todd spine-growing outburst, so it’ll all blow over soon enough. The problem is, though, the part about having fired several news staffers, and what it means in an election year on both the national and local levels. If you have the money to hire an alleged pundit – any alleged pundit – you have the money to hire reporters, and I don’t mean anchors or opinion show hosts.

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected? Who’s probing Project 2025 and why isn’t it front-page, first-segment news? Who’s pressing the Biden administration on Gaza? Is anyone reporting on the candidates’ record on climate change?

Beyond prescription drug prices, is anyone digging into the broken healthcare system and demanding answers from the candidates about what they’ll do to fix it (and not letting Trump get away with “I’ll have a better plan, a beautiful plan” without a single specific detail, like they did in 2016)? Why didn’t anyone focus on, for example, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina and his incendiary past comments well before the primary?

Pundits are not going to do the legwork on the issues; they’ll just talk about swing states while John King and Steve Kornacki point at their touchscreen maps. We need reporting on the things that matter (and can affect that horse race, even if most people have made up their minds). It shouldn’t just be Pro Publica and scattered independent journalists doing the dirty work.

Honestly, I don’t want to hear the complaints about the quality of the candidates or how this is a rerun or any of that. (We’ll leave that to The New York Times.) We are a horribly underinformed electorate and we got the horse race we deserve. It might just be idealists like me who think that, just maybe, the news media can play a role in educating the public and bursting the bubbles and echo chambers. This country has survived and prospered for a few centuries with the press shining a light on injustice and corruption.

Now, when we need that most, they’re more concerned with what they think will bring them ratings and money (although someone will have to explain to me who thought having Ronna McDaniel as a paid commentator would draw a single viewer to NBC).

Here’s a thought: Don’t lay off reporters, especially in an election year.  Assign them to dig deep on issues that matter to the voters.

Let the pundits talk about that.

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8 Ways to Take Your Commercials From Drab to Fab

Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials.

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Another reason to read this column, I often add an Easter egg. We are in the advertising business. Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials. Frequently, clients write these ads. You can excuse it if the spots suck. But when the commercials are written by Account Executives or the production department at the station, it is kind of unforgivable.

I am going to share the most meaningless phrases in commercials.

Locally Owned and Operated

Customers do not care. If customers cared about a business being locally owned and operated, Walmart would not exist. People want service, selection, and value. They do not want to get soaked. When you purchase something, are you willing to pay 20% for a local company? If you say yes, you are wrong. People want a deal.

The Phone Number

Doing 70 down the 405, John slammed on the brakes to write down the phone number for an amazing HVAC Company. That is not how it works people. HVAC companies rarely have or should have regular customers.

Normally, your AC is out. You call the HVAC Company that you are familiar with. Radio advertising allows people to have “TOMA”: Top of Mind Awareness. There are stats that show when a company is advertising on your radio station, their website shows an increase in traffic. When you needed a service for your home, you hit Google and choose the company that you’ve heard of. It’s that simple. I actually heard a commercial asking listeners to add a businesses phone number to their contact list. That is a moronic use of advertising real estate.

Street Addresses

“Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is located at 106 East Governors Drive in Peoria.” 

The people listening cannot process that detail. You could say “Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is on Governors Drive just off 10th in Peoria.” That is almost digestible. That creates a picture of where it is.

Trust me, people interested in prime rib will Google you and load the address in their navigation system. Spend that precious spot time selling the experience of the restaurant.

Always Using the Company Owner/Founder in Commercials

Sometimes, it is amazing when business owners are their spokesperson. They have passion and are natural salespeople. Some business owners are terrible at speaking about their product.

When you have a business owner who is a natural promoter, they can drag listeners into their business. I once worked with a family who owned a couple of hardware stores. They spoke about the benefits of visiting their stores. It was heartfelt and real. They promised that their employees can help solve any problem in your home. If you went to that store and had a simple or complex problem, the employees helped you out.

I once worked with a man who owned a really nice flooring company.  For whatever reason, he thought that he was funny. He had spots written by him, his wife, or a kid. The ads were dreadful. They were not funny at all. Account Executives need to talk these clients out of doing commercials like this. Nothing says wacky hijinks like flooring.

Overuse of Numbers

“We have grapes at 99 cents a pound, Chuck steak at $1.99, two-for-one zucchini.”

Trust me, no one driving in city traffic can keep track of that. “The 2025 Chevy Chevette is back with 45-mpg efficiency and amazing 18-inch tires. Prices start at $19,999…  The New Chevy Silverado starts at $32,999.”

It gets really confusing fast.

WWW.

Yes, I hear commercials saying check us on the internet at “W-W-W dot business name here dot com.”

WWW is assumed and not needed anymore unless you are running a Commadore-64 with the latest floppy disc technology.

Yellow Pages Ad

“Check out our new ad in the Yellow Pages!”

OMG, no one reads those damn things anymore. Most people born after 1960 just toss those suckers in the trash. There was a time when the Yellow Pages were the largest revenue generator in advertising. Yes, a book of ads. Like Facebook, without your buddy’s political, vacation, or food posts. It was just ads. Zero content.

I had stuffed salmon tonight that I engineered myself. I would make Sydney Sweeney quite the trophy husband. Set us up. Hey, I am single. It was not that long ago that you would hear a radio ad that promoted a coupon in the Sunday paper.

Well, that copy should be deader than a doornail.

Amateur Theater

A husband and wife discussing their lawn and how she heard about Telly’s Lawn Service from her friend Stacy. 

Those commercials are obviously contrived and not interesting at all. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Open every commercial must have an attention-grabbing opener. “Totally Jammed…  The floor covered with the guest towels. Fearing the horrific consequences of another flush…  I did the right thing. I called ABC Plumbing. Quick service, a great price, and peace of mind.”

The next time that the plunger is failing to get the desired results, the listener of that commercial will identify with the very realist scenario.

We are in the advertising business. Use radio as it was meant.

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The Lost Art of Using Sound as a Springboard

Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

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A photo of Jon Stewart hosting The Daily Show
(Photo: Comedy Central)

Jon Stewart was the first guy to do it — take a politician’s words from the news of the day or week. Search his or her entire past and find a sound byte saying the exact opposite.

It became an art form – and a great way to keep people accountable.

Most radio operations don’t have the resources necessary to consistently do something like that, but truth be told, that kind of journalism isn’t really the point of this week’s column.

It’s an example of the simple power of sound. We need to use it more within our shows. Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable, and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

Speaking from experience, not doing it is lazy.

Doing it takes minimal effort and helps conversations tremendously – especially when it’s in real-time. I know. I’ve been there – missing opportunity after opportunity because I didn’t think of it, ask for help or just do it myself.

Put simply, good sound is a better springboard to a question than just a question.

Just the other day, I realized how well it works and how little I’ve been doing it.

Here’s what happened.

We have one particularly heated congressional race in our state. The Republican candidate is running for a second time after narrowly losing in 2022 in an election where Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidate from the same party got smoked, and the Republican presidential candidate lost the state as well.

This time around, there’s a struggling Democratic President with real doubts about the economy and the country’s standing in the world.

Put simply, the Democratic congressional incumbent has a massive task ahead to get re-elected.

On my show, I try to be consistently independent and be a place for both parties to appear with the expectation that the conversations will be fair and honest.

The Republican candidate came on the show earlier this month, and we went through a number of issues. Connecticut is a relatively strong Democratic stronghold, where the party controls the legislature, the Governor’s Mansion, and the entire congressional delegation.

Having said that, the largest voting block is unaffiliated, so appealing to independents is crucial for either side to win. I asked the Republican candidate twice about whether he will support Donald Trump, and both times, he equivocated. I asked the follow-up, we were on the record, so I moved on.

The following week, his opponent, the Democratic incumbent, was scheduled to appear on the show. Before her arrival, I realized the Trump Q&A should probably be replayed for her. Duh.

My producer found it, clipped it, and had it at the ready. I felt that I should have realized it sooner and not put some added strain on my partner’s morning routine. He was fine, but it definitely added unnecessary work within the show.

Lesson learned.

The sound byte worked well. I played it. She responded. We moved the story forward, and it was compelling – as you might imagine, the topic of Trump vs. Biden is pretty compelling these days.

By no means did it create a “wow” moment. That would be a little much. But it did make the show better, using the opponent’s own voice as opposed to my paraphrasing something. That lends credibility, not only to the topic but also to the show. He gave this important answer on our show, and she gave her response … on our show.

My final thought on this is that we (I) need to look for more places to utilize sound as a springboard to conversations, as opposed to simply raising the topic and discussing it. Maybe you’re already good at it and do it all the time, but this past week, I realized I need to push myself to do it more.

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