Thanks (Giving) and Some Thoughts About Wednesday's Golden Turkey Awards

 I've always loved Thanksgiving mostly because it's a celebration of family and spirit, no matter how small or large, rejoicing over a feast and together, all at once.

So, first, I hope your day and evening is filled with joy and happiness, eat well and be safe.

All of you.

**There was quite a reaction from Wednesday's posting. A lot of you loved it, hated it, were in shock and awe. The term, anger, resentment, hatred spewed forward, which is good because that was the intention. Sort of.

See, I believe in expressing myself and I try to make it real and genuine. It's not warm and fuzzy, of course it isn't. It represents my feelings and because I stand behind it, there's nothing vague or insincere about it. Those of you that come here regularly seem to like it and even those that don't have a habit of checking it out.

I'm a complicated person. No shit, Sherlock! Yeah, I know. I would not make a good diplomat or employee of a company like Cumulus because I couldn't take all the abuse and marginalization. God bless those of you that can deal with the climate today because I'm sick of it, I'm sick of all the amateurs and posers and fakes that embody the climate today. They are smug and arrogant; they live in a tunnel syndrome and go about their business masking their true identity. It's not becoming in any environment, any era, and most vivid in today's pathetic world.

I get asked a lot about media people. Is there anyone you admire? Admire no, respect, yes. Enjoy to be around and have a conversation, absolutely, I'm a people person. I have a tendency to be noticed, I don't know why, maybe it's because I'm sort of an east coast guy in that sense.

Admire? Never. Maybe a Bob Woodward or Carl Bernstein. Maybe Ted Koppel. Philip Roth. Cronkite. I semi-admired Tim Russert but that's about the extent of my media admiration society. I appreciate the work of writers and reporters but I don't place them in any category of regale--I'll tell you who I admire.

I admire doctors that risk their lives and go to places like Africa to help sick people. I think that's both admirable and brave. I admire nurses who do all the dirty work and help care for patients. I remember my mom being in the hospital when she fell and broke all her ribs and the nurses at the hospital who took care of her and were there all the time through her recovery. I admire that.

I admire teachers, especially public school teachers some of whom work very hard and long hours in the not-so-pleasant neighborhoods to teach kids. Teachers, like nurses, should be paid more money but that's just my opinion. They work their asses off. That's admirable.

I know this is risky considering all the hell which is Ferguson, but I admire cops. Most cops are good cops. They go to work each day risking their lives to save ours. That's admirable. It's a shame they have some bad apples in their business but that's pretty much the case in every profession.

I admire people who have to work today. There was a time that, unless you were a cop, a nurse, a pilot, etc. that Thanksgiving meant being home, experiencing family and friends, watching the football games, and sitting down to the turkey dinner. Nowadays that's a myth to some people who now have to work. Most of the stores are open today and there's people who are working and that sucks, in my opinion. Don't tell me it's good for the economy, bullshit. It's disgusting, it's vile, I find it unpatriotic and I for one, will not shop. It's Thanksgiving for God's sake. Like you can't wait a day, and don't get me started on Black Friday.

Yesterday was a reminder that there are those who believe they have an aura about themselves. They give off false bravado. They tend to think their you-know-what doesn't stink. They may think they can fool some people but fortunately all too often they're exposed and become transparent. They do a lot of faking it. I know. When I worked in radio I had a tendency to show off and be something that I wasn't. It was not particularly endearing and I had to work hard to shake it because I became a real pain in the ass. Some of you will say that I'm still a royal pain in the ass today and I will agree with you but I'm working on it, I still struggle but I'm trying hard. Therapy is a wonderful endeavor.

I want to thank all the people, even the naysayers who recently made contributions to this site and my pocket to keep this place open. While long-term it didn't meet anything even remotely possible to keep this awake, it was nevertheless kind of all of you, (and even those of you who didn't contribute--some who would but simply couldn't because of their situation), who helped and reached out. If KQED can put on six or seven daily pledge breaks I can certainly request subscriptions for those of you who want to come here to be caught up on media news and be entertained.

If you're going to razz or belittle me for the audacity of asking for contributions you're picking the wrong person. This isn't Masterpiece Theater or the Wall Street Journal; never intended it to be. I try to liven it up every now and then and keep it, again, entertaining. There's not a lot of feel-good here but 99% of you don't come here for that, it's the same reason why good news isn't a big draw. People stop at the curb to look at the dead body. They don't care about the daffodils and orchids, they're looking for rotten tomatoes and pimples, you all know that so think of me operating under that premise.

Real quickly...this site will never go behind a pay wall. It's always been and will continue to be free because as you all know charging people for content on the internet is akin to performing kamikaze acts.

Sometime soon, however, for those of you that want to help out and become paid subscribers, for about $15 a year, I will be introducing "415 Media Extra" which will entitle you to all of this plus an exclusive extra in your e-mail box chock full of exclusives and guest opinions and commentaries from some of the sagest people in this market. Yes, 15 bucks a year. Or roughly two visits to Tommy's Joynt which by the way will be the site for the 415 Media Holiday Party next month, (details soon). Those of you that care to make a contribution today, fantastic...those of you that don't? Clemenza will debone you and make you watch Ellen reruns.

Have a great Thanksgiving. And thanks to all of you for sending me letters of encouragement and support. It's people like you that make me try to keep this thing going in spite of all the roadblocks. (Violin plays).

Tips/feedback: Rich.Lieberman@Gmail.com

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