The Surreal And Tragic Double Media Confluence Of The Past Week; Unreal Actually; Friday 415 Media Column

 It's been a surreal week; really, if they were to make a movie about what's transpired the past few days Hollywood wouldn't believe it. There'd be this reasoning that would emphatically state, no way! But fate said otherwise. It's really kind of shocking actually.

It began with the semi-tragic takedown of embattled and embarrassed Brian Williams who has probably lost a career in TV news journalism, at least at NBC. It too, while not involving life issues still leaves many thinking, "Could this have really happened? Why?!" Did we miss something? No, we didn't and haven't--matter of fact there's more to come, apparently.

In the same time and place, a late-night satirist; the genius Jon Stewart--who most of us take for granted, said he'd be leaving his post at Comedy Central. We all knew it was happening eventually, nevertheless the fact that it was official sent shockwaves over the entire media culture landscape. That it happened on the same day that Williams was sent packing made for ripe truth is stranger than fiction metaphors.

Then came back-to-back stunners. Real-life human tragedies. Bob Simon survived the Middle East battleground but couldn't survive a NY car accident. One of the most gifted and incredibly-talented media writers of our time, David Carr, collapsed inside the NY Times newsroom and died soon after at the hospital.

I was reading the print edition of the Times; Carr's piece on the bizarre confluence involving Williams and Stewart and I noticed a CNN headline crawl on my computer that Carr was dead. Unreal. Surreal.

This has been a tough week for American media. In a spate of a hundred or so hours we've lost four heavyweights in the industry; some due to no particular rhyme of reason, others; victims of the unknown and un-yielding entity called fate. It can be unkind too.

Ain't it strange.

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Too Damn Cruel; David Carr: 1956--2015

 Too damn cruel.

I was just reading the print edition of the Times and his article on Stewart and Williams fate and up pops the bulletin

Bob Simon and now David Carr.

Insane.

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49ers PBP Broadcaster, Ted Robinson, Defense Attorney Michael Cardoza and Esteemed NY Times Writer Dave Anderson on Lieberman Live Today From 2-4 PM

Ted Robinson

 TODAY ON MY RADIO SHOW:

Ted Robinson/49ers PBP Broadcaster: 2: 05-2: 20 PM

Michael Cardoza/Defense Attorney/Former Prosecutor/CNN Legal analyst 2: 30-3 PM

Dave Anderson: Award-winning sports-writer, NY Times: 3: 05-3: 30 PM

To listen live: ksco.com --click on my link, you can also listen later on demand on podcast.

Michael Cardoza

Dave Anderson/NY Times

The State of the SF Chronicle; Still Losing Wads of Money; Newspapers in the News; WashPost Latest Sold

Newspapers, unfortunately, continue to be a dying breed. Did you see what the NY Times sold the Boston Globe for? To think the Times paid a little over a billion dollars for the paper just two decades ago is indicative of the state of the industry.

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, just paid $250M, (in cash), for the heralded Washington Post.

It's no secret here in the Bay Area that the Chronicle has been losing money for many years. Lots of money, like a million dollars a week at one point. It helps that the Chronicle is owned by a mega-media company like Hearst Corp. but at what point does the endless amount of red ink cause surrender?

The Chronicle installed a paywall recently; it has no doubt raised much-need revenue for the newspaper, but its website, SFGate, (the free portion), still gets the bulk of usage and is in the Top 10 of most-frequently viewed newspaper web sites in the country. Even with its digital traction and newfound Internet subscribers, the Chronicle still loses wads of money.

Even with all its murky financial status, I have never heard that Hearst is actively trying to sell the Chron. For one, Hearst knows the paper and its website still command considerable cultural weight in the Bay Area. They also know that although the San Jose Mercury News and its sister publications recently freshened up its online content, the Merc, deep in the heart of Silicon Valley, still doesn't have the cachet of Hearst's Chronicle.

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Today Show vs Good Morning America; The Battles, The Money and Ratings; NYT's Brian Stelter New Book

Lots of people, millions actually, watch the morning network TV shows, like the "Today Show" and "Good Morning America."

Except, of course, CBS which hasn't figured out how to create a successful AM program for about 100 years.

Brian Stelter, the media critic for the NY Times, has written a book about the nitty-gritty world of competitive egos, frailties, triumphs and failures in the AM juggernaut between Today and GMA."Top of the Morning" is intense. It goes directly behind the scenes, in the back offices and chronicles the fierce backfight pitting the two programs, its quarterbacks, its grunt men and women, the personalities, the characters, everything you wanted to know about the picture.

One thing is certain:  Among other things in the book, Stelter keys in on the fact that Ann Curry was lousy at the job.  Moreover, the book goes into great lengths of just how much animosity existed between Curry and Today's big kahuna, co-host, Matt Lauer.

"Top of the Morning" isn't perfect. The reviews have been mixed. But the book is compelling enough and offers a nifty, intense, behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest stories about the nature of Morning TV and its significance in modern American TV culture. (How about the fact that Today, not too long ago, brought in roughly $500M to NBC's coffers)

Brian Stelter will join me on my KSCO/KOMY radio show Tuesday, (Today), from 1-2 PM PT --we'll discuss the book and take questions from you. To listen live, (or later on the podcast), simply click on the station streaming audio link.

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Social Media 'Lost in Space'; Maureen Dowd in the NY Times

Maureen Dowd of the NY Times is a favorite of mine.

Here she writes, eloquently, about the deluge of information and chatter, some of it not accurate, and how many of us have been taken in, reluctantantly, by the fog of social media.

With the Boston Marathon bombings and its subsequent aftermath in our rear view mirror, Dowd provides a glimpse into the modern-day reality of communications and its conduits. It is a bit of a reality check.  I thought it was a magnificent piece and wanted to share it and see what you think.

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