I have not added to this blog in several weeks for a host of different reasons, including graduation from my Master's program (which left me craving vegetative time, free from deeper thought on any issue for at least a few days); the advent of warmer weather, enticing me to go out and "smell the roses"; and my involvement with a new intern program at work.
Anyone who's worked with me knows that one of my proudest accomplishments is teaching interns the craft of promotions producing. What makes me even more proud is when they're able to go out and get hired on the strength of the knowledge I - and my enlisted colleagues - passed on.
I don't know if it's an internalization of what I learned as a minister's boy; if you read the Bible, it's got several tales of "apprenticeships", with Moses and Joshua, Eli and Samuel, Elijah and Elisha, etc. For some reason, I feel a duty to pass on what I know and make sure that the people I pass on the business to know what they're about to take on. In my mind, it's not just some biblical axiom, it's good business sense. It's a long-term orientation taken to a natural conclusion.
This program that we've established is meant to close the gap in education that most schools have in the Mass Communications / Journalism / Broadcasting Depts. Namely, these schools tend to have classes which fall into two tracks - "theory" courses, such as Journalistic Ethics, History of Media, Mass Media and the Public Interest; or "practicum" courses, such as Studio Production, Editing, News Writing. All these classes are perfectly valid. They are, in essence, the fundamentals of what careers in this field are built on. But what's overlooked in the education is the "operational" course. So, kids come out of college having the ability to write strong, balanced news prose, but think that the Traffic Dept. is responsible for the morning show's traffic report.
So, with a nod to an early mentor of mine, I wondered if there wasn't a chance for us to implement a course I took as an undergrad. At WPIX, I'd taken a course on the "Business of Television" - and this was not in some helicopter-view, theoretical-discussion sense. Literally, it was daily operations. Each week, a head of a different department from the station came in and did a one-hour seminar / walkthrough of the department's responsibilities, functions and impact on the bottom line. All top line stuff, of course. There's a level of detail you just don't need to get into at that point. But slowly and surely, the 12 of us in that class were putting together how things worked really. That foundation served me well going into this business, and, quite simply, it served my employers well. And, I'm glad to say that we're using that same model now in this program. I hope to see some real leaders emerge from all this effort.
OK, I got all long-winded there to set up this observation: God bless anyone brave enough to enter this business these days.
Over the past few weeks, as I've sat in on these sessions, I realize what a complicated state of affairs we're passing on. Complexity is nothing new, especially in business. But complexity of this magnitude is something to appreciate.
Consider:
- the effects of our turbulent economy
- the exponential increase in competition / alternatives to our product brought on by the digital age
- the ever-changing needs / wants of our parent corporations, sometimes resulting in expansion of our duties, contraction of our resources, and the constant rumors of change in ownership (at NBC, at least)
- the change in technological infrastructure, with the advent of DTV and HD
- the expanding importance, of dot-com, blurring responsibilities
- the softening of local station dominance, and the simultaneous explosion of cable / digital networks
- the unsettled measurement systems
- etc
- etc
- etc
To be honest, if I had heard this stuff when I was coming into this business, it probably would've scared me out of it. Thankfully, these "Millennials" are so optimistic about everything that some take it as an exciting challenge. As a "Gen X-er", I don't know whether to envy them or let it annoy me.
I just worry about what we're passing on to this next generation entering our business. When I got into this thing of ours, it was at the end of an era. The Big Three had given way to Fox and WB. Cable was not only here to stay, it was now becoming the place for watercooler shows, like "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City". Sales deals worked out on cocktail napkins were now frowned upon, as corporate disciplines were enforced.
It was a sad change. I always harbored fantasies of being like those fellas on the show "Mad Men", having a martini (or two) at lunch; walking into a smoke-filled news studio; everyone having a great time crowding into one office to brainstorm some great work. But as an admittedly pessimistic X-er, I guess I was well suited to suck up the new state of affairs.
This new era, with all of its advantages for the quintessential Millennial personalities (the dot-com focii, the variation in duties), concerns me. I wonder what we're passing on, really? Is it just some jumbled pile of uncoordinated strategies to "survive" - as opposed to "move" - into the future? Can we sustain the kinds of cuts that recently rolled though our industry, and, somehow, develop new tracks for business development? Is it OK that we funnel some veteran people out of our industry, despite what valuable experience they could pass on at a time like this?
I don't despair for the future. But I do worry we're making it harder for ourselves, and for these newbies...
The sad news of George Carlin's passing woke me this morning. 
