Broadcast News: The Movie and In Real Life

In the movie “Broadcast News” (1987), there is a part in which Albert Brooks character, “Aaron Altman,” says to Holly Hunter’s character “Jane Craig” the following about William Hurt’s character “Tom Granick,” “please don’t take it wrong when I tell you that I believe that Tom, while a very nice guy, is the Devil.” He goes on to explain that, of course the devil isn’t going to look like a devil, he’ll be attractive and nice and helpful and that he won’t really do anything evil, “he will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important. Just coax along flash over substance…Just a tiny bit.”

That part of the movie resonated with me as I was reflecting upon the television news business and the changes that have occurred over the last 25 years. Clearly, much of the mainstream news media has gone to an “infotainment” format as competition for “eyeballs” has increased with the internet. There are seemingly more “Tom Granick” type of people in the media (flash over substance) and a watering down of coverage to make news easier to “digest” for the general public. In other words, to me, the movie “Broadcast News” has taken on some qualities of George Orwell’s classic “1984.”

When I first watched “Broadcast News” in the theaters in 1987, the most memorable part of the film was Albert Brooks flop sweat while reading the weekend news (still one of the funniest scenes in the movie). However, watching it again some 23 years later, I found myself marveling in the prophetic nature of the flick and wondering how, or if, the mainstream media will ever get back to a higher standard of news.

Tags: 1984, 1987, Aaron Altman, Albert Brooks, broadcast news, Communications, crisis communication, Ed Heil, George Orwell, Holly Hunter, Jane Craig, media, media relations, storyteller, television, Tom Granick, Video Services, William Hurt

Finding the Right Job Sometimes Means Saying No

We recently offered a job to a young candidate to help with a critical part of our business. This is a job that the young person would grow into and develop, which in plain terms means, what this job is today is not what it’s going to be. We were (and are!) looking for a unique person with very specific skills and experience. Certainly not someone who falls off the proverbial turnip truck. Fortunately, she turned it down.

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Tags: Communications, crisis communication, Good Business, hire, job, media, media relations, storyteller, talent, Video Services

Are You a Good Business Partner?

Are you a good partner? In business we like to talk about “partnerships” and “building relationships,” but what does that mean? What it means to be a good partner may be different for me than to you. In my mind, being a good partner in business is no different than being a good partner to a spouse or friend.

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Tags: Communications, crisis communication, Good Business, media, media relations, partner, partnerships, storyteller, Video Services

Social Media Conversation: More of You, Less of Me

The phrase “less of me, more of you” has some “faith” relevance and it also has tremendous relevance in our relationships with other people especially in social media. When you’re online in the social media portal of choice, how much time are you spending “talking” rather than “listening?” How often do you try to help others rather than try to attract more attention to yourself?

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Tags: Communications, crisis communication, fundraising videos, media, online, Social, storyteller