I often get asked, because I am affiliated so closely with the student/school cycle, whether I have to work in the summer.
Um, yes.
So rewind to May 29th of last year and you’ll see how my summer was looking then. It looks very similar to this year except with more to do.
To accomodate the studio remodel/construction OTN will have top move the office and that starts today! So I’ll be off-line for a while or at least until things get settled.
Until then, stay tuned!
Andy- The GM
On behalf of OTN I would like to offer my most sincere congratulations to the senior class of 2013. I hope wherever you go from here you’ll remember your years in Syracuse, and at Syracuse,
fondly. May your life be an open boulevard of green lights.
Best of luck, take care and keep in touch.
Andy- The GM
If you are one of the lucky people who will graduate from SU next month, you are about to endure what I think is one of THE most difficult transitions in life.
If you think about it, your life has been a series of transitions that have taken place over time. From home to pre-school, from pre-school to elementary school and then on to middle school and high school. And the transition from high school to college might have been difficult and arduous, but it occurred over a period of time.
But come May 12th at around 12 o’clock, the transition is abrupt. No sliding into adulthood. Bang! You’re there.
And for some, the transition into adulthood, and by adulthood I define that as having accepted the fact that you’re no longer in college and miss the college lifestyle, can still take a few years.
I had the pleasure of seeing some former students last week who have been out of school now for two or three years. All three of them, while having good jobs and are well on their way to good careers, lamented the fact that they weren’t in college any more.
It was part missing being carefree with no adult responsibilities (car payment, college loans, rent to pay etc.) and part being thrown into a world where the vast majority of the people they interact with are of all different ages and places. People who are older, with mortgages and kids. People who are divorced, disgruntled or just plain unhappy with their lot in life. Some people who would just as soon stab you in the back then to look at you. The politics of working life.
I don’t view their feelings as weakness or immaturity. I think it’s part of the transition. Some do it faster than others and I know some who have never made the transition at all. Some friends of mine haven’t and at my age it’s not pretty!
I guess if I have some kind of message here it’s this: Don’t fret. Most of us who have been through that transition know that it takes a while. Hang in there, it will get better. And there are more transitions ahead of you. Marriage, kids, real estate, job moves, divorce and on and on. Some transitions won’t be fun, some will be. As I have often said, life is a marathon, not a sprint so look at going the distance.
I feel your pain, been there done that. Just know that if you keep running and more importantly, keep trying, the transitions you make will get easier.
Finally, I started this by saying “If you are one of the lucky people . . . ” I hope your realize how lucky you are to graduate college and from an institution as fine as Syracuse University. Your family or perhaps yourself, have made some serious sacrifices to make that happen. This is no small accomplishment. So count your blessings and give some thanks, BIG thanks, to those who helped make this happen for you.
All my best to you and good luck. May the transition be smooth and fun.
Andy- The GM
Here are five tips on achieving success in school or business that everyone can incorporate. They don’t require anything other than awareness and a little common sense.
- Be on time.
- Not everything in your life will be fun, exciting or exactly what you want it to be. Deal with it and make the most of it. You will be surprised at what you get out of something when you put a little effort into it.
- Even if you don’t care, act like you do care by maintaining eye contact and presenting positive body language. If you shift in your seat, text or are otherwise distracted or acting like you’re not interested, you will look stupid or that you don’t care. Neither of those is good.
- When you are asked to read something in preparation for a class or meeting, read it and know it. When you ask questions that are spelled out in the document, you will look stupid or that you don’t care. Neither of those is good.
- When you are asked if you have questions for clarification or more information, ask them. If you then proceed to perform said task incorrectly WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN PRESENTED WITH THE INFORMATION TO DO IT CORRECTLY, you will look stupid or that you don’t care. Neither of those is good.
Andy- The GM
So, people are consuming more video on more devices than ever before. With increased demand comes an increase an opportunity, right?
Well as I discussed last week, not necessarily.
One of the overriding issues in the television industry today is how to monetize the various distribution methods that video is being consumed on. This is a problem that has been looking for a solution, well, since consumers have been viewing video on more than just a television set.
I’m not smart enough to know how to solve that problem so I don’t want to address that. But I would like to offer an opinion on how to be part of, and stay a part of, the industry.
When I worked in the production business managing a small production company we had a steady client list. Our company delivered a good quality product for a reasonable price.
One of the main reasons they kept coming back to us was because our clients liked our creativity, work ethic and, well, they liked us. And we liked them.
People like doing business with people they like. Being likable is a good thing. But being creative and offering someone or some company a unique perspective, something that only you can provide, can be literally valuable.
When someone is looking to produce an action movie Tom Cruise might be a good choice to star in it. Why? Because he has a proven track record of success there.
If you’re looking for investment advice there might want to ask Warren Buffet. After all, he’s worth billions, with a B, of dollars.
If you’re looking to hire an editor to edit your new sitcom you might look to Ryan Chase. Who is Ryan Chase? She’s the Emmy award-winning editor of the hit ABC comedy “Modern Family.”
Each one of those people has a unique talent that only they provide and in order to be part of, and stay a part of the television industry, students will have to hone their skills and provide a client or company something unique.
Be creative. Be unique. Be someone no one else is.
Andy- The GM
It’s a decidedly weird time to be in the television business. More people are consuming content than ever before. So you would think that with increased demand there would be no shortage of opportunity for content creators. Well, yes and no.
I had a couple of conversations with some old friends over the weekend that gives me pause. One friend works at a local television station and the other for the local cable company. Both had very negative views of their respective organizations.
The cable company recently let go all, repeat ALL, of their creative services producers. There were 16 that worked throughout the state serving the needs to the account executives producing commercials for their clients. Their intention is to hire, um, four, to replace them. Of course the laid off producers are more than welcome to re-apply for their old jobs . . . at lower salaries of course.
The reason for this switch? According to my friend the company has decided to invest time and money into only those advertising clients who spend more than $100,000.
Yes, that number you see is correct. One hundred thousand dollars.
I worked in the production business for a very long time and spent a lot of time producing commercials for some of the clients who would be typical local advertisers. I would say that very few, VERY few of them would be able to spend that kind of money. And if they did have that kind of budget, they wouldn’t be working through a local ad sales rep. They’d be working through an ad agency. It seems like the cable company is basically saying to the local advertiser; Thanks but no thanks.
My friend at the station has an equally sad story to tell. A private equity company recently bought the station he works at and they are slashing budgets left and right. According to my friend, they consolidated all of their traffic operations (the department that schedules commercials) in Rochester and they are so overwhelmed that they have, again according to my friend, lost thousands of dollars because of consistent commercial placement screw-ups due to under staffing.
If I were being emotional about this I’d say that this is just another example of corporate America trying to screw the little guy while trying to squeeze as much profit out of everyone and everything as possible.
However, if I try to be less emotional and more analytical, I’d say this is the result of all those people consuming more media than ever before.
But you say, “Andy, how can that be? If they’re consuming more, how can people be losing jobs and companies slashing budgets?” It’s because they’re consuming more on more devices.
Ahh . . . the pesky internet. The business model no one has figured out how to monetize.
Yet.
I’ll have more to say on this next week. Until then . . . GO ORANGE!!! Beat Michigan!!
Andy- The GM
In our business we have become accustomed to hearing the phrase “You’d better watch this story because this will have big impacts on what we do.”
We’ve been hearing that for years now and the “big impacts” part never really takes hold. Yes the internet and digital technology has been changing the landscape and yes things have changed but the sky is falling rhetoric has been falling on deaf ears.
Until now.
This story in the Washington Post has far reaching implications for the television industry.
Now I’ll be the first one to say that I have been the one that has cautioned everyone on being too reactionary when it comes to our changing industry.
“People are cutting cable!”
“No one is watching live TV anymore!”
“Everyone is watching YouTube videos on their cell phone! Broadcast TV is dead!”
Only the first of those statements is true and while people are cutting cable there is some debate as to whether that’s because of the economy or whether people truly are finding other less expensive (and perhaps more convenient) ways to watch television. And I’m old enough to remember when everyone said TV was going to kill radio, VHS was going to kill the movies and the internet was going to kill TV. None, and I repeat, none of those things happened.
But I’m neither blind nor stupid. Have things changed? Absolutely. But the hyperbole surrounding these conversations has been, well, tiring.
Until now.
Large networks like Viacom and NBC Universal take the channels they own (think Comedy Central, Bravo, MTV etc.) and bundle them to offer to cable providers. They say “Here, take these channels, all of them, and in return you pay us $X.” And then the cable provider, like Time Warner or Comcast, says “But no one watches Reelz, Bio or Discovery Health” or fill in the blank with your favorite weird cable channel.
Research indicates most people have about 10 or 11 favorite channels they watch. So why do we need 100 or 200 or 500 or whatever the number is? Well, the truth is, we don’t need that many but those numbers provide the cash flow that fuels a lot of what we watch. If unbundling leads to a la carte TV, you had better be prepared for some (a lot) of blood letting in the television industry. The business model will get turned upside down.
Will it kill it? Did television kill the movies? No. But it will change.
As they say . . . stay tuned.
Andy- The GM
Today is my first day back at OTN from having been gone all last week. I took a group of 13 graduate and senior students to New York City on the 2013 Newhouse NYC Benchmark Trip. Each year we set up visits with industry professionals who either come to the Lubin House (the Syracuse University owned building in Manhattan) or they invite us to visit them at their place of business.
This year we had speakers from or visits to CNN, Sirius XM Radio, Oppenheimer Funds, VH1, CBS Sports, Bravo, Discovery, HBO, mlb.com and more. All totaled we had six guest speakers, visited 10 places of business plus the NYC Alumni Mixer on Monday night and a taping of the Wendy Williams Show all in 4 and a half days. It was a lot of walking and riding the subway.
With the exception of one of the speakers, everyone who gave their time was a Newhouse grad. And without exception, they gave their time willingly and with enthusiasm.
Now these are busy, high level, decision makers with a lot on their collective plates. That’s not bragging, just saying that these are folks who could be doing lots of other things with their time but they chose to take the time to give back.
It’s one of the big advantages of being a Newhouse student: the alumni.
I have been organizing this trip for the last four or five years now and I am always humbled at how easily they say yes when I ask them if they can participate. As a matter of fact, one of our speakers came down with the flu on the morning of his visit and apologized. He wanted to know what he could to “make it up to them.” This from a guy with a 102 temperature. We agreed that we would connect via Skype in the next week or two.
I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the water? Is it the brutal winters than bind us? Or maybe it’s just the simple fact that television is a crazy, difficult business and they know how tough it can be and want to lift a hand to those who are coming in behind them.
Whatever the case, I am humbled and grateful for them all and proud to be an alum myself.
Andy- The GM
It’s the last week of school before spring break and when we get back it’s the sprint to the finish line!
Now is about the time when students (and faculty and staff) start looking ahead to the end of school and the summer. You may not believe this but that is usually a very busy time here because it’s the only time we can do things that are necessary to prepare for the school year. Once you the students arrive it is, for the most part, all hands on deck as there is little time for doing anything else but serving you.
For faculty the summer means they may take a long vacation (for those lucky tenured faculty) work on a research project or teach summer classes.
And for students it’s working, internships, taking classes or just hanging out. I have found that the closer a student gets to graduating the more they begin to realize that this kind of schedule, summers off, long breaks at Christmas, are soon going to end and they try to squeeze every last drop out of that exquisite lifestyle they can.
But looking back it’s been a rather different and, at times, tumultuous year here at OTN. The 2012 school year began with Citrus TV and WJPZ not being able to move into their new studios because the renovations weren’t complete. That meant they had to find a temporary home that took longer than expected to get up and running. And when the contractors said they could move in in late November that turned out to be a false start too. They didn’t move in until after the new year in January. And then they had to get all the equipment installed, operational, and tested and get everyone trained. It was only last week when things got back to normal.
So the OTN program schedule is back to normal with our regular programming partners at WJPZ and CitrusTV. And it will stay that way until the end of the school year.
I must say that I am very proud of the way the students responded. As you might expect there was some disappointment and frustration at not having things the way they were. But they didn’t fold their tents and give up. They adjusted and found new ways to keep their operations going and for that I say good job!
So there is news every night at 6pm and regular sports programming from CitrusTV. There is sports talk on Saturday and Sunday mornings, Orange State at noon on Friday’s and Red Carpet Report on Monday evening from WJPZ and all in HD!
So sorry for the delay, we all wish it had gone smoother and faster.
Here’s hoping you all have a good sprint to the finish line and if you get a chance, tune in to OTN and catch some new programming from your student media, CitrusTV and WJPZ.
Andy- The GM
I am an unashamed fan of Downton Abbey. But I’m trying to figure out why.
The season finale was last night and it has one BIG surprise but no worries, no spoiler alert here, I won’t tell.
But I’ve actually spent some time thinking about what it is about this show that has me so hooked. I mean, why on earth would I, a person who has never even been to England, and someone who hasn’t got a fraction of the kind of wealth the Grantham’s have, be so invested in this show? I think there are a few reasons.
First of all, my wife likes it. When we first got married we were hooked on NBC’s Thursday night “Must See TV.” That was a ritual for us. So watching “Downton” is like a throwback to appointment television and I think that’s another reason I like it. Even though we have a DVR (and who doesn’t now?) we try and watch it when it airs on Sunday night. I’m not sure there is another series on television right now that has the ability to create appointment television like Downton does.
Another reason is, in this huge ensemble cast, there has to be at least one or two characters that you really like. I think for me it’s Mrs. Patmore, who is just really smart and feisty and the duo of Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson. I love their ying and yang.
I also love the house. Can it be called a house? Should it be called a house? Well, whatever it’s called, it’s just a spectacular display of excess.
Finally, I just get a kick out of watching a lifestyle that was considered normal back a hundred years ago. I mean, a grown man aspired to become a valet, which was essentially a man who dressed another grown man. And a career in “service” was something to be held in high esteem.
It would be so crazy to think that there are people who live like that now. I suppose there are but certainly not to the extent that there were in England back in the 19th and early 20th century.
I think I figured it out.
We watch shows like “Real Housewives,” “Jersey Shore,” “Project Runway” and so on. Those are our reality shows.
“Downton Abbey” is a reality show. It’s just a retro reality show where we watch with absolute horror and glee at the antics of the Grantham’s. Is it a lot different than Snooky or the Situation? Certainly classier but no less a train wreck sometimes.
Andy- The GM