What's on TV

Network television programming is fairly straightforward. You develop a show, get the greenlight to produce and then, spend a lot of money getting it produced. After that, you hope for the best. Are people going to like it enough to spend time watching the thing?

There are some other nuances at play here and in this episode, Ric takes a look at how this sort of works using the new NBC show, Bluff City Law as a prime example of just how to navigate those treacherous waters. Also in this episode, Ric gives his unpopular thought of the week. Horses in space? Really?



NEXT WEEK: The Sporting Life

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Censor Me

There has been quite a bit of talk in the news here lately about Hong Kong. What you may not have heard is what happens when a company will censor someone over unpopular speech. In this episode, Ric takes a look at the NBA and the mess LeBron James found himself in regarding an unpopular statement.

The upsetting thing about this is that it revolved around a corporate influence on someone else. Also in this episode, Ric says a few things that if said in China would probably put him in some sort of camp. He'll explain what difference is between censorship and freedom of speech. Plus, his unpopular thought of the week and more.



Next Week: Navigating network television programming.

Astroturfing

There is a little dirty secret among some surviving drive time radio shows. Those cute little awkward bits you would hear involving listeners being put into uncomfortable situations for the sake of a laugh are actually scripted. There was a time however, when shows would pull those stunts off entirely through organic methods. It was more difficult to do and the outcomes were generally surprising but the payoff was usually big.

Not so much any more. In this episode, Ric talks about how radio consultants would push the notion of scripting an other wise naturally occurring incident for the sake of having a guaranteed payoff everytime. It came from the rise of reality TV and it is so bad now, listeners cringe over the notion. This is what astroturfing is all about.

Also, Ric and The Immigrant went to the fair and spent some time with circus people. Plus, the unpopular thought of the week.



NEXT WEEK: Just exactly, what is censorship?

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The Vocal Allure

There are several reasons why audio on demand is so popular. Podcasts included. The basic reason would be convenience. But there is more to it than meets the ear, if you will. In this episode Ric takes a look at the implications of the human voice and why we as humans desire to have a connection with that. It doesn't seem to matter how introverted we may be, we still crave the sound of some one talking.

The trick is to talk about something that may be of interest to the listener. Broadcasters know this and because of this little fact, podcasts and live broadcasts are rather popular. Also in this episode, the unpopular thought of the week.



Next week: Why some broadcasters are lying to you.

Stay tuned...