Odds, ends and new beginnings

It’s always good to be remembered, and hopefully being your last new year’s message of the year will keep some of my thoughts on your minds. (I’d be embarrassed to post something like this more than a week late, even by a few minutes!)
Let me start with the most important: that I became an uncle again, just before the new year. Jennifer and Daniel had a beautiful baby girl, Ayelet. She joins Betzalel, Noam and Tali. I’m due for a visit, and can’t wait!
ayelet maayan cohen
If there’s one good thing about life, it’s that we can usually make fresh starts. Sometimes it’s harder and sometimes it’s not complete, but it’s possible for everybody to some degree. Just start by taking inventory, and figuring out what’s lacking and what’s extra.
In that sense, I completed a life detour by finishing the five courses I needed to earn the Google IT Support Specialist certificate. While I’m on the right track, I started freelancing on a new job that involves my old skills (always with a lot to learn), and hope to become fulltime – which will likely mean working on IT issues there as needed. Details to come. My Twitter feed on this site would be a good place to see it first.
Another big victory for me is all of you, reading this blog and following what I write. It was just Dec. 6 – 32 days ago – this blog hit 20,000 views. Believe me, I don’t visit unless there’s a reason, and that’s usually commenting to update a post. It’s the reason I urge you to comment. You may have come up with a thought I didn’t, and nobody else either, so you’d be adding to the discussion. You’re welcome to say nice things or maybe even criticize me (I’ve never refused to publish anything). But perhaps most importantly is you’ll get an email there’s an update on a topic you care about.
Right now, Monday night, the log says there have been 21,169 hits, and I’ve only published two posts since the 20,000 mark, 32 days ago. So thank you.
On the other hand, this email from Amazon arrived Saturday afternoon:

“We are writing to notify you that your Associates Program application has been rejected and you will no longer have access to Associates Central.
This action was taken because we have not yet received qualified sales activities from your account. As a reminder, Accounts that have not referred three qualified sales within in 180-days of sign-up are automatically rejected.”

Notice how I couldn’t have included that if I’d posted this when I originally wanted!
I’ve made no secret I haven’t made a cent off the blog and won’t ask you pay, make donations, etc., even though it’s costing me money. I don’t like how other sites do that, and also Facebook.
Furthermore, I promised to avoid a certain topic while I’m doing this outside freelance work, and if I become full-time, new thoughts on the topic will end permanently.
So without further ado, let me tie up some loose ends on some posts I’™ve written about, pretty much linking to new articles that aren’t in the blog. I’m going to do it by category – Media, Middle East and Religion, and Other – not in any particular order in each category.
MEDIA:
Some cable customers around the country missed the NFL’s Cowboys-Seahawks playoff game over the weekend because of a retransmission dispute between the cable company and a broadcast conglomerate. https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2019/1/6/the-fans-are-getting-restless
How many companies in the pay-TV industry have been raising their prices recently? Five: DirecTV, U-verse, Comcast, Charter and the latest, Dish. That’s despite the industry losing customers over the past few years, largely because of rising prices. https://tvanswerman.com/2018/12/23/dish-becomes-5th-pay-tv-op-to-raise-prices-for-2019/ Yes, the cost of programming is going up but I think the biggest culprits are local TV stations asking for more and more of that retransmission compensation, and regional sports networks. I suggest considering cord-cutting. And since I’m taking the time to write, can someone please tell me how to do it while keeping the news channels and a few others (plus, fast internet).
Here are some tips that could help us accomplish that cord-cut: https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2015/10/cutting-the-cable-cord-by-getting-a-digital-antenna.html
Fox plans to sell almost everything to ABC/Disney, and getting rid of its regional sports networks was probably wise, considering ABC/Disney is having trouble selling them. https://nypost.com/2018/12/10/disney-plans-to-split-up-foxs-local-sports-networks-to-sell/
Why TV ratings (and the web) matter so much more than social media ratings, other than the fact the TV part makes money and the station actually owns its website. https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/12/18/look-whos-crossing-the-street-in-dc
Why would anyone give a for-profit corporation that’s for sale (again) free money? What do you think? https://tvnewscheck.com/article/227094/tribune-broadcasting-gets-google-news-grant/
Columnist Harry A. Jessell says the government shutdown isn’t all bad, when you factor in the FCC and the market can do its job: “Wouldn’t it be nice if the shutdown of some pointless and counterproductive broadcast regulations were permanent?” https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/227938/lets-make-partial-fcc-shutdown-permanent/
Where Les Moonves and loyal wife Julie Chen escaped to on New Year’s Eve to party, and how many of the world’s super-rich and super-powerful who probably hate hum hung out there before: https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/01/02/les-moonves-julie-chen-escape-scandal-on-david-geffens-590-million-yacht/
When do you go after your old boss? When he’s no longer your boss and loses $120 million. https://pagesix.com/2018/12/19/stephen-colbert-rips-les-moonves-after-he-was-denied-120m-payout/
Female meteorologist in Chicago looks like a young Shaun Cassidy. What she said, and what Shaun Cassidy did, as well! https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2019/1/4/boom
NFL LogoTwo years of NFL ratings declines are over. This season, the National Football League improved its overall deliveries by five percent. In fact, 34 of the top 50 most-watched broadcasts were NFL games, and so were 61 of the top 100. Three of Fox’s “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts made the top 100 after Fox had nothing on Thursdays before this season. Maybe overpaying was the right choice. And NBC’s strong schedule of highly competitive games (the Sunday night average margin of victory was just 9.6 points per game, down from 12.9 in 2017) nearly closed the gap with Fox and CBS. They spend more, airing multiple games on Sundays to a team’s home city. https://adage.com/article/media/top-50-u-s-broadcasts-2018/316102/
The Olympics is taking the year off. So are political ads in most places. But there’s good news, considering vehicle ads are among the most popular on TV. Automakers reported an increase of 0.3 percent over a year ago to 17.27 million vehicles. That’s despite rising interest rates, a volatile stock market, and rising car and truck prices. “If there are lots of jobs and people are getting bigger paychecks, they will buy more.” So no worries about the broadcast business. Don’t let your boss tell you they’re broke. Ask for a raise! https://tvnewscheck.com/article/227839/us-new-vehicle-sales-slightly-17-27m/
Advertising on NFL games for the five ad-supported TV networks were up 3.6 percent through 16 of the 17 weeks of this season. https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/329800/nfl-ad-revenues-up-nearly-4-this-fall.html
Boris Epshteyn clip artFTVLive got a Sinclair internal document that laid out their plans for their must-run “Bottom Line with Boris” segments. What one of President Trump’s former communications spokespersons, now “Chief Political Analyst” for the largest owner of local TV stations, makes for his commentaries. P.S. Boris Epshteyn signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Trump campaign and is barred from talking critically about the president. https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2019/1/6/exclusive-sinclair-must-run-costs-nearly-a-million-bucks
sinclair skull and crossbones
A friend in the Oval Office couldn’t even see Sinclair buy Tribune: https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bs-fe-zontv-sinclair-bad-year-20181211-story.html
Tribune Broadcasting CompanyColumnist Harry A. Jessell making predictions, including whether Nexstar will be able to close on its merger with Tribune by the end of the third quarter as it said when it announced the merger on Dec. 3: “The regulatory approval process is already a month behind schedule. On the day of the announcement, Nexstar said that the transfer application would be submitted to the FCC the next day and that the “comprehensive divestiture plan” needed for complying with the FCC’s local ownership rules would soon follow. We’re still waiting.” https://tvnewscheck.com/article/227690/whats-store-19-jessells-8-ball-knows/
He said something different, less than a month ago. https://tvnewscheck.com/article/226599/sook-nexstar-sound-right-note-tribune/
Nexstar jumped on Tribune when Sinclair couldn’t become the buyer. As Nexstar looks to become the largest owner of local TV stations, its big boss insists the strategy is to stay laser-focused on local needs. https://variety.com/2018/tv/features/nexstar-tribune-perry-sook-ceo-sinclair-1203094572/
The number of gimmicks to get you to watch local TV news is growing, thanks to a viewer engagement platform I’m not going to help by naming. Wednesday mornings at 10 in Detroit, viewers choose the Big Story. The boss explained it’s

“not necessarily the lead story or the breaking story, but it’s the story we put more resources into, to dig deep into that story.”

Watch what happened in late October, when all three possibilities could’ve been big (except #1, in my humble opinion, and you’ll never guess what the viewers chose!). https://marketshare.tvnewscheck.com/2019/01/04/tv-stations-use-megaphone-amplify-news-ratings/

Think the biggest competition for TV news is that other channel? Think again. The rise of technology such as on-demand and “OTT” (over the top) viewing is the most direct threat. This article explains it all. https://cronkitenewslab.com/management/2018/12/21/the-future-of-broadcast-news-is-ott-on-demand/
2018-12-31 andy cohenPoor Andy Cohen! (No relation.) I insulted a longtime friend by saying Cohen doesn’t matter to me. Now, in a story you wouldn’t have seen here if I got this blog out on time, the Times Square Alliance is fighting his suggestion they singled him out when they made him take down his umbrella during his New Year’s Eve CNN broadcast. Cohen furiously ranted live on the air about being forced to take it down during a downpour. (Slavery is over. How much did he make?) According to the Alliance,

“It has been our policy that umbrellas are not permitted on the media riser so as to not interfere with media colleagues’ sightlines. There were over 100 credentialed members of the media and 15 live broadcast camera spots on the media riser this year.”

If CNN had paid for a stand-alone stage with no other networks present, there wouldn’t have been a problem. And despite Cohen’s claim the Alliance threatened to pull CNN’s credentials, they say, “Some tempers flared, but it was never the case, nor will it be the case, that CNN would be denied credentials or the ability to cover New Year’s Eve.” https://pagesix.com/2019/01/02/times-square-alliance-rips-andy-cohen-over-umbrella-claim/
Ryan Seacrest talks about moving from the west coast to New York – with his girlfriend – when he was tapped to co-host Live with Kelly and Ryan: https://people.com/tv/ryan-seacrest-opens-up-about-falling-for-girlfriend-shayna-taylor/
Netflix has had massive success lowering TV ratings but what about beating Hollywood? Netflix claims more than 45 million people watched “Bird Box,” making it the highest seven-day viewership of any Netflix original film. Could it get people to stop venturing out and spending money at theaters? The view is mixed. https://www.axios.com/box-office-movie-hits-record-sales-2018-hollywood-2c381e8c-8f7e-4573-9b4b-af127e7a9b68.html Preliminary numbers show theaters took in a record-breaking $11.8 billion in 2018, after years of relatively flat box-office admissions. https://www.axios.com/netflix-movie-industry-hollywood-bird-box-cb920482-4e59-4921-8b2d-632cdb9a47ac.html
How many times have I complained about Facebook on this blog? Let MediaPost tell you even more important information: “It comes as no big shock that Facebook is the least-trusted technology company. What’s surprising is the margin by which it wins this honor in a new poll by Toluna.” https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/329889/facebook-is-least-trusted-tech-outfit-poll.html
mark zuckerberg facebookA new round of Facebook data controversies incensed lawmakers and added to the social network’s mounting problems. “Mark Zuckerberg testified that Facebook doesn’t sell users’ data,” according to Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “But the company does make deals to hand out consumers’ data for its own financial benefit, including by allowing companies to snoop, or even delete, users’ private messages.” Pallone vowed further action. We’ll see if Democrats and Republicans agree enough to pass a comprehensive data privacy bill. https://thehill.com/policy/technology/422569-lawmakers-grow-impatient-with-facebook
Comcast logo sizedThe Justice Department reportedly decided not to ramp up an investigation into Comcast buying NBCUniversal, seven years ago. That’s even though President Trump had doubled-down on his criticism of the merger as anti-competitive. In a consent decree, Comcast agreed not to withhold NBC programming from rival cable companies or video streaming services, but that expired in September. The DOJ had said it was still monitoring Comcast a month earlier, in August. https://nypost.com/2018/12/27/justice-department-backs-off-comcast-nbcuniversal-merger-probe/
Fewer people, especially younger ones, are watching network prime-time – but one expert said “It’s actually not quite as bad as we were expecting,” and another went with, it’s “still a valuable place to be for advertisers.” https://tvnewscheck.com/article/226770/broadcast-prime-still-8000-pound-gorilla/
When holiday specials and reruns started, CBS, ABC and the CW were having a rough go of it. NBC was hanging tough, and Fox showed renewed signs of life thanks largely to the influx of “Thursday Night Football” viewers. https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/tv-ratings-2018-this-is-us-cbs-abc-fox-1203095671/
fcc logoI’ve written about the FCC loosening rules and one that’s still around really bothers me when broken. So I emailed this letter to the Media Bureau, Policy Division, EEO Branch, where I’m sure somebody will read it when the government shutdown ends:
In early January, Scripps bought three TV stations as part of Gray Television’s acquisition of Raycom.
1. WTXL, Tallahassee FL: Immediately named Matt Brown vice president and general manager.
2. KXXV & KRHD, Waco TX: Immediately named Adam Chase vice president and general manager.
3. WFTS, Tampa FL: Named Sarah Moore news director (Matt Brown’s old job) the very next day!
Your rules on hiring practices are below, along with the source.
For instances 1 and 2 above, were there already vice president and general managers in place who did not resign? How long can a TV station go without a vice president and general manager? Don’t they ever take vacations? Could another department head (or more) temporarily taken on the responsibilities, especially in such a large ownership group with plenty of managers overseeing the TV stations? Could Scripps, at a minimum, have waited to hire until after fulfilling your requirements?
For instance 3, news departments go without news directors for long amounts of time, trying out assistant news directors to save money. Again, could Scripps, at a minimum, have waited to hire until after fulfilling your requirements? (I think this one is the easiest YES.)
I don’t think any of the above qualify as “demanding or special circumstances” (especially #3) since sales happen all the time and Scripps was expecting these to happen. It wasn’t as if there was a disaster and the stations needed immediate leadership, or someone suddenly died and employees had to work while being comforted.
I see your rules of immediately hiring without posting being broken all the time and think it should stop. It’s all about who knows who, which defeats the purpose of EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity). Scripps excluded dozens of qualified and worthy men and women of all backgrounds from applying.
I hope you severely punish these stations, and others that do this in the future, because they will keep doing so until you stop them.
FCC rule requirements (https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/eeo-rules-and-policies-radio-and-broadcast-and-non-broadcast-tv)
The FCC’s EEO rules require broadcasters and MVPDs subject to the recruitment requirements to:
§  widely distribute information concerning each full-time (30 hours or more) job vacancy, except for vacancies that need to be filled in demanding or special circumstances;
§  provide notice of each full-time job vacancy to recruitment organizations that request notice
coast guard logoThe government shutdown is having an impact on meteorologists. Meteorologist Brittney Merlot at KQDS in Duluth said, “As a meteorologist, an important reading we need this time of year is the water temperature. It helps us determine lake effect snow and also monitor lake ice formation.” But they’re not getting it from the Coast Guard. https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2019/1/4/government-shutdown-hurts-meteorologists
On and off-air, behind the scenes, the deals, the politics: All the big media changes from 2018 https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/23/media/media-business-year-in-review/index.html
The Top 18 Media Grinches of 2018: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/23/business/media/worst-media-people-trump-fox-news-cbs-moonves.html

60 minutes
https://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/

The Egyptian government tried to have 60 Minutes kill Scott Pelley’s interview with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi before it aired last night. Pelley and his producer gave more details. Plus, El-Sisi confirmed this is the deepest and closest cooperation Egypt has ever had with Israel. https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/60-minutes-scott-pelley-rachael-morehouse-explain-story-behind-the-tense-interview-with-egyptian-president-el-sisi/390052 and https://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-president-el-sisi-denies-ordering-massacre-in-interview-his-government-later-tried-to-block-60-minutes-2019-01-06/
MIDDLE EAST AND RELIGION:
You’ve been seeing this growing cable channel’s Twitter posts on the side of this website (desktop, laptop) or below the posts (smartphone, tablet) for months already. https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/12/21/i24-news-grows
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman hinted the Trump Administration will not be releasing its Middle East peace plan in the near future. The ambassador said it would be postponed by “several months” because of the Israeli election, April 9, and the ongoing refusal by the Palestinian Authority to accept the plan. https://worldisraelnews.com/us-ambassador-no-peace-plan-anytime-soon
National Security Advisor John Bolton met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, last night, partly to signal the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Syria wouldn’t affect America’s support for the Jewish State. “I think in fact, under your leadership, Mr. Prime Minister – you and President Trump – we now have the best U.S.-Israel relationship in our history,” Bolton said. https://worldisraelnews.com/netanyahu-bolton-meeting-reaffirms-us-commitment-to-israel/
Two Jewish police officers filed a federal lawsuit against the Philadelphia Police Department in November, alleging years of anti-Semitic behavior by their colleagues and being punished professionally for alerting supervisors of their experiences. http://jewishexponent.com/2018/11/28/jewish-philly-cops-file-suit-allege-discrimination/
cory bookerSen. Cory Booker on why he refuses to condemn Farrakhan or Iran, by him and a close rabbi friend of 25 years. “We Jews are sick of being demonized. But we’re also sick of those who say that the demonization must end, but then refuse to condemn the anti-Semites, lest they pay a political price.” https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/12/10/cory-booker-refuses-to-condemn-farrakhan-or-iran-at-adl/
OTHER:
2011 Mayim BialikHow Mayim Bialik managed to spend Thanksgiving with the ex. Oh, not just him but his girlfriend – and his girlfriend’s ex. https://groknation.com/relating/mayim-thanksgiving-blended-family/
NBC’s top 11 must-read LGBTQ news stories of last year: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/year-s-11-must-read-lgbtq-news-stories-n952346
Rock Hudson’s ‘true love’ says ‘I wish he had been born 30 years later’ https://people.com/movies/rock-hudson-true-love-lee-garlington/
All the best to you in 2019, or at least what’s left of it!
If you appreciate what you read here, subscribe with either your email address or WordPress account, and get a notice whenever I publish. Don’t rely on social media with its hacking issues and censoring like this, this and this. I just became certified as an IT Support Specialist and am also available for writing/web contract work. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennycohen

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