Why the Brands of Some of Today’s Weather and Traffic Personalities Are No Accident
[Originally posted on Forbes.com.] It used to be that the people who presented weather and traffic segments on the news were as dry as the topics they covered. They didn’t have the fatherly gravitas of the anchorman, the dashing charisma of the foreign correspondents, or the warmth and relatability of the lifestyle reporters. They just [...]
The Future Faces of Hate
[Originally posted on the Huffington Post.] Since 9/11 (and long before, actually), the world and our nation have been obsessed with a collective hatred of individuals who threaten our ways of life and promote hatred of it. But now that bin Laden, Hussein and Gadhafi are dead, who will be the object of our obscenity-laced [...]
We’re All Living in Glass Houses
Originally posted on Fuel the Future. I’m experiencing a bit of social media myopia these days and think I need to adjust my lens. It’s getting blurry out there, isn’t it? In this crazy connected space we’re all playing in, every move we make is watched, followed and interpreted—sometimes without our consent. It’s a fact [...]
I’m Just Not Ready
Named “Best of the ‘Dog Blogs” by Bulldog Reporter on May 26, 2011. Oprah Winfrey changed the face of not just daytime TV but all TV. She came into our homes a quarter-century ago and faithfully returned day after day, hooking housewives, young women and even some men. I know because I am among her [...]
NYT Best-Selling Author…Snooki?
Between the launch of her first novel, A Shore Thing, and the premiere of Season Three of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” it seems that everywhere you turn, you see Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. (Even my uncle saw her out his window the other day, as she and her castmate JWoWW looked into buying the house across the [...]
Replacing Regis
After nearly 25 years at “Live! With Regis and Kelly,” Regis Philbin announced last week that he would be retiring (even though it seems that the man who holds the Guinness World Record for most time logged in front of a TV camera isn’t quite ready to retire yet). Almost immediately after Regis made his [...]
Too Much, Too Soon
In the wake of so much bad news 24/7, most of us cheered up a bit at Ted Williams’ rags-to-riches story. We all know the details: After a viral hit YouTube video, the golden-throated homeless man in Columbus, Ohio, became a guest on all the best couches (“Today,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” etc.) and [...]
The Surreal Life (and Other Trends)
I’ve been spotting trends for almost two decades. Trends are hard to figure and harder to tease out. Doing it right means tracking people, social momentum, brands, economies, companies—all in constant motion. But trends also mean business, especially for people in PR; we’ve got to be in and of the culture if we’re going to [...]
Young Love? Or a Made-for-TV Romance?
This week Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston announced that not only are they back together, but they are also (again) engaged to be married. Unlike most couples, Bristol and Levi didn’t relay the exciting news to their families first. Instead, they landed an Us Weekly cover and told the world. The news set off a [...]
How Real Should Reality TV Be?
When most people think of reality TV, they think of “The Real World,” “Survivor” and maybe even “The Hills.” Yet what all these reality shows have in common is their disconnect to reality. “The Real World” is the story of seven strangers who get to live like kings and queens, work four hours a week [...]
