Black and White and Dead All Over: Can Journalism Survive Free Riders?

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC

Yeah, try re-bottling that. (illustration by Stuart MacKay-Smith)

It’s tough watching an old friend slowly die. Even tougher knowing that you’re helping to knock him off.

Before you go calling 911, the old friend I’m referring to is my daily newspaper. For decades, I’ve started every day with my morning paper. I score my sports and business fix while downing pure Colombian full-caf. Over the years, the two addictions have chemically intertwined to enhance their combined effects. Consequently, whenever I miss my morning coffee-n-paper jumpstart, I find myself fluttering from activity to activity the rest of the day like a fat pigeon in a hurricane.

And now, to my horror and profound sadness, newspapers are dying, losing readers and advertisers to the Web. As a blogger, I contribute to this lethal migration, not so much by stealing readers from newspapers (if only I had such drawing power), but by validating the Web as the place to go for scoop. I myself drink deeply from this vast sea of instant info. After all, why read papers for business alerts or sports scores when they’re updated every second online?

Going Out with a Really Big Bang: Celebrities Planning Even Grander Finales

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC

The following is a satirical work of fiction. Those easily offended should surf to safer territory now…

"You ain't seen nothin' yet..."

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s massive, media-saturated funeral, several Hollywood celebrities are reportedly looking into how they can make sure their own forthcoming funerals are as sensational.

Got communications talent? Let Cool Rules Pronto hype it…

It’s a cruel cruel job market out there. So as a small but hopefully helpful public service, Cool Rules Pronto is offering free listings for freelance creative communicators: writers, designers, illustrators, photographers, music composers or other media professionals. Individuals only, no agencies. For info, check out the new Creative Talent page here.

While you’re here, you might also want to scope out these earlier blog posts:

• Self-Marketing 101: Ten Tips for Creating a Killer Resume
• Breaking into the Media Biz: 10 Tips for Aspiring Moguls

Want Tail? Watch Your Head: Secrets of Long-Tail Marketing

Customer: Do you have “I Just Called To Say I Love You”?
Barry: Yes.
Customer: Can I have it?
Barry: No.
Customer: Why not?
Barry: Because it’s tacky sentimental crap that’s why. Do we look like a store that would sell that song? Do you even know your daughter, there’s no way she likes that song. Oh I’m sorry, is she in a coma?
– from “High Fidelity,” the movie

A buddy and I were reminiscing about small independent record stores. Remember them? No? Damn youngsters…

Soccer Moms Voted Off The Island For Jumping The Shark: 10 Odd American Expressions You Should Know

Despite an economy that resembles roadkill, America still excels at media, including entertainment and news. We give good hype, and the Internet brings it to the rest of the world 24/7. One problem: all this unfiltered Yankee content poses a linguistic challenge for people in other countries, even those fluent in English. That’s because Americans also excel at screwing with the language — and I’m not just talking about Miss South Carolina (warning: excruciating cringe-inducing video ahead)…

Super Manipulation: Single Girl Seduces the Media

Here’s how to exploit the Super Bowl without spending the $3,000,000 for a 30-second commercial…

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear: Why Listening to Your Customers can be Hazardous to Your Health

Last week I hit the Digital Media Summit in the coolly atmospheric Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. There I enjoyed several speakers providing intelligent and informed insights into the industry, including Zango’s York Baur, Quarterlife’s Mashall Herskovitz, and my MBA classmate Jake Zim of Safran Digital Group.

But many of the other speakers were so intently spinning facts and sidestepping questions, I thought I was watching a Bush administration press conference…

Public Relations 101: How (Not) To Write A Press Release

It’s amazing the difference between what you learn in school and actual business practices. I once took a class in public relations where we learned how to write a press release. The basic rule: write an actual news story about your company using standard journalistic practices to make it as objective as possible. That way, the news editor can make a few adjustments and print it as is.

Then I ventured into the real business world and discovered that everyone ignored that rule…

It’s About Time: Fox TV Acknowledges That Less Is More

Fox TV has a long history of upsetting the status quo. At its launch, it gave the finger to the mainstream networks and introduced edgier shows such as “The Simpsons,” “In Living Color” and “Married With Children.” Sure, this meant smaller overall audiences than its rivals, but it scored with the ever desirable 18-49 demo, whom advertisers love. Now Fox TV is rocking the ad world again…

“Breaking News”: A Hilarious Spoof of Obama’s So-Called “Elitism”

The liberal blog Daily Kos just unleashed a scathing and hilarious spoof of the “uproar” around Barack Obama’s supposed “elitism.” It perfectly captures the pathetic state of American journalism, where “freedom of the press” has become “freedom to act like squirrel monkeys.”

Uh Oh: Death By Blogging

According to the New York Times, three prominent bloggers suffered serious heart attacks in the past five months — Russell Shaw, Marc Orchant, and Om Malik — with Shaw and Orchant going to that big blogosphere in the sky. (May you have infinite comments and pingbacks for all eternity.)

Breaking into the Media Biz: 10 Tips for Aspiring Moguls

“In this very real world, good doesn’t drive out evil. Evil doesn’t drive out good. But the energetic displaces the passive.” — Bill Bernbach, advertising legend

I recently spoke about media careers to college students at the National Broadcasting Society AERho Convention. We were in the heart of the Disneyland Resort, amidst thousands of tourists wearing Mickey Mouse ears and celebrating America’s greatest media brand. It was the perfect place to discuss the future of media and how these aspiring young professionals could rule it. It also was a great demo of the difference between old school and new school mentalities…

More Elections! The Cure for the Common Recession

Word came out that erstwhile Presidential candidate Mitt Romney spent $42.3 million of his own money on his failed campaign. My thought? Cool — it couldn’t have come at a better time, what with the economy looking like something my cat coughed up…

Give It Away Give It Away Now: Suze Orman’s E-Book Promo

She’s a money management wizard — and now she’s proving pretty damn savvy about marketing, as well…