Viewers of Chicago TV in the 1980s will remember Nite-Owl which aired on WFLD-TV Channel 32. Nite-Owl was a service by KeyFax which provided rotating text of news, sports, and weather that ran all night long.
This was before the independent Field Communications station was sold to Medtromedia, and then to News Corp as part of the core of the Fox Network.
The truly independent WFLD in 1981 and 1982 had an innovative, informative, and unique programming approach for overnight viewing.
To experience what Nite-Owl was like, check out these videos from the always-reliable Fuzzy TV Memories channel on YouTube and FuzzyMemories.tv has several hours of Nite-Owl available for viewing.
By today’s standards of computer-generated text – or even by 1990s standards! – it looks pretty lame. But remember, this was 1981!
There’s something very relaxing about these videos. Maybe it’s the comforting familiarity. Maybe it’s the fact that you know nothing too exciting is going to pop up. Or maybe it’s the memory of falling asleep to Nite-Owl many times as a kid. I dare you to pull one of these videos, leave it running late in the evening and NOT feel a little sleepy!
And maybe that was the real charm of Nite-Owl; it was as much a companion as it was a news source. Today, this is also the true value of the Internet and late-night cable TV for many.
One thing that was better about Nite-Owl over today’s CNN and the rest of the 24 Hour cable news channels: no talking heads shouting biased political opinions over each other! Nite-Owl was simple, yet had basic journalism down perfectly: just the facts. And a few fun facts…
Wow, last night was an exciting presidential debate and I‘m looking forward the continuing discussions – and maybe some arguments – as the season heats up! Locally I am pleased to share with you an event organized by Chicago PR executives David Rudd and Glenn Eden with an all-star line-up of Chicago political leaders.
On October 16 – the day of the next presidential debate – PRSA Chicago teams with Weber Shandwick and The Axis Agency to fire up a discussion with political experts who will offer their perspectives on the changing face of voter opinion.
Our panel includes:
– Laura Washington, Sun-Times columnist and ABC-7 Chicago political analyst
– Ann Liston, Political strategist
– Chris Robling, Principal, Jayne Thompson & Associates
– Alderman Proco Joe Moreno, 1st Ward, Chicago
Moderated by Armando Azarloza, President, The Axis Agency
Topics:
Issues to be discussed and debated include social, political, economic, and cultural trends affecting voters during the 2012 election, including:
– How candidates battle for top-of-mind messages - How social media has changed the topic of discussion for voters – How candidates compete for attention from a diverse population – Variables that have shaped the race for the White House – How voters view the election from an online perspective
When: Tuesday, October 16, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Where: Maggiano’s Little Italy, 516 North Clark Street, Chicago
Event Registration: Member, $37.00/Non-Member, $45.00/Student, $37.00
Thank you Weber Shandwick and The Axis Agency for their organization of the event.
Today’s Retro Media guest post is by Atlanta-Based Singer / Songwriter Michael Hodgin.
This weekend, I traveled back in time. To 1981. An odd choice, you say? If you could pick any year to travel back in time to, would it really be 1981? It might not have been my first pick either, but as I sat in my local IMAX theatre watching Raiders of the Lost Ark on the giant screen, I felt like I was seeing it again for the first time.
And I have seen this movie many, many times. If you put a gun to my head and forced me to narrow down my top 20 most-loved movies, I would have no regrets about choosing Raiders as my number 1. I’ve even seen it on the big screen at least twice. The first time, when I was a kid in 1981, and a few years ago when it was showing for some reason at the Music Box in Chicago.
But it wasn’t like this. Seeing Indy punching out Nazis on an IMAX screen was seriously thrilling. The opening with Alfred Molina and the giant boulder. The fight in Marion’s bar. The Cairo market basket bit. And by the time it got to the legendary truck chase, forget it. I know it’s ridiculous but I was on the edge of my seat. I wasn’t sure if Indy was going to make it out of this one!
And it’s not just because Raiders is kind of a perfect film. It is kind of perfect because all the people involved were absolutely doing their best work. Spielberg at the helm in his heyday. John Williams serving up one of his most rousing scores. Lawrence Kasdan writing the script. And say what you will about George Lucas, having seen him through hindsight and the cracked rose-colored glasses of the Star Wars prequels and Crystal Skull, but back in the day, that guy sure could be counted on for a good idea.
Oh, and Harrison Ford is absolutely killing it in his signature role.
But no, the thing that makes you forget you’ve seen this movie a thousand times, the thing that makes you forget that you’re watching a movie, is not that it’s a great movie. It’s that you’re seeing it on the big screen.
Because that’s how movies were intended to be seen. That’s how the artists meant for you to see their artwork. Rothko on a postcard is not as meaningful as being sucked into a giant Rothko painting, your entire field of vision taken up by his unique red. Seeing a picture of a Rodin sculpture is not the same as seeing it in person. U2 is probably best observed in concert. In 1987. Or 1992. Or 2009.
And Raiders is best seen on the big screen.
We’re so used to cramming content and information into our heads these days, with quick mp3 downloads and DVD bonus features and streaming Netflix to our mobile devices, that it’s hard sometimes to be moved by art when it’s in these tiny and immediate versions. But when I saw Indiana Jones dragging under that Nazi truck, trying to save the Ark of the Covenant from the greatest evil of the 20th century, I was moved. I suddenly realized my muscles were tight, my eyes were wide, and I had forgotten everything around me, including personal problems and annoying movie patrons alike.
And that’s what art should do. It should move you. So, I am definitely a fan of this new marketing ploy where they bring back a classic movie in anticipation of its Blu Ray release. When it comes down to it, that’s all this was, I guess. Just a way to build excitement and hype over the release of all four Indy movies on Blu Ray. But that’s fine with me because it gets a classic movie back on the big screen and gives people a chance to see a work of art the way it was meant to be seen.
And since Blu Ray is the next best thing to the big screen (right now), that’s cool too. Give me all the Raiders on Blu Ray that I can handle. I’ll take every extra feature you’ve got. I realize that these big screen re-releases and bonus content bundles are just ways to make me spend my money on something I’ve already seen and probably already own on DVD. But I’m totally fine with that. For a fan, that’s nothing new and I’m happy to try to repay Spielberg, Lucas and Ford for all the enjoyment they’ve given me since 1981.
What I’m not fine with is that I have to buy the four-pack of movies. What I’m not fine with is sub-par product being bundled with great content. I have to buy Crystal Skull to get Raiders. That hurts. Even a big Indy fan like me can’t abide that. In the words of Indy himself, when the face-melting terror of the Ark is revealed at the end, “Don’t look at it, Marion! Shut your eyes!”
Because they’re probably going to make a fifth Indy movie anyway, so it’s not really “The Complete Collection,” now is it? Not cool. Just let me buy Raiders, huh?
But Casablanca in theatres for one night only, just before the big 70th anniversary Blu Ray box set comes out? Yes, please. And I saw a trailer before Raiders for Lawrence of Arabia, back in theatres, coming soon, coincidentally around the time it comes out on Blu Ray.
We frequently read about who or what brands are efficiently using social media to engage with customers.
But we rarely see a blog or a conference track looking at who is really bad at social media. Until now. Let’s begin!
Let’s first look at an industry: The Media. To say the traditional media – television, radio, newspaper, and magazine producers – have been slow to adapt to social media is like saying you were resistant to working with the street punks who mugged you. The brightest of media leaders knew that this new means of communication would eat their lunch. And even they were not smart enough to work with social media instead of against it.
Great image from themetapicture.com!
Traditional news outlets remind me of record companies 10 to 15 years ago. At first they mocked the coming of the internet. Then when they saw that it could cut into their business, they fought it. When that didn’t work, they pretended to welcome the internet. Finally they positioned themselves as pioneers.
And the bigger they are, the worse they are at engaging in the digital space. The New York Times “discovered” Twitter sometime around 2010. By 2011, they were pretending to lead the field.
Many broadcasters use social but not to engage with viewers or do anything remotely interesting that would compel us to use their product/brand/service more. Some broadcasters – especially CNN – pretend that they’re social by airing Tweets during the news broadcast. This is poor, lazy journalism. Sure, why send a reporter out to actually, you know, report. Let’s just click one button and show viewers what Ashton Kutcher or a Kardashian has to say about the subject. It’s irrelevant but easy.
And I don’t want to hear the lame excuse that newsrooms are understaffed and budgets have been slashed. Welcome to every company in America in 2012, news guys! Where have you been? Every company and every worker in the US is doing more with less. Our economy is in shambles, not that the media has noticed. In adverse times, winners suck it up, wear many hats, and look to new innovations. But that would require thought and creativity, things that left mainstream media studios long ago.
I pick on CNN because they really are the worst of the worst. Their idea of Social Media is to broadcast – on TV – what others are Tweeting. Thanks CNN, but I will skip your show and just read it myself on my computer or phone. Good thing you’re paying big money to @andersoncooper to read Twitter from those nice studios in Atlanta. No wonder your ratings are at an all-time low and you’re getting creamed by everyone from Fox News to Nick at Nite.
NBC is another clueless social media wonder. I only know this from catching their social media “engagement” during the Olympics. It featured Tamron Hall, who host Mary Carillo introduced regularly as “our social media guru”. Uggggg. And, you guessed it, their idea of a guru is someone who reports on what others are Tweeting. Really? You sent a reporter and a crew to London to do that? Where are the actually conversations with viewers on social channels? Where are the stories, videos, contests, and other things that NBC could have shared?
I see glimpses of hope at the local level. Several local affiliates promote Facebook or Twitter as simply another way for their viewers to get the news. This is still broadcasting, but at least they see social channels not as some new magic like the clueless NBC network people, but as another venue for communications – “Catch us on Channel X, Digital channel X.1, channel1x.com, or @channelXnews on Twitter”… It’s a start, and it’s better than the networks are doing.
I’m looking forward to moderating a panel of the Public Relations industry’s top agency leaders. These top industry executives will address current PR challenges and opportunities in a wide-ranging roundtable discussion. Our leadership forum is one of the most popular PRSA Chicago Chapter events held each year and is back by popular demand!
Issues to be discussed and debated include social, political, economic, and cultural trends affecting the practice of PR in agencies and companies including:
• The Communications role within the marketplace and current economy • Issues that are critical to all in the C-suite, especially in driving economic growth • New insights and innovations that agencies should provide clients • How do forward-thinking agency leaders stay in front of clients’ needs? • Predictions for the rest of 2012 and 2013!
My favorite not-exactly-new record of the year so far is Squeeze: Live at The Fillmore. The band recorded this show earlier this year and it is much cooler than the typical great hits live record that so many bands put out. Some of Squeeze’s biggest songs go into extended jams and solos. Maybe it was the spirit of The Fillmore causing that.
Glenn Tilbrook’s voice is still so strong that it’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years since some of these tunes were first recorded. He and the whole band sound so good that it’s a shame they weren’t included in the Opening Ceremony at the Olympics this summer.
There’s not a lot of info out there about this record, other than the lineup listed on the band’s website and the venue made obvious by the title. You see, there’s no CD or liner notes to this record; it’s available only as an iTunes download ($10) or as a limited-edition vinyl LP via mail order ($25).
What a cool concept: one to the 80’s biggest international bands recorded at a 60’s iconic venue and distributed in a 2012 digital way or by mail in the favorite format of the 70s.
I was disappointed to not hear Gilson Lavis on drums. Apparently Gilson is currently playing with former Squeeze member turned big-time UK TV host Jools Holland and not a part of the current lineup. Gilson and his jazzy riffs are missed here!
Check out what former Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis is up to and see his cool artwork here!
I am really enjoying this great new book by James Amos and BJ Emerson about Social Media Marketing.The Tasti D-Lite Wayis hot off the press and definitely worth a look by all marketers.
To say it’s a book about social media in the franchise industry only tells part of the story!
This book isn’t just a Franchise system. It’s a true American business success story about how to build a brand.
It’s not just about Social Media. It’s about creating a culture, a product, a team, and stories your customers want to share. As we often have discussed, social media is just the channel where those stories are shared. Do yourself a favor and steal as many ideas from Jim and BJ as you can!
A fun resource for finding old media clips is The Museum of Classic Chicago Television. They recently found and uploaded this awesome clip from WFLD-TV Channel. It’s the station-created opening to The Stooges Rascals Hour which ran on the station of many years starting in 1977.
Old images + the perfect music = a nice piece of art that you just would not see on a local broadcast anymore.
If you were to make a list of the biggest rock bands of the 1980s, REO Speedwagon would probably not land on your top 5 guesses.
Or top ten. Or top forty.
But, if you could take a trip back to 1981 and watch MTV for an hour, you would assume they were the Beatles of the era. We now forget how huge Champaign Illinois’ favorite sons were.
And huge they were! 18 Million albums sold between 1980 and 1984 alone; a dozen top 40 singles in that same period; thousands of live concerts across the globe.
MTV promoted the REO like crazy. REO was a natural fit with MTV’s initial AOR-type programming format. Also important for the new music channel: the band made video clips! In fact, in the first 24 hours of MTV, REO videos (mostly live concert clips) were played 16 times, which ties them with Rod Stewart as the most played artists on the first day. Much of the first week of broadcasts included promotion of MTV’s first Saturday night concert starring, yep – REO Speedwagon.
So even with all of this exposure REO had, we now barely remember them. Why?
Part of the problem is that they don’t really fit in with the stereotype of what we think bands of the 80s sounded like, and even more so, looked like. These guys had a pretty typical arena-rock / classic rock sound. They had big guitars, but not too crunchy like metal bands. They had keyboards, but basic pianos and organs without the synthesizers of other pop bands or new wavers. And most of all, they didn’t look like 80s pop stars at all. They wore jeans, sport coats, and sneakers – they looked more like stand up comics than rock stars.
Rock Stars or Stand-Up Comics? REO, looking like they’re about to do some airline food jokes.
I have a theory that as time goes on, the masses will forget about mega rock stars who had bigger songs but a pedestrian look. Middle of the road rockers like Genesis, Phil Collins, Bruce Hornsby, Don Henley, and Huey Lewis sold tens of millions of records each, but when someone says “80s Music” most people think of outrageous-looking minor artists like A Flock of Seagulls.
As we’re winding down the summer and gearing up for a big retail season, I thought I would share my presentation from Franchise Social Media Camp (FranCamp) from back in May. The topic was leveraging social platforms for Franchise systems.
One slide (#6) that lead to some good discussions with attendees is the view of social platforms compared to your franchisees’ stores. Think of it as a map. What platforms are you using as roads to get to other platforms? And, more importantly, what’s the route to get foot traffic in the stores? Are you sharing links on Twitter to draw consumers to an app on Facebook for coupons that drive store traffic? Are you using Google+ or Facebook start a discussion and then sharing video that lives on YouTube that has a great call to action? There are many more combinations than there are platforms! Remember, some channels may be a better or faster route for your customers than other routes.
Social Geek Blog 