Lee Abrams' Permanent Cloud

Continuing the word cloud theme, I decided to turn Lee Abrams' latest batch of insanity into visual form.
This is seriously the craziest Lee Abrams post ever.

He likes the Allentown Morning Call's front page because it is "NOTICABLE and VISABLE ." Is this real or a Dilbert parody?

He says book reviews "may have to go away." "Maybe they avoid genres like Christian books, Celebrity books and Popular novels, opting instead for reviews of the Philippine Socialist Movement in the 1800's." Whew. Nobody likes to read those kind of books! Too much like NPR.

He wants TV news to be "a little more Pink Floyd and a little less Mariah Carey for you music observers" who have not listened to an actual new MP3 release in the past decade.

"THE WORLD OF SOUND:
Still tied to earth? Escape! There's a world of sound:
Natural: Thunderstorms
Human: Running...panting....sleeping...crying
Electronic: Phasing, Backwards songs, repeat echo, STEREO panning
Created: Get out your audio brush and paint!
Musical: We once tried Bagpipes on A Rock station and it sounded great! Harps, Oboes, Strings, Ukulele, Banjo, psychedelic.....it's all there to use. Challenge the ear."

This is an actual excerpt from an actual message by an actual Tribune corporate executive. Do the lenders know about this? Why doesn't this make them call in their notes out of sheer panic?

The final paragraph of derangement:

Let’s not forget the POWER OF SILENCE where in your head is as powerful as in your face.
Float Like a Butterfly...Sting like a Bee...."

What the *@! does that mean? Seriously? All 2,541 words follow after

July 07, 2008
THINK PIECE: NEWSPAPERS AND TV
Some thoughts/observations on our Newspapers and TV stations.

NEWSPAPERS:

*I thought Orlando again did an excellent job with their July 4th front page. It was "celebrated" within that 'zone'. The zone being that place between C-SPAN academic and National Enquirer chintz. Personally, I think that zone is where we can GROW newspapers. I see a tendency to skew to either side...too academic, or too chintzy.

*Another thing about Orlando, as they're the first paper to re-think themselves. We need to look at re-launches as a beginning, NOT the end all. It's a step in the complex process of turning Tribune newspapers around. A re-launch simply sets the new era in motion. To re-launch and then glide isn't going to do it. A re-launch is just the first BIG critical step in re-thinking the content. The REAL story will be in the weeks, months and years that follow the re-launch. The redesigning is part of the PLUNGE that we gotta take....but the results will occur with ALWAYS re-thinking...taking shots...getting into a 24/7 competitive thinking mode. ALWAYS looking for opportunities...new angles....KEEPING NEWSPAPERS EXCITING AND INTERESTING instead of simply reliable utilities. Unleash the creative, journalistic and design power. You GOTTA do that to survive...but more importantly GROW!

*I was interested in how newspapers treated July 4th, so I went to Newseum.org to look at front pages. I noticed mostly extremes. Big huge American Flags....or a complete avoidance that struck me as something that'll feed the "liberal bias" that seems to haunt some newspapers. Politics aside---it, like most holidays is something people are talking about. An opportunity to feed the spirit.

*Once again, I got sidetracked by what other Countries were doing. I definitely noticed more imagination in the overseas papers. Maybe we could learn something from the Car companies. GM and Ford used to be at the pinnacle of imagination and innovation until the foreigners leapt upon the denial and old school thinking plaguing the American car business. I think we need to re-capture innovation and imagination. Arguably, the best airlines and cars are foreign. We need to re-capture best. It's up to us.

*Allentown is preparing their re-launch. They have some pretty good ideas in the pipeline. I love their "Report-a-Scam" and "Strange but true" segments on their dedicated crime page. And their aggressive use of lists. Some things are best presented via lists. Easy on the eye and quick reference.

*They also feature LOCAL lists of best sellers (a quick call to local bookstores); CD's, etc....Takes five minutes to make some calls and find out what is selling in YOUR community instead of reprinting the National charts that you can find ANYwhere.

*They have a great Point/Counterpoint series. NOTICABLE and VISABLE (front page). Tackling issues like Public Smoking. I hope they go deeper as newspapers can be the carrier of popular opinion by being the center point of diverse thinking

*When I visited Allentown a few weeks ago, I thought that their promos for stories later in the week looked like afterthoughts....or throwaway ads. They unleashed their design people and the result is a very compelling "Inside" promo that draws you in. Part of the critical exercise of evaluating EVERYthing to see how it can be done better. I'd guess that 70% of what you do can be done better just by taking the time to look at bit and think through it. It's an exercise that isn't a luxury...but HAS to be done.

*Books: Heard a conversation about how Book reporting doesn't generate revenue and may have to go away. WAIT! Maybe Book reviews and coverage are one of those things that don't generate revenue right now, BUT--are trademarks for newspapers and elicit high passion from readers. At XM, we had Opera channels. Low listenership...HIGH passion...AND--it was one of those things that even if people didn't listen or even like Opera, it was one of those things you had to have for completeness. Maybe Book sections in newspapers are just dated. Not the idea...but the look and feel. Maybe they're modeled after a book store in 1967 whereas we're in the Borders, Amazon, B&N era. Maybe they are too scholarly. Maybe they avoid genres like Christian books, Celebrity books and Popular novels, opting instead for reviews of the Philippine Socialist Movement in the 1800's. The point here is maybe Book sections need to be as dramatically re-thought as Borders re-thought retail. Not dumbing down--but getting in sync with the 21st Century mainstream book reader.

*Trademarks. These are things you do every day. Things that are exclusive to you. I think they need to be branded better. Dedicated logos. The 2x4. I see SO many cases of a meeting with a staff and am told how everyone knows about a certain trademark...only to find out that it's "assumed" everyone knows...but they don't, because the trademark isn't branded within the paper properly.

*Editorial cartoons. Mentioning this again. well done, I think they are a timeless trademark that can be unleashed for better visibility.

*The Chicago Tribune is making some nice re-design moves. Assuming they follow through and go for it--I think they'll maintain their strong Chicago vibe....intelligence....and quality, but in a more modern way.
Early look is impressive. And once again, the key: CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF A CITY...on 2008 terms.


...a lot of this is applying some media war basics. Getting in the game and re-claiming our turf. I really don't buy into the newspapers are dead routine as long as we get in the game. There's room for Internet, Cable, radio, AND newspapers...but we have to park denial at the door and do what we gotta do. Newspapers CAN be their own worst enemy by resisting change, not living on a 21st Century competitive level, or being unable to separate from the past. It’s a whole new world out there and survival and growth means creating a new playbook that gets you in sync with the 2008 picture---and fearlessly and intelligently making the moves you gotta make.

TV:

In my first 8 weeks here at Tribune, I’ve been focusing a great deal on Newspapers. They DO need focusing. However, after the Managers meetings here in Chicago last month, some dramatic re-thinking with WGN AMERICA and a memorable trip to Channel 5 in San Diego, I’ve been starting to think a lot about TV too.

There's a lot of new thinking going on. Steve Charlier's revolutionary POV on news, Sean Compton's anti "you can't do that in TV" thinking, and Carrie King's crew at WGN AMERICA delivering some magic. And I sense that's just the tip of the iceberg.
I believe a big opportunity is in the 'magic between the shows and on the street'. This is maximizing the areas you have complete control over. It's all about throwing out the TV rule book and creating some things that take your station's look, smell and feel to a whole new, inventive and ORIGINAL kevel. I think you'll admit that most TV stations are very similar beyond the shows and the personalities. I get the sense that we can make some noise via a real re-think of the way stations sound and look (VO, visuals, logos etc...). In all due respect, it seems there's an FCC law that states a station has to look and sound a certain way. Radio was even WORSE at that....just listen to local radio...it all sounds the same. Ah...TV also has that issue. Clichés....tradition...conditioned ways of doing things. THESE are things we can bust. And when we do, you’ll be SO much more interesting and adventurous than the other guys on the dial. COMPLETELY do-able. Just takes de-conditioning yourself, breaking away from "TV thinking"...focusing on REALLY re-inventing your look, sound and feel...and NOT chickening out.

Part of it is balance. Ad Sales, Scheduling, Promotion...all absolutely essential...but then there's RE-INVENTION. Another important component in smoking the competition. A little eccentricity. Eccentric-All-The-Way-To-The-Bank. Maybe thinking a little more Pink Floyd and a little less Mariah Carey for you music observers.

Why rest being a "great TV station" on just news, shows and sports? There's a 4th ingredient that desperately needs to be re-thought. The magic of how you look and sound. How your Channel identification sings out. Doing it differently. In a NONE "traditional TV" way. You'll have an extra competitive dimension that your competitors just won’t get.

I think it's time to CHALLENGE the traditional. I mean, there are major comedy shows making fun of the way TV looks and sounds. If there's anything I learned from XM is that you CAN challenge and change the clichés...and engage listeners/viewers on a higher level....have enough belief in your brand to take some edgy chances. A little more cerebral and intelligent...a little less flashy and slick.

A thing I've noticed about TV is that the creative muscle seems to be on the show creation side. I'm not saying that local TV people aren't inventive...but they need to be liberated to create the magic between the shows and on the streets.

At WGN AMERICA we have a long way to go. But the new audio approach and visuals are in my opinion, pretty compelling. MANY people did NOT get it--pushing instead for a traditional package. But we educated and liberated the creative forces and voila! ---Some real magic...heady, original and cheeseless stuff that'll separate them and engage viewers. Once the programming lineup is locked down, it’ll be a pretty powerful brand. The cool thing is that the look and sound is driving the entire Network. Instead of building everything around the shows, we’re building everything around the look and sound...the vibe. There's a creative domino effect that touching every aspect of the channel. In time, it’ll pay off BIG. We're paying attention to things that are generally assumed and mired in tradition. NEW voice people...NEW sonics...NEW visuals. Didn't bring in typical "TV types"...but instead liberated people with new ideas. Yep, some stunk. But some were wonderful. These guys are breaking away from the rote and just imagine if we do that everywhere. Throw out the TV rule book and laws of tradition and do some really intelligent stuff that locks into the mainstream psyche like local TV stations haven't in years and years.

If you email cking@tribune.com, I’m sure she'll send you some audio and visual samples.

Here are a few thought starters:

Some of the reasons sound is a throwaway include a disconnect between the product and the person creating sound for the product...not being IN THE STUDIO WORKING WITH THE PRODUCER...Great sound and vision doesn’t happen through osmosis. You gotta get in there and teach the Producers every nuance about the format...the target...etc...so they understand it...feel it...see it. Autopilot production will result in autopilot sound. OR- Buying packages. How disconnected can you get when everyone is buying the same package.
PICTURE A TIMELESS RECORDING BEING MADE: THINKING LIKE ARTISTS... THE BEATLES SPENT HOURS AND NIGHTS WITH GEORGE MARTIN THEIR PRODUCER EXPLAINING THE "CONCEPT" BEHIND THE SONGS...THEN GEORGE DID HIS MAGIC. WITH EVERY ARTIST & ENGINEER (PRODUCER) THERE IS A DIALOGUE...A BOND....Or it was something like that...in any case, was a connect.
PICTURE TELLING A CAST OF A MOVIE YOU'RE DIRECTING..."GO FOR IT". NO!!!!! A GREAT DIRECTOR IS DIRECTING EVERY NUANCE OF THE SCRIPT (FORMAT). Every background noise...every line...every color...
And there’s a style of thinking:
AD'S FOR STATIONS or SOUND MOVIES?
You are in a theater......its dark.....your eyes are closed....your senses are nailed with this stunning, chilling sound. You can "feel" the sound...you can "see" the sound. That is "Cinematic Sound"......That is the kind of sound that we should be producing. Sound Movies not Ads for Stations. It's a way of thinking...a way of producing.
PICTORIAL:
Another word for it is "pictorial"...creating mind pictures. Anyone can create sound.....the genius is in sound that people can see. The best was Carl Stalling (The Looney Tunes guy). He would create the sound for a cartoon before its drawn, from story boards. In many ways, that’s what YOU are doing. The story board is the format outline. You are literally creating the soundtrack for the channel. That's why this stuff is so damn important. Go beyond titillating the ears...go for the (closed) eyes
THE TARGET:
Do you know who you're producing for? Beyond the research and latest voodoo psychographics. Probably not as most entities are programming in marketing-speak.

Sound and vision is a way to define the POV. POV creates fans. POV appalls non-target listeners....is joyous to target listeners.
INTELLIGENCE: Smart sells. For some reason there’s this perception that smart means not mass appeal....elite.

TAKE PEOPLE PLACES:
Sound and pictures can do that. Where does that piece you created take you? Sound can do that if you let it.
Audio Disneyland: That secret place in the mind that turns sound into chills...you've all been there. .
Scenes: A western-- you picture a Cowboy on a horse on the prairie at Sunset...on something Arty, it's a Cathedral in Europe....PRODUCTION creates this.
This isn't airy/fairy stuff...it's the reality of transporting listeners through sound. Easy? Ah no!
THE WORLD OF SOUND:
Still tied to earth? Escape! There's a world of sound:
Natural: Thunderstorms
Human: Running...panting....sleeping...crying
Electronic: Phasing, Backwards songs, repeat echo, STEREO panning
Created: Get out your audio brush and paint!
Musical: We once tried Bagpipes on A Rock station and it sounded great! Harps, Oboes, Strings, Ukulele, Banjo, psychedelic.....it's all there to use. Challenge the ear.
SFX: Close your eyes. Listen. Office Sounds, Traffic Sounds. Sounds of Life
Media: Old TV, audio archives, TV themes, jingles. Sounds of culture
Crazy: Tobacco Auctioneers...Square Dance callers. Noticeable, priceless and brilliant.
Use sound....all of it.
...and this use of sound isn't limited to radio or TV. ANY MEDIUM THAT DELIVERS AN AUDIO SIGNAL FOR ENJOYMENT, NEEDS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF "SOUND"---Why is that so hard to understand?
THE WORLD OF VOICES:
Big voices....why? It's dated. Try foreign accents, real people voices, whacked voices, regional accents etc....
The "Big Radio/TV Voice" is by most accounts dead. Big voices are the radio equivalent of Ted Knight on the old Mary Tyler Moore show.
WRITING:
Without good, succinct writing, a piece can be useless. Writing dramatically, clearly and intelligently is of critical importance. Every piece needs an end point...a reason. It can be as simple as station name, OR it can paint a sound and word picture that colorizes the name.
SHARING: Between us at Tribune, or any organization, there’s an incredible arsenal of sound. Get in there and share. Share the challenge to discover that "special" sound or vision.
POWER:
Audio and video Production should be powerful. But powerful does not mean loud. It means gripping...compelling. Anyone can create loud sound....but there's brilliance in creating power and drama subtly. My point: There's a place for loud AND subtle. Pink Floyd are powerful but subtle. When you rock you rock...but when you roll.......you roll.
Production can be:
IN YOUR FACE--powerful via rhythmic...body moving...earth shaking
Or
IN YOUR HEAD--powerful via Technicolor, lush, dreamy, sensual
Let’s not forget the POWER OF SILENCE where in your head is as powerful as in your face.
Float Like a Butterfly...Sting like a Bee....