I'm Outta Here.

I was reading a column the other day about 10 things executives need to know about blogging before they commit to it. One of the red flags was being able to spend enough time.

Bingo.

It takes a lot of time doing a weekly blog—and a hell of a lot more time running a company, which is what they pay me to do. So, I’m going to spend more time doing that and less time talking about it, effective today. Thank you dear reader, for delivering 13,000 “reads” to this blog the past ten months.

So…what are you working for?

The investigation by the FBI and IRS of one of our magazine competitors, and the inevitable layoffs that will follow, reminded me why we’re in business. I was again reminded when the current credit crisis forced the termination of tens of thousands of jobs, people with families to support and bills to pay.

People just like you and me.

Our company lost a big account recently. Looking back, we knew it didn’t feel right the past 12 months but we didn’t see the inevitability of the end. Some of the people on the inside who should have stepped up, didn’t. I wondered: Did they understand what they were really putting at risk? Sure the business, but did they think about their fellow employees?

We’re in business to make money. And yes, we’re in business to create products that consumers want to buy. But it’s the outcome of those considerable accomplishments that matter, i.e., they allow fellow employees a chance to earn a living.

Employees just like you and me.

What are we working for?  Survey says…to support family. To further the career. If we’re lucky, we work to satisfy a passion or purpose.

But at the end of the day we work…for one another.

Before you think I’ve gone mushy, think about it. It’s been demonstrated in spades who we cannot count on. We cannot count on über-wealthy-investment-banking executives. We can’t count on politicians or government. We can’t count on employers who mismanage their businesses. We can’t count on managers who live and die by the bottom line.

We can only count on each other. We all have a shared stake in our collective success. Tom Joad in the Grapes of Wrath had it right. He spoke for “everyman,” not because his was a soppy, bleeding heart. His worldview provided the only protection in a threatening world. Community.  Remember that the next time you have the chance to improve a system, avoid a client catastrophe, contribute an idea, or put out a fire. If you do it for others, you do it for you.

See you down the road. And, thanks.

The Hot New Diet

Just got back from my brother’s wedding. It was notable for several reasons.

First, he and his lovely new wife are, politically, diametrically opposed. She’s a television journalist for a major network, he a former newspaper editor, presidential speechwriter, press secretary for a congressional leader, and a public affairs and media consultant for a major DC lobbying firm.

Did I mention he’s a Republican?

He was here for the RNC editing speeches, so we spent a lot of time talking about the state of the world. Much of our discussion was about media. Republicans feel that most media misleads the great unwashed when it comes to conservative positions. Indeed, the much reviled NY Times is considered Satan, right up there with NBC. Righties even contend that the NYT’s David Brooks, the finest columnist in the nation, is the “left’s favorite conservative.” Don’t even whisper MSNBC to them. I actually agree with their assessment.  Watching Keith “Mad Dog” Olbermann’s strident delivery reminds me of Joe McCarthy at times. I just can’t stand his hysterical, polarizing opinions.

The lefties bemoan precisely the same things the righties do. They groan at Rush Limbaugh. They get downright vicious if Bill “Mad Dog” O’Reilly comes up, a guy who also reminds me of Joe McCarthy.

The lefties get reflux at Fox News and the Washington Times, just like the Repubs do when Chris Matthews is hard-balling them. And then there’s Mr. Teflon, David Gergen, whose CNN job description = say something that sounds balanced without any substance whatsoever.

On another front, Paul Azinger, captain of the winning Ryder Cup team showed media disdain at the recent post tournament press conference saying, “I used to care what you guys think but I got over that.” Even Phil Mickelson took at shot at a reporter by answering his question with a wise crack, “I’m sorry could you repeat that, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Further, a long time Republican operative pulled me aside at the nuptials and said of ABC’s Charlie Gibson, “I’m going to have trouble talking to him, after he tried to ruin Sarah Palin.”

So what has created this media-as-terrorist monster, effectively elevating a news-parody show and its host Jon Stewart as one of the most trusted sources of news in the country?

A renowned media watcher, Simon Dumenco points out in a recent issue of Advertising Age that the media is not at war with the right or the left… but with itself—a civil war. One borne out of unchecked media births, spawn of the emergence of cable, all gnawing at one another for audience. The more sensational the content, the better the chances of capturing you and me, to the point of absurdity (i.e. The Daily Show).

They have unintentionally conditioned us to seek the extreme edges of news coverage, attracted like the proverbial moth to flame, subscribing to mob mentalities that turn toxic.

I know one thing… if I miss the news for a week, I find that I have missed very little other than feeling a little out of the loop at the water cooler.

That said…..this day, I am calling for a moratorium on acquiring news, of any kind, for one week!!

My guess is you may feel as I, and decide to go on a permanent news diet, a lifestyle change as they say.  At the very least you may decide to move to “smaller portions.” Or, like a cartoon in the New Yorker last week, you can continue to choose between watching the preaching to the choir stuff or the love-to-hate stuff.

Bon Appetito!

Top 10 Picks

Metrics tell me which blogs you do and don’t like.

God, you’re persnickety. Maddeningly fickle.

I’m risking our relationship saying these outrageous things to you, I know. What business in its right mind would say what it thinks to a client? OK, maybe Apple.

It’s a client world these days: Consumers—you, the gorgeous, goddess prize—and vendors—me, the nerdy, needy suitor.

As an information/entertainment provider, I watch people (customers) click their remotes, or scan words as though they were browsing the glass at a deli, looking for a slice of quick-snack pizza or a donut stuffed with thick, creamy filling. They seek mindless television and quick, easy reads—i.e. headlines with yummy words such as, “Top Ten,” “Ultimate List,” “The Path to Multiple Orgasms,” “Brangelina’s Baby Pics,” or “Science Discovers the Afterlife.”

They sniff low-hanging fruit, stopping when something “sticky” strikes their fancy, like…Top Ten Picks. If Dick Vitale were calling this game, he’d scream, “Cotton candy, baby!” If we are what we sell, these days most businesses are a box of Ho Hos, or at least there’s a box with every purchase.

Being the audience Ho that I am, and not wanting to bait and switch on you, as you think this whole “Top Ten” thing is a trick to get you to read my blog (it is), here’s a list, and a good one at that.

Best Dining Lists.

1. Ten Finest Restaurants: Heidi’s – 112 Eatery – Porter & Frye – La Belle Vie - Heartland Restaurant - Vincent – Restaurant Alma – Lucia’s – 20.21 – D’Amico Cucina

2. Really Good Food: Yumi’s – Solera -  I Nonni – Via Cafe & Bar – Crave – Masa – Origami – Spoonriver – Cafe Lurcat – Cafe Brenda - Barbette

3. Breakfast/Lunch: Brasa Rotisserie - Hell’s Kitchen – Keys Cafe – Atlas Grill – Peter’s Grill – Turtle Bread Company – Azia – Peninsula – Zumbro Cafe

4.Inexpensive but Great: Sorrento Cucina – Gardens of Salonica – Punch Pizza – Quang – It’s Greek To Me – Town Talk Diner – Good Day Cafe

5. Best Events For Food: Renaissance Festival –All Orthodox Church Feeds – Corn Feed in Eden Prairie – Mill City Farmers Market – Oktoberfest

6. Classics: Lexington – Murray’s – Jax Cafe - Kramarczuk’s – Sawatdee – Mancini’s Char House

7. Red Meat or Grease: Morton’s – Manny’s Steak House –Convention Grill – Monte Carlo – Jake O’Connor’s Public House – Wagner’s Drive-In.

8. Sugaaah: It Takes the Cake – Yum! – 112 Eatery (tres leche cake) – D’Amico Cucina (Napoleon) – Porter & Frye (raspberry chili sorbet)

Reality Bites (the Dust)

I knew a guy once who thought he’d turned into a lamp. Forty years ago, reality was a moving target depending upon your influence of choice, be it Maui Wowie, Owsley acid, The Teachings of Don Juan, the Vietnam War, Russell Means, Germaine Greer, Abby Hoffman, Timothy Leary or Richard Nixon.

Most of us held on by our fingernails.  Until now.

Recent news indicates we’ve completely lost our grip. According to a Pew Foundation survey, Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, the hilarious faux-news show and satirical spin on daily happenings, is now considered as trustworthy a broker of the news as Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather or Anderson Cooper.

Help me out here. What does comedy have to do with news? Apparently…plenty.

C’mon, this is like saying Judge Judy is the greatest jurist or, Steve Carrel the smartest boss. It’s like saying Major League is the best baseball movie ever made or Life of Brian the greatest religious epic.

How did we get here??

1. Media let us down. We’ve been hoodwinked by a compromised journalism creed. There have been too many examples of plagiarism or outright deception, making us question the truth. Newspapers are the worst offenders.

2. Distorted coverage pretending to be news. With “news/commentary” from infected fistulae like Bill O’Reilly of Fox and MSNBC’s Keith Olberman, Fox’s antimatter, it’s tough to distinguish trash-spewing political agendas from fact.

3. Disconnect between news and our daily lives. Reality has lost its relevance in America because we’re so insulated from it. We’re a society of civic complacency, lacking serious interest or responsibility for digesting or understanding news.

4. We’re all web junkies. The Atlantic cover story, “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?” has it right. We’ve lost our intellectual curiosity and become hyper-dependent on our search buddy who takes us only where we want to go.

5. If it ain’t funny, it sucks. And the more crude and stupid, the better. We’ve cartoonized everything. We love you Butthead. We love you Bart. Jon Stewart for president!! Ace Ventura for VP!! Let’s make Goofy secretary of state. That’ll put Putin right where we want him.

Think about it. The Founding Fathers of the Fourth Estate: Cronkite and Murrow, Sevareid and Reasoner, Huntley and Brinkley, Jennings, Koppel, Lehrer, Mudd, et al…replaced by a joke.

Excuse me for getting all Mr. Serious on you, but if you’re not worried about free speech, you should be.

Don’t Care Much About Anarchy

The Republican National Convention is a big deal, regardless of one’s politics. Our company is a media organization, so we’re offering coverage—like everyone else. Although ours is a little more bent and twisted. We’re doing what we do best on mspmag.com.

As I read our blogs and watch our videos, I’m struck by the lack of respect many reporters have for the people presenting these conventions, seminal events in our political process. I’ve seen firsthand what the challenges have been and what a mighty and intense effort is required to do this right.

It is a daunting task. And it is so easy to take pot shots.

Though politicized, I consider conventions one of the great forums for free speech. This convention has had its speech rights violated by protesters. I cannot say the reverse is true.

If you wish to disagree, do it. However, you have no right to break windows, to obstruct others or to violate the law. And, if you choose to enter that space, you enter at your own risk.

By and large, the reaction our police have had to the protests has been reasonably appropriate.

I’m thankful that St. Paul and Minneapolis were chosen to host this particular event. Forget about the dollars flowing into our towns (significant), forget about the massive media coverage for our sterling area (significant). I’ve been lucky enough to get to know the people running this enormous event. Maria Cino and Mel Raines—CEO and President, and Vice President, respectively—Jeff Larson, Mike Vallante, Paul Vinovich, Cyndy Lesher, Mitch Berthiaume and many others…are decent, incredibly dedicated, phenomenally talented professionals. Bravo to you.

Also, congratulations to mayors R.T. Rybak and Chris Coleman. R.T. is heading for the Governor’s Mansion or the senate, no doubt.

Thank you all for what you’ve done.

Incidentally, if this sounds like a big kiss ass from a Republican to the Republicans—Don’t believe everything you hear.