Podcast 303

Podcast Consciousness. Live from the Kitchen! After a string of podcasts discussing intense topics, from economics through to participation in politics translating to political power, it’s time for a podcast consciousness podcast. How I do what I do, and how it drives me crazy sometimes. Well, maybe all the time. In searching for podcast topics, I spent some time tonight cleaning out my ‘stacks’ of news stories on foreign affairs, business, politics, local and all kinds of other topics, and found a lot of stories that never made it to ‘air’. Part of the reason for that is the effort to winnow all this day to day news writing down to some key points people can use to understand what I think is going on in the world, but the podcaster can miss the opportunity to just talk about stories that are interesting (to him). Maybe it’s winter. Maybe its cabin fever. Something’s going on below the surface though … perhaps a quest for adventure … maybe a road trip coming up … There is a restlessness rising up from the depths right now. Good time to talk about it. Plus the latest economic fairytales from the financial media, and what to look for down the road on that front. Sponsored by Baklund R &D. 

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Podcast 302

Mass Markets and Politics. As the death rattle of the Mass Market echoes through the land, why do politicians, specifically those on one side of the spectrum continue to attempt to appeal to it? In discussing the rhetorical and organizational challenges of the politics recently, it was suggested that the reason some politicians make lurid comments is to ‘appeal to the mass markets’. If you were born at a certain time in the US, you became very familiar with something called ‘The Mass Market’. From Elvis, to the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy Debates, the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, favorite TV shows and songs and the radio stations people listened to, there was a collective experience. Millions had to wait a week for the next episode of their favorite show. You had to go to a big department store to examine consumer goods. It was an era of shared experience; one after another, from Johnny Carson to Star Trek, to All in the Family and Miami Vice. Radio multiplied from AM only to AM and FM, but all still served a mass market and provided a mass experience. First came cable television, which brought scores of nationwide channels into the home, then the VHS machine, the DVD, Netlfix and very recently, on-demand audio and video, You Tube, Google Hang Outs, Vimeo, Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and more to come.  Now people can have the experience they want, when they want it, how they want it. They can research characters, content and what it said. Now, the experience is between the content provider, the retailer, politician, entertainer or writer and the individual. While we still have shared experiences, we may have it at different times, we may binge listen and view, we may not have the same experience as someone else. Why then, do politicians insist on lining up and yelling at each other, say ridiculous things to get publicity, why do political parties insist on mass promotional orgies called conventions be televised on the ‘networks’, when the era of Mass Specialization is upon us, and growing stronger every day? Are candidates that play to the mass markets making a mistake? What new tools are there and how can they be used to win. 1965 called, and left a message. It’s not coming back. Ever. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating. 

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Podcast 301

American Sniper. Updates for Monday morning include a review of American Sniper. What’s all the fuss about? Director Clint Eastwood says he dismayed by the controversy — most of which is being generated by Hollywood — over his movie, which he says portrays one man’s experience in war. Is it possible American Sniper and Wild are two movies which actually portray an individual’s struggle with inner demons? Is Hollywood stumbling onto something going on out here in the rest of the country it is unaware of? While everyone is fighting over the question of whether American Sniper portrays the Iraq war ‘as it should be’ portrayed, maybe in spite of itself its actually about something completely different? Are the American people turning inward to fight their own demons, after so many years of outward focus. The Bob Davis Podcasts will keep track of current movies, characters and TV shows, to see if this pattern can be detected, and report back. Another thing no one is talking about is whether American Sniper touches something in Rural America,  that Urban America does not see, or understand. Particularly touching is the end credit sequence in American Sniper which shows the respect paid to Kyle – regardless of controversy – when he was laid to rest. As the news media is starting to cover this ‘divide’ between Rural and Urban America, of course we have to be careful of story lines … we are ALL Americans … but there are different values, and ‘Sniper’ seems to touch on the values of the rural part of our country rather than say, Manhattan. Get ready, the big snowstorm is hitting the east coast, so prepare yourselves for wall to wall coverage of Snowmageddon, the sequel. If you live in the Upper Midwest the weather has been pretty good the last ten days or so … anyone envious of the east for getting all this snow? And, an IRS story you won’t — er will — believe. Sponsored by Xgovernment Cars. 

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