The Day Television Lost Control: “The Heidi Game”

TweetShareShareIt was the football game that changed the rules of broadcasting. It was the game that showed how the democratic, decentralized people’s voice could overrule the authoritative, centralized control of network brass. It was the game where a little girl in the Swiss Alps and superstar athletes toppled how we would watch live sports forever.…

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You Should Be Dancing: How The Bee Gees Reinvented Their Lives and Revived Disco

TweetShareShare Irving Stone studied great men his entire life…their habits, attitudes and qualities. He finally concluded their primary characteristic was RESILIENCE. “You cannot destroy these people” he said,  “Every time they’re knocked down, they stand up.” And sometimes they even dance. Need an example? Consider the Bee Gees.   This trio of brothers formed in…

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Gen X Goes To Jail

TweetShareShareGen X (born 1961-1981) is the most incarcerated generation in American history, as the Pew Research confirmed this past week. According to the Bureau of Justice, the number of Americans in prison currently has returned to the 1995 level, and continues to fall annually. The rate had been rising exponentially every year since 1980, when…

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The Day Disco Died (And How We Got It In The First Place)

TweetShareShareIn the late 1970s, there were only two opinions about a popular dance craze known as “disco.” It was either the best thing since the jitterbug or the worst thing since the Hindenburg. Very few had a position riding the fence. For the critical ear, the monotonous beat, synthesizer hooks, flourishing strings and banal, often…

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The Long Play (LP) Vinyl Arrives!

TweetShareShare Today is a big day in the “Vinyl is Final” world, as it’s the day that 33 1/3 rpm records debuted. This format allowed for longer recordings (around 30 minutes per side).   The LP (long play) would be a significant technological innovation for the coming “rock ‘n roll” era that relied upon “singles”…

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The Introduction of the VCR

TweetShareShareTelevision was (and is) a transformative technology. It transformed how we processed information and received entertainment. It transformed how we interacted with our world. It transformed education, religion and government. And it introduced other transformative technologies, from the remote control to “smart” television. From rabbit ears to cable to satellite to streaming, television has reimagined…

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The Cable News Network Reimagines the News

TweetShareShareThe emergence of cable television news reimagined how information was reported and consumed. With a 24/7/365 platform the Cable News Network (CNN) could report LIVE news visually, as it happened…with no commercial breaks if necessary. It was the brainchild of media mogul Ted Turner. Watch CNN in 1980… Unfortunately, cable news wasn’t good for radio.…

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Heeeeeere’s The End, Johnny!

TweetShareShareThe Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was the drug of choice for late night insomniacs for three decades.The program was ranked #12 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. The undisputed King of Late Night talk show hosts,  Johnny Carson (1925-2009) made his debut on October 1, 1962 at the NBC studio…

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