BlackDoor MediaComm

By Deron Snyder When we consider the history of sweeping government regulations that made a direct, personal impact on the day-to-day lives of virtually everyone in America, the 1996 Telecommunications Act can hold its own against all contenders. With the explosion of cable and digital products in the three decades after the Supreme Court sided with the Federal Communications Commission in U.S. v. Southwestern Cable (1968) , arguably nothing changed our society more than technological advancements in the delivery of news, information and entertainment. Government regulators struggled to keep pace with those advancements, which brought businesses to fore that were unimaginable a few years earlier, not to mention way back when the 1934 Communications Act created the FCC to oversee the telephone, telegraph and radio industries. More than 60 later, federal legislators took a figurative sledgehammer to the FCC’s industries, which had grown to include broadcast, cable, satellite and d...

Photo by  Mihai Surdu  on  Unsplash By Deron Snyder Regarding the age-old question – “Is man basically good or evil?” – Aristotle left no doubt where he stood. He contended that moral excellence is not man’s natural state, and it is achieved only through determined and repeated effort. That sustained endeavor helps man distinguish what is morally correct and leads him to lean in that direction. Aristotle’s “Golden Mean” resides between the extremes of good and evil. This middle is particularly relevant to journalism in three areas of ethics and credibility: unsubstantiated saturation coverage, gratuitous shock value, and stereotypical characterizations (Dickson, 1988) . The media’s tendency to overindulge in these areas represents a moral failing, whereas exhibiting restraint would allow the industry to find the mean. The principle in reference to journalism is more relevant than ever, as the 24-hour news cycle and the proliferation of digital news continue to...

Photo by  Fancycrave  on  Unsplash By Deron Snyder So much content. So many eyeballs. If the former can catch a glance from the latter, a wonderful and meaningful encounter could ensue.  They even might wind up meeting on a regular basis and spending quality time together. That would make content ecstatic, because one its greatest fear is dying of loneliness. So, it attempts to put itself in front of eyeballs as many ways as possible, but it’s really helpless after that point. Eyeballs have all the power and call all the shots, with no shortage of content to choose from. Nonetheless, some content wants to be picky, wants to be selected by the particular type of eyeballs it believes it’s   made for. Other content couldn’t care less about which eyeballs it hooks up with; the more the merrier.   It doesn’t want to appear cheap and easy, but … its often perceived like that anyway. Such is life as 2020 approaches, with content at every turn on m...

Photo by  M. B. M.  on  Unsplash By Deron Snyder There seems to be an app for just about everything nowadays, including fun nonsense. There’s an app for virtual shaving, compete with falling whiskers of the color and length you choose. There’s an app that allows you to milk a cow, seeing how fast you can fill a bucket. There’s an app for popping pimples, tapping on aquarium glass, and taking bathroom breaks . But strategic communication professionals could really use a yet-to-be-developed application. This technology would compute the intrinsic value of staying in touch with contacts and asking about their families. The merits of making a personal connection with powerful and influential people. The significance of being seen as a positive, open, and caring individual. Yes, there’s an app for building relationships. But as far as I can determine, there’s nothing to tell stratcomm professionals what a relationship might be worth and how it might increase...

Photo by  Inspirationfeed  on  Unsplash By Deron Snyder “As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know that we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” – Donald Rumsfeld. Few individuals can express an idea as eloquently as former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. But his most famous quote boils down nicely as follows: Crises happen. That much is known. But the who, what, where, when, why and how are often unknown. One morning, you’re the happy leader of the world’s largest hotel operator. The next morning, you’re announcing that 500 million guests might’ve had their personal data stolen by hackers . “We deeply regret this incident,” Marriott’ President and chief executive Arne Sorenson said in a statement Friday. “We fell short of what our guests deserve and what we expect of our ourselves. We ...