Sadly, I am probably a better journalist...

Great journalist or great manager: Who would you prefer for a boss? | Poynter.

Bottoms Up! I'm a news director! Or am I....

On the way home tonight, for some reason, I was navel-gazing considering my job title.

News director.

And just at that moment the newest Sonic radio commercial played on the Royals pre-game show.  (The displayed Sonic commercial has nothing to do with this post, by the way.  I just like it because it starts with a Kansas City reference.)

The Sonic radio commercial I heard was a somewhat amusing riff on oxymorons.  Jean jacket, relaxing fuel, etc.

My job title is a contradiction of terms.  News director.  Bah!  I don't direct the news.  I have no control over the news.

I'm a news responder.

Most days, I feel like all I've done is respond (and react) to news.

(Everyone knows that if you make a plan for severe weather, it will by-pass us to the north or south.  But the second we don't have a plan, tornado warnings will strike without notice.  Floods, frogs, plague.  A certainty the one time you don't have a plan.)

How I love it!

Reflections on a Career

John and I watched this movie the other day and this passage (part of the above clip) spoke to me:

I wouldn't have had it any other way. But there are times when suddenly you realize you're nearer the end than the beginning. And you wonder, you ask yourself, what the sum total of your life represents. What difference your being there at any time made to anything. Hardly made any difference at all, really, particularly in comparison with other...careers.

Leadership lessons in "Bridge on the River Kwai" are everywhere.  I wonder how many times my boss has watched this movie.  He loves movies and leadership and although I don't think he loves conflict, he definitely understands and appreciates Lt. Col. Nicholson's desire to build a great bridge and how conflicted he was, at the end.

We are building a bridge.  We want it to be the best bridge we can build.

But we can't be afraid to blow it up, if necessary.

Groundhog Day

On the way home from work Wednesday, I realized, after ciphering the number in my head and confirming it by counting on my fingers, tomorrow will be the 16th time.

Sixteen times as a news director embarking on a February sweeps period.

It's kind of exciting.  It's the shortest month of the year but sweeps months are always longer than other months, somehow.  It starts with a bang for all NBC stations.  We have the Superbowl!  (Go Giants)  And there are plenty of other big events to draw folks to the  TV set.

CBS has the Grammys.  FOX has American Idol.  ABC has the Academy Awards.

Sweeps Eve?  It does feel like Groundhog Day.  And of course, tomorrow is.

For me professionally, this has been an incredible year of working on the way I communicate.  How do I get out of the death-spiral rut of negativity?  How do I transform myself into a more positive leader?  How do I provide feedback that feels like coaching, not criticism?

I still fail.  Regularly.

In the movie, the Bill Murray character (Phil Connors) is stuck in an endless loop.  I think we all get that way.

If you find yourself in a rut, keep working at it!  And for guidance, check this out:

So how does Phil Connors change in the movie? Ironically, Phil breaks free and changes his life by slowing down. By doing the equivalent of going from fast-forward to pause, he can start to see an accurate image of himself.

It's not easy.  I especially struggle with the slow down part.  There always seems to be so much to do and so little time to do it.

On this, the eve of Groundhog Day, I pledge to let go of my set ways.

And slow down so I can be a better leader.

Drive 55? No Can Do.

Seriously.  Today I had one of the Best. Birthdays. Ever.

I can live with being 55.  Double nickles.  The speed limit.

Birthdays that end in 0 or 5  are more momentous than the rest..  When I turned 50, I was unemployed. OMG!

I was fresh off of an eight-year-plus stint at WMC-TV in Memphis.  Legacy station.  Long time number one.  Ratings leader.

Some background.  I was hired in at WMC in 1998 by Bill Applegate, one of the most brilliant minds in the business. He moved on to Cleveland and was replaced by Howard Meagle.

Howard and I had a difficult beginning, to say the least.  We learned to appreciate each other.

I was invited to leave (fired) after the November book in 2006.  Not that it was a surprise.  Howard was dispatched in July, 2006 and when the new I-want-my-own-puppet GM arrived, I knew my days were numbered.  I lasted four months before hearing the words..."we need/want to make a change....blah blah blah."

Two weeks after a great 50th birthday celebration (January, 2007) in SD I traded in my beloved Mustang convertible for a Ford 500 (I am still driving the white Beast) and headed to Syracuse for a job at WSTM.  Fifteen months later John and I moved slightly south to the Scripps station in Baltimore, WMAR.  Forty-nine weeks later...west to Kansas City and KSHB.

I have now been at NBC Action News for two years, eight months.  Learned some things.  Hard things.  Survived another general manager change.  Learned to appreciate my strengths and to fix some of my weaknesses.

I let go of Memphis.  I began to appreciate Kansas City.  We bought a house here.

Most of all, though, I recognize the competitive spirit of the folks at 4720 Oak.  Today, I saw evidence of a high-functioning newsroom.  There have been glimpses before.  Today, I saw it clearly.

It was a great birthday present.

We can be winners.  I know it.  I believe it.

And I'm now 55 years old.  Wow.

The March to Irrelevance

I am one week away from a day I've been dreading since I became aware of the importance of demographics in the life a TV news director.

We-Who-Run-Newsrooms live and die (get fired) based on the number of people ages 18-49 or 25-54 that watch our newscasts.  Those ratings are figured every February, May, July, November.

Next Wednesday, I will no longer matter, according to Nielsen, the company that determines who watches television and when.

I will be 55 years old.  And I'm not alone.

I have more disposable income than I did at 18.  More than I had at 25.  More than I had at 35.  I have more buying power but the Powers-That-Be who determine my professional fate.  Still, they say I'm too old to matter.

I say, "Hold the bus headed the old folks home."

I'm still here, I'm still buying stuff.

Most of the time with cash!

I want a new kitchen and a deck and I want to turn my unfinished basement into a Man Cave for John.  He wants a pool table.

Don't stop paying attention to me, retailers.  I still matter.

I'm not the only one who thinks this way:

"...the current state of media evaluation and advertising targeting is dominated by a fundamentally flawed, and increasingly anachronistic, age-based process. This process is resulting in the misallocation of billions of dollars in media expenditures and in an imbalance in the programming mix of the media."

It's time for Nielsen to realize that 55 is the new 47.

Great lessons on leadership

I've got a news management position open and I've interviewed five executive producer candidates in the past month. Finding the right person has become harder because I refuse to settle for "good enough." I'm taking a lesson from the Chief's General Manager and this article helped keep my eye on the goal.

Drawing on a lifetime of lessons and a - 12.06.10 - SI Vault

My favorite quote from Pioli: "Do you want to build a team that will win once and then implode? I don't think that's the job. The job is to make the difficult decisions so you can build the kind of team that can be in position to win every single year."

It helped me focus on what I need to do at KSHB.

Leadership lessons from football

Correction alert. This post contained a misspelled name. Thanks DeAnn Smith, for helping me!


Saturday night, I watched the NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on ESPN.  John was still in Connecticut, spending time with his brother so I was home alone, trying to amuse myself for a few hours.

I found the speeches to be profoundly moving.  At one point, I called Charlie during Jerry Rice's acceptance and demanded that he watch it.  I'm sure he thought I was crazy (or drunk).  I was neither.  Rice is not a great speaker, frankly.  But his words were powerful.

"My fear of failure drives me," Jerry Rice said.

Fear can be a powerful master.  It can paralyze you...or make you better.

Learning how to prevail in the face of fear is the single most important step one can take toward becoming a successful risk-taker and maximizing success.

Linebacker Rickey Jackson talked about the importance of his hometown.  He wants his name to be part of the "Welcome to Pahokee" sign where he grew up. 

I get that.  (Wagner, South Dakota, if I get famous????)

Floyd Little's son gave an incredible introduction and Floyd's message was simple--Don't focus on your weakness.  This is easier said than done.  Many of us our most critical of ourselves than we are of others.  Self-reflexion is important but keep it in perspective!

Emmitt Smith, however, took the night.  He did two things incredibly right.  First, he recognized his teammates, most notably Darrell Darryl "Moose" Johnston.  He said Johnston took care of him like a little brother and he began to tear up.  So did I.

Second, Emmitt Smith said that to win, you have to show up every day.

That takes effort.  It's hard.  The road to success is paved with obstacles, most of which are unseen.  I read "Fast Company" for manager tips and here's what one expert says about bringing your best, every day:

It's not an issue of results. It's an issue of momentum. When you believe you can have a positive impact, others believe it too. Everyone's inspired to action. And you build momentum. When you vacillate in that belief, others vacillate too. Action starts and stops. Momentum never comes. And you get resignation and exhaustion instead. In this way, delivering your best is not something you can turn off and on depending on circumstances. It must be a daily habit. It must be a manner of traveling.

There is no wait-and-see.  There is only now.

Katie, Bar the Door!

I love this video.  I love the Rizzo kid.  I love the speech.  When the youngster talks about the Russian hockey team, I mentally replace that country with the call letters of my opponents--KMBC, WDAF and KCTV.

The February book has only a few more days left.  We put our focus on the evening newscasts and I'm pleased with how it's played out, so far.  I'll miss Vancouver but I think that in almost every instance, our news team put its best effort out there and it will be interesting to see how our local news ratings play out when programming goes back to normal.

The Olympics are over and soon we'll find out what is real and what is a halo from the winter games. 

No matter what happens, we can never, ever give up.

I Heard the News Today, Oh Boy

We have a new General Manager at KSHB and he's somebody I worked with before...a long time ago.

Mike Vrabac has been the GM at KJRH for the past four years...he's managed Tulsa's NBC affiliate for the most successful years at the station in the past twenty years or more. 

And yes, we have some history.

In 1994, I was a first-time ND at KJRH and Mike was the GSM.  I arrived in February, he left in October to go to KOTV (also in Tulsa).  I recall his wry sense of humor and that he talked about "inventory" and "cost per point."  I learned from and liked him. 

Until 1994 I had never attended a TV department head meeting and I struggled to find my way with not one but two consultants, each breathing different messages in my ears.  Add to that, a disfunctional relationship with the GM.  We didn't have a shared vision. Fresh off of four years at WSVN in Miami,  I wanted to make my mark as the Queen of Breaking News, an unlikely goal in our quiet corner of Oklahoma (until the Murrah Building got blown up).  Meanwhile, my boss wanted us to do most stories about the ballet and the library.  We were a terrible match.  Not his fault.  My lack of focus, naiveté and lack of common sense eventually got me fired in 1996.

I have often said that I probably should have been fired sooner.  I made every mistake a new manager makes and some of them more than once.  I lasted two years in Tulsa before taking the bullet.

(Rumor contol.  Mike Vrabac did not fire me from KJRH)

I'm excited about the possibilities!

MMJ Serendipity and a Little From the Wayback Machine

Newsblues posted this today, so a tip of the hat to Mike James.  And a tip of the hat to Lori Jane Gliha.  I don't know her but I'm proud she is a Scripps co-worker.  Lori Jane sang this song at a station gathering recently:



Her song struck a chord.  I blogged about our new reality six years ago when I was a news director in another market:

==============================================
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Tonight something happened that got me thinking. Let me set the stage. Our service technician (consultant) has been in for the past three days. That's Always stressful even if you like the person (and I think I do). So tonight, I left work early (6:25pm) and was settled into my couch about thirty minutes later. I learned from another station's cut-in that a robbery and shooting had occured at a grocery store. MY grocery store. Less than two miles from my house.

I immediately started putting my shoes back on and told John he should drive me there. Good plan until I realized the camcorder was dead. No battery. Dead freaking camera. Somehow it got left on when we were shooting video of our fantastic holiday light display.

A big story happening in my neighborhood and No battery.

For a moment, I was apoplectic. Seriously irritated.

But then I remembered that I work with professionals and although they could not get to the scene as quickly as I could, they would get there and do a good job.  And they did. I watched the late news and save for an audio buzz in the lead live shot, our coverage was fine. More than fine. I'm proud of my team. (Thanks y'all)

But dammit, I really wanted to be involved...shoot some video. Twice in my tenure here, I've shot stories that made it onto the NBC regional feed.  I gotta tell ya, that's serious thrill.

Probably the photojournalists who work at Action News 5 have a "no-big-deal" attitude about shooting stories that are good enough to be sent via satellite to the rest of the world because they do it all the time but I haven't had a camera on my shoulder for a living since the 70's. Nixon was president, for godsakes!

Where I'm going here is that Forward Thinkers say that at some point, all local TV news employees will carry cameras and all will report stories.

I can't wait./pp
============================================
Here's the deal.  The Newsroom of the Future is HERE.  On NBC Action News Thursday evening, we presented our viewers with four stories that were shot, written, edited and presented by MMJ's.  It is the new way.  And we will do it every day.

Since that night in December, 2003, I've never been without a video camera (complete with fully charged battery).  These days I carry a Flip with me and I hope to upgrade to a Flip HD.

I intend to make the network feed again.  Hopefully soon.

KCTV Makes a Change

Flitting around the KC blogosphere is a story that the somewhat-notorious Tracy Brogden-Miller (read the story I found via Google or watch the video from 2008) is out as ND at KCTV.



I can't help but be struck by the parallels to my death spiral in Memphis:

• She welcomed a new General Manager at the end of the summer.  Lee Meredith joined WMC in September 2006.
• KCTV had been contending for ratings but slipped by 20% in some news time periods in July.  WMC slipped to second place in the late news in February 2006.
• Despite strong lead-ins, KCTV slipped again in November.  WMC lost the late news race by 2/10 of a point in November 2006.
• After three months of working for the new GM, she's out.  I was sacked at the end of the November book in 2006.

I wish her the best.  Getting fired sucks.  Not cool.

When I'm wrong.

This past week has had some great leadership lessons for those of us who made decisions every day.

Bill Belichick gambled and lost last Sundays's game against the Colts.  Les Miles (LSU) couldn't get his field goal team on the grass quickly enough Saturday and blew a chance to win against Ole Miss.  Notre Dame's Charlie Weis is probably facing the end after his team lost AT HOME in double overtime to Connecticut (who? what?!).  Mark Mangino, a man who had the Kansas Jayhawks at the Orange Bowl a couple of years ago will be fired as soon as those in charge can figure out an exit stategy.

All of these men have been at the top of their game.  And they've made incredibly bad decisions.  How they handle their mistakes is up to them.

How I handle mine has changed since I first became a news manager.

I've always been pretty decisive.  But I'm not always right.  In fact...if TV news was baseball and I was a batter, I'd be in the Hall of Fame for making correct decisions five out of ten times.  Nobody bats .500 forever.

There are no flawless bosses. Even the great ones have their quirks. But the best bosses I've had have also been self-deprecating sometimes.  Admitting faults.  Admitting wrong decisions.

Local news is not baseball.  Running a newsroom is much harder than baseball. 

I am demanding.  I have high standards and I don't like my team to make avoidable mistakes.  But we do.  Every newsroom does.

So when I make a mistake, I try to be very overt about it.  I say I screwed up.



I wish I'd learned this lesson earlier in my career.