Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Another Reason Why I Love Wisconsin

At the risk of being branded low-brow by my well-educated (and even more well-read) friends...I have never understood the fascination with The New York Times. Oh, I've tried. I've brought that brick home on several Sunday mornings and tried to consume it...but, it just bores the hell out of me.

I've felt like the guy that didn't get the joke for a long time...but, now I don't feel so bad after seeing an infographic that my friend and fellow blogger Reyn Bowman shared last week.

It shows how each State in the Union gets its news...and The New York Times is totally a regional play. Illinois and Indiana are all about The Chicago Tribune. Washington is, naturally, about The Seattle Times. Oregon is NPR...no surprise there. And California is all about The Los Angeles Times.

And Wisconsin? The Onion, of course.

Which is just another reason that I love this State.

Contribution vs. Investment

I know it may be semantics to some...but it's a huge difference when a City "contributes" money versus "invests" it.

And we saw it again last week in a news story in Columbus Business First: "The Columbus City Council approved the city’s $6.44 million contribution to the convention and visitor’s bureau’s 2012 budget at a meeting Monday night. Last year, the city contributed $5.4 million to Experience Columbus."

If that's the way the Council viewed it, who am I to complain? But I'm guessing that is far from why the Council appropriated over $6 million dollars to its DMO. Without being there for the vote, I'm quite sure they expect a Return-on-Investment for these dollars.

The challenge we all face is that today's cash-strapped media is employing less sophisticated reporters (like the one that thought the Wisconsin State flag was a union banner). Which means that we all have a responsibility to educate the people who the populace expects to educate them.

Otherwise, our news media will continue to tell stories that are hardly accurate.

Where Are You Investing Your Money?

Destination Marketing Organizations like to say they are "the trusted source" for travel information. And, for the most part, DMOs are more trustworthy than other sources.

But, do consumers think so? After reviewing the results from an Iconoculture survey, it's hard to tell...as "DMO" was not one of the sources tracked by the researchers.

Even if they had, though, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have rated as high as the two top answers: The Internet (62%) and Family & Friends (56%). The rest of the sources? No more than quarter of respondents called them "trusted sources."

Rather than fighting to become "trusted," I think I'd invest in being as visible in the spheres that are already trusted. And that means online and social.

You?

It's Not What You Say

A few weeks ago Terri and I had the chance to hang with the amazing Frank Luntz and his posse in Myrtle Beach (that’s him with Hannity backstage at the Republican Presidential Debate). I hadn’t yet had the chance to read his latest book, “Win”...but quickly devoured it on my next couple flights. And, for anybody that depends on influencing others (which would be, ummm, everybody), the book is a must.

Throughout “Win” (as well as Frank’s earlier works), he stresses that it is rarely what you say...but what people hear. Thus, those who win are those who craft their messages to resonate with what’s important to their audience.

I thought of Frank and had to chuckle the other day as I prepared to depart Omaha. The flight attendant apologized to the first class cabin that she wouldn’t be able to serve a pre-flight cocktail because they were running late...and that she knew we all wanted the airline to maintain its on-time record.

Actually...no, I don’t care about your on-time record.

I want a drink.

More Fine Reporting

We suggested yesterday that there are those in the Knoxville media that really should find something else to do. When not playing class warfare with a story that was anything but, they question research findings based on the opinion of one man.

This Monday, after the Knoxville News-Sentinel and other media outlets had stirred up a hornets nest of discontent over former Knoxville Sports & Tourism Commission CEO Gloria Ray's compensation package, Columnist Tom Humphrey suggested that we should all be skeptical of a recent Longwoods International study of the impact of Tennessee Tourism marketing.

Nevermind that Longwoods is one of the most respected firms of its kind in North America...some guy said that he read the study and calls the claims in the report "absurd." And, sadly, that's what makes for news today. Some guy who apparently made some money with an internet play in the '90s and now is in real estate. Yeah...just some guy.

Not someone who has studied community economic development. Not someone who has experience in travel marketing and hospitality sales. No...just a guy that is part of the Tea Party movement.

Hey Tom? If I were to say that Copernicus' work was absurd and that the Sun revolves around the Earth, would you feature me in an upcoming article?

I didn't think so. But, would you if I was in the Tea Party?

'Cause that's the only reason you think this guy has credibility. And, that's not good enough.

This Simply Sucks

The Class Warfare that has gripped this country will be its downfall. What people earn has nothing to do with what needs to be done.

Gloria Ray, former CEO of the Knoxville Sports & Tourism Corporation, has been under fire for the past few weeks for how much money she makes. Nevermind that her Board chose to pay her at that level for a reason. She made it rain.

But, she made "too much," according to the media and the Mayor.

After withering public criticism, Gloria resigned her post Friday. And the media responded with a retrospective of just how important Gloria has been to the community.

Really? I mean, REALLY?

Where the hell where you when this story broke? Oh, yeah...you WERE the story. You fanned the flames of discontent. You made people crazy that a person could make $400,000 doing what y'all simply don't understand is exceptionally difficult to do.

You created enough drama that she stepped aside to save the organization from more of your manufactured tripe.

And then you eulogize her as being a major player in your community's success?

Knoxville Media...you suck.

And, you've just cost your community increased visitor spending, taxes and jobs that she could have continued to bring to Knoxville.

Proud of yourselves?

Andy Rooney

Say what you will about the man, he stomped on terra firma and told it like he saw it. Never mind that so much of what he said was painfully dated in a world that no longer existed...it was still Andy.

In the '80s, I actually made money doing an impression of Rooney on radio ads for a product that I'll never remember. What I do remember is crunching my voice up to that Andy whine and saying "y'ever notice?"

Nancy Miller has simply nailed the man and his impact in a recent piece for Fast Company. Andy...the original voice of the internet?

Just possibly.

SNF vs. MNF

Monday Night Football is an icon in American Media. Sunday Night Football is a knock-off.

Except when it comes to hotel demand.

A new study by Sports Business Digest suggests that hotel occupancy is significantly higher for SNF games than MNF events...even when discounting the effects of business travel on Monday nights in host cities.

While Sunday is clearly a more desirable night for leisure travelers than Monday...there is something more at work here, according to the researchers. And, I can't wait to hear their analysis.

Goose and Gander

A Destination Marketing Organization was recently taken to task by its local newspaper for "questionable" estimates of the reach of its sensational advertising campaign. A campaign that, according to virtually everyone in the local hospitality industry, helped generate a record year of visitor spending.

The reporter ignored the business community's satisfaction with the DMO's campaign and focused in on the estimated number of "impressions" the campaign was judged to have produced. It seemed excessive, she thought. Not believable.

Which, of course, is interesting...as her publisher uses the exact same metric when pitching prospective advertisers.

You can't have it both ways...unless, I guess, you're the media.

There's a Joke in There Somewhere

Actually, there are several in the recent announcement that the CEO of Sesame Street will become the CEO of National Public Radio.

Here's hoping that, through the chortles, people listen to what Gary Knell said as he was unveiled as the new head of the embattled network: "I'm not naively walking into this. I think, obviously, [NPR has] been caught somewhat in the political cross hairs in Washington. Some of that is undeserved, I think. And what I would really like to see is depoliticizing NPR a little bit, so that it's not caught in those cross hairs."

Which is Job One. Because, if it isn't depoliticized, future funding from ANY regime at any given time is shakey.

Though, it would kinda be fun to have Bert and Ernie do the news.