Two quotes from WSJ for 01/24/00

[lglavin@lycosmail.com]

Today's Wall Street Journal (Jan 24,2000) had an 
interesting article about the NATPE annual "gathering"
in Nawlins Loozyanna (pg B10).  The gist of the story
was that the event is less and less important for TV
station execs due to the recent consolidation in the
broadcast industry.  (Note to Jibguy: always remember
Bill Clinton SIGNED the Telecommunications Act and
was effusive in praising its features!) Anyway, two 
sentences in the article really caught my eye, and 
I'm sure I won't violate copyright laws if I reproduce
them here.  One segment of the story pointed out that
people identified as general managers were hard to find
since programming decisions are made at Corporate HQ
with little input from GM's.  So here's the first 
direct quote from the story's writer (Joe Flint):  
"Most programming buys are done at a corporate level
with little regard for particular markets". As they
say in Japanese restaurants...oh tempura, o mores!
The story closed by remarking on the passing of an era;
the NATPE convention was one a glittering bazaar of
people in the production end of the business and those
in the media who brought them home to viewers.  This is
a dying phenomenon, and one Bill Carroll of Katz
Television Group utters the eulogy:  "Hey, even the 
folks who sell plumbing fixtures have a convention!"
Ah yes Bill, but now it's the cash flow, not the other
kind of flow that rules


Laurence from Methuen


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