Not Cool, Zeus. Not Cool. (Part One)

I don't pretend to know my way around the very confusing Hedge Maze of Factors Contributing to NBC's Unhappy Situation. But here I go, hacking into anyway! Let's start with a quote from the Media Decoder blog at nytimes.com:

The problem is not disclosure, or jokes, but the facts themselves. There are some things even the best communications strategy can’t fix, and this is one of them: angry talent standing in front of a pile of smoking rubble that used to be a programming schedule.

By nature, the best of the talent, as generally creative (read: inventive) folks, can adapt to changing landscape more efficiently than the administration. Shows, whether broadcast as a radio production or streamed directly into our contact lenses, need to be written, directed, performed, edited, designed, and any other number of artistic-past-tense-verbed. The job of the networks is on shakier ground. How will advertising fit in, and to what extent? What are the administrative needs and costs of producing and distributing the product? How do you measure and track the audience when they consume their media in multiple, shifting, flighty ways?

I don't envy the Jeff Zuckers or Jeff Gaspins of the world their jobs. But they get paid a lot of money for that responsibility, so they need to nut up (or ovary up, in some cases) and do their jobs. The industry has static (ref: the plot of "Singing in the Rain," James Cameron for the last fifteen years). The whole impetus of movie-making and broadcasting is to continue the narrative. That goes for the stories as well as the technology involved, the union rules, the censorship requirements, the audience preferences, etc.

When Charlie Chaplin finances, writes, produces, directs, acts in, and composes original music for his own work, you have a perfect storm. A gifted multimedia artist who is also an effective administrator produces a quality product that can perform as intended. But that isn't a sustainable model--the business is too big and (non-Chaplin) talents are too narrow. Networks and their executives need to be more nimble--more investments like Hulu.com and more nuanced understanding (and communication) of the new map being drawn by the combination of streaming/DVR numbers and traditional ratings, plus any other matrices by which they judge "success."

The talent (in this case, the comedians) have another leg up besides their adaptability. You can't be a good comic without being a good communicator. And as Media Decoder said, the problem is definitely not the jokes (weeeeeell, except for in Leno's case), however; in a meta-but-predictable twist, the problem has become the joke. If you've been watching, all the late-night monologues have been directing some level of vitriol to the network or executives over the last couple days (especially Conan). Comedy done right can be a verbal panic room--powerful self-defense. That goes for stand-up and the written word, and if you haven't read Conan's letter yet, you must--it's a great and honest in to what he is going through, and a sterling example of how to make your point, capture hearts and minds, and not be a dick.


More to come...