Over-50

Remembering Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker - Lessons for Current Times

The two-hour "20/20" resurrection of the Jim/Tammy Faye Bakker scam made many of us reflect on the grifters of today.

Like the Bakkers, they are peddling all sorts of salvation. Those range from the promise of a return to supposed American exceptionalism to extreme wellness. As with how the Bakkers positioned and packaged their message, their current counterparts are quite earnest and wildly optimistic. And those who buy in can expect prosperity. It is all about the gospel of abundance.

The sad aspect, though, is that Tammy Faye seemed to be a true victim. Not until she developed cancer did she seem to develop a sense of self. Until then she could be held hostage to any strong presence entering her life. 

That leaves viewers of the "20/20" programming with a dire warning: Become your own person. Otherwise, just like the followers of the PTL Club and Tammy Faye herself, you are an easy target for exploitation. That could well develop into a meme for the 2020 presidential campaign.

Get amazing results through out of box communications strategies/content. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com. I help, not sel

How Not to Do an Attempted Comeback

The dark drama of the Les Moonves alleged sexual miscount gets a sequel. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that instead of going away, Moonves is challenging the CBS board of directors' decision to deny him the possible $120 severance package. He is taking the option, specified in his severance package, to have the dispute submitted to arbitration. 

This was expected. Moonves' lawyer - Andrew Levander of Dechert - denied that his client was guilty of any inappropriate sexual behavior.

The revival of the Moonves show is an ugly development for CBS. As it searches for a new CEO it wants a fresh start. 

But this move by Moonves could also impair his own comeback. He could be perceived as an obstructionist. Who wants that type in their business? 

The usual first step in a comeback after a scandal is to lay low. 

Get amazing results through out of box communications strategies/content. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com. I help, not sell.

The Dignity of Work - Increasingly Unavailable to Aging Professionals

Here in Ohio, U.S. Senator (Democrat) Sherrod Brown is staring opportunity in the face.

Whether the GM Lordstown, OH plant idles, shuts down permanently, or remains operating, he has a high-profile platform for the dignity of work meme. He has been hammering that since he ran for re-election as U.S. Senator in the midterms.

More recently, he has been visible in lobbying GM to keep that plant open and the 1,500 well-paying jobs in the state. In terms of publicity, that has been a blessing for Brown.

Local, national, and global news outlets (here is The Guardian account) have been examining the direct and ripple effects of the plant closing.

Just before Christmas ABC local news presented how two mid-sized businesses would have to conduct a massive layoff if there is no more Lordstown plant. In addition, property values would plummet. Of course, the sheriff will be evicting plenty of tenants who could make rent.

As Politico reports and as rumors have been hinting, Brown is exploring a run for the U.S. President job in 2020.

Among his initiatives is looking to Barack Obama for support, hunting for talent to man the campaign, and introducing himself to the nation through the media. 

Hard times, which are predicted to hit us by the end of 2019, would help Brown.

His persona is The Uncharisma. A guy we perceive as sincere and seemingly unscripted could be exactly what we decide we want. He would be the analogue of the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Already he has convinced voters in conservative OH to vote to him. A Lordstown shut-down and a whopper of an economic downturn could push Trump loyalists into his arms. 

He also would have unique appeal to the aging, nationwide.

As The Wall Street Journal outed, we older professionals aren't sitting pretty. The dignity of work Brown champions is less and less available to us.

In general earning power declines after age 35, that is, if we lose a job and finally land another one. The latter will tend to pay less than the job we used to have.

Currently, eight million of us are either unemployed or are employed in situations which pay peanuts. My 62-year-old neighbor earns a bit over eight bucks an hour at Marc's grocery in Austintown, OH. Sometimes her hours are cut. 

In short, age bias is real. Here, free to download, is my guide on how to keep working, no matter our age and how survival jobs can scale into new career paths Download Outwitting ageism

If Brown is wise, he will invite those of us over-50 to volunteer in his campaign. His staff can contact me for assistance with content-creation. 

Out of the Box Communications = Unexpected Results

Complimentary Consultation janegenova374@gmail.com – I help, not sell.

Instead of Volunteering at Soup Kitchen, Tutor Folks about How Media Really Works

More powerful than governments, business enterprises, and nutty leaders is the media.

So, it's predictable that its own activities will be the big story of 2019. After all, it's heading into so much change.

The story of media could even upstage the saga of the coming global economic slowdown.

In The Wrap, Sharon Waxman reports how digital natives haven't yet found a sustainable model and a way to scale revenues. 

That's been obvious, of course.

Gawker pushed the envelope too far. A jury in Florida pushed back with a $140 million verdict.

Liberal HuffPost, after a strong start, lost traction compared to the conservative Drudge Report.

How long will Vice and Buzzfeed be around?

Meanwhile, establishment media, with a print legacy, has bounced back.

The New York Times got the hang of digital subscriptions and is thriving.

The Atlantic received fresh funding from Steve Jobs' widow.

The New Yorker found a second life with choosing the right juicy topics for investigative reporting. On social, Ronan Farrow put out a call for tips (ronan_farrow@newyorker.com). I sent him two. 

Network television, which was supposed to die, is still around.

Part of the reason why is that we are enjoying the turbulence. In addition to the sexual harassment scandals we wonder what old-line shows such as "Criminal Minds" will be renewed and which new ones like "A Million Little Things" will be allowed to grow an audience.

Also, there is the medium of blogging. Mature, but still packs a bunch. Former Uber engineer Susan Fowler shook up that enterprise with one post.

It was through my three syndicated blogs that I righted wrongs, at least to my satisfaction.

Those ranged from a financial institution which had wasted my time and use of my money to a client who was trying to stiff me.

Also, I got to stand up, toe to toe, to those "good girls" from the days when there were all-women's Catholic colleges barricaded in the woods - here and here. Thanks to that, I took the leap into self-love, which includes self-acceptance. All's well that ends well. In my late 60s I found inner peace. 

Given the media's power, it's the game so many iGens want to play. That's even if the money for the majority isn't up there with first-year associate salary at law firms (nearly $200k). They contact me for advice.

Because of the volatility in the media industry, I recommend their spreading the earnings risk: Develop multiple sources of income.

For example, as side hustles do marketing communications and tutor preparation for the SAT. Here is my article, published on Odwyepr.com, about managing what I call "mutt branding." That is, a diverse professional identity. 

Perhaps the most useful tool we can give the global underdogs, as well as those here in the U.S., is insight about how media works. That could be the greatest gift to mankind since Prometheus passed on the know-how of fire. 

Out of the Box Communications = Unexpected Results

Complimentary Consultation janegenova374@gmail.com – I help, not sell.

Almost as Old As We Are: "20/20"

Last night on ABC's "20/20," legal heavy Dan Abrams narrated parts of the still-riveting Christa Worthington murder saga.

The objective seemed to be advocacy for a new trial for the convicted killer former Cape Cod trash collector Chris McCowen.

A few weeks ago, "20/20" dug around the still puzzling murder of three (plus unborn fetus) by Chris Watts. Viewers were left with the question of motivation. Side dishes of lovers, financial problems, and another baby on the way weren't enough to explain why Watts did what he did. That question stirred buzz about "20/20." And that's what producers want.

For those interested in serious programming, especially about legalities, "20/20" serves a purpose. Its brandname is respected. And its signature host is the wildly popular David Muir.

But, in the world of television, "20/20" has gotten long in the tooth. Already it has been around for 41 seasons. Over the past few years ratings have been dropping.  TV Series Finale reports that between season 40 and 41, viewership has declined 5%. Overall, it's at about 2.97 million.  Low, of course. So far (that is as of December 28th) no decision has been made to renew the programming for 2019-2020 or to cancel. That would give "20/20" a 42nd season.

Out of the Box Communications = Unexpected Results

Complimentary Consultation janegenova374@gmail.com – I help, not sell.

Not Dying to Connect

The brother did it.

Or. The sister did it, of course.

The Jersey Shore case of Paul Caneiro, 51, raises the issue of brotherly love - allegedly gone very wrong.

He faces four counts of first degree murder for allegedly shooting and stabling to death his brother Keith, along with the brother's family. He has entered a plea of not guilty. On the record he contends he loved his brother and the extended family.

In addition, there is the arson crime which allegedly was the finishing touch on what might have been a situation of sibling rivalry.

The brothers owned two businesses together. They were pest control service Ecostar and tech company Square One. Here are more details from the Daily Mail. 

As yet, the public knows little about what could have allegedly triggered this violence.

But, those of us who are part of families - and who isn't - have experienced the underlying tensions.

On true-crime shows such as "DateLine" and "20/20" tainted relationships among siblings are not the usual fare.

More often, it's the husband who did it.

Last night, on "DateLine," though, it was the wife in Ashtabula County, Ohio who was convicted of offing her husband with antifreeze. Earlier, there had been the case of the wife who "accidently" killed her husband while they were hunting. A judge in a bench trial in Canada let her off.

In addition to lapses in brotherly love, there are also the feuds or pathological silences among sisters. Call the syndrome Twisted Sisters.

My family's MO has been to leverage silence. That's so Italian.

Where I grew up in ethnic Jersey City, New Jersey, I observed patriarchs of Italian clans wordlessly leave the sidewalk when coming near an enemy, then get back on after there was enough distance between them. 

For a decade I had not spoken to my older sister Camille Klinga.

Somehow I emotionally and physically got pulled back into the loop when she was dying.

It's been 15 years since I spoke with my younger sister Anne Murga-Ring.

About eight years ago I received an email from her. I did not reply. 

Having regretted revisiting the undertow of bad feelings when I circled back into the family as Klinga died, the odds are I will not be part of Murga-Ring's last moments. Nor will she be part of mine. As in most dysfunctional families, a lawyer is in charge of my end of life issues.

All this goes back to the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Cain had a resentment. That was the end of Able. 

Actually, aren't all close relationships fraught with danger - emotional and physical?

In May 2014, I assessed my renewed acquaintance with former Seton Hill Class of 1967 classmate Kathleen Huebner as not good for me. Understatement. To the present time, in my head I do a King Lear on the heath, feeling more sinned against than sinning. 

Within 30 days of the happy reunion with Huebner in Pima County, Arizona in April 2014, I made a list, checked it twice, and, fortunately, in these digital times we can terminate whatever with unfriends, delete, blocks, and more. That is a way of killing them softly, with no law-enforcement intervention. Those who think like lawyers can also warn of taking legal action for harassment.

Overall, I have come to fear human closeness. The darkness in it has become so palpable. Or, perhaps I have soaked up too much "DateLine."

During the holiday season I will drive back to Holy Name Cemetery on Montgomery Street in Jersey City. I need to tell my mother that I forgive her.

However, I will add that I am not ready to take that step with my sisters, not yet. The inner drama of family relationship gone kaput is too exciting theatre to surrender easily.

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Good Bless Social Security

We woke up this morning and smelled the fear. The numbers in our portfolios were look-aways.

The brilliant news guy that he is, Matt Drudge focused on that - extreme economic angst - instead of politics. The headline featured the $945 billion wiped out in tech stocks.

Other content linked to a prediction that the DOW would lose 2,000 points and that a recession was likely.

All that was missing to spread terror throughout the land was the Drudge Report's signature flashing blue light.

After the global economic crash of 2008, any darkness hovering over our portfolios, any signal the housing market is in trouble, or any stupid move on the part of BigBusiness throws earth off its axis. 

This Thanksgiving the talk around the table and the flat screen watching football games will be about the economy. Those loving conspiracies might speculate the recent activity has been engineered by politicos to distract attention from X or Y.

Reflection: I don't think I will putting a new car in my stocking this holiday season. 

Attention is the currency of the 21^st century. Jane Genova helps you get it for products, services, points of view, causes, branding, careers after-50, and college admission.

In addition, this blog welcomes sponsored content.

Free consultation janegenova374@gmail.com

 

Neil Armstrong's Sons Probably Never Sang for Their Father - "First Man"

History and the outsized characters who made will continually be reinterpreted. 

The U.S. mission to land a man on the moon has been reinterpreted by film director Damien Chazelle. What he gives us is the political agenda to beat the Russians in space, imperfect technology, and the haunted and driven man who pulled that off - Neil Armstrong. 

The film is "First Man." We meet Armstrong when his two-year old daughter Karen is dying of brain tumor. His grief is so profound that it even distracts him from his passion which is flying. His superiors ground him and that professional setback catapults him into applying for the space program. 

His wife Janet notes that it's a fresh start for them. But there are really no fresh starts for Armstrong.

He can't or won't shake the grief. On the moon, he leaves Karen's little beaded bracelet. One also wonders if he was able to nurture relationships after that with Karen's older brother and the boy born later. 

As expected, those in the space program are a close-knit group. All the families socialize. So, when several die on duty Armstrong is overwhelmed. 

Throughout his personal emotional turmoil he holds on to his drive. Despite serious brushes with death, he sticks with the space program. He is his job.

In many ways, though, that represents the typical personality type of the professional men in the mid 20th century. Wives rarely saw their husbands. Children essentially grew up fatherless.

Maybe that's why the 1950s television series "Father Knows Best" was so popular. Jim Anderson was always home for family dinner, emotionally accessible and attentive. That provided a model of family life we Baby Boomers longed for. 

Back then, the Janets in America stuck with their distant husbands. The one portrayed in the film was somewhat more assertive than most. She demanded, for example, that Armstrong share with his sons the possibility that he might not return from his quest to reach the moon. 

At the end of the film, it's clear that there is something left in the marriage. But what is also obvious is that something was sucked out of it on the way to the moon. 

Attention is the currency of the 21^st century. Jane Genova helps you get it for products, services, points of view, causes, branding, careers after-50, and college admission.

In addition, this blog welcomes sponsored content.

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Thank You, But I Will Pass on Naming Lassie's Puppies

Tone-deaf.

That's the best way to describe the recruitment policies of an established organization dealing with economic development.

I had applied for a contract position rewriting content. Quickly I received a response. I had been selected to create sample content. That would be paid. 

And that was the good part. 

Now for the bad part.

I was explicitly informed that several applicants, including myself, had been chosen to downsize a policy-heavy document. I assume that in addition to word reduction it should be made engaging. The one applicant whom, they judged, was the best writer would be contracted to work with them on a long-term basis. The rest would be throw-backs. 

Insulting?

That's what I thought.

The powers that be at that organization could have simply indicated there was a paid trial assignment. That would have made good business sense.

After I thought about all that and wound up not participating I recalled slaving in my pre-teen days in the contests to name Lassie's puppies. That had been a popular Sunday night series on network television.

Back then the contest was a useful exercise for children to understand the concept of competition. The adults in the family agreed with that and gladly provided the 2-cent stamps to mail the entries.

No, I never did win the prize: 1 of Lassie's puppies. But I salute the producers of "Lassie" for socializing children to the realities beyond the farm where Lassie lived. With my relatives who worked in sophisticated Manhattan I analyzed what my entries might have lacked. The reverse engineering came up with the need for me to be more creative in the choice of names but still remain within the box of warm and fuzzy dogville. 

Now, I am simply puzzled why a reputable organization would lack respect for communications talent. The more enlightened approach is to simply position and package the competitive element as a necessary screening whatever.

Takeaway: Don't continue with a process that treats professionals like children. 

Attention is the currency of the 21^st century. Jane Genova helps you get it for products, services, points of view, causes, branding, careers after-50, and college admission.

In addition, this blog welcomes sponsored content.

Free consultation janegenova374@gmail.com

 

Network Television Hasn't Changed Much Since When We Watched "Father Knows Best"

Like Megyn Kelly's NBC Sunday evening talk show, Alec Baldwin's ABC one has poor ratings.

Both can't connect with the audience in a talk-show format.

And the selection of their guests seems all wrong.

And, also like Kelly, Baldwin's behavior embarrassed the television.

For Kelly it was the blackface remark on the third section of the "Today" slot. For Baldwin it was the alleged punch thrown over a parking place.

For a while, gawkers watched Baldwin seem to be penalty-free. Kelly's Sunday show was put in limbo. Then, later she was yanked off the air from the "Today" slot. Currently she is negotiating her exit package with NBC.

Now the shoe, at least the first one, has fallen.

The New York Post reports that "The Alec Baldwin Show" has lost its 10:00 P.M. Sunday slot. Beginning November 18th, it will be replaced with reruns of "Shark Tank." Then, on December 8th, it will start up again in a Saturday 10:00 P.M. schedule. 

How long it will last is uncertain. But given its poor ratings and the reputational trouble Baldwin is in he could find that he could be pushed, as was Kelly, into broadcast oblivion. 

Unlike cable television, the television network cannot tolerate controversial behavior of its stars. 

If Baldwin is banished from Network Paradise, will he, also like Kelly, become an Untouchable? Fox isn't having her back. 

Network television hasn't changed much from its early days when on-air personalities had to be squeaky clean. It's an old medium. 

Attention is the currency of the 21^st century. Jane Genova helps you get it for products, services, points of view, causes, branding, careers after-50, and college admission.

In addition, this blog welcomes sponsored content.

Free consultation janegenova374@gmail.com