Monday 19 November 2018

Zucker in Freefall

This week, it looks more and more like Mark Zuckerberg will end getting fired from Facebook as the CEO.  His capital investment?  It's still there and he's still got a hefty amount of money.  But the loss of status, and a zeroed-out CEO pay-situation?  It would make things a bit more interesting.

The odds of catching on as CEO with another company?  I think it's near zero percent.

The odds of getting another Facebook-like idea?  Zero percent.

The odds of some political career?  Zero percent.

His value at 70-odd billion dollars?  At some point, Facebook is going to evolve and fall into some lesser value scale (maybe not 2019, but definitely in the next five years). 

My gut feeling is that he goes through 2019 and sells half of the Facebook stock and buys some newer player in the APP market, and tries to make some comeback in 2020 or later.  Who knows....he might even show up in Europe and try to pick up several developmental companies and try to evolve on his Facebook concept. 

My Suggestion For a New TV Series

There's so much 'crap' loaded on the networks these days....that you really go begging for shows to watch.  Reinventing?  Well....why not go to another different scenario?

One of the ten great characters of all time, was 'Cliff' from Cheers.  Cliff was the postal guy who seemed to live out of the bar....knowing virtually everything in life but rarely telling you his life story. 

So my idea is this....instead of using Cliff for Cheers at age 47.....retell Cliff's situation in life at age thirty.

Cliff was this guy who got the postal job at 18 but rarely showed up to work, yet never got missed.  In his part-time, he attended (without paying, naturally) various college classes and lectures.  At some point, he puts on a suit and sets up fake lectures at the university....pretending to be some PhD guy, and has the lecture hall filled to capacity.  Eventually, the university figures all this out, being highly embarrassed at the accomplishments of the fake Cliff professor.....then decides to give Cliff a PhD under the table if he just quietly leaves. 

Cliff returns to the real postal world and can't find happiness in a full-time work capacity.....so he drinks a good bit to make up for his situation in life. 

Carl's Imaginary World

I sat and read through a piece which quoted DC journalist Carl Bernstein a good bit.  The commentary?  Carl says that the cable news networks ought to stop broadcasting White House press conferences and briefings in their entirety.  Reason?  Carl says they are merely "propagandist exercises."

I sat and pondered over Carl's commentary.

With the exception of ESP*N.....I can't think of any network that has carried the entire WH press conferences in their 45 to 60 minute version.  The ABC/CBS/NBC folks will splice a 2-minute piece for their nightly newscast with three minutes of commentary or attached 'extra' political chat.

The CNN folks might have three or four clips that they run....but they rarely if ever will carry an entire press conference.

So what is Carl talking about?  I think he's imagining that various networks carry the full WH press conference.  Yes....a rather fake comment about an imaginary event that simply doesn't happen.

This is another reason why I think journalism is worthless today.