Sometimes, we need a smack upside the head with a reminder that it’s not 1977 anymore.
It’s not even 2002, not by a long shot.
For the past 15 years in which I have been plying the public relations trade, I have been banging this particular drum, louder and more insistently: the so-called mainstream media is no longer the sole arbiter of what’s news.
Sure, there are still gatekeepers who decide if you get into this publication over here or on that TV station over there. But everyone now has an unlimited number of publications and TV channels, thanks to the magic of the Internet.
Master marketer and outside-the-box thought leader Seth Godin weighs in insightfully on this note with his post, “The Debate Channel.”
Although his post related to the burgeoning runs for the U.S. Presidency, way back in ’16, his points are relevant across the board, regardless of industry. He’s got plenty of golden nuggets in the piece, but here are a few of my favorites:
“But TV isn’t in charge any more. We each own our own TV broadcasting network—anyone who wants to put on a show, can.”
“Can you imagine a musician today who only performed on TV when asked to by Jimmy Fallon? No music videos, no online work…”
“The organization with an FCC license is no longer in charge, debates aren’t something that happen to you, they’re something you can choose to do.”
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