Consumer reporting presentation -- Anaheim #EIJ17

Mark Hamrick

Senior Economic Analyst, Washington Bureau Chief, Bankrate.com

President, Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW.org)

@Hamrickisms

#EIJ17

-Reporting for consumers is important

- Virtually all of us are consumers – people who spend money so they can consume goods and services. Think of all the money washing around the economy. That’s a lot at stake!

Subsets include savers, borrowers, investors, job hunters, small business operators.

Factoids:

Median household income U.S. 2017 -- $59K

Total U.S. GDP 2016 (value of all goods and services/output) -- $18.6 trillion

Holiday sales (Nov/Dec) 2016 -- $658 billion
Financial literacy in the U.S. is relatively low compared to other developed economies. 

-People need help resolving consumer problems. Journalists can explain, teach and translate

-Understanding what is happening with business, the economy, products that are available and where they’re having trouble with a business.

-By extension, journalists can help consumers solve problems

Examples:

-Unhappy with a landlord, bought a car that was a lemon, not sure how to afford college education or retirement, selecting the right product or service (Consumer Reports), what’s happening with the financial markets (investing/money management best practices), what are the best jobs available, best majors for college students.

-Sources for information that you can provide

-Consumer advocates and regulators (Local, state and federal agencies, advocacy groups like the Consumer Federation of America, National Endowment for Financial Education,  Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Agriculture Department, your local government(s), state attorneys general.

-People who come to you to report a problem. (Mistreated, ripped-off, concerned about water quality, etc.) 

-Social media where problems are shared. You can also crowd source, promote that you’re available to report, investigate or lend assistance.

-Companies or representatives offering new products, services or solutions (Is the new iPhone worth it, product to prevent robo calls, Uber vs. Lyft, cremation vs. burial, credit monitoring)

-Don’t forget follow-ups. What happened a year later after resolution or attempt to fix.

-Reporting across platforms

At the AP, treating stories differently for print/text, radio and television/online video.

-What is visual about your story? Mold damage is easier to show than a complex financial scam.

-For visual stories, the human side of the story can be the most compelling.

-Audio or podcasts can be short for either short or long takes, including longer explanations. 

-Text/print is good for material that can be reviewed repeatedly or used as a reference over time, including lists and dense material.
-You can break out a longer form version of an interview or a Q&A that doesn't make air or print via the Internet or social.

-Getting to the audience

By sharing your own content via social, you get the opportunity to own your brand and establish or affirm your credibility. Trust is key for maintaining your relationship with the audience. Even if the material is “local,” the experience or information can travel across boundaries when the story or advice is compelling and/or useful.

-Ideally, you can provide a combination of these even via your own distribution channel(s). One thing to remember Many of the reporters/experts who are most successful are those who have “owned” their own reporting. Examples, Jane Bryant Quinn, Suze Orman, Jean Chatzky. Within our group, Greg McBride of Bankrate.com, The Points Guy (TPG).

-Bloggers and digital (sometimes organic) media are moving into this space. User reviews are taking over some of this function.

As the business changes and evolves, the distribution channels will change, but the need for good information (resolving problems) will not.

In praise of Tom Brokaw

America's senior statesman in television news, Tom Brokaw, is marking a-half century at NBC News.

As a nation, we've been fortunate to have his steady, accurate and truthful, midwestern middle-of-the-road presence all these many years. His reporting preceded the Nixon administration and continues as we try to process an assault on journalism which in some ways is unprecedented in our country and in others is reminiscent of the Nixon days.

From a broader perspective, we're grateful for his important contributions to the American narrative: His celebration of "The Greatest Generation," covering Watergate and reporting from the scene during the fall of the Berlin Wall.

I've been fortunate to have some personal interaction with him (not nearly as much as some of my friends), which came to mind as his own anniversary is marked.

Covering Pres. Ford in Kansas

In 1975, President Ford came to Kansas and held a news conference in Topeka, the state capital. My father, a newspaper editor at the time drove 3 hours from our home to cover it and I tagged along. While I couldn't go into the room where the president spoke, I sat outside and watched the journalists file reports afterward. Among them was Brokaw. I was fascinated by it and a bit starstruck at age 14. A year later, inspired by that, I began hanging around my hometown radio station and was on-the-air at age 16 a year later. 

At the National Press Club

When I was president of the Club in 2011, we had an opportunity to host Brokaw at our famed luncheon series in connection with a book he'd written. Of course, I jumped at the chance. This event is one where the NPC president takes 5 minutes to introduce the speaker, he or she speaks for 20-25 minutes and then the president poses questions for the remaining half-hour or so.

One small, but remarkable thing occurred early in that hour. After I gave my introduction, the audience applauded to welcome Tom. He stood up, moved to the podium and shook my hand while asking quietly so no one else could hear, "how long do you want me to go?' That was a first, indicative of what an accomplished speaker he was. So, on that guidance, he talked for about 25 minutes, which sounded as if he'd taken great pains to write the speech.

I spent a good amount of time, some privately, with him before and after the speech, which I treasured. As you'd expect he was the consummate gentleman, taking time to speak with almost anyone who came by or wanted him to sign a book. And by the way, he traveled alone, without handlers. So many less-accomplished people surround themselves with others to insulate them from potential interactions they might find uncomfortable. 

(By the way, I'll be eternally grateful to Angela Greiling Keane and Melissa Charbonneau for their work to bring him to the Club back then and for organizing the event.)

His example and a bit of preaching on my part

Many of today's practitioners in the news media would do well to follow Tom Brokaw's ethics-based example. One would have had a hard time distilling his personal political beliefs while reporting in the field or when anchoring newscasts. By his own admission, he's had a bit of good luck. He sat in the anchor chair before network audiences were challenged by the explosion in competing outlets and technologies. Network news can still attract a good-sized audience, but doesn't have the impact that it did during his reign on "NBC Nightly News" from 1982-2004.

When cable outlets, talk radio and other media try to compete for the shrinking audience by creating confrontation they ultimately offend or drive away as many people as they think they attract. Using the excuse of changing and challenging business models is a poor cover for anything less than time-honored, best practices in journalism. That's probably not what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they placed freedom of speech in the First Amendment.

My good fortune

To have had the good fortune to meet people and spend some time with people like Tom Brokaw, who've inspired me dating back to childhood is a remarkable blessing. It is among the reasons I try to say a spoken or silent prayer of thanksgiving on a regular basis. A little (or a lot of) good luck goes a long way!

Follow me on Twitter: @Hamrickisms

Tradition: 3 decades of ham and black-eyed peas

In our family, we're continuing a 3 decades-old tradition tonight: Celebrating the arrival of the new year with a simple dish that we've typically associated with good luck. It has become so entrenched as family tradition that my wife jokes that we'll tempt bad fortune if we fail to continue. It is a little like the baseball player who suits up before the game by putting the right sock on first, followed by the left, hoping to curry favor with fate. 

How did it start? Some 30 years ago, when I was working in Dallas, my colleagues (Amanda Barnett, Jim Ribble and the late Brad Krohn at the Texas AP Network) were talking about the southern New Year's tradition of making ham and black-eyed peas. As a transplant knowing virtually nothing about it, but as one who likes to cook, I thought I'd give it a try. Jeanne, my soon-to-be fiance would be visiting, along with my dad and a beloved family friend, Bobbie Needham from my hometown of Coffeyville). The since-defunct Dallas Times carried a recipe ahead of the holiday that looked pretty easy. It was easy and we had a nice celebration. I would have never suspected that this would become a tradition which would last for years.

Fast forward to the present. Looking back on all of the years which have passed, I know I've been blessed with good luck. Sometimes it is the simple family traditions that we savor the most. They help us stay connected as family members while bridging the past, present and future. 

3 different kinds of pork is ideal for this recipe: Ham, bacon and pancetta

As for the latest iteration of my recipe, it includes bacon, chopped ham and pancetta.  I brown some onion and celery in a stock pot, add chicken/vegetable stock or broth, pour in several bags of frozen black-eyed peas and bring to a boil. I'll add chopped cooked ham, diced tomatoes (or tomato sauce)  barley, parsley, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic. (Ham on the bone is best if you have time on your side). 

Depending on the tastes of our guests, I'll add tabasco or another kind of hot sauce. It seems to simmer for 2 or 3 hours for all of the flavors to blend together. Finally, I'll serve with cornbread or sourdough bread.

Truthfully, one can't say that continuing the tradition brings good luck. In fact, it might be that we have it backwards: It is a sign of our good fortune that we can continue to enjoy the company of family and friends keeping old traditions alive.  Happy new year everyone!

Unsocial media and American politics

In social media, there's screaming but no sound. Welcome to politics in the new millennium.

We still have months to go before the November election, but it seems like we're in extra innings already, doesn't it? Extra innings with opposing fans, shouting on either side of us. But here, the game doesn't stop when something is thrown onto the field.

Much of the campaign rhetoric is tiresome given the (unprecedented in our lifetimes) nature of the candidate exchanges. If the rise of Donald Trump's campaign is, as a smart friend of mine believes, a function of social media as F.D.R. was to radio and J.F.K. to television, then maybe it makes some kind of sense that places like Twitter and Facebook become the dumping ground for the good and bad observations among those who will help decide on our next iteration of leadership.

It reminds me of the promotion campaign for the 1979 movie "Alien."

Poster from 1979 movie hit "Alien"

"In space, no one can hear you scream"
Just change the word "social media" for "space."

Opposing forces compete

At the same time, like the candidates, the president and members of Congress, so many of us are talking past one another. It is the political equivalent of group therapy without any healing. Hey, I feel better, but I don't care about you. Not the way a civil society works. But apparently plenty of folks think civility isn't a priority these days. It is true of participants on both Facebook and Twitter, but a smaller cross-section of the population Tweets. (Last check the stock market valued Twitter at $12 billion and Facebook at $300 billion, for example).

Having said all of that, I offer my estimate of how many Facebook posts are faring these days (those with political themes)

% of people who post political things on Facebook: 25
% of people who convert others to their way of thinking: 0.0 (Donald Trump himself is statistically insignificant)
% of people who aggravate others with their political posts: 67.9
% of people who aggravate others, but feel better somehow for doing it 65.9
% of time wasted by posting political items to FB: 99.6. (doesn't include journalists or political pros who are looking to get traffic for content or get out the vote/fundraise).
% effectiveness of all candidates in helping to drive the divisive behavior 100%

If there's any good news here, it is that people are participating in the democracy. It beats open warfare in the street. At least we have that going for us.

Follow me on Twitter: @Hamrickisms

Remembering the great Van Miller from my days at WBEN in Buffalo

I’ve experienced deep sadness upon hearing the news that the late, great Van Miller has passed away. It didn’t come as a surprise. His health had been in decline for some time. But I’m forced to focus on my pleasant memories of his remarkable talent, humor and genuine kindness. For those who aren't aware, he will be best remembered as the beloved, longtime voice of The Buffalo Bills.

WBEN and WIVB channel 4

I came to know Van when I was working at WBEN in Buffalo in the mid 1980s. Van was the lead sports anchor at WIVB, channel 4 which shared the same facility. My routine during the roughly 18 months while I was working at “Radio 930” and “Rock 102” was doing traffic reports by helicopter during the afternoon for both the AM and FM stations (interesting work during a Buffalo winter) and doing news at night during John Murphy’s “One-on-One Sports” program, which ran until 11 p.m. (Murph introduced me to my wife during this time). John was color analyst alongside Van and has since served as his play-by-play successor for years now.

Back then, Van would occasionally roam the station offices, including our newsroom and studios in the hours leading up to his own 11 p.m. sports segment. Some nights were busier than others for me. Those which were not so busy is when live sports essentially pre-empted our regularly scheduled hourly newscasts, which culminated with a full half-hour radio newscast at 11 p.m., after which I was free to go home, or go out on the town, which Murph and I would occasionally do when we were single back in those days. Buffalo bars notoriously stayed open until 3:30 a.m. as I recall.

(Photo: Bills broadcast teammates, Van Miller and John Murphy. The photo/mural is now seen in the Van Miller Club at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY)

Van's career advice

I was about 24 or 25 years old then and I remember one night Van and I had time to talk alone (I was the only news staffer working at night) in the WBEN newsroom.  He related that he could have gone to work for a network like some of the folks he knew over the years. I found this remarkable given that Van was an institution in Western New York and has since been honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his more than half-century of broadcast work. I didn’t have a sense that he regretted remaining where he was, but perhaps just wondered what the other path might have lead to.

But he then told me served as a major boost of confidence and motivation. He said “You’ve got to get out of here” and find something better.  It was true that I was struggling to pay my bills then and I yearned for a bigger stage, so to speak. I figured if Van was saying it, there was no doubt about what I should do.  It wasn’t long after that I had a terrific stroke of good luck that a professional contact asked me to apply for an AP Radio job in the Dallas bureau. I had the opportunity to transfer to Washington after a year in Texas and remained with AP for 26 years, eventually migrating to business/financial news and video/television, etc.

He was equally kind and engaging with my wife, the former Jeanne Golanka, who also worked for WBEN for a short time. She also knew Van through her public relations job with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres back then. He would call out “the Mark of Excellence” when seeing me or “Jeannie Bikini” when seeing her. You couldn’t help but laugh or smile. Once, when my mom visited the station (she must have been close to Van’s age back then, he joked that they’d known each other years ago. 

The last time I saw Van

My other enduring memory of Van will be his omnipresent sense of humor. The last time I saw him was nearly 3 years ago at Bills training camp.

While his physical presence wasn’t what it was, he launched into a 20-minute string of jokes and stories, engaging all the members of my family who’d came to the camp at the kind invitation of John Murphy. My son, my brother-in-law Joe Golanka, Dr. Bob Flynn and nephew Spencer Golanka, who hadn’t known Van in person previously came away amazed by the force of his personality and strength of his sense of humor. In the photo you see here, Van insisted that we pose as if we were on either side of the line of scrimmage.

Celebrating his memory 

There’s a part of me that wants to shed tears as the news sinks in about Van’s passing. But his sense of humor continues to radiate. I’m reminded of my deep gratitude that I was able to spend some time with this remarkable man who took offered me genuine, heartfelt encouragement. Rest in peace Van. Heaven is now a happier place.

Van, me, Joe Golanka and Murph summer 2012.
Training camp, St. John Fisher College, near Rochester, NY.

Words of the great Edward R. Murrow

How should journalists treat their audiences?

"You are supposed to describe things in terms that make sense to a truck driver without insulting the intelligence of a professor." -- Edward R. Murrow.


These were the words of the late Murrow, perhaps the greatest broadcast journalist in U.S. history. Thanks to former CBS News Correspondent Marvin Kalb, a National Press Club member, for sharing this wisdom that came from the man who hired him years ago.

Journalists today would do well to follow Murrow's advice. That's true whether they're serving print, online, broadcast or cable consumers of news.

Here's archived video from "The Kalb Report" on "Why Murrow Matters."
Why Murrow Matters In The Digital Age

Wondering aloud about the TSA's apparent information disconnect

I travel on commercial aircraft a fair amount, for both business and leisure. Not a jet-setter by any stretch. But because I cover the federal government in Washington, I've been cleared by a variety of federal departments to go past the virtual velvet rope after going through their disparate and jarringly dissimilar credentialing processes. It occurred to me recently that in this increasingly perplexing era of big data we live in, shouldn't all of those federal databases be very obviously connected?  Similarly, shouldn't the TSA have immediate access to the same information that allows me to go inside the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Treasury, etc. More to the point, why doesn't it know that I'm good to go for places deemed off-limits to the general public?

Where things got a bit strange

The point was further hammered home recently when going through an airport with a family member.  The TSA agent said the other person had been randomly selected and cleared to participate in the expedited security clearance process. Good for my family member, right? They can go through immediately. Meantime, I needed to go separately through the usual part where the belt and shoes come off, you know the drill. And for goodness sake, don't go into the body image scanner with anything in your pocket. 

Who's to blame? Not the folks on the front line

Let's make a couple of points clear. I have immense respect for the people on the front lines of the TSA screening process. I appreciate the work they do. They get plenty of grief for doing their jobs through no fault of their own. This is an issue with folks at a much higher level. Secondly, I'm not suggesting that I should get special treatment. I'm just wondering aloud about what seems to be a disconnect among all of these databases. I looked online and signed up to be interviewed to join the expedited screening program. A kind officer at the airport suggested it after seeing we were being split up in line.

Thank goodness we've been protected so well over these many years amid the massive security apparatus put in place over the past decade or so.  It is possible that all of the information that's been collected has become virtually impossible to manage?