Overcoming Adversity

Programmers often send memos to their staff with sports, business and even film/TV analogies. I’ve always been a coach who tries to lead with stories or analogies because these are the easiest ways to educate our clients and their team members. The best stories to use are those that are based in reality. Today, given the economy, we need to work to overcome adversity. We need to present THAT reality, but don’t exaggerate in order to terrorize an audience, as a way to build tune-in.

The adversity that we must focus on is not only centered in business, but in our personal lives. We as members of the media are a part of the people who are wreaking havoc on society by fostering fear. This is mostly a media generated recession. Unemployment is high, buts it’s no where near the levels of the recession in the early and mid 70s. Nor is it as bad as the recession of the late 80s. We are not nearly as bad economically as we were when Bill Clinton took office for his first term. We are nowhere nearly as bad off as was America in “the great depression.”

Unfortunately for us, former President Bush announced on television “we are in the worst economic crisis of the last 100 years.” He was driving home a point that if the banking industry’s woes were not addressed, we “could experience” the worst economic crisis of the past 100 years. The former president had bad advice. He misrepresented our position at that moment. THAT crisis was adverted. America hasn’t seen the memo yet that says “we stopped from happening what was about to happen.” Someone needs to send that memo to America. You’ll see it on PBS, but I’ve not seen it anywhere else.

President Bush had incorrect historical information. The great depression was within the last 100 years. Unemployment at that time reached 30%. Women were not a part of the workforce, as they are today, in those days, either. It was MUCH worse than it is now. We’re experiencing tough times. We’ve all tightened-our-belts, but very few of us are destitute.

There are no bread lines, (1930s) there is no gas rationing, no sugar rationing (1940s), no gas lines or rationing (1970s), interest rates are not double digits (1970s and 1980s) and there is an unprecedented glut of manual labor jobs. That is, there are manual labor jobs to be had, should individuals truly desire to work. One would never believe I am a democrat based on the previous paragraphs written in this article. The purpose of the presentation of this “viewpoint” is so that we have a foundation upon which to create a strategy to overcome adversity. That is …. We in the media CAN do something about the recession that we helped to create.

We need to encourage our news people and our on-air personalities to be positive and uplifting in offering their opinions on the economy. I am not suggesting you be unrealistic or that you be untruthful. Let’s take “a glass half full” view to the economy. The problem is that consumers are holding on to their money and they’re not spending it. We’ve all had to make uncomfortable and dramatic changes in how we operate our businesses. We at McVay Media have made painful and tearful changes. I am not happy about them, but I am hoping that by preparing for the recovery we’ll be able to expand and re-grow our business … maybe as soon as the end of 2009. The only way we’re going to see consumers return to spending their money, those that are employed, is by creating a confidence in our government and in America’s ability to be resilient.

I eat out a lot, I dine out 4 or 5 nights a week. That’s because I travel Monday thru Friday. Even on Monday nights, I find that I’m waiting in line at restaurants, to be seated. I am not eating at the high priced restaurants that clients once took me to, but mid-priced and lower priced restaurants, and they are packed. I’ve been sitting at dinner with clients and, gesturing around the restaurant with my arm, asking the question “so where are the signs of the recession?” My wife and I recently went shopping to some nearby factory outlets; we noticed that the Wal-Mart and JC Penney parking lots were packed. We also stopped by Saks Fifth Avenue. Saks was empty. Americans are still spending their money. They’re spending it differently.

America is lowering its sites and starting to live within its means. It is unfortunate that many merchants, even those who are attracting individuals to shop, have chosen to back off on their advertising expenditures. The business that advertises now, during a time when the competition is not advertising, will put their business in the best position to be prepared for the recovery. Share that with your sales department!

Encourage your talent to casually mention the fact that the movie theater that they visited was packed, the restaurants were busy, the highways were crowded with travelers not afraid to spend money on gasoline (a steal at $2 a gallon) and make note of the fact the on-line sales have remained steady. The cost of clothing has come down. The cost of food is dropping. The cost of living will drop.

The way for us as broadcasters to overcome adversity is through education. It’s through sharing insight. It’s through encouragement. Repeat; I am not suggesting that you be untruthful. I am suggesting that you do not terrorize America by preying on the emotions of the nation. See the glass as half full. See the positive. The President said it during a recent speech to America … “Come on Americans, you have to do your part, and put your money back into the economy.” Refuse to participate in the recession!