Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

The 3-Hour Special: Dick Wolf Off His Game

A charming technique producer Dick Wolf uses is mixing and matching characters from his long list of shows.

For his Wednesday evening three shows he has been doing that on a regular basis. The three are: 

"Chicago Med"

"Chicago Fire" 

"Chicago PD."

Tonight, that tactic took the format of a three-hour special, actually combining all three shows.

The plot line was about a researcher of infectious diseases who snapped when funding was cut.

Delusional, he decided to "show them" what could happen if a bacteria got out and decimated the whole city. Med, Fire, and police joined together and finally gunned him down. However, it was not before a number of people contracted and died from the flesh-eating-like bacteria.

Of course, in this era of short attention spans, a 3-hour time period is way too long. 

Maybe even the folks in the loop knew that. The camera would pan and pan on concerned faces. That did fill up time.

In addition, pulled out of their normal space, the actors portrayed their characters ineptly. Yes, they were off. Not even the psychiatrist on "Med" seemed authentic.

And, there was too much unreality. Should a bacteria that lethal been set loose it would have killed many more people. But, that kind of horror couldn't be portrayed on network television.

Next week the loyal audience can return to enjoying their fav characters in their usual space. And everything will return to Dick Wolf brilliant.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Toast - That's What Shari Redstone Could Turn Fox News into

Right now, the merger of Viacom, run by Shari Redstone, and CBS still has to be approved by regulators.

But, even before that happens and there is officially the ViacomCBS, Hollywood Reporter sources indicate Redstone is contemplating a game-changing move. The game which will be changed is Fox News' dominance in conservative broadcasting. 

According to those sources, Redstone has done some preliminary work on possibly rebranding one of the linear channels as a conservative one. The value-added she would bring is streaming. That rebranding would keep that broadcast entity separate from CBS.

In addition, it is reported that she had talked with one-time Fox star Megyn Kelly about the proposed conservative channel. Kelly is effective in that kind of format. 

Some see Fox as weakened by the abrupt departure of Shep Smith. In addition, it could find itself in a pickle if it distances itself from Donald Trump. Will his supporters, who make up a large share of the Fox audience, then flee Fox?

Meanwhile, those in the know at both Viacom and CBS know that Fox News makes money, lots of it. Redstone could bring that solid revenue-producer to ViacomCBS. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

What the Drudge Report Tells Us about How Folks Experienced The Debate

Matt Drudge is no slouch at recycling what works. And during Election 2016 his poll about who won each debate got plenty of votes and traffic (from those checking what results were coming in).

In the Drudge Report poll tonight about the sixth debate among the Democrats, only two participants have been getting many votes. That's as of 10:30 P.M. New York Time. Here, as you see, Gabbard received 39% and Yang 21%. The rest had poor showings. For example, Warren got only 7% and Biden 6%.

Later, as "late voters" go to the Drudge Report to vote on the winner, the numbers could change significantly. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Suing? - A Killer Lawyer Is No Longer Enough, You Must Have Genius Public Relations Representative

This is the media era.

Some contend media is the most powerful entity in the world - creating more a force field than government or even individual and organizational wealth.

Lawyers know this. 

So, it's no surprise that Jones Day and the plaintiffs suing it in employment-related bias disputes don't miss a trick in media outreach.

Just about every motion makes it into both the legal and business media (think Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal). 

The latest is the battle of the motions over alleged discrimination against male associates in parental leave.

Former Jones Day associates, reports Law.com, filed a motion in federal court arguing against the law firm's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are married couple, who had both clerked on the U.S. Supreme Court, Mark Savignac and Julia Sheketoff.

Savignac contends Jones Day fired him as retaliation when he complained about the current parental leave policy for males. Before filing the complaint the wife already had left Jones Day for another job practicing law. Here is Jones Day' motion for dismissal. 

In that employment box, a masterful player is law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp. It goes beyond mere media outreach. For example, it is representing the family of the Chinese software engineer who committed suicide at Facebook. It made a request via its own website and social networks for anyone having information about that tragedy to contact the law firm. Bringing others into the loop creates a force field parallel with that the media establishes. 

And some of us have a hunch it had been the two open letters by Vanina Guerrero's legal team at Wigdor which triggered the decision at DLA Piper to part ways with Louis Lehot. Guerrero alleges sexual misconduct by Lehot and wants the matter handled in the court of law, not in the mandatory arbitration process.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

The Good Life, Or Is It? - 29 Months After Being Sacked, James Comey Reflects (or, does he really?)

Not all firings turn out so well. 

Former FBI head James Comey got axed by U.S. president Donald Trump on May 9, 2017 - abruptly.

The legal, political, business, and general media dropped everything and ran with the story. Among the law-abiding public, eyes bugged. 

Now, 29 months later, the media has taken up the story again. 

The coverage essentially is about how Comey himself positions and packages his current earnings and lifestyle. There is little reading between the lines on this. For example, how does it feel to have lost all that power?

In the earnings box, Comey is doing well. He refers to himself as an "unemployed celebrity." But he pulls in six figures for each speaking engagement. His old annual salary used to be $170k. That could be peanuts compared to what Comey's picking up on the speaking circuit.

His book "A Higher Loyalty" is being made into a mini series. Jeff Daniels is portraying him.

Although "A Higher Loyalty" had been published back in April 2018, those of us who stalk Amazon data find that it still ranks high - 4,052. It has received 4,809 customer reviews and nearly an overall 5 rating. Here, the curious can order it from Amazon. Or, swing by the library. Public libraries such as the ones in Toledo, Ohio stock the shelves with multiple copies. 

Comey gushes that he sleeps nine hours a night. In contrast, there is that iconic line from William Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part 2" - "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." 

He also manages about 10 push-ups in a row at age 58.

And, enjoys being a grandfather.

His mission is ensuring that his nemesis Trump doesn't get re-elected. If and when that happens, Comey plans to delete his Twitter account. 

If the enemies of the Trump Administration take back the highest levels of government in the 2020 Election, Comey could experience his unemployed celebrity status as interrupted. He could be on short list for many emerging opportunities. Since he currently bunks in Virginia, it's an easy commute to interview for those jobs.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Fox, Shep Smith & Ghost of Roger Ailes

In this Halloween season of ghosts, the one of Roger Ailes is hovering over Fox.

There is speculation, reports Deadline, that had he still been at Fox, Shep Smith would also still be there.

Ailes would have protected all his employees from a force field of extreme conservatism. In that power structure, of course, is Trumpism.

Although Ailes allegedly had the tragic flaw of exploiting women, he had the kind of Machiavellian instincts that caused others with power not to mess with him. There had been a tidbit floating around the grapevine that even media tycoon Rupert Murdoch had been afraid of him.

Unfortunately, in the end, Ailes did not know how to protect his own power.

That might have begun with threat of publication of Gabriel Sherman's critical biography "The Loudest Voice in the Room."

In response, Ailes' personal public relations representative Bob Dilenschneider placed an ad in The New York Times Review of Books for a vanity biography.

That went very wrong when the media sniffed out that it was Dilenschneider and not a publisher who purchased the promotional outreach.

One reason was this: The bullish-on-Ailes biography - "Roger Ailes: Off Camera" by Zev Chafets - already had been bouncing around for a year.

Brandname media such as AdWeek ran with the story. Ailes came across as looking vulnerable, that is, like he was afraid of what was and could be published about him.

Any sign of vulnerability invites enemies in. The rest is history. 

As U.S. conservatism is in play, both through possible impeachment of a far-right president and the 2020 election, no one can predict if the Fox edifice will weaken. It could even be replaced by a more savvy broadcasting upstart.

Many are noticing that the once right-wing Drudge Report has become more balanced in its curation. The major example of that is that Matt Drudge is covering the current impeachment process with as much detail as he had the liberal one - Bill Clinton's.

In essence, Drudge is a businessman, not an ideologue. Fox isn't embracing that model. That could be the end of a media empire.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Shep Smith Leaves Fox - The Barbarians Can Now Enter the Gates, Easily

In this world when positioning and packaging information is both an art and science, we will never know the real reason why Shep Smith is leaving Fox.

All we know is that he is leaving and his last broadcast is today.

In addition, he had clashed with popular anchor Tucker Carlson.

Also, Smith has been critical of U.S. president Donald Trump.

Connect the dots. We got it that the barbarians can now enter the Fox gates, easily. A rhetorical good time can be had by all conservatives. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

How the Hell Did This Get Second Season? "A Million Little Things"

The tragic flaw of "A Million Little Things" is the lack of reality. 

From the get-go that was obvious when Katherine Kim, the always-on-duty lawyer, turned down partnership in the firm to have dinner with her son Theo every night.

The reality hole keeps getting wider.

In the new season, Katherine went MIA when she found out her estranged husband Eddie was the father of the Delilah's daughter Charlie. She didn't notify the law office that she wasn't coming in. She didn't provide a cover story. Instead she laid prone on the bed in her mother's home.  

Although she is back and the couple are trying to put together a new kind of relationship, she makes no mention of her legal career. Yet, she is the main bread winner in the family. Eddie's field is music and his career hasn't really reached the point where he is making the big money. 

The amazing thing is that this series got a second season.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Is Noah Benson Gay? - "Law & Order SUV"

The plot line of last night's "Law & Order SUV" was about a predator in Hell's Kitchen who was attacking gay black men who were attempt to pass as straight.

One twist in the action was a celebrity's simulating the crime in order to arrange a way to come out of the closet - on his own terms. Members of the media were planning to blow his cover.

Well, it turned out the bad guy was a self-loathing rough around the edges still in the closet gay. 

But, another twist was that Olivia Benson's adopted son Noah became bored with baseball.

His passion had gravitated to dance. Benson is surprised.

The episode ends with Noah joining the class, mostly little girls, for learning ballet. He exudes fitting-in. Benson watches and gives him a warm smile of acceptance.

Yes, Noah could be gay. And Benson is ready for that.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Matt Lauer: Comeback Interrupted (at least, for now)

n this era of extreme public relations, the truth frequently doesn't influence public opinion.

What does is how members of the media and social network heavies position and package whatever.

From the get-go, that positioning and packaging had been against former "Today" bigwig Matt Lauer.

The anti-Lauer narrative just took on new material. 

As The Washington Post reports, Jason Farrow's book "Catch and Kill" alleges that Lauer conducted anal rape on NBC employee Brooke Nevils at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

In response, on "Today," Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb are presenting emotional explanations that such alleged behavior does not align with the network's values.

There is another side to this story. In a letter to Variety, Lauer contends the sex, an extramarital affair, had been consensual. 

But, the side resonating is that told by Nevils. In 2017, she shared information about those allegedly unwanted sexual encounters (yes, they were multiple) with the appropriate department at NBC. Others then shared similar narratives. Soon Lauer was terminated. 

Some watchers of Lauer noted that he might have been in the early stages of attempting a comeback.

For example, he had attended the birthday party of Jeff Zucker in the Hamptons. Birthday parties, neutral events unlike weddings and funerals, are a good way of testing social waters.

More recently, media outlets caught Lauer doing dance moves and singing on Tiktok, with his daughter in the loop.

But, even someone who doesn't understand the nuances of public relations can conclude that Lauer's comeback is doomed, at least for a while. 

Still, in this land of second, third, and fourth chances, it would be naïve to rule out that Lauer could re-surface with another professional identity.

Bill Clinton came back from Monicagate as a global think tank and philanthropist.

Before he died from an accident, disgraced Roger Ailes was hatching a plan, once his Fox non-compete clause was over, to build a conservative cable network which would take on his former employer.

And, no one should count out an amazing future career for U.S. President Donald Trump.

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.