Getting Pushed Around

Getting Pushed Around

The ultimate slap in the face by a corporate giant.  “I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore!”  That is a quote from the Movie “Network” (1976),

I realize that everyone is always attempting to improve on a good thing.  However, the old saying about “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” comes to mind, Present day corporations have been known for some time to be not just greedy but beyond stupid greedy.  First off all I am part of a group of people within the boomer generation, secondly bordering on being passive.

There are many things worth fighting for, but we need to take a stand somewhere and begin to push back.  Here is my dilemma:  The Tonight Show with Jay Leno has been in the First Place ranking amongst late night entertainment since Jay Leno has been the host and since before that with Johnny Carson.  The reason for the success can be directly attributed to the fact that Leno grew old alongside of my generation.  Beyond that he understands our sense of humor and our lifestyles.  All of sudden some braniac (not) at the top of NBC has decided to protect their future investment by bringing in a younger host, that a younger audience can identify with, and protect their future ratings and investment.  All this reasoning as if they will keep the audience they have and add their new found younger audience to the numbers.

It might not be a half bad plan if it had been negotiated properly, and at least gave the appearance that somehow they were working in our (the present audience) best interest.  Many viewers such as myself showed our displeasure, and yet, we were totally ignored due to the lure of future ratings and dollar signs.  Because I believe in Karma, I don’t have ill will for them in their future endeavor, and by no means am I calling for a boycott of the new show or their sponsors, but I can personally not tune into their show, and also not buy the products that sponsor the new Tonight Show.

I grew up from a very young age knowing certain truisms like: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, don’t bite the hand that feeds you, and finally if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.

This isn’t the ultimate or only, possible solution, but one I might have implemented:  Renew Leno’s contract for two more years, have Leno working 3 day workweek with Fallon filling in the other two day for two years, while similarly training and sharing the workweek with Fallon and a possible replacement on Fallon’s show following the Tonight Show.  In this way it would allow us the audience to get used to Fallon and maybe show that we liked him or didn’t.  At the same time they would be training Fallon’s replacement.

When NBC acted like a bully sending Leno to pasture while being very productive and a cash cow to the corporate higher ups, they caused me to be unhappy and turn off the Tonight Show, and worst yet I won’t even catch the 11 pm news on their network, I will now go to their competition.  If you feel as I do, I hope you will follow my peaceful demonstration, and feel a tinge of satisfaction as you repeat the following mantra:  “I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore!”  My best wishes for a very successful retirement go with Jay Leno.  I happen to know that he is very wealthy, and to a very large degree very happy (with his wife and car collection).  At this point in my life I can’t even aspire to those heights of success, but you never know, stranger things have happened.  I just feel that we all should have enough control to decide when we want to walk away especially if we are discharging out duties in a very successful way.  On a personal note, I retired early, and I am very happy and healthy because of it.  When I first retired, my friends and co-workers told me that I was a pretty smart man.  Since then, I have run into some of those friends and co-workers who no call me a genius.  The best is yet to come…..