Tag Archives: the New York Times

TV Watching Waning Among Millennials

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Boy, has life changed since I was a young! I watched TV all the time and still do. But not the 18-to-34-year-old group known as the Millennials. So if young folks are not watching TV, who is buying all those big flat-screen TVs? Are people of our generation the only true coach potatoes?

A recent survey by The New York Times showed that broadcast TV viewership appears to be slowing down generationally.

Roughly one in three youngsters watch less TV than online videos. Some young folks claim they do not watch TV at all. At the same time, fifty percent say they watch video online at least once a day.

The Times survey said thirty-four percent of those surveyed reported watching mostly online video or no broadcast TV, as opposed to equal amounts of TV and online video, or only TV. Fifty-six percent of youngsters said they want immediate access to their choices, while forty-nine percent said they like being able to watch multiple episodes online. Another forty-four percent said mobile devices allow video viewing in places and at times they can’t watch traditional TV.

NY Times Enters the Sponsored News Business

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Many people over 50 remember the affectionate nickname for The New York Times, “The Grey Lady.” The world’s most important newspaper got that name because in its 161-year-old history there has always been a higher than usual percentage of text compared to graphics. That has always been The New York Times way.

Now the unthinkable has happened. I can barely utter the words. I never thought I would live to see the day, but it has arrived. Our beloved bible for breaking news stories is considering publishing advertiser-sponsored stories on its website.

That means the average reader will not be able to tell the difference between a real story and a fake one. The Times says it will clearly mark the advertising-sponsored stories, but there is no guarantee that the public will comprehend the difference. Friends close to the company say desperate times call for desperate measures. The Times has suffered declining revenues for ten straight quarters in a row and has to do something fast to reverse its misfortune.

The New York Times reported that its annual advertising revenue has fallen almost in half, to $711.8 million last year from $1.27 billion in 2006. The recession, coupled with the proliferation of mobile devices, has devastated the newspaper.

Most newspapers that have a print edition can’t compete with digital formats. That’s why The Times is going to depend more on its web version to bring in the money. Thirty-five-million visitors a month is nothing to sneeze at.

While I can’t stand the thought of The New York Times going the way of tabloids and small town newspapers, I realize it’s a business. I worry for my friends who feel The New York Times is one of the last pure things in their life. I guess we all have to grow up.

New Media Takes Over Old Media Office Space

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I had a good laugh yesterday when I read that Yahoo is going to occupy the 9th through 12th floors of the former headquarters of The New York Times on West 43rd Street. Suddenly, being in the Flatiron District, which is supposedly the hub of everything digital, is not of concern anymore. Tumblr, which Yahoo recently acquired for $1.1 billion, is located in “Silicon Alley,” on 21st Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway. Their plan is to remain there.

To that I say phooey. I bet they move uptown very quickly. I have often visited the Tumblr office. Sparse and humble are the best words I can use to describe it. I think I remember seeing a ping pong table somewhere in their office, but when a few of the 175 people see the new Yahoo office, they will never go home again. Yahoo plans to load the joint with the same attractions as in the Google and Facebook offices: outdoor terraces, cafeterias with endless food from around the world, lounge areas, meditation rooms, game areas, and media centers. David Karp, founder of Tumblr, may try to keep his autonomy for a certain period of time, but sooner rather than later, he will succumb to the midtown super-office space.

Personally, I think the whole pitch that digital companies should be strategically located downtown was good PR hype from some real estate developer. Certain companies believe if they are located in the thick of things, they will automatically become a big success. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Several friends of mine set up shop five years ago in Dumbo (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass), the digital/Internet area of Brooklyn. The area is loaded with startups and research centers. They actually believed if one company in Dumbo was successful, they all would be. All five companies went south within a few years. Every time we drive pass Dumbo, I feel so nostalgic that all my pals are gone from that vicinity.

I started noticing late last year that that the digital industry was maturing. Ten years ago most of the kids were in their early 20s. Today, many are married with kids of their own. Interestingly enough, older folks (40s, 50s, 60s) now work for Internet companies. Today, more and more people are interested in making companies successful rather than throwing hoops during office hours.

If you would have told me ten years ago that Yahoo would be replacing The New York Times in that legendary spot, I would have suggested that you were on drugs. I visited that building many times to pitch stories. I swear the building is filled with ghosts of some of the best newspaper people in the business. How fitting that Yahoo, a model of new journalism, would occupy the footprint of the most respected newspaper in the world.

All the news that’s fit to digitize.

First Look at Smart Watches Now in the Marketplace

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As Seen in The New York Times

As Seen in The New York Times

Clockwise from top left: The Cookoo, I’m Watch, Meta Watch, Casio G-Shock GB-6900, and Martian.

I remember when Eliot bought me a Rolex watch. That was many years ago. I wore that watch like a billboard pronouncing our success. Friends, family, and business contacts would often remark that I was one of only a few people who owned a Rolex. Almost immediately, I noticed that the watch didn’t keep accurate time, but who cared, it was really a piece of jewelry.

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Bras Go High Tech

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Every six months I visit Linda,The Bra Lady, on Lexington Avenue and 64th in New York City for a semi annual check up. Linda usually surveys the bag of bras and shouts out, “Dead, dead, dead.” She is referring to the condition of each bra. “Dead” means the bra is in no condition to do its job anymore.

If I show any signs of protest, I get the same lecture, “All the women on the upper east of Manhattan are wearing the wrong size bra. You my dear, have the benefit of me properly fitting you.”

Linda, The Bra Lady

For years I lived in fear of something terrible happening to Linda. What if I couldn’t depend on her? Who would help me achieve the appropriate lift? I worried more about Linda than any of my doctors. After all, brain surgeons are a dime a dozen but bra   experts are far and few between.

Then the other day, I was freed by the fairy bra mother. I learned that there are several new online sites like HerRoom, and True&Co, that demystify the painful experience of having to purchase a bra. These digital retailers are working feverishly to draw women away from in-store fitting rooms by persuading them that it is more convenient and private to use new online tools to find the best fitting bras.

Tomima Edmark, Founder of HerRoom–coincidentally, a former HWH client

The New York Times said online retailers are trying to address women’s complaints about the experience of  buying bras in stores. “Women bemoan the long wait for sales help and then the failure to find a bra that fits well and looks good.”

Read more about this sales trend. Click here.

Below are some of the questions answered by digital bra retailers directly on their sites.Truth be told, women would never be able get most all of these questions answered during in store visits..

• What Can I Do To Have Plumper Looking Breasts?
• What’s The Psyche Of Your Bra Size?
• I’m an “A” cup. Do I really need to wear a bra?
• What Is The Most Common Mistake Women Make
When Trying To Find Their Correct Bra Size?
• How Many Hooks Do I Need On My Bra Closure?
• Do Thin Bra Straps Still Provide Support?
• How Do I Know If My Straps Are Adjusted Correctly?
• I Have Narrow Shoulders And My Straps Keep Falling Down.
What Should I Do?