Media

Encore: Sharyl Attkisson Focuses on “The Narrative”

August 8, 2022 Tim Crisis Communications, Entertainment, Episodes, Life & Style, Media, People, Politics, Politics, Public Relations, Society 00:48:22 Comments Off on Encore: Sharyl Attkisson Focuses on “The Narrative”

Sharyl Attkisson joins Tim to talk about her latest book and the current state of the news media in society.  Her book, “Slanted: How the news media taught us to love censorship and hate journalism,” centers on that dynamic called “The Narrative,” which appears to drive so much news coverage we see today. Sharyl talks of her many years as a network reporter and the way the media covers news today. This encore episode was first released December 7, 2020.

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Encore – How Business Influences TV News

April 18, 2022 Tim Entertainment, Episodes, Life & Style, Media, Politics, Public Relations, Society 00:52:01 Comments Off on Encore – How Business Influences TV News

TV news industry veteran and consultant John Altenbern joins Tim to talk about the business of TV news. John runs a consulting firm named Crawford Johnson & Northcott, Inc., that specializes in helping TV news operations get better ratings and grow their audiences. John tells what it takes for TV news operations to compete against each other for your time and attention. He gives a glimpse of some of the methods and strategies those news directors, producers and reporters use to keep us tuned in. This Encore Episode was originally released on May 11, 2020.

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What to Do About Big Tech and Section 230

April 19, 2021 Tim Crisis Communications, Episodes, Life & Style, Marketing, Media, Politics, Politics, Society 00:44:12 Comments Off on What to Do About Big Tech and Section 230

Josh Hammer joins Tim to talk about one of the hottest debates over the future of the Internet, the fate of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which is credited with creating the Internet as we know it today and giving Big Tech almost unbridled power. Has that little provision outlived its purpose? We explore. Josh is opinion editor of Newsweek magazine. He’s a research fellow with the Edmund Burke Foundation. He’s counsel and policy advisor for the Internet Accountability Project, and he’s a syndicated columnist.

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Walter Iooss Jr.: The Sports Photography Master

April 5, 2021 Tim Entertainment, Episodes, Life & Style, Marketing, Media, People, Public Relations, Society, Sports 00:43:18 Comments Off on Walter Iooss Jr.: The Sports Photography Master

Legendary sports photographer Walter Iooss joins Tim to talk about his life and career that has spanned decades. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and in many major media outlets and in unforgettable marketing campaigns. If you were to think of an iconic photo from any major American sport from over the past 50 years, there’s a decent chance Walter is the one who captured that image. Walter talks about his life behind the lens, a lens that has captured household names, helped make a few athletes become household names, and even at times when people in his photos were not famous, the image was still…iconic.

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Sharyl Attkisson: Focusing on “The Narrative”

December 7, 2020 Tim Business, Crisis Communications, Episodes, Life & Style, Media, People, Politics, Politics, Public Relations, Society 00:48:53 Comments Off on Sharyl Attkisson: Focusing on “The Narrative”

Sharyl Attkisson joins Tim to talk about her latest book and the current state of the news media in society.  Her book, “Slanted: How the news media taught us to love censorship and hate journalism,” centers on that dynamic called “The Narrative,” which appears to drive so much news coverage we see today. Sharyl talks of her many years as a network reporter and the way the media covers news today.

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Podcast Gumbo: Why We Listen

June 8, 2020 Tim Branding, Business, Entertainment, Episodes, Life & Style, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Society 00:45:39 Comments Off on Podcast Gumbo: Why We Listen

Paul Kondo joins Tim to talk about why we listen to podcasts, what’s the appeal, and some of the podcasts he likes. Paul is the editor of the leading podcasting industry newsletter for listeners called Podcast Gumbo, and new in 2020, the Podcast Gumbo Podcast.  Podcasting has shaped the way we think, but there’s something more to it. In this episode we explore the appeal of podcasting.

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The Rise of Rush Limbaugh & Conservative Talk Radio

February 10, 2020 Tim Branding, Business, Crisis Communications, Entertainment, Episodes, History, Life & Style, Marketing, Media, People, Politics, Politics, Public Relations, Society 00:50:16 Comments Off on The Rise of Rush Limbaugh & Conservative Talk Radio

Brian Rosenwald joins Tim to talk about the rise of Rush Limbaugh and conservative talk radio. Brian is the co-editor of a daily Washington Post history blog called “Made by History.” He’s a Scholar in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s also the author of a new book called: “Talk Radio’s America: how an industry took over a political party that took over the United States.”

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2020: The Art of Persuasion

January 6, 2020 Tim Branding, Business, Crisis Communications, Episodes, Marketing, Media, People, Politics, Politics, Public Relations 00:52:32 Comments Off on 2020: The Art of Persuasion

Lee Hartley Carter joins Tim to talk about the climate for persuasion in 2020. Lee is the president of maslansky + partners, a language strategy firm. She’s also the author of a new book from Penguin Random House called: “Persuasion: Convincing Others When Facts Don’t Seem to Matter.”

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O’Brien Communications’ Shaping Opinion Podcast is an award-winning podcast about people, events and things that have shaped the way we think. It sits at the corner of culture, history and communication.

We publish new episodes on Mondays. Each episode features a conversation between Tim O’Brien and a guest.

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Tim O’Brien is a Pittsburgh-based communications veteran with experience in complex matters that have ranged from marketing and C-suite issues, to crisis and issues management. He’s the producer and host of Shaping Opinion, where he talks to guests on a wide range of topics at the intersection of communications, history and culture. He’s available to provide media interview coaching,  consulting and speaking, and of course, he is always interested in your thoughts for the podcast. Just get in touch.