Meeting Recap - July 26, 2016

 

Invocation:   offered by Bob Barmoe

 

Guests:   Two Rotarians from the Roseville, Minnesota club along with Ted Risdall from Minneapolis Club #9 who attended to introduce our guest speaker.   Potential member - Seth Thorsen, owner of Eurotech Auto in New Brighton

 

STOCKYARD DAYS

 

*Mark Beisswenger continued his recruitment of Rotarian volunteers to work in the bingo operation during Stockyard Days.   B-I-N-G-O we have some volunteers but could use a few more!!!

 

*George Winiecki noted that the club's annual hot dog distribution project will be August 11 so he needs volunteers

 

VIKINGS STADIUM TOUR

 

Gerry Tietz noted that the club's August 30 stadium tour currently has 42 attendees to US Bank Stadium -  a box lunch will be included.  Club members should consider bringing potential club members to this event so we can get to know them along the tour.

 

COMMUNITY PARTNERS WITH YOUTH

 

Geoff Hollimon promoted CPY's "golf ball drop" fundraising event on August 6 for which he is selling tickets.   If anyone wants to see an amazing display of physics and divot production at work then be sure to attend this event at Brightwood Hills Golf Course! 

 

HAPPY FINES AND COMMERCIAL MESSAGES WITH US CURRENCY INVOLVED

 

*MaryAnn contributed $5 to celebrate the retirement of the club's birthday celebration hats -  happy birthday to MaryAnn on July 29th!!

 

*Dana promoted the Rotary benefactor program which members should consider via their estate planning

 

*Glenna noted Michelle Caron's successful wedding and the time Glenna was able to spend with her grandsons

 

*John Risdall noted his wife is completing her third college degree at St. Olaf and that Paul Fornier's heart surgery recovery is progressing well

 

John Marq Patton noted with quiet reserve that "since I have no grand children to brag about then I will brag about myself since I shot a double eagle (isn't shooting an Eagle illegal??) at a local golf course.........."   

 

Beverly noted she was very happy to be walking without a cane

 

GUEST SPEAKER

 

Our guest speaker,  Gary Gilson, was introduced by John Risdall's boss -  Ted Risdall, chairman of Risdall Marketing who stated Gary's topic as "Whose News is it?" regarding the dramatic changes we have been experiencing in the world of journalism. 

 

Gilson began his journalism career as a reporter for the Minneapolis Star then spent 13 years in the television industry in New York City and another 4 years in Los Angeles before his return to the Twin Cities in 1981 to host a weekly magazine series on TPT.     For 14 years Gilson served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota New Council which focuses on holding news outlets accountable for accuracy, fairness, and ethical standards. 

 

Gilson opened his presentation by stating that numerous factors are impacting today's news gathering and reporting industry. Perhaps chief among these factors is that technology enables us to find news which reinforces our world view (aka "narrow casting").    Another factor includes the "entertainment value" of figures such as Don Trump who has received an estimated $2 billion in free media coverage which alters the news coverage process. Gilson then quoted CBS's CEO, Les Mooves, as saying "Trump may not be good for the country but he is damn good for CBS (in terms of ratings/viewership)."

 

Club members also learned that TV stations pay $0 in fees for licenses issued by the FCC which allow them to broadcast and earn very substantial profits with many earning 40% ROI however some broadcasters are known to earn 100% ROI.  By contrast the Cowles family was content with earning 5 to 6% ROI when they owned the Star Tribune.  Overall Gilson noted that the widespread use of online giant, "Craig's List", essentially killed the newspaper industry due to the loss of classified ads which ultimately reduced readership levels.

 

One critique of today's journalists Gilson offered was that they rarely ask follow up (plus "tough" follow up) questions to drive substantive answers although the clear exception to this herd behavior is CNN's Jake Tapper who asked Don Trump the same question 35 times before Tapper received a nominal response.  

 

Regarding what actually gets reported to the public is ultimately influenced by editorial choice (impacted by each individual's own personal bias and world view which "filters" the news for the general public).

 

The primary theme of Gilson's presentation noted that "the chase for 'eyeballs' by media outlets has fundamentally altered the journalism profession."   Thus Gilson's advice to aspiring journalists/students is to "find a smaller newspaper with high ethical standards............."  

 

Co-President John Risdall led the club members in reciting the 4-Way Test of Rotary to adjourn the meeting.

 

Submitted by:  Todd Kruse in support of Dr. Jeff Benson's fishing trip this week so hopefully The Exchange can grill some fillets for our August 2 club meeting!!