Left Coast Bias
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An Open Letter to 2009By Ben Grossman, December 19, 2009Dear 2009: Screw you. Seriously, die. You can't end quickly enough. Forget silver linings and all that crap, let's be honest: You stunk. More
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Left Coast Bias: There Are No Stupid Questions, Just Stupid PeopleBy Ben Grossman, December 12, 2009Forever bowing before the customer is partly what got the media business into this mess in the first place. Of course they want everything when they want it, how they want it, and for free. Because lately we have taught them that they should expect it. More
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10 Things to Watch About Comcast-NBCUBy Ben Grossman, December 5, 2009First came the deal, now comes the waiting. As the mega-merger between Comcast and NBCU goes through its process, here are 10 things I'm wondering about. 1 Jeff Zucker's fate. Comcast can appreciate a great cable business as much as anyone, and under Zucker, NBC Universal has grown into one. But the broadcast network's fall under his watch has industry insiders buzzing about whether he will mak... More
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Left Coast Bias: What They Said…and What They MeantBy Ben Grossman, November 14, 2009Given that Thanksgiving is almost upon us, the default mechanism of every columnist is to write a piece about what they are thankful for. Like how I am thankful to the Fox PR people for sending the Glee soundtrack because now my 3-year-old kid is addicted to Journey's “Don't Stop Believin'.” A father is never prouder than when he hears his pre-schooler belting out the words, “... More
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Left Coast Bias: What Recovery?By Ben Grossman, November 7, 2009You'd think I'd be in a good place right now. It's 70 and sunny every single day here, my hometown Minnesota Vikings and this hotshot youngster Brett Favre are easing their way to a Super Bowl appearance, and I continue to strategically outwit the wife's misguided notions about having a third child. But unfortunately as I write this, I am getting ready to leave for a long weekend in the place w... More
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Left Coast Bias: We Are Sinners, All of UsBy Ben Grossman, October 31, 2009Last week, I barely escaped a massive snowstorm in Denver, only to arrive in a torrential windstorm in Los Angeles. Given that the wrath of a higher power was seemingly after me, maybe it should not have been a surprise that on the flight out of the Rockies, I was actually called an “infidel” to my face. More
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Left Coast Bias: Taking My Crack at a Hall of Fame QuestionBy Ben Grossman, October 17, 2009In this week's cover story, we asked the 11 media moguls being inducted into the 2009 Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame to tell us what they learned this year that will inform their decision-making in 2010. The answers paint a picture of how these leaders of industry coped with a challenging 2009 and are preparing to face whatever comes next. More
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Left Coast Bias: Talk-Show Wars Just Keep DeliveringBy Ben Grossman, October 10, 2009A high-profile sex act discussed openly on a talk show undoubtedly turned the tables of the late-night wars. But it wasn’t David Letterman’s recent revelation; it was 14 years ago, when Jay Leno asked Hugh Grant, “What the hell were you thinking?” and took off on a long run atop the 11:35 p. More
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Left Coast Bias: How to Dumb Down America 101By Ben Grossman, October 3, 2009Usually I'm as big a shill as can be for B&C and all the content our great team of journalists pumps out seven days a week. In fact, the only thing I really don't like about B&C is that all this work is a drag on my golf game—that, and my boss keeps shooting down my “Page 3 Girls” idea. More
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Left Coast Bias: A Happy New Year for Nina TasslerBy Ben Grossman, September 26, 2009When you are born into a Jewish family of any kind, certain inevitabilities tend to come with the territory. You're probably not going to be the tallest kid at school. A career as a pro athlete? Yeah, that's most likely not in the cards. And chances are, you'll end up being pretty neurotic. That last bit of fate is exactly what plagued current CBS Entertainment President—and future cantor... More
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Left Coast Bias: Time to Find Out Where We StandBy Ben Grossman, September 19, 2009What if the viewers just aren't coming back this fall?” That's what a top network TV executive said to me over an adult beverage at a ballgame. Three years ago. And more than one exec has said basically the same thing to me in the last few days. More
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Left Coast Bias: Take These For What They're WorthBy Ben Grossman, September 12, 2009If you have read this column for a while, you know my pet peeve as a former communications executive is that journalists frequently sit around and pick apart everyone's business or creative ideas, without coming up with any solutions. So every few months, I like to throw out a few random ideas of my own. More
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Left Coast Bias: Legalize It AlreadyBy Ben Grossman, September 5, 2009Being married to a former sportswriter has its advantages. For instance, the missus doesn't care that some game is always on TV in our house, or that our 3-year-old was so psyched to get a pair of baseball batting gloves that he slept with them on literally every night for a week. She's also a fantasy sports player, both baseball and football. More
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Left Coast Bias: Mr. Glazer Regrets—Kind OfBy Ben Grossman, August 22, 2009Talk about your one-two combinations. Within the last week, I sat 20 feet away as my future second wife got punched in the face about 437 times in less than 5 minutes; then, days later, my hometown football team guaranteed its place in this year's Super Bowl with a big signing. (Isn't that right, Jets fans?) Strangely enough, there is another person who can directly relate to both Gina Carano g... More
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Left Coast Bias: TCA -- Paula and Bubba and Katy, Oh MyBy Ben Grossman, August 8, 2009The Television Critics Association has its annual awards recognizing highs in industry quality. And with the press tour now wrapped up in Pasadena, here are my own TCA kudos from last week's broadcast network presentations. Most Shocking Event: You're not going to believe this, but there was an entire TCA session featuring Fox honchos Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice and not one single question abou... More
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Left Coast Bias: Don't Be Afraid to Make a Rock Star HireBy Ben Grossman, August 1, 2009Ben Silverman's tenure at NBC didn't go as well as either had hoped, but the thinking behind the hire was the right kind of desperate.
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Left Coast Bias: The State of TV News: That's the Way It IsBy Ben Grossman, July 25, 2009I caught a great arm-wrestling match on the tube last week. No, summer television has not gotten so bad that I am really watching arm wrestling, unless of course it's the unparalleled cinematic masterpiece that is Sly Stallone's Over the Top. Actually, this match was between Jon Stewart and Brian Williams, part of a spirited Daily Show segment featuring the duo exchanging good-hearted verbal j... More
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Left Coast Bias: Why You Should Give Soccer a ShotBy Ben Grossman, July 18, 2009When I write about soccer, I have about as much objectivity as Bill O'Reilly or Keith Olbermann covering a Supreme Court nomination hearing. I spent a nice chunk of my career working in professional soccer here and abroad, and would probably go back to it tomorrow if asked. (Welcome to another edition of “Does my boss read my column?”) Next summer's World Cup in South Africa will br... More
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Left Coast Bias: Are You Just Keeping Up With the Joneses?By Ben Grossman, July 11, 2009We are in one of the strangest times the television business has ever seen. Almost the entire industry is in a holding pattern. Everyone is waiting around for someone to figure this all out. There is an assumption that someway, somehow a model will be discovered to return the TV business to its glory days. More
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Left Coast Bias: My Greatest MissesBy Ben Grossman, July 4, 2009As a former PR person, it always used to tick me off that hacks could write whatever dumb predictions they wanted and seldom be held accountable down the road. Now that I've jumped to the lucrative world of journalism, it's only fair that I turn that scope back on myself. Here's a look at some of my hits and misses. More
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