Monday, March 31, 2008
Al Diamon
Skip This Conversation
Media Mutt is Maine's media critic
According to its promotional spots, Maine Public Broadcasting Network’s “Conversations With Maine” is supposed to go “beyond the headlines and past the jargon.”
It does neither.
The show, which features one-on-one interviews with, according to a newspaper ad, “fascinating people noted for their intellect and keen insight into Maine’s economic, social, cultural and environmental landscapes,” is unfocused and laden with jargon.
Rather than going “beyond the headlines,” it often rehashes old news. Rather than enlightening, it embalms.
CWM is hosted by Frank Ferrel, producer of public TV’s “Made in Maine.” As an interviewer, Ferrel is respectful almost to the point of being obsequious. He doesn’t ask sharp questions. In fact, he often doesn’t ask any questions at all. He just rambles on about the topic until his guest finally says something.
That might work if he had something incisive to say, but he rarely does. In the middle of a discussion about how to create sustainable communities in Maine, Ferrel interrupted Coastal Enterprises president Ron Phillips to ask, “Are you ever going to be able to retire?”
Phillips’s organization provides money and advice to fledgling entrepreneurs. It might have been nice to know how much money. How many entrepreneurs? What number of jobs had been created? Can Coastal Enterprises’ success be quantified? I didn’t find out any of that stuff from watching this show.
This unchallenging approach appears to be intentional. On MPBN’s Web site, the show is described as “Eschewing the traditional point-counterpoint format of the typical talk show.” It also seems to eschew controversy or any hint that the guests’ assertions about what’s good for Maine might be questionable. This makes CWM less a public affairs program and more a public relations one.
In the first show in the series (originally aired Feb. 14, 2008 and repeated since), Ferrel talked with Karen Mills, introduced as a “venture capitalist” and chair of Maine’s Council on Jobs and Innovation, a gubernatorial task force that had recently released its report on how to improve the state’s economy. Mills is also married to a member of MPBN’s board of directors, a fact Ferrel didn’t mention until the show was more than half over. Note to MPBN ethics staff: On TV, it’s important to announce your conflicts of interest right away, so your audience can assess what’s being said from a fully informed point of view.
The Mills show was the most jargon-heavy to date. She informed us that Maine needs an “ecotourism cluster in the western mountains.” What’s that mean? Hard to tell, but Mills does tell us that lobstering, blueberry farming, organic farming, restaurants, disability insurance, bio-fuel, specialty-paper manufacturing and the “creative economy” could all be “clusters.” Apparently, she’s unaware that the word “cluster” has a different meaning in the real world.
“The idea,” Mills said, “is to incent groups to come up with what their strategy is, to work collectively.”
Incent?
She also says “quality of place” a lot. An incent for your thoughts on what that really means.
Near the end of the half hour, Ferrel finally asks a real question: Where do we go from here? Mills’ answer:
“Well, I think this is actually a really important time for Maine, and we’re kind of … at the tipping point, where we have to decide, you know, if the glass is half full or if it’s half empty.”
In terms of new information or insights, this is 30 minutes without any.
The second show (first aired Feb. 28) was an improvement, mostly because the guest spoke jargon-free English and didn’t rely on cliches. Ted Ames is the only Mainer ever to be awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant. Ames is a lobsterman and scientist, who’s done groundbreaking work on why fisheries decline and how they can be restored. He told interesting stories that had a point (“Our technology today is so powerful that there isn’t a specie on the planet that we can’t wipe out”) and ignored Ferrel when he said things like, “That’s a long way from setting gear.” If you can catch a rerun of this one, it’s worth your time.
Show three featured Lucinda Yates, who owns a boutique in Portland’s Old Port and works with nonprofit organizations to market jewelry to raise funds. Ferrel started the program by telling us Yates was “once homeless and living on the streets.” Now, she runs a successful business and helps others develop “innovative ideas.”
Ferrel never asked Yates how she came to be homeless. As for how she stopped being that way, that’s dealt with only in a passing reference to getting help from her family. Seems like if you’re going to lead with the homeless angle, you ought to explore it a little more deeply, even at the risk of embarrassing your guest.
But this show is supposed to be about “innovative ideas.” Here are some of Yates’: New products have to have a “wow factor.” She doesn’t pay for advertising, but “You have to be able to tell people why you’re great.” Also, “It’s about making connections.” And, “We could use an entrepreneurial incubator.”
Needless to say, Ferrel never asked Yates how much profit she makes on each piece of jewelry she produces for nonprofit causes.
Halfway through this program, there’s an interruption for public TV fundraising. One of the people urging viewers to send in their checks is Lucinda Yates. Note to MPBN ethics staff: Having a guest on an interview show who’s also begging for cash during the same show makes it appear there’s some sort of quid pro quo, such as if you want to be interviewed, you have to help us raise money.
There was a moment of unintentional insight into the thinking behind CWM at the beginning of a program (first aired March 13, 2008) featuring former Nature Conservancy Maine head Kent Wommack. Ferrel informed viewers that a big reason “people from away” move to Maine is because of the “abundance of protected land.” I don’t know where he got that information or even if it’s true, but he seems convinced this is a good thing. Some Mainers who aren’t from away think otherwise, believing efforts to stop logging, hunting, snowmobiling and other activities on protected lands interfere with the state’s traditional way of life – and maybe even its “quality of place.”
In the entire 30-minute show, that point of view isn’t so much as hinted at.
Seems like that would be something worth having a conversation about.
— Filed March 31, 2008
Al Diamon was fired from Maine Public TV’s “Media Watch” program in 1995 for criticizing MPBN’s ethics. He can be e-mailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.
Posted on Monday, March 31, 2008 in Permalink
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Reader Comments:
You're hard on MPBN, MM. Maine Public Broadcasting — at least its radio arm — continues to be the bright spot in daily Maine media. Journalist Murray Carpenter is a strong asset. His questions are thoughtful and insightful and combine well with his demeanor, which comes across as being at once relaxed and respectful. His mastery of transitions bridges the points in more difficult assignments, making the train of thought easy to follow and even enjoyable. Here's hoping MPBN finds a way to use Carpenter beyond radio...perhaps sooner rather than later to tame the more critical Mutt.
Well, Media Mutt, your mouth has caused DownEast to print a disclaimer; which will incent me to pay more attention to what you have to say.
Thank you for hating that word.