Perhaps there are even hidden factors here.   One is the concept that youth is everything and therefore we must exchange the image of gravitas and sobriety for one of exuberance and physical attraction.   Another is the fact that people no longer trust the news media.  Viewers no longer regard most newscasters as reliable providers of the news of the day.   They are seen more of hawkers of sensationalism, entertainers more than news people.

As for their knowledge or points of reference, with increasingly few exceptions, most of the newscasters come up pretty empty in the insight department.   There are few Edward R. Murrow’s or Walter Cronkite’s in this person’s world.   On a regional level they are familiar and often warm, but just as often corny and, frankly, pretty stupid.   All that convivial exchange among the different folks at the desk can sometimes make one nauseous.

Local news was never a glamorous prospect. You watched it to get the local news. You watched it for things you could relate to because the happened across the town or even across the street.  While there are still relevant stories cast on local news, much of it is insipid.  Or we suffer from ennui.  How many drive-by shootings can we watch or kidnappings can we care about before one story bleeds into the next?

It is not necessarily the fault of the anchor people but those who craft it behind the scenes.  True municipal issues that really affect our lives are diminished for the more sensational stores.   In case you think this harsh, there are reasons that local news is watched by less than half the television viewers. And those reasons don’t have to do only with the Internet or cable news. It has to do with local news, the choices made on the stories, and those who project it.

So the revenue is down on local news. What local advertisers remain in a chain store world, will often put their money elsewhere. Like cable TV. The national brands that would advertise locally are facing their own cutbacks in advertising and marketing. Local TV is among the first of the media outlets to feel it. So nobody can afford the salaries that these more senior anchor people have commanded over the years. Nobody wants to sit and get old with them. Well, few do. And each year, fewer still.

While in some ways the loss of iconic newscasters is not a tragedy, there are other ways in which it doesn’t bode well for the news industry in general. As style over substance continues to pervade the news industry we may be facing yet another degrading spectacle of disposable, dumbed down newscaster who other than reading or standing in front of a camera have little offer. It is difficult to imagine our local newscasters or national newscasters for that matter having an even more diminished grasp of history and the world around them. It is tough to imagine a news casting lot where they can appear more wooden and less informed. But this is the news media. Anything’s possible.

In time we may find ourselves confronted with replicas of replicas, news people posing as news people, in search of fame and fortune. It could start to look like college television. High school television. Oh my. We could find our local stations recruiting people on the cheap, who can’t read, can’t even speak properly. We could face a new newscaster every week, something like the tryouts for “American Idol.”   I can just see the background checks for the candidates for anchor person.   Can you actually read?

We could find ourselves pining for the  good old days when our garden variety local cornballs issued the news between commercials.

Many companies right away start cutting from their workforces.   They layoff people and load up the rest with extra duties and greater demands.   This can be smart, up to a point.  It can also be the wrong move.   Sometimes it is more prudent to recruit new personnel from the rich pool of layoffs.  Someone else’s mistake can prove your good fortune, provided you are astute in your selections and in vetting people with your preemployment screening process.

Unilever will be cutting costs in what these days is a unique effort.   Innovative, in fact.   According to an article in Ad Age Unilever will be reducing its color palette used for packaging from 100 colors to six.   These colors will be complementary and used for its spreads and dressings in the European market.   Unilever is calling this effort Project Rainbow.

The company believes it can save tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars.   They will gain the advantage of buying fewer color inks in larger volume, saving money there.  Advances in technology has enabled designers to be more innovative for less production cost.   There is the environmental advantage because there is less wasted ink to dispose of.

In all, some marketing and branding people believe it can save the entire industry something like $5 Billion.  That is a lot of money, even in the age of trillion dollar bailouts.   Of course, there are other branding strategists who believe the jury is still out on whether the truncated color range will prove at least equally as attractive to consumers.  Data on this should be pretty interesting.  In this tight economy,  and with all the einvornmental concerns, how many people really care a bout the added colors to their packaged goods?

The major point of all this is there are a variety of ways to cut costs during economic hard times.   Or any other time, for that matter.   As I wrote early, some cost cutting costs are wiser than others.   This seems to be one of them.   Perhaps, rather than layoff your workers, recruit those who can bring such innovative ideas to the table.   The money you spend on their salaries may just give you the edge.

Stratfor recently released an article, analyzing what it sees as the possibility of increased violence in the workplace.   According to Stratfor,  ” As we talk to our friends in corporate security and law enforcement about these layoffs, we are hearing a lot of concern over the fact that the layoffs could spawn incidents of workplace violence.”

The article then goes on to list the different myths about workplace violence, ranging from the guy who just snapped to current vs. former employees, holidays and violence, technology and security measures.   The article goes on and analyzes each myth, explaining why it is a myth and so on.  The article lists the signs of possible workplace violence and means of prevention.  All good information.

There were 610 homicides in the workplace in 2007.  Most of them were from shootings.   If layoffs will precipitate an increase in workplace violence then who knows what the figure will be not necessarily this year but by the end of 2009.   As the articles suggests, there are ways to help prevent it from happening at your business.

One means of preventing workplace violence is to conduct rigorous background checks on your employees.  While some companies have no preemployment screening programs in place others do just that–order background searches for job candidates only.  And while nothing can guarantee the prevention of violence in the workplace, scheduled  background checks may help discover those employees who are more prone to commit violence on the job.

I should remind you it is not necessarily the background check alone that will reveal the characteristics of those prone to violence in the workplace.  Sometimes the verbatim results are revealing and sometimes you must look for behavior patterns in the searches you perform.   Different searches when combined will often show that behavior pattern.  Credit reports and DMV motor vehicle driving records when combined can start to reveal substance issues, which in turn may prompt you to look for domestic issues.

Workplace violence is not how you want to publicize your company on the six o’clock news.  Get out in front of what could be an evolving problem.

Check them out before you hire.  And after.

Yes, we heard stories of the Depression.  But that was so long ago.  And it is difficult to relate to those grainy black and white films or the bitter tales that grandpa told us.   It is a tragedy when the liquor store runs out of single malt Scotch, or the softer brand toilet paper is out of stock.   A lot of us are used to extending ourselves and buying $2 Hundred jeans and $400.00 shirts.   This by no means is most of us, but it is enough of us.   Just look at the cars we drive, that we lease, and you know many of us have overextended.

So now it is crunch time and every day is a new adventure with working.   You show up at the office unsure if you will get that offer of a buyout, the layoff slip, the goodbye, see you later, scenario.   You read the paper and every company is firing people by the thousand.   The number start to roll up where the loss is unestimable on people’s ability to earn a living.  On people’s psyches.

I had a story the other day from a woman who tried to call her so called friends who through networking could help her find a job.  Most wouldn’t take her calls.   Were they that calloused or simply too embarrassed they couldn’t help her find work?   Tough to say.

If you are an employer, treat your people well.  Reassure them but be realistic.  And do not uses this bad economy as leverage to hold over their heads so that they are in constant fear of losing their jobs.    It isn’t right, and it isn’t fair.

And if you are working and your friend was laid off, don’t ignore them.   Take their call.   Tell them there isn’t much you can do, but you will let them know if you hear of anything.   Most people realize how tough it is and that there are no miracle workers.   But times will change, and you would rather be known in the future era as a better person than the person who ignored his friends.  Besides, when you get up in the morning and stare in the mirror, you will like the person you see.

Check them out before you hire.

But we still have Thanksgiving.  Football, Turkey and Family Gatherings.   Four days off.   Very cool.

Enjoy the time with your families.   Eat, drink, and go shopping on Black Friday.   Your retailers will love you for it.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Corra Group.

But this will turn around and we will move forward again.   This country was in desperate need for transition, and the beginning of that transition was long overdue.   We have to go back to making things and not just shuffling papers around and calling it an economy.   What we will be making are the new technologies that will serve to develop nations well into the twenty first century  and beyond.  We will be developing alternative energy solutions and the technology for enviromental cleanup.

Some of the older businesses, the Big Three, to name a few, are no longer icons but dinosaurs.  The product they develop and the means of development is as out dated as their thinking process.  Private Jets to a meeting where you are begging for money.   Hard to believe.

So new companies will enter the market.  As it was more than half a century ago, when there weren’t just the big three manufacturing American vehicles but the other companies that have long gone to the automotive graveyard.   But companies will emerge.  My brother-in-law just sent me an interesting piece on the new developments in automotive technology, from the composite frames to delivering more fuel energy to the wheels.   It’s is just the start.

So times for the economy are bad.   Times will be better.   And then times will be good.   Companies will restructure or new companies will emerge as regional and global leaders.  People will hire again, only in the future preemployment screening will be a little more complex and geared to assess the candidate’s skill sets and how they apply to future requirements.

Meanwhile, the government will grab the pail and start to bail.   While the best means of resolving this crisis are still in debate, we can take heart that this is the first time in awhile that most people are on the same page.   Get moving again.   Into the future.

There are times when the subject of the product or service is such that it is difficult to create a viral element.   It is tough to create a desire or to market in such a way your targeted consumers perceive the need.   If you delay your marketing campaign you may let your window of opportunity slip out of sight.  If you market incorrectly, you may create the kind of disaster that costs ten times the initial campaign amount to recover, if you can recover at all.

The entertainment industry has for years been faced with this problem.   There is a standard saying within show business that “they just didn’t know how to market it.”   People may agree the film or show was a good one, top quality, even, but they couldn’t figure the marketing line that would generate public appeal.

According to an article in Ad Age, United Artists has that problem with Tom Cruise’s new movie, “Valkyrie.”  The film depicts the failed attempt of German officers to assassinate Adolph Hitler, before he could bring Germany to its knees.  The film is generally problematic because many viewers suffer from “Nazi Ennui.”   For many, the younger audience that actually goes to films, it is a tired subject.   Then there is Cruise’s controversial behavior that didn’t exactly enthrall a fair number of older viewers.  And then there is the subject, intrepid but disillusioned Nazis, or German Officers, fail to kill Hitler.  Hardly romantic.

The movie’s release has been postponed.   The film has become known as the “Eye-Patch” Movie, for the eye-patch Tom Cruise wears in portraying one German officer.    So, as with all movies that seem to be problematic, there are whispers in Hollywood that don’t help any.  The film now awaits test screening.

The executives have decided to position the film as more of an ensemble piece.   Less Tom, more other actors.   They focus on the true story elements, the conspiracy elements, which they believe people like.  We shall see.

Meanwhile, the entertainment industry is not the only industry that finds obstacles in marketing certain products and services.  Every industry has its marketing challenges.   In these tough economic times the challenges are ven greater.  People do not want to spend their money.   You have to get them to spend your money.  Not easy.

Before your marketing campagin becomes a partial Waterloo, evaluate not only your campaign but the team creating the marketing campaign.  Do you have the right mix of people?   If you are marketing in a cross platform platform do you have the people who know what they are doing?  It is improtant to have the experienced adults but just as important to have the creative types and the younger, usually younger, techie wizards who can bring you online.   They have to be able to work together, create together.  For the benefit of future projects, they have to be able to grow together.

So look over your marketing staff, carefully.   You may need to make changes.  You may need to bring new people aboard.   There are plenty out there, what with all the layoffs.  But not all are as sharp as you may desire.   Some are hacks, quite frankly, or so compartmentalized in their skill sets they lack the versatility you need on a modern day team.

Run preemployment screening on your candidates.  Run background checks that include the type of professional reference checks that can evaluate skill sets.   Be sure they are merely victims of the downturn and not the deadwood that your competitors had at last had the opportunity to get rid of.   Take nobody’s word for nothing.   Colleagues like to do their friends a favor and praise them in hopes that these same people will do the same for them when they, too, are job hunting.   So be thorough.

Check them out before you hire.

Obviously, this is not good news.  Nor is it comforting to know that every country in the world is affected.  Perhaps nothing is as telling that we are living in a global economy than our shared misery thanks to this economic decline.

I sense as well that everyone is looking at everyone else, waiting for somebody to do something.  Trouble is, nobody really knows quite what to do.  Or to once again employ prominent screenwriter William Goldman’s statement about the entertainment industry in particular and probably now to the rest of the world, “Nobody knows nothing.”

So we sit here playing with our paper clips and trying not to panic.   For those of us who have lived in rougher times, regional wars, ethnic cleansing and the threats of annihilation, this is but a speed bump in the overall scheme of things.   For those still around who remember the Great Depression, this doesn’t look so bad.

But for some of us who have spoiled ourselves with endless gratuity, trinkets, beads and high priced everything, it may look like the end of the world.   Perhaps it is a retrenching on a Global Level.  The U.S. can’t consume like it used to, and the rest of the world can’t try to be just like the United States.  Or something like that.

But for now people are out of work.  For them it is a disaster.  For the rest of us, we hold our collective breath.   Most businesses will survive.  Some will go under.   And some will innovate and not only survive but prosper in this very tough economy.   They will take advantage of the layoffs to beef of their own staffs with the best selection in the pool of cast offs.   When it all shakes out, not only will they be standing there, but they will be way ahead of the pack.

Look at it this way, even economic disaster is just another phase in the cycle of history.   This too will pass.

In the face of the downturn I have been suggesting in different blog articles that savvy business hire laid off journalists to handle some of their proposals, marcom materials and to assist with public relations opportunities.   Apparently, Former General Manager of MSNBC Dan Abrams had a similar idea, only he took the concept a major step further and went into business for himself.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Abrams has founded Abrams Research, a media strategy firm.  The new firm is designed to assist senior executives in dealing with the public relations challenges they confront on a regular basis.    The public relations issues can range from blogger adversity to mergers and acquistions.

Abrams has assembled a network of media personalities who will work with clients.   The firm will be charging an hourly fee.   In all, it is not only a terrific idea it is one whose time has come.   Certain public relations firms may be equipped to handle this kind of subject matter.   But a good many are not.   Additionally, this kind of work requires hand holding and lobbying, interfacing with the media on levels the average public relations executive would find inaccessible.

Given the roster from which Abrams can draw, I am sure the preemployment screening aspects will prove a snap.   As more and more media people are laid off, he will have a rich pool to choose from.  So will you, if you belive you can retain media savvy folk for in-house assignments.   Even for contractual work, or part time.

It’s a smart move.   Check them out before you hire.

There is an article by Henry Blodget in the Silicon Alley Insider that explains how this could be advantageous times for Microsoft.  Blodget writes that while others struggle to survive, Microsoft has the opportunity to buy its competition.   I should add not only to buy its competition but those companies that in the long run would serve to make Microsoft stronger.   Blodget writes, quite correctly, that Microsoft must then put the Internet based companies it buys under a single, umbrella branding in order not only only to gain optimum advantage but to keep from failing.

Reading Blodget’s article reminded me of my grandfather and his circle of friends and how during the depression they were among the few who were cash rich.   Rather than try to hoard their assets, well they hoarded enough to cover themselves, believe me, they moved forward and bought up the competition and any assets they deemed beneficial in the long run.   They bought these assets for cash and ins ome cases for pennies on the dollar.

I believe this type of thinking can apply to Microsoft and any other business out there with extra cash in pocket.   Some may disagree and think it’s best to watch the dollar at a time like this.  Others will see the wisdom, think in terms of the long run and make offers at what may prove to be bargain prices.   Years from now, when this economic downturn is on the rebound, they could be the companies that profit the most.

Obviously, you got to be careful.   Due diligence, coupled with specific corporate research is the mandate.   And then there is the hiring.   You will need to staff key executives.   Those familiar with turnaround and restructuring.   Do you background checks carefully on these folks.  Make sure they can really perform and are not are not bunch of Wall Street guys who can do well only in the good times and will drive a company into the ground when generating profits is not like shooting fish in the barrel.   There are some very capable senior executives out there.   Despite the recent focus on MBA’s, which can be important, the more capable are supported with years of experience.   Years, meaning they have been through harsher times and realize what is necessary to stabilize a business.

In the short run, you as the company owner may grimace when you have to produce the precious cash that allows you to buy both competitors and strategic assets.   But years from now, or sooner, that grimace could turn into a nice big smile.

Check them out before you hire.