1 00:00:01,590 --> 00:00:02,480 Starting now. 2 00:00:03,220 --> 00:00:07,400 Commonalities where guests find common ground through uncommon 3 00:00:07,420 --> 00:00:11,040 conversations, politics, religion, finances, 4 00:00:11,140 --> 00:00:14,720 all the topics your grandmother told you not to discuss with friends. 5 00:00:15,060 --> 00:00:17,640 And now your host, Matthew Dowling, 6 00:00:17,900 --> 00:00:20,720 and today's guests on commonalities. 7 00:00:22,590 --> 00:00:25,320 Well, good morning everyone, and thank you for joining us. 8 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:29,320 We are actually doing today's show, uh, while we pre-record, uh, 9 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,160 for the convenience of many of our guests. Today's show is live, 10 00:00:33,300 --> 00:00:34,720 and I am, uh, 11 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:39,120 doing it from the W N B S studios off of Morgantown Street in Uniontown and 12 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,800 producing is Bill Madden here with us today. Um, 13 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,520 and we have a wonderful guest with us, a uh, 14 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,880 Pittsburgh media icon, John Steiger, while John, 15 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:51,840 how are you doing today? 16 00:00:52,230 --> 00:00:53,600 Good. How are you doing, Matthew? 17 00:00:53,860 --> 00:00:57,560 I'm doing well. I think, uh, most people, uh, in the, uh, 18 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:02,160 in the Fayette County Uniontown area, know your credentials, know that, uh, 19 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,440 you know, I remember as a, as a child that, uh, 20 00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:09,800 you were doing sportscasting with, uh, with some of the greats like Myron Cope, 21 00:01:10,130 --> 00:01:12,880 um, oh yeah. And you've been, uh, you've been doing, uh, 22 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:16,200 some conservative talk radio since that point in time. 23 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,560 But the reason we wanted to have you on today was so that we could have a little 24 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:24,080 bit of discussion about the media's role in 25 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:28,720 politics and how you've seen, uh, that kind of change in, uh, 26 00:01:28,770 --> 00:01:32,560 in your career span, uh, over the last couple decades. 27 00:01:34,070 --> 00:01:38,280 Well, I mean, how much time you got <laugh>? Uh, um, 28 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:41,160 actually, um, you know, it's, it's two, 29 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:46,120 it's two different from a national perspective, it's obvious. So, 30 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:47,160 I mean, I'm, I'm pretty old. 31 00:01:47,210 --> 00:01:52,160 So I was out there selling cable TV door to door when I got 32 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,880 outta college in, uh, 19 72, 50 years ago, believe it or not. 33 00:01:57,290 --> 00:01:58,123 Um, 34 00:01:58,380 --> 00:02:03,280 and I had to tell people when I knocked on the door, I, 35 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:03,520 I, 36 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:08,520 what part of the sales pitch was I would point outside to the, 37 00:02:08,530 --> 00:02:11,720 to the wire running on the telephone pole outside, I'd say, 38 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,120 you see that silver wire that's a cable, 39 00:02:14,620 --> 00:02:17,280 and we're gonna connect the cable from to that, 40 00:02:17,350 --> 00:02:21,480 that's gonna run directly to your TV and you're gonna get great reception and 41 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,240 blah, blah, blah. And I had people say to me, 42 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,200 I will never pay for to watch tv. I'm never gonna pay. 43 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,160 Just imagine somebody saying that now. And they said, um, 44 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:33,920 some people would say, that's the way, 45 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:36,520 that's a way for the government to spy on you. 46 00:02:36,750 --> 00:02:38,480 That's never gonna be in my house. 47 00:02:39,270 --> 00:02:44,160 I actually made really good money doing it cause, because I was, I, I was a, 48 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:49,000 a recent graduate from college, and I, you know, I was getting, I, I, 49 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,200 I had feelers out to get a, a real job, 50 00:02:51,860 --> 00:02:55,640 and I was making the equivalent of about probably, 51 00:02:56,510 --> 00:03:01,400 I don't know, $1,500 a week, working like 18 hours a week selling it. 52 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:01,980 So, 53 00:03:01,980 --> 00:03:06,440 but I was good at it because I knew what it was and I knew what the future was, 54 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:11,440 but I, you know, I was, I was charging five, I was asking for $5, 55 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:15,440 that's how much it costs for a month, and look where we are now, 56 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,640 where not, and, and back then, 57 00:03:18,660 --> 00:03:21,360 all you got really was some, um, 58 00:03:22,230 --> 00:03:25,800 good reception on the local channels, you know, perfect reception on, you know, 59 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,000 the <inaudible> cable gives you and the, and the big, uh, 60 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,760 the attraction that I was selling was that you could watch W o R TV in New York 61 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:35,800 and watch Mets games. Um, 62 00:03:35,850 --> 00:03:40,840 so right now you have 150 channels at least, that you can watch, 63 00:03:41,300 --> 00:03:44,600 and then they're streaming. So just the, the, 64 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,080 the way how much the technology has changed since, 65 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,640 since I got out of college and the way, 66 00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:52,600 forget about what people see on tv, 67 00:03:53,060 --> 00:03:56,840 the way they watch TV has changed so much, much. Um, 68 00:03:56,860 --> 00:04:01,720 and then in the last 25, 26 years 69 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:06,480 since, um, Fox has been on the, 70 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:11,400 obviously they, they, the main cable news networks, msnbc, cnn, 71 00:04:11,420 --> 00:04:14,720 and Fox are competing. Um, 72 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,760 but Fox jumped in there smart enough to see the, 73 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:21,000 the void that was there for conservative news, 74 00:04:21,300 --> 00:04:23,720 and they're killing everybody. 75 00:04:24,410 --> 00:04:28,680 So the biggest change in the last 25 years has been 76 00:04:29,340 --> 00:04:34,200 Fox cuz, uh, because if you just try to imagine, you know, 77 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,600 all the discussion that you're seeing now about the Hunter Biden laptop, 78 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,880 there would be millions and millions of people still today 79 00:04:43,870 --> 00:04:48,200 that would not know what you're talking about. If you said, uh, 80 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,760 hunter Biden's laptop, what do you think of that? And you asked 'em, they said, 81 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,280 who's Hunter Biden? What's that? If you, 82 00:04:53,310 --> 00:04:57,160 that's what would be going on if there was no Fox tv because the other networks, 83 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:01,920 including not just the two cable networks, but um, abc, 84 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:06,400 cbs, nbc, they've basically, until very recently, they ignored the story. 85 00:05:07,010 --> 00:05:11,480 So if you don't have Fox there, and that's just one example of, 86 00:05:11,660 --> 00:05:14,520 you know, the same, you could say the same thing about the border. 87 00:05:14,980 --> 00:05:16,120 The border is now, 88 00:05:16,260 --> 00:05:19,720 the other networks are finally paying attention to the border after Fox has been 89 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,280 beating on it for a couple of years. Um, 90 00:05:23,730 --> 00:05:27,680 so the fact that Fox has created a, 91 00:05:27,870 --> 00:05:32,840 a spot for conservative news and commentary, uh, 92 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:36,840 that's the biggest change aside from the technical change that I just described 93 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:39,720 from going from, you know, I watched you watching, uh, 94 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:44,640 three stations to watching 150 stations and on the local 95 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,920 level, um, when I started working at Channel four, 96 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,040 we had a half hour news at six o'clock. 97 00:05:50,690 --> 00:05:54,280 We had a half hour news at 11 o'clock, that was it. 98 00:05:54,820 --> 00:05:59,400 Now they have a four o'clock, a five o'clock, a six o'clock, 99 00:06:00,050 --> 00:06:03,400 they're on three or four hours in the morning, all three stations. 100 00:06:03,900 --> 00:06:07,120 And most of it's garbage. But it's, it's different. 101 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:11,360 And so that's the biggest change quantity has been is, 102 00:06:11,490 --> 00:06:16,080 is great. Much, much greater the quality. Much, 103 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:16,913 much less. 104 00:06:17,230 --> 00:06:22,040 Yeah, I, you know, I've been surprised seeing the advances of, 105 00:06:22,090 --> 00:06:26,840 uh, what quality is acceptable, um, in news production. 106 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:30,960 You know, I, years ago, we would've never thought, uh, of, you know, 107 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,400 a reporter getting on their, uh, 108 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,640 Facebook live on their cell phone right in front of them. No. 109 00:06:37,140 --> 00:06:42,080 And doing a preview of that story. Now, you know, that's expected in the field. 110 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,640 And, and I'm even seeing people, uh, in the media world who, you know, 111 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:51,280 their stations have requirements on them for a number of social media posts and 112 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:55,160 interactions. Um, oh yeah. Because, you know, they, they really want them to, 113 00:06:55,810 --> 00:06:59,840 to be a persona. But, you know, the other change that, uh, 114 00:06:59,950 --> 00:07:02,120 that I think you started to get to with, 115 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:05,480 with Fox is the 24 hour news cycle. 116 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,920 And I think back here in Pennsylvania to, uh, I believe it, 117 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,240 and I could be wrong, um, so catch me if I am, 118 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:18,160 but 2005 ish was the legislative pay raise that happened in the 119 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:22,000 middle of the night. You know, you think back to 2005, 120 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:24,880 how much different, uh, 121 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,640 even just then politics and the way it was covered was, uh, 122 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:30,640 that you were able to, 123 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:34,400 to push a pay raise through in the middle of the night because no one was 124 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:35,470 watching. 125 00:07:35,470 --> 00:07:39,640 Yeah. And you, there's the things, and again, though, 126 00:07:41,570 --> 00:07:46,080 to me, the, the big, it's obvious that you can't get away with certain things, 127 00:07:46,460 --> 00:07:49,520 politicians or, and, and other people. And, 128 00:07:49,540 --> 00:07:52,360 and nobody can get away with anything anymore. You can't, 129 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,360 you can't beat somebody up in a subway station without it being recorded by 130 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,720 somebody and out on video, seen by millions of people. 131 00:08:00,090 --> 00:08:04,720 So you really can't get away with anything. But, but, um, the, 132 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,320 the difference is that these, 133 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,840 the stations have the ability to do this kind of stuff, 134 00:08:11,540 --> 00:08:15,960 but they, the, to me, the biggest sin that's being committed, 135 00:08:16,540 --> 00:08:19,920 not just by national, but even maybe more so by local, 136 00:08:20,010 --> 00:08:24,520 is it's omission, not willing to cover a story. 137 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,320 There. There are great stories out there, uh, 138 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:33,000 pushing through a pay raise in the middle of the night as one example. Um, 139 00:08:33,190 --> 00:08:36,760 I don't know that any of the three local stations, 140 00:08:37,030 --> 00:08:41,200 news operations would really make a big deal about that today. 141 00:08:41,510 --> 00:08:44,560 I just don't think they would. They did. Um, there's, 142 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:49,160 there are so many stories that I see that I, excuse me, that I, um, 143 00:08:50,210 --> 00:08:54,360 covered on my radio show that I discussed on my radio show. 144 00:08:55,060 --> 00:08:59,440 And I look, and I, I I, I, the, the local stations aren't covering it. 145 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:00,480 They just don't cover it. 146 00:09:00,570 --> 00:09:04,920 If it's not a murder or a fire or a car 147 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:10,360 accident or the weather, it's not in the newscast. Anything that requires, um, 148 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:15,120 enterprise, uh, requires a little bit of guts maybe to do the story. 149 00:09:15,690 --> 00:09:19,000 Um, it's almost non-existent and it's embarrassing. And I know, 150 00:09:19,780 --> 00:09:21,510 I know the people. I, 151 00:09:21,510 --> 00:09:24,710 I don't blame the people that you see on the local stations, 152 00:09:25,370 --> 00:09:28,470 and especially the ones who have been around for a while. If you, 153 00:09:28,470 --> 00:09:33,470 if you agree with what I'm saying, don't blame them because they know as, 154 00:09:33,470 --> 00:09:37,830 as well as I do, that it stinks and that it's the, 155 00:09:37,830 --> 00:09:41,910 it's the way it's being run by ownership and management. 156 00:09:42,250 --> 00:09:46,750 And they're afraid to do controversial stories cuz somebody might get upset 157 00:09:47,330 --> 00:09:48,710 and, um, 158 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,430 it has to be a certain kind of a story for them to have the guts to do it. 159 00:09:52,770 --> 00:09:57,750 But they, they'll stay away from anything that, um, would, 160 00:09:57,750 --> 00:10:02,070 would get anybody upset. And even in sports, I don't know how long, 161 00:10:02,090 --> 00:10:05,630 how far you go back, excuse me, a lot. Um, 162 00:10:06,850 --> 00:10:08,270 you mentioned Myron Koch. 163 00:10:09,590 --> 00:10:14,270 Myron Koch did a commentary every night at six o'clock. Um, I, 164 00:10:14,270 --> 00:10:18,310 when I was doing sports at, I moved over to K D K A, 165 00:10:19,010 --> 00:10:21,110 the news director came to me and she said, 166 00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:25,860 I want you to start doing commentaries at 11 o'clock. I said, okay. 167 00:10:26,780 --> 00:10:30,330 Um, and Sam Nover was over on channel 11. He was doing commentaries. 168 00:10:30,330 --> 00:10:31,930 Not every night, but often, 169 00:10:32,870 --> 00:10:37,730 you tell me the last time you saw anybody do a commentary on a local sportscast 170 00:10:38,140 --> 00:10:42,490 doesn't happen. And it's not because they're not capable of doing it or not, 171 00:10:42,490 --> 00:10:47,050 not even because the people you're watching aren't good at it. 172 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:51,010 It's because management doesn't want it. It's, it's, 173 00:10:51,010 --> 00:10:55,610 it's evolved from being afraid that you might offend somebody 174 00:10:56,180 --> 00:11:00,330 to, you might say something that someone disagrees with. And that's how, 175 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:05,330 that's how insane it's become. And just, just, and, and again, 176 00:11:05,330 --> 00:11:07,690 I don't know how far you go back, Matt, but, um, 177 00:11:10,050 --> 00:11:14,210 Al Julius, when I was working at K D K A was a guy named Al Julius. 178 00:11:14,940 --> 00:11:18,730 He was a Shakespearean actor, but in a really smart guy. 179 00:11:19,420 --> 00:11:24,170 He did at least a two and a half minute commentary 180 00:11:24,570 --> 00:11:28,090 every night at six o'clock. And it was just him, 181 00:11:28,910 --> 00:11:33,210 his face speaking into the camera. No B roll, no, 182 00:11:33,340 --> 00:11:36,330 no other video to talk about. No sound bites. 183 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,330 Just his well-written, 184 00:11:39,790 --> 00:11:42,450 Shakespearean delivered commentary. 185 00:11:43,030 --> 00:11:46,290 Try to imagine somebody getting away with doing that on local news today. 186 00:11:46,290 --> 00:11:50,890 Wouldn't happen. Can't do it. Yeah, they don't, you, they don't, you don't, 187 00:11:50,890 --> 00:11:53,480 you can't do anything that takes longer than a minute and a half. 188 00:11:54,270 --> 00:11:58,960 Yeah. Every, everything has to be in that concise, uh, sound bite and Oh. 189 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,360 Yeah. Well, here's what happened. I, I get let people in on a little secret. 190 00:12:03,270 --> 00:12:06,760 I can't tell you exactly what year it was, but it was in the late nineties, 191 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:12,000 probably, uh, maybe even closer to the mid, mid nineties, uh, 192 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,600 which is a, you know, a long time ago to some people. 193 00:12:14,660 --> 00:12:19,440 But when you get up to be in your seventies, it's not that long ago, um, 194 00:12:20,110 --> 00:12:24,520 back then, um, they, they, 195 00:12:25,050 --> 00:12:27,360 uh, the meters showed up. 196 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:32,080 These are meters that are connected to your tv and that's how they 197 00:12:32,170 --> 00:12:36,720 measure or record what you're watching. They used to do it. 198 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:41,440 The Nielsen, uh, ratings used to be they would give people a diary to fill out, 199 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,160 and you took their word for it. That, that, 200 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,680 that they wrote down what they were watching. Well, 201 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:49,440 then they came up with these meters and it's probably, 202 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:54,080 it's probably more sophisticated now than I remember. Probably not even a, 203 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:57,960 a wire. It's probably Bluetooth, you know, it's probably re it's wireless. 204 00:12:58,180 --> 00:13:03,000 But anyway, it, it, there's, there's like, I think there's like, uh, 205 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,120 600 TVs they would hook it up to in the, in the market. 206 00:13:06,700 --> 00:13:08,560 And that's how they would get their ratings. 207 00:13:09,180 --> 00:13:13,120 But they were able to measure the ratings in, uh, 208 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:17,200 every 15 minutes. So they, when they produced a newscast, 209 00:13:17,750 --> 00:13:20,520 they were mostly concerned with ratings. So they, 210 00:13:21,090 --> 00:13:25,160 it wasn't about a story that you wanted to do. And if it required three minutes, 211 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,200 three and a half minutes, uh, 212 00:13:27,290 --> 00:13:30,160 or a two minute report followed by a minute and a half interview, 213 00:13:30,350 --> 00:13:33,200 that would be okay. But now it's all, 214 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,600 and I'm not that familiar with exactly how it works, 215 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:40,600 but it's structured in a way that in order to get the credit on 216 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,600 the meter, a certain story has to run at a certain time. 217 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:49,520 And if the meters record every quarter hour, so there, 218 00:13:49,590 --> 00:13:53,520 when a story hits, what time weather hits and the newscast, 219 00:13:53,950 --> 00:13:55,640 what time sports comes on, 220 00:13:56,020 --> 00:14:00,840 all that is determined by how it's gonna affect the meters. So they're think, 221 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,800 so there's no thinking involved anymore. It's, it's all about the meters. 222 00:14:04,980 --> 00:14:07,200 And it's all about the ratings. 223 00:14:07,340 --> 00:14:11,240 The only ratings they look at are, are, uh, 224 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,920 that they care about are people 25 to 54, 225 00:14:15,050 --> 00:14:17,640 because that's what the advertisers care about. Say if you're, 226 00:14:17,690 --> 00:14:22,000 if you're 60 years old or if you're 20 years old, they don't care if you watch. 227 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,840 You're out of that demographic and, and you're not who they're targeting. Hey, 228 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,360 we have to get a quick break in here, John. Uh, 229 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:32,480 but I want to keep using the same example that we were before because you were 230 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:36,680 talking about news stories that people may be afraid to cover. 231 00:14:36,740 --> 00:14:41,600 And I haven't heard as much coverage about this as I thought I would. Uh, 232 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:45,840 back to, uh, the same example, legislative pay raises. 233 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,840 And I don't mean to beat up my, uh, my recent colleagues because I know they, 234 00:14:50,070 --> 00:14:52,800 they do work hard, but we see, uh, 235 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,400 a huge increase December 1st. Those, uh, 236 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:01,040 state representatives and state senators got a raise of $7,400 237 00:15:01,230 --> 00:15:06,000 a year. Um, this year, uh, huge increase tops, 238 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,280 uh, six figure salaries for legislators. 239 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,680 And we're not hearing talk about that in the media. 240 00:15:11,770 --> 00:15:15,280 So when we get back from this commercial, I wanted to discuss why, uh, 241 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,640 why we may not be, and see what your thoughts are on that. Uh, 242 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,880 automatic cola increase that the legislators got. John. 243 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:29,580 You are listening to commonalities where guests find common ground through 244 00:15:30,220 --> 00:15:31,380 uncommon conversations. 245 00:15:31,900 --> 00:15:35,380 We'll be back after this brief break to recognize our sponsors. 246 00:15:38,010 --> 00:15:39,980 When it comes to buying a home, 247 00:15:40,330 --> 00:15:43,380 what you see isn't exactly what you get. 248 00:15:43,810 --> 00:15:48,740 That's why home buyers should call Dave Dowling at Grandview Inspections 249 00:15:48,910 --> 00:15:53,140 at 7 2 4 2 0 8 4 1 0 8. 250 00:15:53,490 --> 00:15:56,700 You'll see colorful flowers, freshly painted walls, 251 00:15:57,030 --> 00:16:01,300 granite countertops, blaming hardwood floors and other touches. 252 00:16:01,610 --> 00:16:05,500 What you can't see is the cracks, ancient plumbing, 253 00:16:05,780 --> 00:16:07,020 dangerous wiring, 254 00:16:07,350 --> 00:16:12,340 or broken appliances that might be revealed when you hire a 255 00:16:12,340 --> 00:16:15,980 home inspector. And when it comes to home inspectors, 256 00:16:16,150 --> 00:16:20,300 knowing yours has the qualifications and experience needed, 257 00:16:20,410 --> 00:16:22,540 should be your number one concern. 258 00:16:23,010 --> 00:16:27,620 Dave Dowling with Grandview Inspections is an architectural engineer 259 00:16:27,650 --> 00:16:32,620 with over 30 years of commercial construction experience and hundreds 260 00:16:32,620 --> 00:16:34,340 of inspections under his belt. 261 00:16:35,210 --> 00:16:40,100 A home inspection is an opportunity for you to hire an expert to walk 262 00:16:40,100 --> 00:16:45,020 through the home and prepare a report outlining the home's major components. 263 00:16:45,210 --> 00:16:50,140 What needs immediate attention and what will require maintenance after you move 264 00:16:50,140 --> 00:16:53,620 in Your home is one of your biggest investments. 265 00:16:53,870 --> 00:16:57,860 So make sure your investment is everything you hoped it to be. 266 00:16:58,090 --> 00:17:01,700 Call Dave Dowling at Grandview Inspections at 267 00:17:01,700 --> 00:17:05,460 7 2 4 2 0 8 4 1 0 8. 268 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:07,060 Are you enjoying the program? 269 00:17:07,060 --> 00:17:11,140 You're listening to support commonalities and help keep us on the air by making 270 00:17:11,140 --> 00:17:14,140 a donation of five 10 or $25, 271 00:17:14,390 --> 00:17:16,220 or any amount you feel comfortable sharing 272 00:17:16,220 --> 00:17:20,140 online@donate.commonalities.online. 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At Brights Stripe personal service has always been a must. 279 00:17:43,830 --> 00:17:47,620 We stripe to be the premier asphalt ceiling and striping company in the region. 280 00:17:47,970 --> 00:17:50,880 Matt George, the owner of Brights Stripe llc, 281 00:17:50,910 --> 00:17:53,960 brings experience from his construction and maintenance company, 282 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:55,920 mountain Creek Construction and Maintenance. 283 00:17:56,230 --> 00:18:00,080 Matt has provided excellent customer service to many happy businesses and 284 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:00,790 homeowners. 285 00:18:00,790 --> 00:18:04,400 Bright Stripe is the premier provider of seal coating or pavement ceiling. 286 00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:08,480 The process of applying a protective coating to asphalt based pavements to 287 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:12,520 provide a layer of protection from the elements, water, oils, and UV damage. 288 00:18:12,790 --> 00:18:15,720 They also specialize in driveway and parking lot. Crack ceiling. 289 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,880 Crack ceiling is the process of applying a protective coating to asphalt based 290 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:20,590 pavements. 291 00:18:20,590 --> 00:18:24,760 Bright stripe also abides by all safety laws and standards in line striping and 292 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:28,960 layout. For a no obligation estimate, contact Bright Stripe at 293 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,400 7 2 4 4 3 7 6 0 9 0. 294 00:18:32,650 --> 00:18:36,880 Is your business using analog strategies in a digital marketing world? 295 00:18:37,290 --> 00:18:37,960 If so, 296 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:42,680 then contact Matthew or Rebecca Dowling at Coordinated 360 for a 297 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,520 professional consultation where we bring in-depth knowledge and functional 298 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:48,680 expertise with a holistic perspective. 299 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:54,200 Coordinated 360 provides digital marketing, paid ad and media buying services, 300 00:18:54,220 --> 00:18:59,120 web design, social media management, video production, and more for businesses, 301 00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:03,640 organizations, and political campaigns with decades of experience. 302 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:08,200 Matt and Becky at Coordinated 360 can help you craft your unique message 303 00:19:08,340 --> 00:19:10,000 and share it with the world. 304 00:19:10,180 --> 00:19:13,600 For a no risk media evaluation and recommendations, 305 00:19:13,830 --> 00:19:18,760 call 7 2 4 3 2 0 22 12 or visit 306 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:23,720 us online at www.coordinatedthreesixty.com. 307 00:19:24,070 --> 00:19:26,880 Find us also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, 308 00:19:27,210 --> 00:19:31,000 or email info coordinated three sixty.com. 309 00:19:34,950 --> 00:19:39,600 You're listening to Commonalities where guests Find Common Ground through 310 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:41,120 Uncommon Conversations. 311 00:19:43,790 --> 00:19:46,760 Well, thanks for sticking with us here on W Nmb, 312 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:51,080 S five 90 am 1 0 1 0.1 fm. And, uh, 313 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:55,440 you can download this podcast every place you find your favorite podcasts. Uh, 314 00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:00,120 or visit us@www.commonalities.online. 315 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:04,360 That's commonalities.online. I'm Matt Dowling, your host, uh, 316 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:08,680 along with our guest, John Steiger Wild Media Ledged, uh, 317 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:13,440 from the Pittsburgh area. And, uh, we're talking today a little bit about, 318 00:20:13,610 --> 00:20:14,400 uh, 319 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:19,320 media and politics and that importance and how that's changed over the years. 320 00:20:19,810 --> 00:20:21,120 Uh, before we went to break, 321 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:25,720 we mentioned that there was an automatic cola increase for legislators that, uh, 322 00:20:25,810 --> 00:20:30,240 equaled $7,400, uh, this year. And like I said, 323 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,520 I don't mean to, uh, to beat up my colleagues, but, uh, 324 00:20:33,550 --> 00:20:36,200 this is something that I'm not hearing, uh, 325 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,400 out there in the media as much as I thought I would. 326 00:20:39,540 --> 00:20:44,120 Now that Pennsylvania legislators are, you know, topping six figures. John, 327 00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:44,953 what are your thoughts? 328 00:20:45,390 --> 00:20:46,520 When, when did that happen? 329 00:20:46,730 --> 00:20:49,040 Uh, that happened on December 1st. 330 00:20:50,140 --> 00:20:55,000 I'm, I'm, I don't know how I missed it. A shame on me. Um, if, 331 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,200 if I, I don't read the, 332 00:20:57,430 --> 00:21:00,960 I don't get the newspapers delivered to my house anymore. Uh, 333 00:21:01,140 --> 00:21:05,000 not that there are any that are even being delivered, but, um, so I, 334 00:21:05,510 --> 00:21:10,360 I get most of my news online and I'm surprised I didn't 335 00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:14,800 see that. But, uh, I, and again, I don't watch local news. 336 00:21:14,830 --> 00:21:18,360 I I can't last a minute and a half watching it cuz it's, it's so bad. 337 00:21:18,940 --> 00:21:22,880 And so maybe I, I should watch it, but I I, they don't pay me. Put it this way. 338 00:21:22,910 --> 00:21:27,440 They don't pay me enough to watch local news every day. <laugh>. So, so, um, 339 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,000 but that, that's a story that, you know, again, 340 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,600 you're talking about the changes there used, 341 00:21:33,740 --> 00:21:37,160 the local stations used to have a Harrisburg reporter. 342 00:21:37,510 --> 00:21:42,000 They used to have a reporter who lived in Harrisburg and did 343 00:21:42,130 --> 00:21:46,680 reports on state government, if not every day, several days a week. 344 00:21:47,540 --> 00:21:52,160 And, um, they don't do that anymore. I mean, they, 345 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:56,960 they had a regular report from somebody in Harrisburg on the 346 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:01,200 state, whatever state, whatever was happening in statewide politics, 347 00:22:01,390 --> 00:22:03,800 they don't do it anymore cuz No, no, they're, 348 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:07,840 they've dumbed down their audience, Matt, to the point where that's not a, 349 00:22:07,950 --> 00:22:08,640 that story. 350 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:13,600 This isn't important enough to people and they don't know how to do it to make 351 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:18,320 it interesting. Um, what if they, if they, 352 00:22:18,370 --> 00:22:22,440 if they wanted to do that story the right way, you would, first of all, 353 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:26,120 you would choose to do the story and you would 354 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:33,200 confront the politicians who voted for it and make them answer the 355 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,880 question, why do you think you deserve a raise? 356 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,920 And why was this done in the middle of the night? And if you don't do, 357 00:22:40,930 --> 00:22:43,760 if you don't think that's a story, number one, 358 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:47,960 that you have an obligation to your viewers to do, or number two, 359 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:53,240 you don't think that's a good TV story because it's good tv, 360 00:22:53,670 --> 00:22:56,040 then you need to just, just quit. 361 00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:00,000 You need to shut the whole operation down and go home. So, how they don't, 362 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:01,800 how they don't see that as a good story, 363 00:23:02,030 --> 00:23:06,080 especially now with the way the economy's going. Uh, and I, 364 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:11,040 and I should say that it's possible that they did the story. 365 00:23:11,070 --> 00:23:15,080 I didn't see it. But, um, my guess would be if they did it, 366 00:23:15,150 --> 00:23:18,680 they didn't do it right. They didn't, they didn't, um, 367 00:23:19,750 --> 00:23:23,640 they didn't dwell on the controversy enough, or they didn't, 368 00:23:23,830 --> 00:23:28,160 they didn't mine the story enough to get the important stuff out of it. 369 00:23:28,580 --> 00:23:31,980 And also to maybe, I don't know, 370 00:23:31,980 --> 00:23:36,940 cause a little bit of a debate or combine it with someone from some statewide 371 00:23:36,940 --> 00:23:40,420 organization who could talk about why they should or should not have gotten the 372 00:23:40,420 --> 00:23:45,020 raise. That's the way you do the story. Maybe they all did it and I didn't see, 373 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,040 see it, but that's not the kind of story they do anymore. 374 00:23:48,260 --> 00:23:52,200 And to be honest with you, that's, 375 00:23:52,310 --> 00:23:55,360 that's a big story. That's an obvious one. I'll give you one. 376 00:23:55,710 --> 00:24:00,640 This is an example of from just a few days ago I did the, 377 00:24:00,670 --> 00:24:05,240 I did, I opened my show, um, Monday, 378 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:10,120 I think it was by saying, don't vote for Rachel Heisler. 379 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:13,040 That was the first thing out of my mouth. Uh, 380 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:15,240 you probably don't know who Rachel Heisler is. 381 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:20,240 She's running for controller for City of Pittsburgh. 382 00:24:20,610 --> 00:24:23,760 Michael Lamb is the guy leaving the job. He's, 383 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,640 he said he's gonna run for county executive in Allegheny County. 384 00:24:27,380 --> 00:24:29,640 And Rachel Heisler is his, uh, 385 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:33,720 his deputy or the deputy controller. She wants the, 386 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:37,240 the the top job. So she's running for it now. It's Pittsburgh. 387 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:41,360 So I'm guessing that she's running in a primary because there's not gonna be any 388 00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:44,120 Republican gonna get any votes. So, um, 389 00:24:44,940 --> 00:24:49,040 she had an ad that I saw online that said, 390 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:51,880 come for donuts and drag. 391 00:24:52,940 --> 00:24:57,480 And she's doing a fundraiser that will include a drag, 392 00:24:57,890 --> 00:24:59,400 uh, queen performing. 393 00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:04,160 And it said on the ad that it's family friendly, 394 00:25:04,990 --> 00:25:06,400 a drag queen show. 395 00:25:06,780 --> 00:25:11,520 Now if you have any idea of what good television is 396 00:25:11,900 --> 00:25:15,320 and someone brings that to your attention, number one, you gotta, 397 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,880 you go find Rachel Heisler and you say, 398 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:22,720 what makes you think that a drag queen is a good thing 399 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,920 to have with donuts and kids at a fundraiser. 400 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:27,840 And number two, 401 00:25:28,140 --> 00:25:32,840 you make sure that you tell your staff we will be at that event and we will get 402 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,920 video of this drag queen and we're gonna do a story on it. 403 00:25:36,150 --> 00:25:41,120 I would be willing to bet lots of money that there was not one word 404 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:43,960 mentioned about that on any of the three stations. 405 00:25:44,470 --> 00:25:47,600 That is a great, first of all, 406 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:52,000 it's a story that is a good story. Maybe you don't care about drag queens, 407 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:52,400 but it, 408 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,880 I don't know if you're paying any attention to what's going on in the national 409 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,680 news. There's a lot of talk about that, a lot of discussion about it. 410 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,680 And here it's happening right in Pittsburgh. And if, 411 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:05,560 if you don't think that that's a good television, then I, I don't know. 412 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,280 And and then you, then you should stop wondering why the ratings stink, 413 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:10,720 which they do, by the way. 414 00:26:11,070 --> 00:26:12,400 Well, and, and I think, so. 415 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:16,440 That's, that's just an example. I, and I, again, I don't watch the news. 416 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:20,400 Maybe I missed it. They did it. But I'm, I've gotten to the point where I, 417 00:26:20,750 --> 00:26:24,960 I I know well enough to not even bother to watch cuz it's not gonna be on there. 418 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,880 So I don't have to sit through a newscast, you know, they didn't do it, 419 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:32,640 but I'll be happy to be corrected and criticized for unfairly 420 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,280 criticizing them for not doing a story that they did. 421 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:37,800 But I haven't had anybody do it yet. 422 00:26:38,620 --> 00:26:42,640 You know, in, in my time in the legislature, what I found, uh, 423 00:26:42,700 --> 00:26:44,920 was number one, um, 424 00:26:44,950 --> 00:26:49,160 rather than getting requests for comment or, uh, 425 00:26:49,620 --> 00:26:52,640 you know, any kind of my take on, 426 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,120 on a bill or legislation that was happening or, 427 00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:57,920 or anything relevant in Harrisburg, um, 428 00:26:57,970 --> 00:27:02,640 we were really out pitching the stories that we wanted told. Um, 429 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,000 that's right. You know, there it was. 430 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,560 If we put out a press release and it was written the right way, um, 431 00:27:09,670 --> 00:27:13,560 a lot of times we could get whatever coverage we were looking for. Yeah. 432 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:14,700 Right. 433 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:15,120 You. 434 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:15,200 Know. 435 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:20,160 Well that's the answer to that is that that shows the laziness and the 436 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:24,880 lack of enterprise on the part of the stations, the local stations. 437 00:27:25,330 --> 00:27:29,280 It shouldn't take you sending out a press release. As a matter of fact, 438 00:27:29,810 --> 00:27:31,560 it should be done the exact opposite. 439 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:35,680 They shouldn't be doing any stories based on a politician's press release, 440 00:27:35,860 --> 00:27:39,880 cuz you're not gonna send out a press release to cover a story that's gonna be 441 00:27:40,060 --> 00:27:44,080 detrimental to your cause. So you're, 442 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:48,640 you're asking as much for a promotion of your cause as you are for coverage of 443 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:50,800 it, which is understandable in what you should do. 444 00:27:51,180 --> 00:27:53,840 But looking at it from their standpoint, 445 00:27:54,630 --> 00:27:58,720 they should be looking at it whether it's a good story or not. And they, 446 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,880 and they should have, there should be some built, 447 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:05,160 I don't care whether it's a Democrat or Republican, uh, legislator, 448 00:28:05,610 --> 00:28:07,120 if the press release comes out, 449 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:11,400 the first thing that you should view it with is skepticism. 450 00:28:12,570 --> 00:28:15,910 You shouldn't, you shouldn't say take it as base value if, 451 00:28:15,910 --> 00:28:19,030 if you put out a press release saying you've just come up with this wonderful 452 00:28:19,030 --> 00:28:19,950 idea. And it's a, 453 00:28:20,020 --> 00:28:24,110 it's a law that's gonna help everybody and everybody should get behind this. 454 00:28:24,780 --> 00:28:27,070 I, if I'm a, if I'm a good journalist, 455 00:28:27,210 --> 00:28:31,590 I'm not buying that for one second until I look into it myself and I'm, 456 00:28:31,590 --> 00:28:33,990 and then I'm gonna go find, I'm gonna go find, 457 00:28:33,990 --> 00:28:35,510 if it's a Republican and put it on, 458 00:28:35,510 --> 00:28:38,870 I'm gonna go find a Democrat to get his or her, um, 459 00:28:39,140 --> 00:28:42,990 take on it for two reasons. That's the way it should be done journalistically. 460 00:28:43,010 --> 00:28:46,510 And again, it's good t v. 461 00:28:47,130 --> 00:28:48,550 And, and you know, I, 462 00:28:48,550 --> 00:28:53,110 I think my feet were held to the fire the most when I was on AM radio 463 00:28:53,110 --> 00:28:56,310 stations across the Commonwealth, or, you know, 464 00:28:56,310 --> 00:29:01,110 from time to time when I was on the half hour call in show on pcn. Yeah. Um, 465 00:29:01,110 --> 00:29:05,870 you know, but, but there aren't many people watching pc pcn, um, 466 00:29:05,870 --> 00:29:08,790 you know, to, to see that kind of good journalism. 467 00:29:08,790 --> 00:29:13,070 But that was the one time when you were put on point and counterpoint and, uh, 468 00:29:13,070 --> 00:29:14,150 and had to have the answers. 469 00:29:14,150 --> 00:29:16,470 You could've done the show naked, Matt. Nobody would've known. 470 00:29:16,670 --> 00:29:20,190 <Laugh>. That that is true. Hey, we have to get one more break in, uh, 471 00:29:20,260 --> 00:29:24,070 when we come back. I wanna talk a little bit about Facebook and, uh, 472 00:29:24,070 --> 00:29:25,990 the age of Trump in the media. 473 00:29:29,450 --> 00:29:33,990 You are listening to commonalities where guests find common ground through 474 00:29:34,350 --> 00:29:35,550 uncommon conversations. 475 00:29:36,070 --> 00:29:39,470 We'll be back after this brief break to recognize our sponsors. 476 00:29:42,250 --> 00:29:43,920 Founded in 1991, 477 00:29:43,950 --> 00:29:48,400 bright Stripe has succeeded on the premises of quality work done right at an 478 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:52,640 affordable cost. At Bright Stripe personal service has always been a must. 479 00:29:53,050 --> 00:29:56,840 We strive to be the premier asphalt ceiling and striping company in the region. 480 00:29:57,190 --> 00:30:00,120 Matt George, the owner of Bright Stripe llc, 481 00:30:00,150 --> 00:30:03,200 brings experience from his construction and maintenance company, 482 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:05,160 mountain Creek Construction and Maintenance. 483 00:30:05,470 --> 00:30:09,320 Matt has provided excellent customer service to many happy businesses and 484 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:10,030 homeowners. 485 00:30:10,030 --> 00:30:13,680 Bright Stripe is the premier provider of seal coating or pavement ceiling. 486 00:30:13,820 --> 00:30:17,440 The process of applying a protective coating to asphalt based pavements to 487 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:21,760 provide a layer of protection from the elements, water, oils, and UV damage. 488 00:30:22,030 --> 00:30:24,960 They also specialize in driveway and parking lot. Crack ceiling. 489 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:29,120 Crack ceiling is the process of applying a protective coating to asphalt based 490 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:29,830 pavements. 491 00:30:29,830 --> 00:30:34,160 Bright stripe also abides by all safety laws and standards in line striping and 492 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,960 layout. For a no obligation estimate, contact Bright Stripe at 493 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:41,640 7 2 4 4 3 7 6 0 9 0. 494 00:30:41,890 --> 00:30:46,080 Is your business using analog strategies in a digital marketing world? 495 00:30:46,490 --> 00:30:47,160 If so, 496 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:51,920 then contact Matthew or Rebecca Dowling at Coordinated 360 for a 497 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:55,880 professional consultation where we bring in-depth knowledge and functional 498 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:57,760 expertise with a holistic perspective. 499 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:03,400 Coordinated 360 provides digital marketing, paid ad and media buying services, 500 00:31:03,420 --> 00:31:08,320 web design, social media management, video production, and more for businesses, 501 00:31:08,380 --> 00:31:12,880 organizations, and political campaigns with decades of experience. 502 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:17,480 Matt and Becky at Coordinated 360 can help you craft your unique message 503 00:31:17,620 --> 00:31:19,000 and share it with the world. 504 00:31:19,180 --> 00:31:22,800 For a no risk media evaluation and recommendations, 505 00:31:23,030 --> 00:31:27,960 call 7 2 4 3 2 0 22 12 or visit 506 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:29,360 us online at 507 00:31:30,100 --> 00:31:33,360 www.coordinatedthreesixty.com. 508 00:31:33,710 --> 00:31:36,600 Find us also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, 509 00:31:36,970 --> 00:31:40,760 or email info coordinated three three sixty.com. 510 00:31:42,190 --> 00:31:44,360 When it comes to buying a home, 511 00:31:44,750 --> 00:31:47,800 what you see isn't exactly what you get. 512 00:31:48,190 --> 00:31:52,680 That's why home buyers should call Dave Dowling at Grandview 513 00:31:52,820 --> 00:31:54,280 Inspections at 514 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,840 7 2 4 2 0 8 4 1 0 8. 515 00:31:58,150 --> 00:32:01,320 You'll see colorful flowers, freshly painted walls, 516 00:32:01,650 --> 00:32:06,160 granite countertops, flaming hardwood floors, and other touches. 517 00:32:06,510 --> 00:32:10,760 What you can't see is the cracks, ancient plumbing, 518 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:12,320 dangerous wiring, 519 00:32:12,690 --> 00:32:17,480 or broken appliances that might be revealed when you hire a 520 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,000 home inspector. And when it comes to home inspectors, 521 00:32:21,170 --> 00:32:25,560 knowing yours has the qualifications and experience needed 522 00:32:25,670 --> 00:32:27,800 should be your number one concern. 523 00:32:28,230 --> 00:32:32,960 Dave Dowling with Grand View Inspections is an architectural engineer 524 00:32:33,030 --> 00:32:37,960 with over 30 years of commercial construction experience and hundreds of 525 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,560 inspections under his belt. 526 00:32:40,470 --> 00:32:45,360 A home inspection is an opportunity for you to hire an expert to 527 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:49,880 walk through the home and prepare a report outlining the home's major 528 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:50,713 components. 529 00:32:50,830 --> 00:32:55,760 What needs immediate attention and what will require maintenance after you move 530 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:59,200 in your home is one of your biggest investments. 531 00:32:59,450 --> 00:33:03,400 So make sure your investment is everything you hoped it to be. 532 00:33:03,710 --> 00:33:07,280 Call Dave Dowling at Grandview Inspections at 533 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:11,040 7 2 4 2 0 8 4 1 0 8. 534 00:33:11,380 --> 00:33:12,640 Are you enjoying the program? 535 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:17,080 You're listening to support commonalities and help keep us on the air by making 536 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,080 a donation of five 10 or $25, 537 00:33:20,330 --> 00:33:22,200 or any amount you feel comfortable sharing 538 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:26,080 online@donate.commonalities.online. Again, 539 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:30,160 that is donate.commonalities.online on the worldwide web, 540 00:33:30,380 --> 00:33:34,160 buy our host a cup of coffee or help pay for airtime at donate dot 541 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:35,240 commonalities. Online. 542 00:33:41,580 --> 00:33:46,160 You are listening to commonalities where guests find common ground through 543 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:47,720 uncommon conversations. 544 00:33:49,710 --> 00:33:54,040 This is commonalities on five 90 Wmb s uh, 545 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:58,120 1 0 1 0.1 fm, and five 90 am Also, uh, 546 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:02,640 commonalities is available any place you download your favorite podcasts. 547 00:34:02,740 --> 00:34:06,760 You can also find the video version on Facebook. Uh, 548 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:11,320 search for Matthew Dowling Public on Facebook. And, uh, 549 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:13,080 and connect with us and the show. 550 00:34:13,270 --> 00:34:17,120 Tell us who you'd like to hear from in the future and what topics you'd like us 551 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:21,280 to discuss. I'm with, uh, John Steigerwald today, 552 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:25,960 who many of you know, uh, from his days as a sportscaster, uh, 553 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:30,560 really a media icon or legend in the Pittsburgh area. Um, 554 00:34:30,580 --> 00:34:35,440 but John now does, uh, a show on AM 1250, 555 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:40,400 the answer out of Pittsburgh, uh, and it is conservative talk radio. 556 00:34:40,690 --> 00:34:43,160 Uh, before the break we started to, 557 00:34:43,410 --> 00:34:48,400 to talk a little bit about how the media in politics and its role has changed. 558 00:34:48,850 --> 00:34:52,600 Uh, and I said I wanted to get to talking about, uh, 559 00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:56,120 Facebook and what Facebook has done or changed, uh, 560 00:34:56,120 --> 00:35:00,560 in your opinion as far as politics goes. And then also, um, 561 00:35:00,980 --> 00:35:03,320 the age of Trump. We saw, uh, 562 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:08,240 some very big changes here in the last presidential election and, 563 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:11,000 uh, in our last, uh, eight minutes or so. I wanted to, 564 00:35:11,330 --> 00:35:13,000 to touch on that a little bit, John. 565 00:35:13,790 --> 00:35:17,360 Well, I'm, I'm not a big fan of Facebook. Never was. Um, 566 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:21,600 I actually have never really been on Facebook except for a friend of mine who 567 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:25,440 was involved in social media long before it was cool. 568 00:35:25,860 --> 00:35:30,680 And he used to post my column that I was writing, um, up there for me. 569 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:34,800 And, and that was it. But I, I never even, I never posted anything myself, 570 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:37,040 and I'm not a big fan of it. And then with, 571 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:40,800 with what's happened with Zuckerberg and what's been going on the last couple of 572 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:45,720 years, um, I, I like it even less. But I do know that the, 573 00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:49,720 the people who work in local news are required, 574 00:35:49,730 --> 00:35:52,640 at least they were for a long time. I assume they still are. 575 00:35:52,830 --> 00:35:56,760 They were required to do things on Facebook, including live productions. 576 00:35:57,620 --> 00:35:58,640 And it's a, you know, 577 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,440 it's almost gotten to the point that if you aren't on Facebook, 578 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:06,840 then you're not doing your job. And, um, I I I, 579 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,080 it obviously has had a, a major effect on the way people cover things, 580 00:36:10,580 --> 00:36:12,520 but it's also, I think, 581 00:36:13,180 --> 00:36:16,160 contributed to the laziness on the part of the, 582 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:20,120 the news operations because you have a, an audience, 583 00:36:20,470 --> 00:36:24,560 kind of a captive audience to your, your Facebook, um, 584 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:26,200 friends and you, 585 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:30,800 you put stuff out there and I don't know how much money they're making from 586 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,000 Facebook right now with, you know, selling ads. Uh, 587 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:38,560 I'm sure it's nothing close to what they make still from selling TV time. But, 588 00:36:38,650 --> 00:36:43,120 um, it's, it's had an effect. I'm not so sure it's a good one. 589 00:36:43,580 --> 00:36:46,000 And I, I think when you're, 590 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,800 what you're finding out now what's happening with Twitter and they're finding 591 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,840 out what was going on there and how it was being manipulated, 592 00:36:52,150 --> 00:36:56,840 that people are going to be less and less likely to trust 593 00:36:57,670 --> 00:37:00,480 what they see on any, uh, media, 594 00:37:01,150 --> 00:37:05,960 I guess a a news media slash social media 595 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:10,160 platform. Why would anybody trust anything you see on it ever again, 596 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:14,480 based on what we've heard from about Twitter just in the last month or so, in. 597 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:15,280 In, isn't. 598 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:17,640 There social? I don't think the future's good for 'em from that standpoint. 599 00:37:17,930 --> 00:37:21,400 It isn't there still. And, and you know, I'm, I'm thinking of the, 600 00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:24,840 the weathermen that I follow from the Pittsburgh media market, and I, 601 00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:28,960 I know some of those guys um-huh <affirmative> and they're good people, but I, 602 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:33,400 you know, I look at some of the things that they pa they post on Facebook, 603 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:37,800 and I know they are just to get likes and interactions. Um, yeah, no, they're, 604 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,120 they're silly. They're goofy in a, in a way. And, you know, 605 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:43,840 I ha I think back to, you know, 606 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:47,320 when I was a kid or a generation before that, even, uh, 607 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:49,280 there was some kind of, uh, 608 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:54,080 belief that there was honest work in journalism. And you know, I, 609 00:37:54,110 --> 00:37:56,440 I know that we want to personalize these people. 610 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:59,640 We want to humanize these people that way. You, 611 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:02,880 you feel like they're your next door neighbor and and you want to hear the news 612 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:05,680 from them. I get that. But at some point in time, 613 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:09,720 don't we make things a a little too personal? 614 00:38:09,720 --> 00:38:11,400 Don't we open that door between. 615 00:38:11,580 --> 00:38:14,280 The well, you know, people well think it's, yeah, 616 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:16,680 I think it's different when you're, when you're putting it on Facebook, 617 00:38:17,310 --> 00:38:21,440 it's kind of the thing that people expect and I think they expect something 618 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:26,560 different from there. It's, uh, on there than what they see, uh, 619 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:30,120 on the, on the news at night or in the morning. 620 00:38:30,620 --> 00:38:34,640 And so I think you can get away with it more. I, I I, I, I think I, 621 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:38,920 I don't know know if I can, I, Joe Donardo would've done it, 622 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:42,000 but he would've done it his way. He took, he took weather very seriously, 623 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:43,360 so he wouldn't have been fooling around. 624 00:38:43,810 --> 00:38:48,640 He would've looked at it as a way to give people 24 hour weather service. 625 00:38:49,250 --> 00:38:52,040 So I, I don't see any of the things you're talking about now. I I, 626 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:56,000 I've seen him online being done by other people and I know what you're talking 627 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:58,360 about, but it's also that, 628 00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:02,760 that's another example of what's wrong with local news, Matt. The, uh, 629 00:39:03,460 --> 00:39:06,520 the, I can get the, 630 00:39:06,550 --> 00:39:10,920 I can get the weather in Stan Bowl on my phone in 15 seconds 631 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:15,280 while we're on the air right now. I can, I can, while we're speaking, 632 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:19,200 if I wanted to, I could give you the we weather forecast for Istan Bull. 633 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:21,600 And I'm not exaggerating. So. 634 00:39:21,850 --> 00:39:24,280 My phone, whether I want it, whether I want it or not, 635 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:27,000 my phone gives me the weather for Cupertino constantly. 636 00:39:27,470 --> 00:39:29,120 Yeah. Okay. So if you, 637 00:39:29,210 --> 00:39:32,820 if you were doing a n uh, 638 00:39:32,820 --> 00:39:37,420 if you watch a local newscast on any of the three stations, they do, 639 00:39:37,420 --> 00:39:41,180 how many weather forecasts do you see in an hour? And they're talking about, 640 00:39:41,490 --> 00:39:45,300 well, it might be raining, uh, a little later today. We, we, uh, 641 00:39:45,340 --> 00:39:47,780 right now it's clear, but when we come back, 642 00:39:47,780 --> 00:39:52,060 we'll tell you what it's gonna be doing later tonight as if somebody has to wait 643 00:39:52,060 --> 00:39:55,100 for them to come back and tell them what's gonna happen tonight. Oh, 644 00:39:55,100 --> 00:39:57,980 you said might rain. Let me look at my phone here. Oh yeah, 645 00:39:57,980 --> 00:40:01,420 it says there's a 50% chance rain at nine o'clock. I get it. 646 00:40:01,850 --> 00:40:05,780 They still do it like it's 1956 that you, that you're gonna, 647 00:40:05,930 --> 00:40:10,060 you're depending on them for the weather. And again, that's laziness. 648 00:40:10,210 --> 00:40:13,980 They gotta fill time, Matt. And so the weather fill each, 649 00:40:13,980 --> 00:40:18,860 each little weather hit fills two and a half to three minutes. That's, 650 00:40:18,860 --> 00:40:21,860 we, that's time they don't have to worry about filling with actual, you know, 651 00:40:22,250 --> 00:40:26,620 news or maybe commentary or something interesting. 652 00:40:27,030 --> 00:40:29,060 So that's, you know, 653 00:40:29,060 --> 00:40:32,420 when you brought up Facebook and these guys on the weather doing their stuff on 654 00:40:32,660 --> 00:40:35,100 Facebook, um, that's just, that's a, 655 00:40:35,100 --> 00:40:38,260 that's the best example of why. And I, 656 00:40:38,330 --> 00:40:40,780 I know those guys and they do a great job and they, 657 00:40:40,780 --> 00:40:44,860 there are times when it's really helpful when there's a snowstorm coming and 658 00:40:44,860 --> 00:40:48,140 your phone doesn't really give you the details or there's a tornado in the area 659 00:40:48,140 --> 00:40:50,740 or something like that. But, and those guys, 660 00:40:51,620 --> 00:40:53,710 I know I won't give you any names, but I, 661 00:40:53,710 --> 00:40:58,670 I've been in situations where they've been pressured to go on the air and talk 662 00:40:58,670 --> 00:41:01,790 about thunderstorms, severe thunderstorms on the way, 663 00:41:02,170 --> 00:41:05,670 and they will say to the producer, well, you know what, I, I, you know, 664 00:41:05,670 --> 00:41:08,350 I don't think they're gonna be that severe, but that, but they're told, well, 665 00:41:08,350 --> 00:41:11,230 yeah, we'll make 'em severe. Okay. We need people to watch. 666 00:41:11,690 --> 00:41:13,070 And that's the kind of stuff that goes. 667 00:41:13,070 --> 00:41:16,550 On, you know, and, and in defense of some of these, uh, journalists, 668 00:41:16,550 --> 00:41:20,510 especially some of these, uh, young television journalists that are out there, 669 00:41:20,900 --> 00:41:22,830 I know one who's currently on, uh, 670 00:41:22,830 --> 00:41:27,150 W T A E and he hates to be thrown out into the, 671 00:41:27,150 --> 00:41:30,470 every bureau chief goes out and does the weather from, you know, 672 00:41:30,470 --> 00:41:33,520 Delmont and Pittsburgh. Yeah. And, and wherever else. Yeah. 673 00:41:33,570 --> 00:41:38,080 Because he's not able to cover a real story that he would enjoy doing. 674 00:41:38,660 --> 00:41:41,360 And, uh, you know, and I had those conversations. 675 00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:42,480 If you're, if you're, yeah, 676 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:45,160 if you're interested in doing really hard hitting stories, 677 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:47,440 local news is the wrong place for you to be working. 678 00:41:47,980 --> 00:41:52,600 And let me tell you something I told you about the meters. Okay? 679 00:41:53,610 --> 00:41:58,000 If, if a certain area has a, a certain, a, a good number, 680 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:02,840 number of meters during a certain ratings period, February or May, November, 681 00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:07,120 February and May are the ratings periods, they know where the meters are. 682 00:42:07,730 --> 00:42:08,760 So if you, 683 00:42:09,070 --> 00:42:13,280 your stories in your neighborhood become a lot more important to the news 684 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:17,040 stations if a lot of people in your neighborhood for that month happen to get 685 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:21,880 meters, cuz that's how they get their ratings, it really stinks. 686 00:42:21,980 --> 00:42:26,880 And, and here's the thing, um, when I was working at, 687 00:42:27,010 --> 00:42:30,480 uh, channel four, four a million years ago, almost 40 years ago, 688 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,760 I left there in 1985. That's a long time ago. But in those days, 689 00:42:35,220 --> 00:42:39,520 and, and long after that, but specifically then I remember, 690 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:42,120 we know we were competing hard with K D K A, we were, 691 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:46,080 we were one and two and in the ratings periods we would fluctuate back and 692 00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:48,400 forth. And I'm, I'm, I'm not, 693 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:50,880 I can't be a hundred percent accurate on these numbers, but I, 694 00:42:50,880 --> 00:42:53,960 I'm gonna say that the number that we would get, 695 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:57,360 which would be a share of the audience, one, one ratings period, 696 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:00,640 we'd get a 22 and KK would get a 21. 697 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:05,200 Maybe the next ratings period would be switched and Channel 11 would get a 12 or 698 00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:09,720 a 15. So you add all that up and it adds up to about 60. Okay? 699 00:43:10,850 --> 00:43:15,320 If you added up what the stations get now in the 25 to 700 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:19,040 54, um, demographic at six o'clock, 701 00:43:19,050 --> 00:43:23,720 it wouldn't add up to 10. That's how, that's how, that's how it's changed. 702 00:43:24,180 --> 00:43:27,760 And, and they keep doing the same things over and over again. 703 00:43:27,940 --> 00:43:31,320 The ratings still stink. Nobody tries anything different. 704 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:34,040 And this doesn't just Pittsburgh, it's everywhere. And if, 705 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:39,320 and if you would get three televisions and put 'em in your living room and tune 706 00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:42,400 them to two, four and 11, uh, 707 00:43:42,500 --> 00:43:47,040 and turn it on at six o'clock, if you watch the newscast, 708 00:43:47,260 --> 00:43:50,480 the same thing would be happening on all three stations at all the time. 709 00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:53,600 The weather would be on at the same time, sports would be on at the same time. 710 00:43:53,870 --> 00:43:56,840 They would, they would be covering basically the same stories. 711 00:43:57,540 --> 00:43:59,880 And they do it every day. And believe me, 712 00:43:59,880 --> 00:44:03,920 there are people working at the stations who were around the old timers who were 713 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:07,200 around when they actually made some effort at covering news and there are very 714 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:11,040 few of them left now. They know, they just come in and, um, 715 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:12,040 I don't want you what, 716 00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:16,720 take what I'm saying and blame any of it on anybody who you see on 717 00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:18,800 television cuz they're not making those decisions. 718 00:44:20,170 --> 00:44:24,480 No. You know, it all, it all comes down to ratings and, uh, and we've seen that, 719 00:44:24,490 --> 00:44:29,200 uh, over the years become more and more important. Um, well John, 720 00:44:29,270 --> 00:44:32,560 I thank you so much for having this conversation with me. Uh, I, 721 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:37,280 I've sure en enjoyed talking about, uh, the way the media's role has, 722 00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:38,840 has changed, uh, 723 00:44:38,860 --> 00:44:43,680 and how we can stay ever vi vigilant to make sure, um, you know, 724 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:47,320 that, that the media does things like fight political corruption and, 725 00:44:47,320 --> 00:44:49,400 and do what they need to do. Right. Hey, 726 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:51,800 my guest today has been John Steigerwald. 727 00:44:51,800 --> 00:44:55,400 Thank you so much for being with us from AM 1250. 728 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:56,920 The answer in Pittsburgh, 729 00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:00,440 you're listening to commonalities on five 90 W mbs. 730 00:45:08,350 --> 00:45:10,600 This has been commonalities, 731 00:45:10,910 --> 00:45:15,160 a show where guests find common ground through uncommon conversations. 732 00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,080 Copyright 2022 coordinated 360, 733 00:45:18,300 --> 00:45:22,120 all public broad cash should be done with prior written approval from Matthew 734 00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:26,920 Dowling. All requests should be sent to info@coordinatedthreesixty.com. 735 00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:29,240 Thank you for listening to commonalities.
15Dec, 2022
