The Next Food Network Star

A popular Food Network show called "The Next Food Network Star" returns this Sunday night at 10pm. We had a fun event this morning to promote it where the contestants from reality series cooked and served breakfast to commuters at New York's Grand Central Station.

It was a fun way to start the day.

Diffusion of Innovations

One of my favorite classes in college was called Diffusion of Innovations. It's all about how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures. So it's something I;m always thinking about, especially when people get overexcited about new technologies and how they are instantly "revolutionary."

It's interesting how long it takes for technology to change behavior. The Sony Betamax VCR was positioned as a time shifting device (see attached) when it was launched this month in 1975. It's taken 33 years, but consumers finally seem to be getting with the whole time shifting thing.

Some may remember that while color TV launched in 1950, the number of color television sets sold in the U.S. did not exceed black and white sales until 1972. WCBS-HD launched the first US HD broadcast in April 1997, and still 11 years later, less than 30% of US homes get HD service.

Who knows, using these sorts of timelines, online video and Video On Demand will really catch on around 2025.

A Prediction

Barack Obama will select Hillary Clinton to be his VP running mate this fall.





It won't make any difference in the end, but he knows it's the right thing to do.

Chef Jeff Project

Today I'm in LA with some of our team shooting press photos and TV commercials for a new show we're working on this fall called The Chef Jeff Project.

It's all about the power of food changing the lives of young adults from troubled backgrounds. Chef Jeff Henderson went from drug dealing to jail to the head chef at one of the nation's top restaurants.

The kids each have really moving and inspiring stories. I spent a fun day sharing stories and advice with all of them. It's days like these that I think I should be paying Food Network instead of the other way around.

Mom's Bashful

Today I'm visiting my mother in Pasadena.

She's a bit bashful for the camera, so she snapped this shot of me writing this blog post.

Panic Now and Avoid the Rush

I colleague sent me an article today from USA called "Debt-squeezed Gen X saves little" claiming that Gen Xers (people from 27 to 43) should be really worried about how little they save and about having enough money for retirement. With all the talk of boomers and millennials these days, Gen X seems to be the forgotten generation, so it's nice to see a story about them.

I'm no longer in the 27-43 age bracket, so I guess I can relax. But you be the judge if in the photo below taken in 1991 during my Disney Channel Affiliate Sales days, when I was 27, I looked worried about retirement .




But perhaps I was young and stupid. So should my favorite current Gen Xers - my wife and younger brother break into a panic? Consider the following response I sent my colleague below.

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I think one key mistaken assumption by the author is that the careen spans of Gen Xers will be the same as their parents. Gen X will live longer, but they'll also work much longer, and retire much later. They may be struggling to save at age 30, but they have a long time (perhaps another 40-45 years of working for the typical 30 year old) to save. In the future when the average person will live in good health into their 80s and 90s, and have second careers, 65 will no longer be the normal retirement age. Who would to retire at 65 and spend the next 30 years waiting to die?

So I don't think there's any reason for Gen Xers to panic now. There's plenty of time left to live, work, and save.

See the following from noted futurist Ken Dychtwald on boomers. It's only going be more evident with Gen X.

The New Retirement Survey offers a complex and illuminating preview of the kind of lifestyles, workstyles and recreation activities that boomers envision for their future. With guidance from noted gerontologist and author Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., it offers unparalleled insight into the hopes, fears and motivations of this influential generation, as well as the coming impact on retirement, work, recreation, marriage, family, healthcare, housing, entitlements and the economy. Highlights include:


The new retirement "turning point." While 76% of boomers intend to keep working and earning in retirement, on average they expect to "retire" from their current job/career at around 64 and then launch into an entirely new job or career.


Taking advantage of their "longevity bonus," boomers will create a whole new life stage. Since Social Security established the "normal" retirement age at 65, life expectancy for a 65-year-old has increased by over seven years and continues to lengthen. As a result of living longer, this generation plans to be "younger" longer and work longer. Most boomers (65%) will stop working for pay and retire in the traditional sense at some point. However, that phase is more likely to begin in the late 60's, than at age 60 or 65.


Boomers reject a life of either full-time leisure or full-time work. When probed about their ideal work arrangement in retirement, the most common choice among boomers would be to repeatedly "cycle" between periods of work and leisure (42%), followed by part-time work (16%), start their own business (13%) and full-time work (6%). Only 17% hope to never work for pay again.

Why I Like May

May has always been a good month for me.

It was the month I got my acceptance letters Stanford and the month I won a scholarship to help pay for college.

It was the month I was hired back in 1986 by Young and Rubicam in New York as an Assistant Account Executive, my first full-time career job.

In May 1989 I continued fullfilling my boyhood dream of making into big time network TV when I attended my second CBS Affiliates Meeting. It was pretty cool hob nobbing with network TV execs and stars out in LA at the legendary Century Plaza Hotel.








They used to hire big time stars like Ray Charles and Barbara Streisand to perform for the local CBS TV station managers and their spouses.




The glory days of network TV are long gone now. They no longer do these kinds of meetings anymore. But I still stay at the Century Plaza every once in a while.





I won a cool award for entertainment marketing in May 2003, a nice cap to my 15th year in the TV business. The award was presented to my in LA at, you guessed it, the Century Plaza Hotel.




In two weeks, on May 21, I'm taking another business trip to LA. Maybe I'll book a room at the Century Plaza like this one for old times sake.




May is also the month that I fulfilled another dream when I went to the Indy 500 in 2006.






I almost forgot, May is also special since I celebrate my birthday every May 10th, like I did in the office last year...

...and with my darling wife this week just before our annual b-day dinner together.

Eating in New York

Last year we renovated our kitchen which used to look like this.

First we gutted it.

Then after a six month ordeal with the contractor from hell we ended up with this.

It's a really pretty kitchen now, perfect for a happy home cook. Although I work for Food Network, I really don't like to cook. But I love to eat and there are so many great, cheap food resources in New York.

Two meals a day I eat bran cereals and fresh fruits. Then I balance it out with less healthy meals from my three favorite quick dinner food spots - all within 300 feet of our apartment.

One Legged Bike Messenger

I've been ride my folding bike to work every day since 2004 and most days it's a real joy cruising through the country's most exciting city,

darting around the taxicabs and people,

soaking in the sounds and sights.

But from December to February, things can get pretty nasty when the temperature drops below freezing, the wind chill kicks in, and the snow and sleet become the only soaking in.

One day I was about half-way to the office in a sleet storm, cursing the weather under my breath. Feeling sorry for myself that my company had moved my office across town, from just a short 10 minute walk from home, to a 60 minute walk, 40 minute bus ride or 15 minute bike ride. I was riding across 34th street, musing in my head about more reasons to feel "unfortunate" when Dexter Benjamin whizzed by me.

You see, Dexter only has one leg, and as he passed, enduring the same sleet storm as me, he looked back and flashed a smile so bright that it shone like a beacon through the grey winter fog.

And all of a sudden I felt ashamed of myself. Ashamed for forgetting how good I have it. How lucky I am to have two healthy legs to carry me to work every day.

Now I sort of look forward to riding in bad weather, because it always reminds me of that one legged bike messenger and the special message he had for me one winter day.

Mission What?

I arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday with many of my company colleagues for three days of intense business meetings discussing the future of cable TV and the internet.

After all the closed meetings, lunches, and dinners within the hotel, I took a few minutes to slip away to the real world on Peachtree Blvd. and the first person I met was this guy.

It seems that I had forgotten that today was the 5 year anniversary of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" declaration about the war in Iraq. I thanked my street friend for the double dose of reality.

Interesting to note that the Vietnam War, perhaps our most unpopular US war of the last century, started Jan 31, 1965, and US involvement didn't end until 10 years later in 1975 when the last troops were withdrawn. So I guess we still have a ways to go in Iraq.