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President's
Mess.
by Karyl Miller,prez, SCCS
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President’s Mess.
Pen Mightier Than Sword (Also Funnier)
Back in the late 80’s I wrote and was supervising producer on a sitcom called My Sister Sam, which
starred Pam Dawber and Rebecca Schaeffer as sisters. We weren’t the biggest hit, but CBS liked us
enough to renew us. We were half way into our second year when suddenly the network fell out of love
with us. You could we tell? Well, a network rejects you just like a lover rejects you. He doesn’t return
your calls, doesn’t beam at the sight of you and never mentions the future (because there isn’t going to
be one). So… wha hoppen? Our show made a big boo- boo. We broadcast an episode where the
Dawber character has casual sex with no regard to its impact on her teenage sister. Nobody wanted to
see this story – especially not at 8 PM when impressionable children were watching. At least, that’s what
the angry viewer letters said. And soon we were history.
So guess how many negative viewer letters it took to cancel this show? 20? 18? Nope. Out of millions
of viewers it only took five little ‘ole viewers letters to get us the boot. Why? Because most people don’t
write a letter, so the ones who do write are given extra special consideration. Most people are lazy when
it comes to sitting down, forming a thought and committing it to paper. And that’s still true today. The
Nielson rating company estimates each angry viewer costs the show roughly one rating point or 900,000
viewers. So to CBS these five angry people meant four million, five hundred thousand fewer viewers,
which meant less advertising income, which meant we were toast.
POINT: It’s actually possible in this increasingly indifferent society to have an impact on things you care
about if you make your opinion be heard. All you have to do is write a letter! And if you spell check it
and don’t swear – all the better!
If you sign your letter and add your town and phone number you’re going to be batting 1000 in the
credibility department.
ULTIMATE POINT: For that past month or so, the Union Tribune has been auditioning comic strips to
replace the daily Fox Trot. They’ve been asking the public for input by dialing 619.293.2500 or by
sending an Email to comics@uniontrib.com . Have you been reading the strips? Have you called? Have
you written? I have. Three times. Who follows the funnies more than SCCSers? If they stick us with
some stupid strip we’ll have only ourselves to blame. And anyway, today when newspapers are getting
skinnier and skinnier isn’t it important the editors know that many, many readers still love the funnies and
care about the funnies? So everybody, OUT OF THE KITCHEN AND INTO THE STREETS! Step away
from that drawing board! Put down that blue pencil and log on now. ‘Nuff said.
Karyl Miller, Prez, SCCS
Comments? Karyl@MillerReport.com
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