TJ WALKER - THE HABIT INFLUENCER - Personal Development | LIVE STREAM

26 Jan 2015 · 3 min

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2:36

TJ Walker, in a live YouTube stream, examines Bryant Gumbel's outspoken criticism of the NRA — quoting Gumbel calling the NRA 'pigs' and 'a curse upon the American landscape' — and analyzes why a veteran journalist would make such a provocative statement (attention/sound bite). Walker considers the limited professional repercussions Gumbel faces (not on Today Show, HBO show structure, advertiser exposure, ratings) and frames the discussion as a media- and crisis-communication issue about who can be candid without career consequences, inviting audience input.

Chapters

Sound by the day goes to bryant gumbel of hbo real sports. Bryant Gumbel has had extraordinarily successful career, long, long time broadcasters, for many, many years successful at the Today show, went to cbs, not quite as successful, and for many years has been the host of Real Sports. You have to assume at this point his net worth is, if not a hundred million, close. He's got a dream job, all the money in the bank. So he apparently is not particularly worried about sabotaging his career. I don't know how else to explain his recent commentary. He stated in an interview talking about the nra. Here's what he said. There are a few things I hate more than the nra. I mean, truly, I think they're pigs. I think they don't care about human life. I think they are a curse upon the American landscape. So we got that on the record. Now, Brad Kummel knew exactly what he was doing. He knows what makes a sound bite, what doesn't. And now, depending on your perspective, that's either the most offensive comment anyone could possibly say or absolute, breathtaking, refreshing truth. But there's no doubt that any politician who says, and forgive the backdrop here, folks, but I'm being transparent with you. That's a video loop and sometimes it goes like that and I don't stop to redo it. Bryant Gumbel knows what gets attention and he just doesn't care. That is his opinion. It's certainly not perhaps the majority opinion of Americans, but it is an opinion held by many Americans. What are the repercussions? Well, you can't get him fired from the Today Show. He's not on it anymore. Hbo, you can't go after their advertisers because they don't have advertisers. You can't go after his ratings because that particular show isn't really based on ratings. So for right now, it looks like Brian Gumbel has the last laugh. Of course, the big question is who else gets to be completely candid in politics and American life who doesn't fear some repercussions, career repercussions. I'm happy to have you weigh in on that. I don't really want this to be a whole gun forum. I'd rather it be a forum on media issues, crisis communication issues. But feel free to weigh in.