I’m not sure what the suits from NAB were expecting when they brought in Tim Robbins as the keynote speaker, but I’m glad they did.  I was surprised when Mr. Robbins walked out in a suit, but I was delighted when he said “I have a speech, but I don’t think I’ll give it…Perhaps you can read it later in some other media…How ironic is that?”

Apparently he had a clause in his agreement that did not allow him to be “filmed”.  The looks on the faces of the various conference execs scrambling to get all cameras turned off before he could walk off the stage, was worth the price of admission.

This radical thinker had just taken control of the room.  His message may have been that the individual CAN control what we see or maybe he was just messin with their heads.  Based on what followed, I think it was both.

Tim Robbins proceeded to give his speech and in a nut shell he was telling everyone “We are better than this!”.  He believes we are at the edge of an abyss not just in broadcasting where we have a “pornographic obsession with celebrity”, but in our society where we let others take us to places we don’t want to go.  We need to stop capitalizing on pain, misfortune and misery and start earning a reputation for being better than the lowest common denominator.  

Two weeks ago, I sent Mr. Robbins a copy of Considering SomeplacElse.

“Tim, ping me! We’ve got a lot to talk about.”