Cost of Super Bowl ads continue to rise

An interesting story in Business Week explains how and why the price of Super Bowl commercials has risen so much since the first game in 1967.  One of the reasons that the game commands ever-increasing prices from advertisers is that viewers don't change the channel when a commercial break comes on.  The audience levels for advertisements are higher than for the on-field action.

And how much is a 30-second advertisement at this year's Super Bowl expected to cost? A cool $4 million.

(Thanks to Max Massey for pointing out the Business Week story.)

Pete Seeger and TV did not always mix

Pete Seeger, the great American singer and folk-song writer who died Monday at the age of 94, became popular as television was becoming popular.  But Seeger, who believed folk music could be a catalyst for social change, and network television did not always mix.

The obituary of Seeger in the New York Times tells how "Hootenanny," a show on ABC that capitalized on the 1960s folk revival, refused to book Seeger because of his political views. In protest, other performers, including Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, refused to appear on the show. "Hootenanny" officials agreed to put Seeger on the show if he signed a loyalty oath but he refused.  In 1967, Seeger taped, "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," a song he wrote protesting the Vietnam War, for the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." However, the song was cut before the show was broadcast.  The Smothers Brothers protested the censorship and Seeger later was invited to appear on the show.

As times changed, Seeger returned to television more and more, including a memorable appearance on "Sesame Street." But his early problems with network executives are a reminder of how commercial television too often avoids even the hint of controversy.

Television's best still on Sunday

The New York Times has an interesting story today about how the television networks continue to put a lot of the best programming on Sunday networks. Over the decades television viewers have developed a special relationship with Sunday night programming. Sunday is the most-watched night of the week, with an average of 124.2 million viewers during prime time.  In each generation, hit shows have found a home on Sunday night, including "Bonanza," "60 Minutes," and "The Simpsons."

The question is why, during an era when TV shows can be watched anytime, do the networks continue to put their best shows on Sundays.  According to the story, television programmers put shows on Sunday to signal to audiences that the show is big. They also say that a glut of competition on this evening makes the programming they put there look more attractive by comparison.

It doesn't make sense to me, but of course, I'm not a television programmer. I just know that Sunday night is one of the few times of the week that  I watch anything other than news and sports. Tonight I'll be tuned into "60 Minutes," "Downtown Abbey," and maybe a bit of the "Golden Globe Awards."

Facebook and history

Anybody who uses Facebook knows that one of its appeals is that you can share photos with "friends."  Many organizations dedicated to the study of history, such as the Centre County Historical Society, now are using Facebook to the share photos from their archives. Other groups have sprung up just on Facebook. One of these is "Old Florida," a group dedicated to commemorating and preserving the culture, history and environment of Florida. Here's a photo of an old country church in one of my favorite historic places, St. Augustine.

The most beloved newspaper editorial

The Centre Daily Times today reprinted, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus," continuing a tradition that many newspapers across the country have been doing for decades.  Published in the New York Sun on September 21, 1897, it is perhaps the most beloved American newspaper editorial. "Yes, Virginia" has been translated in 20 languages and even set to music. A good deal has been written about why it resonates more than 100 years later. But for now, it's enough just to remember the famous lines:

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exists, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias."

Remembering coverage of JFK's assassination

CBS News is recognizing the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination by live streaming its coverage of the event. It's one of most simplest but most effective ways I've seen of remembering how the dominant TV network of that time, anchored by Walter Cronkite, reported the shattering news.

Auburn's Rural Studio making a difference

I am proud of many things that Auburn University, my undergraduate alma mater, does.  But certainly one of the best is the Rural Studio, run by the College of Architecture, Design and Construction. The studio is designed to teach students about the social responsibility of architecture while also providing homes and buildings for communities in poor, rural Alabama. Founded in 1993 by two architecture professors, Samuel Mockbee and Dennis K. Ruth, the Rural Studio has built more than 80 remarkable projects in Hale, Perry and Marengo counties. Much of the construction materials used in the projects are discarded or salvaged.

One of the Rural Studio's most interesting projects is the $20,000 house.  According to studio's web site:

"The $20k House is an ongoing research project at the Rural Studio that seeks to address the pressing need for decent and affordable housing in Hale County, Alabama. 

Nearly 30% of individuals in Hale County live in poverty. Due to the lack of conventional credit for people with this level of income, and insufficient knowledge about alternative sources of funding, trailers offer the only chance for home ownership . . . The $20k house project intends to produce a model home that could be reproduced on a large scale, and thereby become a viable alternative to the trailer in this area. The challenge is to build a house for $20,000, ten to twelve thousand of which will go towards materials and the remainder on contracted labor. Once a truly successful model has been designed, the aim is to sell the houses in conjunction with the “502 Direct Loan” provided by the Rural Housing Service."

Here is a recent story about the Rural Studio with photos of its work.