ghhMANAGEMENT, the consulting firm of Gordon Hastings, has just completed a year-long consulting assignment for the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy culminating in a Tenth Anniversary event which raised 1.4 million dollars for the Stamford Connecticut based national charity. ACGT funds scientific research into new treatments for cancer using cell and gene therapy. The organization’s co-founder, Barbara Netter, was profiled Wednesday, April 18 by the Wall Street Journal. The Keynote speaker was NBC News Chief Science and Health Correspondent Dr. Robert Bazell. The event also gathered 30 of the nation’s leading cell and gene therapy scientists in a symposium on the status of cell and gene therapy research and resulting human clinical trials. ghh MANAGEMENT simultaneously carried out an assignment to raise the national profile of ACGT in the scientific, bio-tech, pharmaceutical and philanthropic communities.
Further details are at acgtfoundation.org
Tom Friedman’s and Michael Mandelbaum’s That Used To Be Us, How America Fell Behind In The World It Invented and How We Can Come Back, places in focus the current economic and social turbulence in America. It is an important read regardless of your industry or politics.
Friedman and Mandelbaum cite four major challenges facing America: How to adapt to globalization, how to adjust to information technology, how to cope with large and soaring budget deficits and how to manage in a world of rising energy consumption and rising threats to the climate and environment. Even though That Used To Be Us was written before Occupy Wall Street its content is a predictor of the movement.
That Used To Be Us meticulously peals back the covers of missed opportunities to right America’s economic ship by all stakeholders. The How We Can Come Backsubtitle brings forth big challenges and a hint of optimism. The authors jump into the political fray by strongly recommending a major third party candidacy as necessary to force the established political parties to focus on the real issues that are facing the nation.
Friedman and Mandelbaum call for an end to what they term the current political “gross irresponsibility.” “Anyone who proposes solutions that are not at the scale of the problem is not serious.” They elaborate by recommending among other proposals equipping the citizenry with the skills and tools essential for economic growth in a global economy, rebuilding America’s infrastructure, and emphasize that cutting is not the answer unless it is coupled with major tax increases to create hope for a future balanced budget. Quoting the authors, “ Anyone who says that we can restore order to our national finances today without raising taxes is not being serious.”
Great books are timeless and many have been posted on Gordon’s Good Reads. That Used To Be Us is certainly timely and adds greatly to broadening ones understanding of Americaat a major social and economic crossroads. Friedman and Mandelbaum reference a poinient quote from management guru Peter Drucker. The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.
See more at gordonsgoodreads.com
Radio Ink Publisher Eric Rhoads posted a thoughtful and statesman like position on his blog today titles Emerging From the Darkness. radioink.com Finding a positive approach to the dramatically changing radio landscape is essential, and Eric has done just that in a thoughtful and progressive manner. It is imperative that radio maintain a positive attitude and optimism must come from within if the industry is to create the next big idea. Ironically, most ” big ideas” evolve during a period of adversity and Rhoads is certainly encouraging a process that will help transcend short-term negatives. I remain convinced that there are enough bright young people in radio to identify a pathway leading to a new and exciting future. Take the time to click on the link above. It is refreshing.
My book blog now has its own exclusive domain name, gordonsgoodreads.com
You no longer need the Word Press reference. In the month of October we have exceeded 12,000 visits. Thanks!
Anticipating the reduction or removal of government funding and the immediate need to find sources of replacement revenue, NPR and public broadcasting stations must petition the Federal Communications Commission to remove its current restrictions on underwriting and sponsorship announcements for public stations.
The FCC rules regarding non-commercial and educational stations state “Noncommercial and educational stations may acknowledge contributions over the air, but they may not broadcast commercials or otherwise promote the goods and services of for‑profit donors or underwriters.” The elimination of this regulation will give public broadcasters greater latitude with which to replace the lost government income.
National and local public radio management can enhance income streams independent of government funding by maximizing the value of their audiences through increased unrestricted sponsorships. Because programming content is so compelling, audiences will continue to demand its availability and accept a transition to a greater presence of on-air sponsors if creatively presented in moderation and good taste. A strong argument can be made that sponsorships would be a better alternative for the audience than increasing listener on air fund raising campaigns.
Commercial radio broadcasters have created a large programming void that is being satisfied by public stations. As an example, according to the latest State of the Media report NPR weekly audience has grown more than 58% since 2000.
Consolidation during the past decade has changed the business model for commercial broadcasters. Many stations are no longer programmed locally and have reduced or eliminated their local news operations. In many cities and towns, local public stations now have larger staff commitments to local news reporting and feature programming than commercial stations.
Public radio broadcasting at both the national and local level has reacted to market changes with a wellspring of programming creativity, which is being embraced by listeners in growing numbers. Arbitron, the national research company that quantifies radio listening, reports that weekly listening to NPR programming exceeds 28 million individuals. This number does not include listeners to local public stations. Commercial radio, which built its success upon localism, is clearly being challenged in information and non-music entertainment programming.
Stations will continue to gain in audience primarily because there is substantially less news and long form programming competition from music dominated commercial radio. While there is abundant talk programming in the commercial sector, most successful national programs including Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck are ideology driven. Ironically, “ideology” has been a criticism of NPR in the debate over public funding.
Public broadcastings stations should be forewarned however, that commercial radio broadcasters are very nimble. If commercial radio stations witness a substantial continued migration of their music listeners to new electronic devices, those stations would view the success of the news, information and long form programming on public stations as an opportunity for themselves and make frequency space available as direct competitors.
Currently, NPR programs including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air and local public radio programs like The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC in New York City or the Faith Middleton Show on Connecticut Public Broadcasting are unique to their respective markets. NPR and local public radio stations can monetize these valuable audiences individually and as an ad-hoc network of stations by creating a national marketing organization. According to the January 2011 Arbitron, WNYC AM-FM in New York City alone reaches 1,027,000 individuals weekly.
Today, the public radio-programming environment offers exclusive program branding opportunities for sponsors. Public radio is already allowing more enhanced underwriting sponsorships and a transition to greater commercial support is inevitable. Good management policy can prevent over commercialization and any encroachment upon good taste and editorial independence.
Technological advancements for public radio content including podcasts, websites and programming for mobile devices (Apps) can provide public broadcasting stations additional sponsor revenue potential without impacting on-air programming.
The future bodes well for NPR and local public radio operating under an independent, sustainable and predictable business model that supports and encourages monetizing the value of its audience. There is a strong marketing opportunity to communicate with national, regional and local businesses seeking brand association with excellent content. NPR and local stations need to place greater resources behind this effort. With good management, it can be accomplished in harmony with the mission of NPR, public stations and their audiences.
In the final analysis, public broadcasters may find sponsors easier and more reliable to work with than the government.
Gordon Hastings
President
ghhManagement
Bob Pittman’s elevation is good news for radio. His new position with reach across all of Clear Channel’s platforms is the very integration that radio needs to build its future. Pittman will not limit his thinking to a single delivery system for radio and I would guess he will embrace a world view of radio’s potential audience.
The Iheartradio Las Vegas Music Festival was a big idea, the kind of prodigious concept that raised the profile of a dynamic radio industry far beyond the Vegas concert halls. The industry received enormous national and international coverage in music, business, advertising, general circulation print, broadcast media, and most dynamic of all, the Internet. Although I do not profess to know the details but I suspect those hot ticket venues were filled with current and potential advertisers, analysts, reporters and bankers along with their sons and daughters at an event that was all about radio. The Iheartradio Las Vegas Music Festival was indeed a bold leap of faith demonstrating no signs of retreat from radio’s next renaissance.
Pittman brings a fabulous calling card to the CEO office of Clear Channel Media Holdings and I would be remiss if I did not say he follows in the tradition of another bold radio broadcaster Clear Channel founder Lowry Mays. Radio’s future is about a leap of faith and bold risks. Bain Capital and their investors have a huge amount at stake but the good news for everyone in radio is that it appears their commitment is to manage and build the business into a new paradigm for success. The entire industry should collectively cheer and climb aboard the big idea express.
Gordon’s Good Reads is in the current October-November issue of VENU. VENU,the exciting new Arts and Culture Magazine has been expanded to serve both Fairfield and Westchester Counties in Connecticut and New York. Also in the new issue is an article on Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy’s Young Investigator Clodagh O’Shea. ACGT is a ghhManagement conculting client.
ghhMAnagement consulting client Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy announced a major cancer treatment breakthrough this week in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania. Barbara Netterwho ten years ago co-founded ACGT with her late husband Edward, appeared on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, The Today Show and Fox News. ACGT funded the research of Dr. Carl June at U-Penn which is described in full in the following news release.
GROUNDBREAKING ACGT FUNDED STUDY ON LEUKEMIA EXCEEDS ‘WILDEST EXPECTATIONS’
ACGT Fellow’s Research Obliterates Tumors in Leukemia Patients
STAMFORD, Conn., August 10, 2011 – During the past ten years, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy has funded more than 37 distinguished ACGT Research Fellows and currently has 17 human clinical trials underway, but the recent news on treating leukemia reported simultaneously in the August 10, 2011, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine, exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations.
ACGT Fellow Dr. Carl June and his team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine have made great strides in the treatment of advanced CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia), the most common type of the blood disease that strikes 15,000 people in the U.S., and kills 4,300 every year. Traditional treatment has been chemotherapy and radiation that can help stall the disease, but until now, the only cure has been a bone marrow transplant, which can have life-threatening effects.
This new cancer treatment breakthrough was 20 years in the making and its recent clinical trial was funded not by the government or pharmaceutical companies, but rather by a non-profit organization, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT).
Dr. Savio Woo, chairman of ACGT’s Scientific Advisory Council, and professor in the Department of Gene and Cell Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, commented that, “It was great that the path-finding role of ACGT played into funding the University of Pennsylvania trial that led to these exciting results for Leukemia treatment.”
The treatment uses genetically modified versions of the patient’s own T cells, and has shown remission for up to a year in a small group of patients, several of whom are in complete remission. The protocol, which involves removing patients’ white blood cells and modifying them in Penn’s vaccine production facility, then infusing the new cells back into the patient’s body following chemotherapy, provides a tumor-attack roadmap for the treatment of leukemia and other cancers including those of the lung and ovaries and myeloma and melanoma. This is the first demonstration of the use of gene transfer therapy to create “serial killer” T cells aimed at cancerous tumors.
“Within three weeks, the tumors, which were several pounds each, had been obliterated in a way that was much more complete than we ever expected,” said senior author Carl June, MD, director of Translational Research and a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Abramson Cancer Center, who led the work. “The results exceeded our expectations quite a bit; our entire team is really excited, and as well, the patients are excited.”
While the study size was small at just three patients, the results are outstanding. “These are patients that had few treatment options,” said David Porter, MD, professor of Medicine and director of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
“ACGT is thrilled with the results of this study,” noted Barbara Netter, co-founder of ACGT. “This proves that with targeted research, progress can be made.” Barbara went on to say, “While this news is very exciting, more funds are needed to support additional researchers that are on the cusp of breakthroughs in treating cancer. With your support, we can see this through.”
The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) is the nation’s only non-profit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene cancer therapy research. 100 percent of all contributions to ACGT go directly to research and fund grants with leading scientists in the U.S., representing such institutions as Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Duke University, The Salk Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Stanford University, Dana Farber Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Chicago. A rigorous grant review by Scientific Advisory Council ensures the most promising projects are rewarded. To learn more about the leukemia study at the University of Pennsylvania, and about the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, visit www.acgtfoundation.org or call 203-358-8000.
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The death of Rick Buckley will leave a void that will be impossible to fill. This chorus of sympathy is universal, first to Connie and Jen and then extending to his entire community of friends and colleagues. This is a personal loss for so many.
Rick Buckley personified credibility, responsibility and integrity. His imprimatur was with his family, in the ether waves emitting from his radio stations, in his good taste, and by adding definition to stewardship, loyalty, generosity and passion.
A well-earned legacy worthy of universal admiration.