Thursday, October 14, 1999

Breakfast with a potential movie star


The highly-promoted NYNMA panel on "And That's They Way It Will Be: How The Internet Is Changing The Way We Get Our News And The Business Of News" was the long-winded title for the 7th in their evening panel series on October 14th at the Fashion Institute of Technology's auditorium. Alice Rodd O'Rourke, NYNMA's Executive Director, was out in her finery and Eric Goldberg, Chairman of NYNMA's Programs Committee, had a sharp new haircut, and many of the hundreds of attendees came out for the big meeting with the news luminaries.

It 'twas a rare sight indeed to see Steven Brill (editor-in-chief, Brill's Content), James Cramer (co-founder, TheStreet.com), Leah Gentry (editorial director, new media, Los Angeles Times), Walter Isaacson (managing editor, Time Magazine) and David Talbot (chairman & editor-in-chief, Salon.com) sit together on a panel to discuss the above-mentioned topic. But all the rushing excitement came to a screeching halt when esteemed Tom Brokaw took the podium. Maybe he didn't realize we were actual audience members sitting in front of him, breathing and holding our breath to hear some witticism drop from his lips. And we waited, and waited. Maybe this is what television viewers (or Internet surfers) see when they stop the frenetic clicking to the next channel (or website).

Waxing philosophical and recalling his boyhood days growing up in South Dakota in the 50's, we learned that since little Tom's family got their first TV set he considered it a "wonder" and a "window to a wider world." We learned from Tom that "the Internet allows individuals to collect information and broadcast in a way unlike any other," and is "the most liberating and expansive medium ever imagined, much less developed–" Ahhhh, a perfect segue to the Internet–.But no--more memories of TV. Did they ever get to the meaty discussion? Of course they did. And Mr. Cramer was the energetic bulldog full of information, as he bantered with Mr. Brill (a former boss of his). Walter Isaacson offered up wisdom-isms and Leah Gentry, the only woman on the panel provided thoughtful insights to the discussion. NYNMA's panels continue to grow in size and spectacularity, and this news-celeb-studded panel started off their whirlwind till the end of the year, with Super CyberSuds not far behind and another merry Holiday party!

Lora Gaston (GastonWhite) and Gitte Petersen (Proximity)
Miriam Eaves (YouDecide.com), Eric Goldberg (Crossover Technologies), Kate Berg (Jupiter Communications)
Amy Fried (Roz Goldfarb Assoc.), Howard Greenstein (Micosoft), Pam Greenstein (on a big night out!)
James Cramer (thestreet.com), BusinessMan, Steven Brill (Brill's Content)