Richard V. Rupp

April 16, 2025

I'm novelist Richard V. Rupp, writing to you from Burbank, California – "Media Capital of the World."

 

Welcome to my monthly newsletter, published on the third Wednesday of each month.

 

I ran across this John Adams quote, which seemed appropriate with what's happening in our country today – "One useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress."

 

Like most of the people I talk with these days, I can't figure out what is happening with our government. I think the best word to describe it is "disarray."

 

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER CORD-CUTTING

 

Last month I mentioned that like much of America today cut the cord with my cable service. Here's an update on what has happened thus far.

 

Am I still happy I cut the cord? Yes

 

Has it created problems? Yes

 

Doing so has turned out to be quite an adventure and challenge.

 

Why did I do it? It all started when I looked at a $320 bill from Spectrum. I also realized I was putting out bucks for subscriptions to Prime TV, Disney + Hulu, PBS, BritBox, and Peacock and was spending most of my time watching these video services, not traditional broadcast TV. Then I read article after article that this was the popular thing to do. Yep, almost sixty percent of American households have cut the cord.

 

A couple of the subscription services I was paying for indicated in their promos that I could get traditional TV channels. But this did not prove to be true. I could get the news shows, but little else. This meant I was missing Jeopardy (one of my favorite TV shows) and a lot of sporting events that appear on regular broadcast TV channels. To solve the problem, I bought an Amazon Firestick, which is touted to allow you to stream movies, live TV, music, and podcasts from various services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. The most interesting feature is that it can be controlled by voice through Alexa.

 

I love the Firestick, but the one thing it did not do was get me to the local TV channels, except for the news???  

 

My next step was to purchase through Amazon a twenty-dollar indoor TV antenna that was promoted as being able to get all local broadcast stations – ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. within 50 miles of your location. I knew most of the local stations' broadcast towers were located on Mount Wilson, just 30 miles from Downtown Burbank, so I thought this was a sure bet.

 

I was able to hook the antenna up to my Samsung smart TV, but I couldn't figure out how to get it to work. After two days of playing around with it, I called my son Brian, who is a lighting director/grip for Disney, and who I thought would be into this sort of thing.

 

The next day, Brian and his friend Nathan, who also works in the movie industry, showed up at my place. It took them about a half hour to talk to Alexa and use my Samsung smart TV controller to tie the antenna to the TV. But still, there was no reception. It was like a comedy act as Brian instructed Nathan to move around my apartment with the antenna in his hand, trying to get a signal. No luck.

 

The next step was to head to Best Buy, where I laid out sixty dollars for an upgraded antenna with a booster unit that indicated it would pick up reception from 150 miles. Back at the pad I watch again as Brian and Nathan go through their comedy routine. Unlike the first antenna, which was stick-shaped, this one was flat and could be attached to a wall or window.

 

Then voilà - Nathan is standing on my balcony holding the TV antenna in the air, and a picture appears on the TV screen. Brian changed channels, and another picture emerged. He had Nathan move about to see if they could improve the picture. Yep, five clear channels with pictures. Except they were all in a foreign language. Come to find out, as I searched the internet on my computer, that five Armenian TV channels broadcast from Flint Peak in the San Rafael Hills above Glendale, just a couple of miles from me.

 

While searching for other solutions on my computer, I also stumbled on an article that indicates one of the first communities to get cable television was Burbank, California, because the homes on and near the Burbank foothills block broadcast television transmission from Mount Wilson. Guess where I live.

 

The TV antennas I bought have been returned.

 

I am settling now into my new media world and seeing a lot of great streaming shows. Still haven't figured out how to get standard Jeopardy. For live sports events I frequent Barney's Beanery and Story Tavern to watch them on their TV's. Not sure about the planned financial savings. Seems I have exchanged cable cutting for draft beers.

 

So, if you plan to cut the cord, expect a lifestyle change.

 

PROJECTIONIST'S and INTIMACY COORDINATOR'S

 

The movie and media industries significantly impact both the lives of those who work in them and the audiences who enjoy their creations.

 

My dad always loved movies. You could say he was hooked on them. He joined the U.S. Army in 1912 at 16 (lied about his age) and by chance ended up in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where he was trained to be a photographer. Upon getting out of the service, he worked for photography studios in New York and Chicago. Then in 1922 he decided to seek out his dream and headed to Hollywood to see if he could get into the movie business. He initially got a job as a still photographer at United Artists' Studios, then went on to Samuel Goldwyn Studios, RKO, and retired in 1956 from Warner Bros.

 

Like my dad, many people are drawn to the movie business. Two articles I recently read indicated the effect movies can have on humans. Well-known actress Christina Ricci, who started at the age of nine in the movie business, describes how she survived a terrible family life: "Movies rescued me from a childhood that was not very nice and a family that was not safe."

 

Then there is this comment from Gene Hackman about his parents. He indicates that he "fought repeatedly" with his parents, and his father beat him. He "found refuge in movie houses," taking screen rebels Errol Flynn and James Cagney as his role models."

 

Yes, I follow what is happening in the movie or now media business. Here are a couple of changes in the business I have noted. In the 1950's motion picture projectionists were vital to operating and maintaining film projectors in theatres. At Hollywood High School, I got a feel for their job as I was selected to be a projectionist for the audio-visual unit. The projectionist's tasks back in the early days were numerous – film changeovers, managing carbon arc lamps, and the handling of nitrate film. In 1950, more than 26,000 people were employed as projectionists. According to a recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that number had dropped to just 2,610. Digital projection has replaced film.

 

Then there is the new movie industry job termed "intimacy coordinator." Thank you, Harvey Weinstein.

 

According to SAG-AFTRA, "Nudity and simulated sex often have an important role in the telling of a story, whether in the film, television, or interactive world. Although performances in these scenes convey strong feelings and powerful emotions to an audience which can be integral to a storyline, SAG-AFTRA also recognizes the unique vulnerability that arises for performers when performing hyper-exposed work."

 

SAG-AFTRA indicates that an intimacy coordinator – "• Acts as an advocate who serves as a liaison between actors and a production; • Ensures that performers and other production personnel adhere to proper safety protocols; • Serves as a resource in realizing a director's vision; • Assumes the role of a movement choreographer if requested by the director to enhance believability; • Strives to build an environment in which actors understand what is expected of them in hyper-exposed scenes and to give their informed and continued consent."

 

I love reading Gwyneth Paltrow's comments on her first contact with an "intimacy coordinator." She had not made a movie in several years and was surprised to learn that there was a new crew member on the set of her shooting of the film MARTY SUPREME. She indicates that this movie involves a "lot of sex" with her 29-year-old co-star, Timothee Chalamet.

 

After a few minutes into a sex scene, Gwyneth, with the agreement of her costar, said to the female intimacy coordinator, "Girl, I'm from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, and the cameras are on. I think we're good. You can step a little bit back."

 

Like my dad I love the movie/media business. And, yes, it does have a significant impact on people.

 

LOOK OUT HOLLYWOOD

 

Now to the bad news about Hollywood and the movie industry.

 

Here's the caption from the latest media survey by Deloitte: "While studios and streaming providers are busy competing with each other, tougher competition is coming from social video platforms that are hyper-scale and hyper-capitalized."

 

According to their survey, •56% of Gen Z finds social media content "more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies. •Half of young viewers feel strong personal connections to creators than to TV personalities or actors, and •41% of consumers say streaming content isn't worth the price they're paying.

 

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If you are new to my posts and find this one interesting, you can read my prior posts, learn about my novels, and learn more about me on my website at www.richardvrupp.com. You can also sign up in the RUPP'S NOTES section to get my posts directly. 

 

For those of you who have not read my novels, they are available on Amazon.com. Amazon.com: Richard V. Rupp: books, biography, latest update 

 

Until next month. 

 

Cheers,

  

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright@2025 by Richard V. Rupp