Live TV Takes the Lead
This fall, get ready for a heavy dose of reality. The reality is that “scripted” shows are slumping and live TV is leading the pack for reach and ratings. 
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the NBA finals, which scored a record number of people watching (31 million for the final game). More than 60% of all broadcast rating points from last season were generated by live programming, which includes sports, news, musical specials and talent competitions. Scripted shows such as dramas and sitcoms are in a “slow fade” according to Advertising Age.
Live programming provides authenticity that other programming does not have. Reality TV brought raw personalities, live TV provides programming that is not regularly recorded—it is better seen when it is fresh. And, it becomes an event to share with others in person and online.
Live is also growing: Social media, with Facebook Live, Periscope and others, will bring live to organizations large and small. Live coverage has always been the bellwether of news coverage. Soon it may be the leader of all programming.
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle.
After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant.
He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.”
Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.”
One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College.
Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board.
Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.