Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

What kind of cancer was it? And why do we care?

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

If you’ve been following the recent series of deaths in the entertainment world, you likely noticed that both Alan Rickman and David Bowie died of cancer.  What kind? The otherwise very specific obits did not mention that fact. The Washington … Continue reading →

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Martin Luther King, Jr. – A brilliant practitioner of public relations (and that’s a good thing!)

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

One of the greatest honors of my life was being invited to speak at the Martin Luther King, Jr. candlelight vigil last year at the UNK student union, along with Kevin Chaney, who was then UNK’s women’s basketball coach.  This year’s vigil will … Continue reading →

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New Secrets: All media are social- Presidential Edition

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

When the second edition of Mass Communication: Living in a Media World came out as a CQ Press title back in 2007, one of the biggest new features was the introduction of the “Seven Truths They Don’t Want You To Know About the … Continue reading →

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Remembering Alan Rickman Singing “Pretty Women”

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

We lost another great performer to the Big C this week – actor Alan Rickman.  Although he is best known for playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films and the definitive villainous EuroNasty Hans Gruber in the first Die Hard film, for … Continue reading →

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Farewell, Ziggy Stardust

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

David Bowie has died at the age of 69 from cancer. What a loss.  I can think of few musicians who could reinvent themselves more ways, more successfully than Bowie.  The Washington Post has a great obit this morning. Here’s … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

What happened to the missing 18 minutes of the Lost finale on Netflix? The version of the controversial Lost finale currently streaming on Netflix is missing 18 minutes scattered throughout the episode, and show runner Damon Lindelof wants those minutes back. It doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Star Wars VII tops Avatar as #1 North American Box Office

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

And we’re back for 2016. Hope you all had an enjoyable holiday break! So it really isn’t any surprise that Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens is now the number one movie moneymaker of all time for the North American … Continue reading →

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Looking back at the original 1977 Star Wars

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Thirty-eight years ago, in a movie theater not that far away, I saw the original Star Wars movie during the summer of 1977.  It was between my junior and senior years in high school, and the movie was the talk … Continue reading →

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Media Business in the News

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Amazon to start selling subscriptions on streaming services to Prime customers. Includes Showtime and Starz. Lebron James signs lifetime deal with Nike Not entirely clear whether it’s his life lifetime or professional lifetime.  Anyway, he’s getting a Michael Jordan level … Continue reading →

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Sentimental Twaddle – A Host of Christmas/Holiday Ads That Will Make You Cry

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Advertising Age’s morning newsletter had a lot of interesting news this morning, but none better than a story on a number of Christmas and holiday themed ads guaranteed to make you blubber like a baby! Among the best/worst is a German … Continue reading →

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