August 23, 1999

Public TV will air locally made Y2K documentary

Jennifer Park

The end of the world. A return to the Dark Ages. Chaos. Blackouts. Food shortages. Transportation coming to a halt.

The hype about what might happen when computers' internal clocks roll over to Jan. 1, 2000, runs the gamut from "nothing unusual will happen" to "oh, we'll probably have a few problems here and there" to "it's the end of humankind" and "prepare for the apocalypse."

But what are experts saying?

Well, that's the topic of Millennium Factor, a documentary made by local advertising executive Theresa Harper-Bruno, vice president and creative director of Perry, Harper & Perry Communications Inc., and Les Rayburn, a principal at High Noon Film & Interactive in Birmingham.

The production was financed by the executive producer of the documentary, Birmingham-based VWB LLC, which is comprised of a local group of investors who teamed up to back the video.

The National Education Telecommunications Association has picked up the hour-long documentary and will feed the video to all public TV stations across the country, Harper-Bruno says. The 200 or so public stations will have the option to air it.

Quality is a strong point

NETA spokeswoman Susan Cooper cites the production's quality and fairness as among the reasons her group favors airing it.

"I thought it was not a biased production and was not trying to scare viewers," she says.

"This is one of the more exciting documentaries on Y2K that I have seen."

Alabama Public Television will broadcast the show twice this fall.

"It will run in prime time Nov. 5 at 9:30 p.m.," says Judy Stone, an official with APT. "It will also run earlier, on Sept. 20, at midnight.

"As it gets closer to Jan. 1, 2000, interest is getting more intense," Stone says. "This program got down to detail that I never thought of before."

The documentary presents in-depth interviews with Y2K experts representing key segments of the U.S. economy and culture, including local hospital official Gene Hooper, director of information services at Cooper Green Hospital.

The presidential panel

"The President (Bill Clinton) established a council on Y2K, and seven of the 12 experts on his council appear in the documentary," Stone says. "Hooper also appeared and was a great source of information."

Harper-Bruno says it was a stroke of luck that made some of Clinton's panelists available for this documentary.

"CNN contracted all of them for their own production on Y2K," says Rayburn, director of the documentary.

"But, two of the producers on the Y2K project were part of the group that was fired because of the Vietnam story they did about the U.S. gassing our own men."

When CNN's project fell through, Harper-Bruno says, the key people were contacted.

"We had all but given up on all but two of them," she adds.

Harper-Bruno says because this project is her first foray into documentary film making, Y2K was chosen as the subject because of its wide interest.

"This was my first long format film, and we wanted the piece to be about a topic that was sure to sell," she says.

But, Harper-Bruno says, this is not something she felt compelled to do for the public.

"It is strictly a financial and career venture," she says. "Both of us love to tell stories, and it's a lot easier to tell a story in 56 minutes than it is in 30 seconds or one minute, which is what you usually get in a TV spot.

"I think this is the most significant cultural historical event of our time," she adds.

"So many documentaries and movies will be made and books written after it is over.

"But, how prepared we are will make a historical impact and could change the way we live."

Trying to get the truth out

Rayburn adds, "There are mostly right-wing groups sensationalizing it  and the hard-core survivalists. There's not a lot of credible (information) out there."

Millennium Factor explores how Y2K failures might impact food distribution, power sources, telecommunications, banking and commerce, even nuclear armament. The real problem, Harper-Bruno says, is that nobody really knows what will happen when Jan. 1, 2000, arrives.

"What if computers malfunction and shut down our nation's railroads, which are totally automated? What if people panic and the banking system collapses? What if highly computerized FAA air-traffic control mechanisms shut down? What if government computers crash and no one receives Social Security and welfare checks? These are just some of the scenarios addressed in the documentary," she says.

"We want (viewers) to take from this a sense of caution. They need to look up and take notice but don't be afraid. Get together a little extra food, water and cash. And prepare for a neighbor, too. Not everyone will be prepared if something does happen." http://www.amcity.com/birmingham/stories/1999/08/23/story3.html?h=y2k

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 23, 1999

Answers

"What if computers malfunction and shut down our nation's railroads, which are totally automated? What if people panic and the banking system collapses? What if highly computerized FAA air-traffic control mechanisms shut down? What if government computers crash and no one receives Social Security and welfare checks?"

What if all these things and more are happening at about the same time?

Thanks Gayla : )

Mike

===============================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), August 23, 1999.

Don't get too excited ...

The National Education Telecommunications Association has picked up the hour-long documentary and will feed the video to all public TV stations across the country, Harper-Bruno says. The 200 or so public stations will have the option to air it.

"OPTION TO AIR" are the key words here.

You can purchase the video here. I'm always suspicious about these videos that will supposedly get national coverage on whatever station, when the video is available for sale.

"Millennium Factor: The Truth About Y2K". And it's available now by calling 1-800-559-4488 or by ordering on-line using our secure system." http://www.millenniumfactor.com/documentary.htm

It was first mentioned on this thread: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001His

I wouldn't rush out to buy that video just yet. I saw the "rough cut" earlier this year. Wasn't too impressed. But, then again it was a "rough cut". Maybe they did a lot of editing. Hopefully they cut out the guy who they repeatedly interspersed between interviews ... the old guy holding a bible, with a terrified, forelorn look - like the world was coming to an end. Very distracting and negative.

Didn't have enough good visuals of "real world", i.e. visuals of utilities, cities, airplanes, hospitals, etc. Camera angle for those interviewed was also distracting. Everyone was shot at an angle. Of course, I'm more critical because I was in marketing/advertising for years, and my sister (who's been a camera man for CBS & FOX for over 25 years) was watching the "rough cut" with me.

I believe this group had good intentions, but a small budget.

One of the people interviewed, and who's listed on the millenniumfactor link, is a friend of mine. It's not Senator Bennett.

What we really need is more major network coverage like that hard-hitting "60-Minutes" show on Washington D.C.

-- Cheryl (Transplant@Oregon.com), August 24, 1999.

I went to the millenium factor's website. You can order the tape for $19.95. The order form says,"NTSC only". I am video equipment terminology impaired. Is this a format that will play in a standard VCR?

Thanks in advance. Berry

-- Berry Picker (BerryPicking@yahoo.com), August 24, 1999.

Barry,

It's a regular VCR cassette. Just like those cassettes you get at Blockbuster.

-- Cheryl (Transplant@Oregon.com), August 24, 1999.

Les Rayburn used to post here a while back, but I haven't seen anything from him recently. Glad to see that the video has a good shot at getting aired.

Tick... Tock... <:00=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), August 24, 1999.

Oregon Public Broadcasting contacted me regarding a y2k documentary they were thinking of producing and airing in October. Have no idea as to content or spin or whether it will actually air.

Sent them the "homegrown" tape of the preparedness program I gave at our church- locally channel 2 KATU TownHall aired a y2k program which apparently got alot of viewers- have had several people say they saw me as one of the guests on it.

KATU is also planning more in depth y2k info for sweeps week.

The point? People do watch, this is an example of how the media thinks- sweeps week may raise awareness but doubt will cause major stampede.

EC

-- EC (JHnck1776@aol.com), August 24, 1999.