Could I? Should I? Cut the cable?

Frank Shorter once said he ran marathons so that he could eat mayonnaise straight from the jar and not worry about the calories. Sometimes I feel like I do PR so that I can watch TV, anytime, anywhere, and classify it as research when my wife complains that I might as well be practicing the luge, laying flat on my back, perfectly still for hours on end.

And this weekend, during endless marathons of "Intervention," "Swamp People," and "Gold Rush" (man, I can't believe the Hoffman clan was right on the gold before their sluice box broke down again), I realized just how close I am to cutting the cable and never again paying a cable bill. With streaming TV, I am almost there.

For every flat screen in my home, I now have the option of watching streaming content instead of buying cable TV. In my bedroom, Google TV lets me enjoy Netflix, Amazon, HBO GO, the NBA, MLB packages, and a host of other streaming apps. Downstairs, a $99 Internet-enabled Blu-ray player lets me time shift "30 Rock" and "Modern Family" utterly instantaneously, thanks to Hulu Plus. In the family room, an HDMI cord to a laptop provides the porthole into mindless YouTube prattle and recent episodes of virtually any show from its network website.

The role of emotion in public relations

And how to use it to change public opinion

Last week, I had the opportunity to stand before hundreds of oil and gas professionals and explain to them that while they have the facts and truth on their side, they are losing the battle for public opinion regarding American's most important new energy source. The topic was one near and dear to my heart -- the vast shale field that stretches from West Virginia to western New York state.

Using tried and true technologies, this group has been among the pioneers in engineering new ways to release this cleaner burning fuel, make it available to heat American hearths and homes, and help resuscitate America's struggling economy.

All the facts are there. Marcellus Shale generates high-paying American jobs in places that have been economically deprived for generations. The fuel -- natural gas -- is by far the cleanest burning carbon-based fuel, capable of replacing coal-fired power plants and reducing all of our carbon footprints.

As a domestic energy source, shale gas takes American men and woman out of harm's way by eliminating the need to protect oil supply lines that start in the Middle East. And shale gas provides for a more stable, peaceful world by stopping our massive payments to foreign countries, many of which are hostile to the United States, all for the love of oil.

And while there are admittedly environmental issues with any kind of economic activity, compared to other energy sources (foreign oil and nuclear), shale gas brings with it much lower environmental consequences.

Yet, as I shared with the audience, the public and the media see things vastly different from what the facts show. At the meeting, I shared with the group just-published public opinion research, which was produced by my company along with Nielsen.

Why the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show stinks

And a plea to bring back Up With People ;-)

In a country best known as the entertainment capital of the world, our Super Bowl halftime shows stink and it's time to rework the old, tired format of hauling out an aging singer or band and putting on a fake concert, complete with paid fans swaying listlessly while holding up phony cigarette lighters.

America is the land of ingenuity. The people who brought you the iPhone, 3-D TV, and entertainment streamed directly to the palm of your hand. But when it comes to Super Bowl halftime shows, we go blank, resorting to the same old been-there-done-that.

A monkey could stage this year's Super Bowl halftime show. Just contract a staging company and lighting company. Buy some canned fireworks. (My favorite site is www.BigFireworks.com). Do a deal with a fading star desperate to restart her career, and have her lip sync her way through two songs we've all heard too many times before -- usually while on elevators or treadmills -- along with an awful new one from her upcoming CD. (Wow, CDs. How quaint!)