We're in this transition period of figuring out how to deal with

Hear the words of Jeff Zucker, spoken in the age of shifting screens and restless inventions: “We’re in this transition period of figuring out how to deal with all the new technology that is out there, but television still proves to be the granddaddy of them all.” These words carry both reverence and warning, for they acknowledge the dizzying storm of innovation, yet honor the enduring power of the older medium that still shapes hearts and minds. In this declaration lies wisdom for every age: new tools may arise with promise, but the pillars of culture, once built, do not easily fall.

When Zucker speaks of a transition period, he names the uncertainty that grips every generation in times of change. Humanity, like a traveler at the crossroads, often trembles before the path of new invention. Shall we abandon the familiar? Shall we trust the untested? The new technology dazzles, yet confuses, multiplying choices until men grow weary of deciding which voices to heed. It is in such hours of change that we must remember not only what is new, but what is lasting—those forms of expression that have proven their endurance through decades of trial.

Thus he calls television the granddaddy, the elder among modern mediums. Once itself a revolution, it entered homes and conquered imaginations, weaving together entire nations with shared stories, news, and visions of the world. Even as streaming, the internet, and social media rise like restless children, the old father of screens still commands respect. It remains the hearth of modern society, where stories are told not just to the individual, but to the multitude at once, binding them in a common gaze.

History bears out this truth. When the printing press was born, pamphlets and newspapers surged with revolutionary zeal, yet still the ancient orators’ art of speech carried weight, moving crowds face to face. In the twentieth century, when radio arrived, it seemed invincible—yet television soon eclipsed it, capturing the eye as well as the ear. But even with the internet roaring across the globe, television retains a unique authority. Consider moments of crisis, when nations turn instinctively to televised images: the fall of the Twin Towers, the landing on the moon, the speeches of leaders broadcast live. These moments remind us that while new technology fragments, television unifies.

The deeper lesson is this: in every age of transition, one must discern the difference between novelty and foundation. The novel excites, but the foundational endures. If we are wise, we do not discard the elder in pursuit of the child, but learn how to weave the two together. Just as a strong tree grows new branches but still relies on its ancient roots, so must societies build upon old mediums even as they embrace the new.

For those who live today, the counsel is clear: learn the ways of new technology, but do not despise the granddaddy forms of communication. Use the internet and social platforms to reach the many, but honor the enduring power of television to unify, to lend gravity, to mark moments in collective memory. The same lesson applies beyond media: in all realms of life, do not cast aside the wisdom of elders simply because new tools glitter before your eyes.

Practically, this means seeking balance. Let families gather not only around personal screens, but also around shared experiences. Let creators learn to harness both the fleeting magic of the new and the enduring force of the old. Let leaders remember that though novelty may capture attention, it is consistency and reliability that shape trust. In this way, the transition period becomes not a time of chaos, but a time of synthesis, where the new is strengthened by the old.

Thus the words of Jeff Zucker echo like the counsel of an elder at the fire: we are caught in a storm of new technology, yet the granddaddy still sits enthroned. Honor the elder, learn from the new, and carry both into the future with wisdom. For he who forgets the old is rootless, and he who ignores the new is blind—but he who holds both together builds a legacy that will endure through the changing ages.