• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, April 13, 2017

Everywhere I looked, I wasn’t there.

This has happened time and time again for years, every time someone publishes a list of the most powerful people in media. The latest was this new one published early Thursday morning by The Hollywood Reporter.

You can search for your name here. Titled “The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media,” the list includes various network news chiefs, anchormen and anchorwomen, eminent talk-show hosts and morning-show stars, plus Andy Cohen, Alec Baldwin and Rachel Maddow (pictured in the photos above).

Shocker of shockers, neither myself nor any other TV critic or media columnist made the list. Not too long ago, that may not have been the case. But today, critics have but a fraction of the influence they once had, if any.

Critics -- whether covering TV, movies, theater or any of the other arts -- used to be well-known. Where New York TV critics are concerned, there hasn’t been one at any of the major newspapers or magazines that anyone can recall by name in, oh, eight-and-a-half years or so.

Blame it on the ongoing dilution of media caused by the Internet. With the possible exception of The New York Times, newspaper critics have no power anymore. And even where the Times is concerned, the only area in which a critic’s opinion might still have an effect on a production’s bottom line is on Broadway.

When it comes to such things as new movies and TV shows, however, few people care anymore what critics say about them. People are more interested in what their peers think. Social media buzz is much more important than what the critics write.

Just look at the commercials for movies and promo spots for TV shows. Sure, they’ll still cite a rave review from what used to be known as “major” media. But just as often, they’ll have bold-faced words or quotations from a number of media sources you’ve never heard of.

This is especially true when no positive reviews can be found in any papers or magazines. These days, this situation no longer presents an obstacle to review-based promotion and marketing. There is always someone somewhere who will write something positive about just about any piece of dreck -- perhaps with the sole purpose of getting mentioned in a TV network's or movie company’s advertising.

And that’s another thing. In the world of TV criticism today, most TV critics have long forgotten their responsibility to be critical, and actually criticize.

Today, most TV critics march in lockstep with what they feel they are supposed to write about some networks and their TV shows.

When is the last time you came across a negative review for anything on HBO, FX, Netflix or any other of a number of “prestige” programming services? Reading most of today’s TV critics, you would think these networks and services can do no wrong.

Well, of course they can do wrong. Real critics can always find something to criticize. It is our job. As I have written many times before: I am a critic, therefore I criticize. So shoot me (not literally, please).

As for this Hollywood Reporter list of powerful media people, let me please point out that it contains no one from advertising media, particularly those who are responsible for buying media, which happens to be the lifeblood of all the media cited in this list. This would seem to make media buyers very powerful indeed.

This list isn’t about that, though. It is really THR’s take on the most powerful famous people in New York TV, with a token nod to some print people (represented by the inclusion of the Times and the New York Post).

Readers of this list are advised to take it with a grain of salt. And please don’t ever be intimidated if you should find yourself in the presence of such great New York media powers as Andy Cohen or Alec Baldwin.

Andy’s actually kind of nice. And Alec? He’s really a big gentle Teddy bear. Or so I’ve heard.