Past Shows
Trusted brands take a leadership role
04.01.20 | Shop Talk takes a look at brands that have pivoted their messages, products, and services in light of our new reality. Rachel Maddow is our Business Birthday. There is a push to lift the ban on gay and bisexual men being able to donate blood, and cities are reminding residents that your toilet is not a garbage can.
TFG Unbuttoned: New York City fostering a record number of dogs and cats
03.31.20 | To combat loneliness and have an extra heartbeat in the room, NYC residents are fostering a record number of pets from shelters in the city. But first, a public school requires bible sermons before sports play and Liberty University in VA defies common sense and reopens to students and faculty because Pres. Trump will handle things like “a CEO, not a politician.”
Business Unusual
03.25.20 | The Focus Group soldiers on to bring you new content each week. Tell the other shut-ins, spread the word—not the virus! Sex toy sales explode during global home containment due to the coronavirus and NASA whacks a Mars probe to get it to work. Domino’s Pizza Founder, Tom Monaghan, is our Business Birthday. A one-of-a-kind ventriloquist museum is our Shop Talk and on our list of museums to visit.
TFG Unbuttoned: Abercrombie, Google, and typing class
03.24.20 | Abercrombie adds a plus-size male to its model roster, Google helps track a robbery suspect, and some educators now think typing class may be one of the most important courses we took in school. Thanks to Critic’s Choice Video for sponsoring Unbuttoned since our start. We also welcome Magic Spoon to the program. It’s cereal for adults that want great taste, protein, and few carbs! Go to magicspoon/FOCUS for a special offer.
The Focus Group shelters in place
03.18.20 | Following the best advice from the experts, Tim and John did this week’s show from their respective homes. We are Americans, we are strong, and we will get through this. On the show today we welcome a new partner: Blinkist.com/FOCUS—check them out for a free 7-day trial and 25% off a subscription. Lillian Vernon, of the catalog fame, is our Business Birthday. Stay well.
TFG Unbuttoned: Business as usual despite Corona Virus
03.17.20 | A NYC cannabis delivery service reports, that despite social distancing, people still want to smoke. The ubiquitous NYC underground weed delivery services equate our current crisis to that of a major storm where people are confined in-house for a period of time and want to partake in some recreational weed. Oh, the humanity. Then, transparency and communication are important to avoid financial infidelity in relationships, and procrastination is a challenge we all have to manage.
Bring back Sunday supper
03.11.20 | And a one and a two… Lawrence Welk is our Business Birthday this week. An Allentown museum has a real Rembrandt and a Mississippi Hilton has started to foster dogs with great success. We share our progress on developing a new logo for Tribury using the services of Fiverr.com. Shop Talk looks at reinstating Sunday Supper to ward off the Sunday Scaries—the dreaded Monday back to work angst.
TFG Unbuttoned: A crazy and sad world
03.10.20 | Internet trolls throw hate speech at a black female-owned business featured in a Target commercial, domestic pets are suffering in China, and a religious bigot wants to take the rainbow away from the “ungrateful gays.”
The mystery of the online mattress return
03.04.20 | Virgin Atlantic has an icon switcheroo and Jeff Bezos is worth a lot of rice. Our Business Birthday this week is the co-founder of Amway, Richard DeVos Sr. Shop Talk looks at the fake prop industry that is going through a reboot as more brick and mortar stores close and the mail-order mattress industry struggles with returns.
TFG Unbuttoned: DC Crew Club closes
03.03.20 | The last remaining gay bathhouse in Washington DC closed this past weekend. The Crew Club in Logan Circle has been running as a gym and sauna for the past 25 years. The owners hosted a closing down party this past Saturday, before shutting its doors for good. Change is inevitable. But first, members of the BuzzFeed community share their favorite queer children’s books and The Church of Scientology gets reprimanded for a balloon release.