Among the dozen or so “flack shots” e-mails that I get in a day, one caught my eye about 10 minutes ago.

Dan Rather Reports

DALLAS (May 12, 2011) – Tuesday’s “Dan Rather Reports” presents a revealing behind-the-scenes look at Hashable – one of the many new social-media startup companies trying to prove they have what it takes to launch a successful social media platform  in a highly competitive new tech landscape.

Everyone wants to create the next Twitter or Foursquare, to get in on the venture capital that has suddenly started flowing once again into hot new tech startups.  “Dan Rather Reports” investigates what makes a mobile application, and the company behind it, successful.  As they set out to become the next big name in social media, Hashable created a free mobile application that serves as a rolodex for the Twitter age, an attempt to merge mobile social networking with traditional business networking.

Does Hashable have what it takes to break through the clutter? And even if it does, will it make money? Or is all the funding flowing to Hashable and other startups a sign of yet another bubble? “Dan Rather Reports” explored these questions speaking to key staff members at Hashable about their motivation, vision,  contacts, angel funding, potential users, and – possibly most importantly in today’s world – their buzz. From development and marketing meetings to investor pitches and user meet-ups, Hashable provided “Dan Rather Reports” a unique inside look at their journey  as they prepared to launch at the year’s most important tech conference, South by Southwest in Austin, TX.

“Dan Rather Reports: The New Tech Landscape” premieres on HDNet, Tuesday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET with an encore at 11:00 p.m. ET.

To preview the show, visit: http://www.hd.net/blogs/2011/05/hashable/

If you go to the webpage for the show and play the two video clips, you’re going to be feeling a duh! moment. There’s Dan Rather talking to Michael Yavonditte, Founder of Hashable, about whether some startups are built to flip not to grow and are we really in the middle of a “mobile tsunami” that is going to change everything?

Duh.

Dan Rather, in my opinion, is and has always been an excellent reporter locked in the boob tube trying to explain reality to average viewers. He’s not a programmer. He’s not a startup founder. He’s a reporter trying to make sense of the aptly named mobile tsunami of change that startups are sending downriver to the rest of society.

I wonder what they’ll think of what we’re doing when they realize that all the rules they thought applied are about to go out the window–again?