The 6'1" television legend will turn 83 on Dec. 12 according to a CNN report. Barker's television career began when he served as emcee for the game show "Truth or Consequences" starting in 1956. He hosted tie 1976 Miss Universe pageant and made appearances on numerous television shows. He made his big screen debut in 1996's Happy Gilmore where he played himself and beat the hell out of Adam Sandler's character. Surprisingly, also played his first non-self acting role in 1996 in NBC's short-lived "Something So Right."
]]>The 6'1" television legend will turn 83 on Dec. 12 according to a CNN report. Barker's television career began when he served as emcee for the game show "Truth or Consequences" starting in 1956. He hosted tie 1976 Miss Universe pageant and made appearances on numerous television shows. He made his big screen debut in 1996's Happy Gilmore where he played himself and beat the hell out of Adam Sandler's character. Surprisingly, also played his first non-self acting role in 1996 in NBC's short-lived "Something So Right."
Bob Barker has earned his golden watch and leisure days. He was a naval fighter pilot in World War II, and worked at a radio station to finance his education after the war. During his game show years, he has given out more than $55 million in cash and prizes to contestants, according to an Internet Movie Database article.
In fact, his name ranks up there with one of the most recognizable in all of show business. Bob Barker is synonymous with daytime television. The show he championed for almost four decades transcends generations. The word "Plinko" elicits sheer excitement at its very mention, let alone its signature harp music that drives an already excited crowd to madness. Sure its virtually impossible to win the top prize in the game, the clink clack noise is all we need.
And how many times growing up did we hear the late Rod Roddy exclaim that a happy player could win "a new car!?"
If Dan Castellaneta were to leave the Simpsons you might see as big of an impact on a television show. When Jerry Orbach was forced to leave Law & Order due to illness after 2004, the show was never the same, but never before and never again will a television show be so changed than "The Price is Right" will be next summer. No one has been the epitome of a piece of entertainment the way Bob Barker has.
That is what you call creating a buzz around your work.
And please, Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.
]]>A lot of people have been pressing me to write an article about some of the implications of the Mark Foley sandal.
I'm not going to.
This public relations guy prefers not to dive into the pool of swarming political tigers and mass media birds of prey vying for a piece of this guy as they carve their way through Washington, people's lives and the upcoming elections. I wish not to wait on line with liberals who are ordered up taking turns firing at the Republican party as they smell blood. Or with the conservatives who dig defensive trenches and draw a line down the aisle among the "other issues."
]]>A lot of people have been pressing me to write an article about some of the implications of the Mark Foley sandal.
I'm not going to.
This public relations guy prefers not to dive into the pool of swarming political tigers and mass media birds of prey vying for a piece of this guy as they carve their way through Washington, people's lives and the upcoming elections. I wish not to wait on line with liberals who are ordered up taking turns firing at the Republican party as they smell blood. Or with the conservatives who dig defensive trenches and draw a line down the aisle among the "other issues."
Because that's the best we can do as a society.
A Congressman resigned because he allegedly propositioned teenage boys, and the best question we can ask as the media is: "how do you think this will play out in November?"
How this will play out in November is meaningless compared to where we are going as a society lately.
So no, I'm not going to write an article about Mark Foley. Because if I did, I would say something controversial like: "when you live in the most sexually repressed culture in the modern world, this is what happens."
Americans need to examine their surroundings and start asking critical questions. Do our current social policies work? Does our current educational model work? Is it proper to stigmatize alcohol, sex and videogames as the root causes of our societal problems?
Our current policies are mainly buzz words:
None of these work. It saddens me to ponder my degree in criminal justice, (more so than the one in Journalism) knowing that these programs are generally not accepted in the field, yet continue to be implemented due to political pressure.
Zero tolerance, removing judicial discretion and forcing mandatory sanctions for rule and law violations, is perhaps the biggest aberration to modern criminal justice ever crafted by the bureaucrats that think they're "solving the crime problem," with the sole intention of rallying votes to win re-election to continue the vicious cycle of patchwork policy-making.
Professor David Hanson, PH.D., is professor of sociology at the State University of New York, Potsdam. I first spoke with him last year when he contributed to a piece I wrote about alcohol education techniques. His website is a widely read reference in the academic world. He has written extensively about zero tolerance and its effects on society. Some of the results of these policies can be read here.
D.A.R.E. was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 and has expanded to the vast majority of American school districts and more than 50 foreign countries. It has cost millions of dollars, and it has been proven ineffective in nearly all peer-reviewed studies. In 2000, six years ago, the Future of Freedom Foundation published a report questioning the effectiveness of such a program. Hanson too has beenquite critical of the program. In fact, his research shows that D.A.R.E. may actually be making the problems of violence, drugs and alcohol abuse worse.
Yet it still remains widely popular and implemented in virtually all school districts.
Conservatives and liberals alike enjoy arguing with me when I criticize abstinence as a social teaching. The fact of the matter is that it doesn't work. Children and teenagers are told not to have sex--and thus they are not told how to have sex safely. They are not properly educated in sexuality and sexual feelings as a normal part of human development. The problem with all that is that sex is one of the base instincts of all animals and it simply can not be suppressed.
This week alone, Cambodia, the Amish School Shooting, Bailey, Colorado and Mark Foley have made world-wide headlines as sexually charged crimes and scandals.
These incidents are cultural problems with root causes, not an abstract explanation of "evil people doing evil things."
So, the natural question I must ask is, is this the best solution we can propose to respond to a cultural problem? Does anyone seriously believe that putting more guns in schools--arming teachers whose job it is to build trust with and self-esteem for our children?
The issue here is not the election season, and it is not Mark Foley. Mark Foley is just another product of a failed system--a system that he was a part of.
Instead of uncovering these problems and challenging it, journalists settle for hype and headlines. If it bleeds, it leads, but who else is wondering why it bleeds in the first place?
]]>In New England, the Major League Baseball season ended yesterday with a Red Sox bittersweet, rain-shortened 9-0 victory over Baltimore.
The season started out well for Boston, who dominated the rival New York Yankees early on, only to be swept in a five-game series later in the summer. This caused the Sox to permanently slip out of first place in the American League East Division and quickly lose sight of the postseason.
Injuries came in waves throughout the season. Pitcher Matt Clement was lost for the season in June, and any hope of his return was lost July 30 when he was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Lenny DiNardo went down with a neck strain in May and did not return until late August. Tim Wakefeld was also lost in late-July and would not return until September. The wheels fell off Aug. 1 when captain/catcher Jason Varitek went on the disabled list. News would come later that promising rookie pitcher, John Lester, had cancer.
]]>In New England, the Major League Baseball season ended yesterday with a Red Sox bittersweet, rain-shortened 9-0 victory over Baltimore.
The season started out well for Boston, who dominated the rival New York Yankees early on, only to be swept in a five-game series later in the summer. This caused the Sox to permanently slip out of first place in the American League East Division and quickly lose sight of the postseason.
Injuries came in waves throughout the season. Pitcher Matt Clement was lost for the season in June, and any hope of his return was lost July 30 when he was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Lenny DiNardo went down with a neck strain in May and did not return until late August. Tim Wakefeld was also lost in late-July and would not return until September. The wheels fell off Aug. 1 when captain/catcher Jason Varitek went on the disabled list. News would come later that promising rookie pitcher, John Lester, had cancer.
According to a report on MLB.com, batting coach Ron Jackson may absorb some of the fallout from the second half of the season. The coach who oversaw one of the top American League offenses during his tenure may be on his way out in the off-season.
The season did have some bright spots. David Ortiz finished the season with 54 homeruns, breaking Jimmie Foxx's single-season Red Sox home run record.
Manny continued to be Manny this year, and his return is probable, but once again not set in stone.
Trot Nixon, a career Red Sox mainstay who, himself, has been plagued with late injuries, may not return, however. If Nixon plays in Boston in 2007, it will be for a reduced salary and less money than he may be eligible for on the open market. He also may not be a starter in Boston.
Middle infielders Mark Loretta and Alex Gonzalez may not return either. Both provided solid defense and decent offensive numbers, (.285 and .255 respectively) and both may draw lucrative contracts elsewhere.
Now, alas, the Beantown beloved have finished in third place, their worst ending since the 1997 season and a far cry away from the World Series.
This will now be the first time in recorded history that Boston fans cheer loudly for the Detroit Tigers as they roll into New York to face the Yankees after blowing the American League Central lead and settling for a Wild Card berth.
As New Englanders look to next year, one phrase is on people's minds.
Are you ready for some football?
]]>Wednesday = Market Rag
The markets are up lately, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its second highest rate ever.
Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson, will work with Microsoft to develop the next title in the Halo XBox series. This is separate from Halo 3, which Bungie studios is already developing. Jackson is already signed on to develop the movie adaptation of the popular first person shooter game. He is also working with Microsoft to bundle an HD-DVD version of his movie, King Kong, with Microsoft's HD-DVD peripheral. This is all in an effort to put the Xbox 360 on top of the videogame console world, where Sony currently enjoys a 70 percent market share. Take Two Interactive also announced they would port the latest and next launches of the Grand Theft Auto series to Xbox 360, according to a Microsoft release that was reported by CNN.
]]>Wednesday = Market Rag
The markets are up lately, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its second highest rate ever.
Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson, will work with Microsoft to develop the next title in the Halo XBox series. This is separate from Halo 3, which Bungie studios is already developing. Jackson is already signed on to develop the movie adaptation of the popular first person shooter game. He is also working with Microsoft to bundle an HD-DVD version of his movie, King Kong, with Microsoft's HD-DVD peripheral. This is all in an effort to put the Xbox 360 on top of the videogame console world, where Sony currently enjoys a 70 percent market share. Take Two Interactive also announced they would port the latest and next launches of the Grand Theft Auto series to Xbox 360, according to a Microsoft release that was reported by CNN.
Sony's Playstation 3 launches Nov. 17.
On the environmental side of things, Kimberly-Clark is taking heat from Greenpeace this week amidst allegations the Kleenex maker is wiping out forests in the production of their products. Greenpeace accused Kimberly-Clark of lying about the amount of recycled fibers it uses in its brands, which include Scott tissue, Viva and Cottonelle. The pulpy details are available in this CNNMoney report by Marc Gunther.
Finally this week, October is nearly upon is, and that means beer. Fortune has created a list of the six best fall brews.
Two New England flavors that should not be left out: Sam Adams and Harpoon Octoberfest. These local favorites provide season enjoyment before giving way to Winter Ale and other holiday brews. But, don't rush the fall by. Enjoy the 17th annual Harpoon Octoberfest celebration Friday Sept. 29 and Saturday Sept. 30 at the Harpoon brewery, 306 Northern Ave., Boston.
That's the rag. Cheers!
P.S. Here's a commerical for the Xbox 360 that has been "banned"
]]>Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both offer an impressive video experience. They also offer improved digital audio. Many people have been slow to upgrade because there are currently two heavily competing formats and the players and disks cost a bundle to take home. Blu-Ray players are still hanging around $1,000.
One British company may have found a way for both next-generation formats to exist in harmony.
New Medium Enterprises has developed technology to put multiple layers, containing multiple video formats, on single disks, which can be duplicate cheaply, removing consumer confusion in purchasing next-generation movie formats.
]]>Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both offer an impressive video experience. They also offer improved digital audio. Many people have been slow to upgrade because there are currently two heavily competing formats and the players and disks cost a bundle to take home. Blu-Ray players are still hanging around $1,000.
One British company may have found a way for both next-generation formats to exist in harmony.
New Medium Enterprises has developed technology to put multiple layers, containing multiple video formats, on single disks, which can be duplicate cheaply, removing consumer confusion in purchasing next-generation movie formats.
Consumer confusion breeds hesitation and hesitation breeds slow sales. If this technology takes off, it would be the first time in home-movie history, that two previously competing formats were able to thrive in co-existence.
CNN reported the company has created a method to write multiple layers to a single disk, cheaply, with a decreased risk in low yield or bad disks.
The technology hopes to result in a world where Sony's Blu-Ray and Toshiba-backed HD-DVD can both succeed. It's a great idea and something that does have a lot of potential, but I do not think this will happen. One technology will inevitably surpass the other and like betamax and laserdisc, this town ain't big enough for two formats.
Blu-Ray has been the early leader, but its price has hindered any kind of brand explosion. Both formats have suffered from a mass of sub-par titles as different movie studies feel the waters.
Some people are saying, "why bother" and there is genuine consensus that we should just stick with DVD.
These same people, however, thought VHS would survive against DVD--which was also expensive at the time.
So why bother with this technology?
Look at the prices of traditional DVD players and 5.1 home theater audio/video receivers. They are dropping at a very rapid pace. The next generation of home video can produce DTS ES 7.1 digital sound standard and 1080p high-definition resolution.
DVD is not high-definition. It looks and sounds great, but we are still at the point where a $5,000 plasma television really can't do what it's meant to do under current technology.
Only time (read: the 2007 holiday shopping season) will tell.
]]>E. coli, the deadly bacteria usually found in raw, processed meats, has appeared in, of all things, bagged spinach. At press time, nine states had reported E. coli cases already, with more outbreaks possible.
Stores have begun to systematically purge their shelves of the leafy green vegetable after federal health officials said simply: "don't eat bagged spinach."
Officials also warn that washing the produce will not remove the bacteria. One death has already been reported in Wisconsin, which has reported 19 other cases of E. coli among its residents, 11 of which were reported in Milwaukee. Elsewhere, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, California and Ohio have reported possible outbreaks.
]]>E. coli, the deadly bacteria usually found in raw, processed meats, has appeared in, of all things, bagged spinach. At press time, nine states had reported E. coli cases already, with more outbreaks possible.
Stores have begun to systematically purge their shelves of the leafy green vegetable after federal health officials said simply: "don't eat bagged spinach."
Officials also warn that washing the produce will not remove the bacteria. One death has already been reported in Wisconsin, which has reported 19 other cases of E. coli among its residents, 11 of which were reported in Milwaukee. Elsewhere, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, California and Ohio have reported possible outbreaks.
There are nearly 75,000 cases of E. coli infection per year in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most adults are able to recover from exposure, which results in bowel problems, within one week. Children and senior citizens fare worse. The bacteria cause over 50 deaths per year nationally.
According to a CNN article, the tainted spinach may have been grown in California. A probable cause for the outbreak is exposure to animal manure, where E. coli is commonly found. Farmers are not supposed to use manure to fertilize products like spinach, which are commonly eaten raw.
Children now have an excuse not to eat their veggies.
Parents: push the apples; they're still safe...for now.
]]>Money is the driving power in media. Fox is driven by money but their drive is more visible because they stand alone on the right side of the spectrum. This article is less about the documentary, Outfoxed, than a commentary about modern media and politics.
Bear with me as I've written a ton of soft features lately. Here's something to wake up the politicos.
Somewhere, towards the end perhaps, this will be relevant to public relations.
Outfoxed, a 2004 documentary by Robert Greenwald, tries to show the dangers of corporate control over the media by citing commonly right-of-center news source, Fox. Greenwald and a group of volunteers monitored Fox News Channel 24 hours per day for several months looking for “conservative bias†in its news reporting. The resulting film shows that Fox is indeed a conservative-leaning media outlet and corporately controlled
]]>Money is the driving power in media. Fox is driven by money but their drive is more visible because they stand alone on the right side of the spectrum. This article is less about the documentary, Outfoxed, than a commentary about modern media and politics.
Bear with me as I've written a ton of soft features lately. Here's something to wake up the politicos.
Somewhere, towards the end perhaps, this will be relevant to public relations.
Outfoxed, a 2004 documentary by Robert Greenwald, tries to show the dangers of corporate control over the media by citing commonly right-of-center news source, Fox. Greenwald and a group of volunteers monitored Fox News Channel 24 hours per day for several months looking for “conservative bias†in its news reporting. The resulting film shows that Fox is indeed a conservative-leaning media outlet and corporately controlled
This is breaking news?
Taglines and advertisements label Outfoxed as an attempt to prove that Fox is conservative and republican leaning. Did Greenwald think that he was decoding some great mystery of the world? Everyone knows Fox is conservative. Everyone knows The New York Times and CNN are liberal media sources.
I need to approach this from a common sense perspective. Fox is a conservatively biased media source. Their anchors show these traits with a degree of obviousness. Outfoxed gives several arguments to prove its case. First and foremost, the film demonstrates that Fox owner Rupert Murdoch and president Roger Ailes are both ideologically conservative. The film claims that reporters are praised for positively covering conservative issues and reprimanded for concentrating on liberal ones.
Both of the above facts may be true. Yes Murdoch and Ailes are conservatives. It is possible that news reporters are being encouraged to follow a more conservative agenda. What I fail to understand is where the harm is in promoting a conservative agenda when the vast majority of media outlets promote a liberal agenda? I don’t completely agree with either agenda, but we are bombarded with both consistently.
In fact, the 2004 presidential election and subsequent exit polls showed that the values held dearest by the majority of Americans are traditionally held as conservative ideals. They reelected a very conservative Republican president and gave Republicans a clear majority (read: mandate) in both houses. In New England and parts of California, we forget that in most other places in the United States, faith-based governance and lax gun control replace gay rights and abortion.
2006 will not change that, and Democrats (liberals) will not take back both the House and the Senate.
Now this brings us to the second argument. Fox is conservative; conservatism is contrary to the bulk of the mainstream media, but is an agenda of conservatism bad? Is any? Should all journalists be objective? Are any?
Fox is Murdoch’s candy store. Does he have the right to convey whatever image he wants with his proprietary media networks? Is it fair that the “haves†can spread their beliefs on all simply because they can afford to?
The conservative point is conceded as Fox clearly leans towards the right. Outfoxed, however, says that Fox News uses sensationalism and brute scare tactics to convey its point. The goal being to force the viewer to stay tuned.
The film goes as far as to say that the real goal here is to scare viewers into adopting conservative views.
I don’t believe that for a second.
Fox may sensationalize many of its stories. They often use dramatic theme music to call attention to breaking news. They create new, customized dramatic theme music for certain pressing events. But here’s what you won’t see in Outfoxed: Fox, and many other cable news networks, also break to commercials before, during and after key points in a news story. Of course Fox tries to keep their viewers watching, all television stations do.
I simply do not, however believe that Fox sensationalizes its stories in order to recruit for the right wing. Why sensationalize?
Viewers=Ratings=Commercials=$$$
It’s that simple, and it is not the first time I’ve said it. Fox, like every other news source, adds a level of drama to their news reporting to attract more viewers to attract more advertisers.
I am not a Republican or a card carrying conservative. Neither were any of the expert contributors to Outfoxed. The contributors to the film include Jeff Cohen of FAIR, Bob McChesney of Free Press, Chellie Pingree of Common Cause, Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy and David Brock of Media Matters. These are all liberal media personalities from liberal organizations. Of course they would love to be in a documentary criticizing Fox; Fox is conservatively biased!
In July 2005, Fox released a statement denying that the channel had ever employed two of the Outfoxed contributors, who claimed to be former Fox News Channel employees. Fox later claimed that the producers of Outfoxed exaggerated interviewees’ positions and titles.
I reserve judgment as to whether or not hyper-sensationalizing news stories in the media for the purposes of attracting viewers is wrong or not, but it seems to me that if sensationalization was a true taboo in journalism, we wouldn’t need headlines.
Here’s an equally credible accusation: Outfoxed is liberally biased. The film’s official website contains quotes from supporters of the movie. It lists people as journalists, employees of the New York Times, Democraticunderground.com, etc. But when the list gets to a criticism from Fox personality Bill O’Reilly, he is cited as:
-Bill O'Reilly, pathological liar
This is to say that all of the data published on Democraticunderground.com, and everything ever printed in The Times is true and factual. This is the image that the PR campaign Outfoxed tries to get across. It is wrong to be a conservative, wronger to preach those views, and wrongest to be a conservative and work in journalism.
I don't agree with most of what O'Reilly says, but he's not a pathological liar; he's someone I don't agree with.
This is the problem with the Democratic Party. They have no pride and no identity; only hatred for the other side. They're like Red Sox fans, circa October, 2003.
Every time I get a letter from a Democratic senator telling me "how we're going to beat the Republicans," I cringe. I'm not hearing or reading or seeing anything that sells me on liberal politics. Nobody is standing on a podium shouting for stem cell research, equal rights for someone or another or maybe an actual for ending the war. It is great to be anti-war if that's what you believe in, but you don't just press the Staples Easy Button and turn it off. No Democrat has come up with a viable plan to do anything about the war in Iraq.
What you do hear plenty of from the Democrats is how the Republicans are corrupt warmongers against individual rights. So what? Prove that the Democrats are better and liberals will vote. Give liberals something to be proud of and maybe a liberal will be president in 2008.
But it's not looking quite that way just yet.
The Democrats will not survive on a pure campaign against the Republicans. The question liberals are asking themselves is not why shouldn't I vote for Republicans. The question is why SHOULD I vote for Democrats?
No one has answered that yet. John Kerry didn't do it. Al Gore didn't do it. Whoever does should be the next Democratic presidential nominee. Whoever does it well will be the next president.
]]>Steve Irwin, internationally known documentary film maker, entertainer and outdoorsman died Monday while filming an underwater documentary. He was 44 years old.
Irwin, known for his enthusiasm and genuine love for nature, died when a stingray, buried in the sand while Irwin was snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, stung him in the chest. Despite a direct puncture to the chest, Irwin was captured on film fighting to the end. He was able to remove the fatal stingray barb from his chest in the last moments of his life.
]]>Steve Irwin, internationally known documentary film maker, entertainer and outdoorsman died Monday while filming an underwater documentary. He was 44 years old.
Irwin, known for his enthusiasm and genuine love for nature, died when a stingray, buried in the sand while Irwin was snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, stung him in the chest. Despite a direct puncture to the chest, Irwin was captured on film fighting to the end. He was able to remove the fatal stingray barb from his chest in the last moments of his life.
The man called the "Crocodile Hunter" has been offered a state funeral in his native Australia. Irwin will be eulogized in many different ways. He was an educator, bringing a generation of children up with his hands on animal lessons. He was a naturalist who was, according to his manager, "as good on the water as he was on land" and comfortable wherever there was nature and wildlife. He was also a world-renown entertainer, appearing on dozens of television shows and hosting numerous documentaries.
The video portraying Irwin's last moments is currently in police custody as officials investigate. John Stainton, Irwin's manager and close friend has called for that tape to be destroyed when officials are done with it.
I say with outward certainty, that there is no journalistic value, whatsoever, in obtaining the videotape of Steve Irwin dying. It would be a great shame on and for any media outlet to allow this tape, even if it is somehow leaked, to see the light of day. There are bounds, and watching a father, husband and son-even a celebrity father, husband and son-die would serve no beneficial purpose.
We all feel a little sad today, and many of us wonder why. After all, most of us never met Steve Irwin. He was the loud, utterly happy Aussie that seemed to find beauty in every dangerous animal in the kingdom. But, the man was impossible not to like. He braved the elements time and time again, yet he was one of the least controversial figures in modern entertainment. Known for his outward enthusiasm, if not eccentricities, Irwin was a neutral character in our lives, where otherwise there is strife, grief and conflict. We are all allowed to feel a little sad for losing that.
]]>Yahoo! which has changed its face but not its quantity of front-page content over the years, remains, for now, the most frequently visited website in the United States, according to Alexa.
Google has become the second most frequently visited web site in the United States, but remains third in the world behind Yahoo! and perennial giant, The Microsoft Network (MSN).
And that is where we pick up our story; the story of the war between two giants who are making the Internet only big enough for one of them.
This year, Google and Microsoft have been working feverishly to sign agreements with other popular websites to supply them with advertising and search technology.
Google dropped a bunker-busting nuclear bomb when they signed MySpace, the third most trafficked site in the world and the most popular social networking portal on the Internet. As reported, Fox Interactive Media, MySpace's parent company, agreed to have Google provide all of its search and keyword-based advertising solutions. This deal represented a massive show of force from Google as Microsoft had previously failed to secure the same agreement with Fox.
It is also relevant to note that MySpace.com alone reaches more people per day in the United States than MSN.com. MSN.com is the fourth-ranked website in the U.S., just behind MySpace.
Microsoft scrambled to rebound from this news by quickly signing an advertising deal with Facebook, the second most popular social networking portal. This was a necessary step, but as colleagues at Seattle PI reported, the deal raised some desperation alarms. The Wall Street Journal reported that this deal was reached and signed over a weekend at the same time Facebook was starting to seriously talk with Google. This shows that the agreement may have been rushed to avoid losing both MySpace and Facebook to Google.
While a positive salvo for the Microsoft side, this deal is no where near as large as Google's pact with Myspace. Facebook, amazingly popular with college students, has less than 10 percent as many reported users than MySpace.
Google also reached a deal Aug 2 with XM Satellite Radio to provide automated solutions for its advertisers. The same day, it was reported that Google and long-standing Microsoft partner, RealNetworks, reached a deal that has Real offering its users the chance to bundle its software with Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar. Firefox has, itself, fired pot-shots at Microsoft's web-browsing dominance.
Now comes the kicker, WSJ Online reported today that Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt, was elected to the Apple Computer board of directors.
Yahoo! appeared to gain strength when CNET repprted a "Google buster" deal between Yahoo! and internet auction original, Ebay, May 25. That was busted when Ebay signed a new deal Monday, with Google.
Google and Ebay have never gotten along, but they both see green and the auctioneer was all too quick to forget Yahoo! for Google and a new feature called "click to call" advertisements, which will be household term in a few months.
All eyes should now be on YouTube, which has not signed an exclusive advertising deal with anyone yet. Google, and its ability to put dollar signs into even Rupert Murdoch's eyes, may be the one to win over YouTube, a popular free video sharing and hosting service. Google promised News Corp $900 million in the MySpace deal. This would put Microsoft even farther behind Google in the data war.
What does this mean?
Website popularity is not just about bragging rights. As previously discussed, it's all about money.
The age of the Internet Service Provider is closing. Even AOL is giving up trying to make money by charging people to get on the Internet. The Internet is no longer a toy or a luxury, it is a vital necessity and a part of everyday life.
But someone, somewhere has to make money off it somehow in order to keep things moving. That's where advertising comes in. As long as people look, read, watch, browse and chat, advertisers--and the people that provide advertising technology--are going to make money.
The war is about who gets the biggest piece of the pie.
Microsoft and Google are the Soviet Union and the United States 20 years ago. One, a lumbering giant trying to hold fast to its traditions but learning it has to adjust to the times in order to survive, and another, a fast moving, aggressive powerhouse jockeying for position.
Yahoo! absolutely will lose its market share if they don't make a large move very rapidly.
There are no missiles or walls this time, only information: not just the ability to search for information, but the ability to store, gather and provide information–the exclusive ability. Some of that information is not necessarily requested, but advertising is the price people are going to pay for free content and services.
]]>Joe Rosenthal, the Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist who captured the flag raising at Iwo Jima despite being told he was too blind for combat duty in World War II, died Sunday. He was 94.
Mr. Rosenthal captured one of the photography age's most treasured--and perhaps the most reprinted--images when, in a fraction of a second, he caught five marines and a sailor raising the American Flag over the disputed Japanese island on February 23, 1945.
]]>Joe Rosenthal, the Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist who captured the flag raising at Iwo Jima despite being told he was too blind for combat duty in World War II, died Sunday. He was 94.
Mr. Rosenthal captured one of the photography age's most treasured--and perhaps the most reprinted--images when, in a fraction of a second, he caught five marines and a sailor raising the American Flag over the disputed Japanese island on February 23, 1945.
According to the New York Times, the famous photograph was printed in 3-5 million war-bond posters during that era and featured on a stamp commemorating the Marine Corps. The photograph was also immortalized when it was turned into the Marine Corps War Memorial.
He was not allowed in the military, but he earned a salute from journalists everywhere.
Your mid-week market rag will be next on PRrag.com.
]]>This may cause a little confusion.
According to a News Corp. press release, Twentieth Century Fox will start selling movies and television shows through web sites owned by its parent company, News Corp, which also owns IGN Entertainment.
]]>This may cause a little confusion.
According to a News Corp. press release, Twentieth Century Fox will start selling movies and television shows through web sites owned by its parent company, News Corp, which also owns IGN Entertainment.
IGN Entertainment owns Direct2Drive, a successful PC game downloading entity in its own right.
News Corp. owns MySpace and will use the massive teen and young adult addiction to market and sell the movies and programs.
MySpace recently selected Google as its key search engine, according to reports. This effectively eliminates the need for internal searches and removing what was previously seen as a potential rivalry. According to Fox 25 Boston, (another Fox-owned entity) MySpace's primary "exit page," the page users go to when they leave another web site, was Google.com.
Finally, the movie and television videos will employ Microsoft Corporation's copy protection technology.
News Corp also acquired a controlling share in DirecTV and moved its own company, NDS, in to overtake TiVo as the most popular American satellite television company's chief digital video recording solution, according to CNN.
So what does Fox + MySpace + Google =?
Money. Lots and lots and lots of money.
This is how News Corp is so successful. The company, and CEO Rupert Murdoch are able to corner the market in these types of endeavors and do things that other media companies can only dream about. Money speaks louder than politics, and the traditionally conservative media group has shown it plays well with others, at least fiscally.
The deal with Google, alone, is worth almost $1 billion.
Said CNNMoney.com:
"Murdoch has time and again fostered collaboration among News Corp.'s myriad divisions, accomplishing what other media conglomerates have often attempted but often fail to do."
Movies will reportedly sell for $19.99 and television programs for $1.99 per episode.
This is an advertiser's dream. That is the new age of free. Everything is free. You just have to listen to what the person who gave it to you, for free, has to say.
]]>According to a News Corp. press release, Twentieth Century Fox will start selling movies and television shows through web sites owned by its parent company, News Corp, which also owns IGN Entertainment.
IGN Entertainment owns Direct2Drive, a successful PC game downloading entity in its own right.
]]>According to a News Corp. press release, Twentieth Century Fox will start selling movies and television shows through web sites owned by its parent company, News Corp, which also owns IGN Entertainment.
IGN Entertainment owns Direct2Drive, a successful PC game downloading entity in its own right.
News Corp. owns MySpace and will use the massive teen and young adult addiction to market and sell the movies and programs.
MySpace recently selected Google as its key search engine, according to reports. This effectively eliminates the need for internal searches and removing what was previously seen as a potential rivalry. According to Fox 25 Boston, (another Fox-owned entity) MySpace's primary "exit page," the page users go to when they leave another web site, was Google.com.
Finally, the movie and television videos will employ Microsoft Corporation's copy protection technology.
News Corp also acquired a controlling share in DirecTV and moved its own company, NDS, in to overtake TiVo as the most popular American satellite television company's chief digital video recording solution, according to CNN.
So what does Fox + MySpace + Google =?
Money. Lots and lots and lots of money.
This is how News Corp is so successful. The company, and CEO Rupert Murdoch are able to corner the market in these types of endeavors and do things that other media companies can only dream about. Money speaks louder than politics, and the traditionally conservative media group has shown it plays well with others, at least fiscally.
The deal with Google, alone, is worth almost $1 billion.
Said CNNMoney.com:
"Murdoch has time and again fostered collaboration among News Corp.'s myriad divisions, accomplishing what other media conglomerates have often attempted but often fail to do."
Movies will reportedly sell for $19.99 and television programs for $1.99 per episode.
This is an advertiser's dream. That is the new age of free. Everything is free. You just have to listen to what the person who gave it to you, for free, has to say.
]]>The plot, reportedly involving terrorists boarding several America-bound commercial airliners and detonating liquid explosives, destroying the planes over the Atlantic Ocean. As a result of the terror alert, no liquids are being allowed on any commercial airline today. Such disallowed goods include toothpaste, mouthwash, cologne, drinks and hair gel. According to CNN, British authorities are also disallowing electronic key fobs, declaring that such devices could be used to trigger a bomb.
So far, 21 people have been arrested but their names and the exact charges and details are being withheld because more suspects may possibly be on the loose.
The threat level for the rest of the country remains at elevated (yellow) this afternoon.
The Homeland Security Advisory System was established by President Bush shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to provide a visual system of identifying terror threats so that responsible departments could take appropriate action. There are no set criteria for determining what constitutes a raising or lowering of the alert.
Besides color, there is something else that is visible whenever the terror alert changes. The political response is always complex. The lede in a 2004 Fox News story may sum it up well and in its own way:
The politics of terrorism has Democrats tied in knots. Each time President Bush raises fears of a possible attack, the political debate shifts from his most troublesome issue (Iraq) to one of his strongest (the war on terrorism) while Democrats fight their impulse to question the president's motives.
At a popular Boston restaurant today, this reporter overheard two businessmen talking over drinks. One turned to the other laughing and asked if the other thought raising the terror alert was "bullshit," giving the government "more reasons to stay in Iraq for a few more years."
The general public seems either jaded or sincerely and seriously suspicious of their government. Posts of the New York Times' website portray a diverse American public. Some people are happy with the security measures put in place when the terror alert goes up, others seem to have lost faith in the system. Still others do see the publicity surrounding potential terror plots as another way to mollify the public into submission.
Wrote "Jenny" on the boards:
Yet another summertime plot by the right-wing to boost their poll numbers. Bush has no credibility and neither does Tony Blair. They've pulled this stunt before to boost their poll numbers and swing elections. Don't be fooled.
It is left to judgment whether or not Americans are starting to become desensitized to the aspects and consequences (both in terms of safety and civil rights) of terrorism in the 21st century. Certainly, however, nothing is taken at face value anymore.
This has everything in the world to do with public relations. A distrusting public or a jaded public means that marketing and public relations efforts are much more difficult and more easily ignored by the target audience.
In the case of the terror alert, the question is this: if a consumer does not respond when he or she is told their life is in danger, how are they going to respond to a new product or service being sold to them? Furthermore, if the public is distrusting of the government and public services, how trusting will they be towards the media, corporations and advertisers?
]]>In an interesting twist of public relations fate today, two public figures have found themselves fending off allegations stemming from the use of language considered racially or ethnically charged.
One is a Mormon governor. One is a conservatively-Christian Hollywood mainstay.
In the first example, Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney used the phrase "tar baby" to describe the Big Dig. The story started out on the local television and radio programs and made national headlines this morning.
]]>In an interesting twist of public relations fate today, two public figures have found themselves fending off allegations stemming from the use of language considered racially or ethnically charged.
One is a Mormon governor. One is a conservatively-Christian Hollywood mainstay.
In the first example, Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney used the phrase "tar baby" to describe the Big Dig. The story started out on the local television and radio programs and made national headlines this morning.
According to sources, Romney did not know that the phrase has been used to denigrate African Americans. What is even more interesting is that a CNN.com poll shows that two-thirds of responders don't even consider the phrase to be a racial slur.
This comes as the Romney people breathe a sigh of relief after a somewhat surprising barrage of defense from most major media outlets. Personalities on WBZ radio, Boston's CBS Radio Network affiliate, this morning announced support for Romney and have made it clear that they expect a heart-felt apology that the media is prepared to accept.
The feeling expressed by the Boston media is that while Romney certainly should have used better judgment, to consider him a racist is absurd.
Mel Gibson is proving to be not nearly as lucky as Romney.
Gibson, arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving, has been all over the media when it was reported that he went on an anti-Semitic rage when police stopped him for driving over 80 miles per hour.
Even Hollywood has come down hard on Gibson. The Los Angeles Times ran an article today criticized him for trying to be "an island in the movie business." The article, written by staff writers Robert W. Welkos and John Horn, also points out that Gibson now needs to contend with the Walt Disney Company, which is distributing his latest film, "Apocalypto." Disney is the parent company of ABC, which is putting together a miniseries about the holocaust this season.
While the media is coming down hard on Gibson, the public doesn't seem phased. Another CNN.com poll shows that the overwhelming majority of people still plan on seeing Gibson's movies. This shows that, while people may not always agree with what a celebrity does and says, they may be willing to put those feelings aside for the sake of entertainment. This is especially visible in American sports, which have been riddled with drug and steroid scandals in the past few years.
Both people in this case have a lot on the line. If Gibson loses Disney as a film distributor, he would have a hard time finding another major entity to take on the relatively obscure (and now controversial) project. Romney may have even more reason to hold his tongue as he makes an expected bid for President in 2008.
]]>You'll see three videos as part of a weekend update on PRrag. Please understand that they may contain offensive language. You will also notice no advertisements or product placements in this article.
A five second video of President George W. Bush placing his hands on the shoulders of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is raising a mainstream and blog-based media storm around the world.
]]>You'll see three videos as part of a weekend update on PRrag. Please understand that they may contain offensive language. You will also notice no advertisements or product placements in this article.
A five second video of President George W. Bush placing his hands on the shoulders of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is raising a mainstream and blog-based media storm around the world.
The whole encounter lasted barely seconds. At first glance, this gesture looks harmless, but it goes against common sense in a professional political environment, and the public relations staff at the Executive Branch has been scrambling to put this issue to bed.
Several bits from the G8 Summit have become the subject for comedic responses with overtones of concern looming over the brewing warfare in the Middle East. Comedy television series, "The Daily Show," showed clips of a press conference where President Bush made three references to a pig roast taking place later that evening, saying that he would even have a chance to carve the pig at a feast hosted by the Germans.
The primary message spun by these types of media sources is comedy, but the aforementioned overtones of concern are present and hinted at by the host, comedian John Stewart, who even picks up on the sheer irony of Bush joking about eating a pig, a banned food in both the Jewish and Muslim faiths.
A new war is raging in the Middle East region of the world, with one government is begging the international community for help, unable to defend itself, and another government responding to a perceived threat and the kidnapping of one of its soldiers.
This reporter gives no opinion on which side is right, as no angle of warfare can be deemed sheerly positive. That is not the point of this article.
One certainty, America, and the west, have done nothing further than attempt to withdraw its own citizens from the war-torn region.
A humanitarian crisis is looming. So far, 500,000 Lebanese have been left homeless and another 150,000 have fled their home country altogether. So far, 261 are dead in Lebanon with 582 wounded, according to CNN. When a journalist asked President Bush about this situation, he responded with a joke about eating a pig.
The following was taken by blogger, Bassem Masloum. It contains something this reporter has never seen out his Boston window.
Suddenly, I'm not hungry anymore.
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