I'm Protesting!

Friday, January 15, 2010

I'm sure most of yall have heard of the big 'Conan - Leno' fiasco. But just in case you haven't, here's a quick recap:

Jay Leno, who used to host "The Tonight Show' somehow (I'm not sure if he quit, was let go, or the contract ended) got the chance to host another interview-type show that would air at 10pm. When Leno moved, Conan O'Brien got the job of host of "The Tonight Show" which airs at 11:35pm. Well, ratings went down for Leno, local affiliates complained and NBC decided to move Leno and his current show to 11:35pm thus bumping Conan to 12:05 and poor Jimmy Fallon to 1:05. This has caused an uproar at NBC. Leno is making Conan the butt of jokes on his show and Conan certainly responds by poking fun at NBC and Leno.

Here's a clip that'll give you a taste of it:

Conan is now saying he's quitting if they move his show back. I don't blame him. It's unfair. Leno needs to actually retire like he originally said and go drive all those cars he's got.

Looking at this situation from a public relations view, this is killing NBC. Not only are their own employees insulting each other, Conan and Leno are also saying some pretty awful things about NBC. This is killing NBC's image. They now look like some thoughtless company who disregards contracts and employees' opinions. NBC better figure something out quick, because their reputation is slowly degrading and I think they're losing fans.

In my own way of protesting, I have decided not to wear the red NBC shirt I bought when visiting NY a couple of summers ago. They will get no free advertising out of me until this is all settled in a more respectable way. Shame on you NBC.

And I'm team Conan.

Competing Headlines

Friday, December 18, 2009

I found this interesting. Here are two headlines and subheads from two different news sources and apparently they are about the same story. Who would have guessed?

1. 'Obama: We are running short on time for a climate deal'

Subhead: Obama works overtime on climate deal

-CNN

2. 'Barack Obama's speech disappoints and fuels frustration at Copenhagen'

Subhead: US President offers no further commitment on reducing emissions or no finance to poorer countries

-Guardian, UK

I'm usually a defender of media bias, or lack thereof or whatever you want to call it, but these headlines made me laugh. They're actually opposite of each other. If you're interested, click here for the first article and here for the second.

South Carolina Makes Headlines

Sunday, July 5, 2009

South Carolina has been the state for news these past few weeks. And not good stuff. Here’s a recap for all you non-palmetto-tree-state-livers:

1. Governor Mark Sanford’s affair with an Argentinean woman. Great. First he was “missing” and then we find out this was happening instead. He’s been sneaking off, lying, using government money and cheating on his wife and family for the past few months. And he didn’t resign although outcries for it are increasing every day. I was quite embarrassed on many levels when he made the announcements: as a South Carolinian, a Christian (which he and his family are), and I thought if he brought up Beaufort Senator Tom Davis’ name one more time as being his buddy…geesh. I think Sanford was a lucky man when he scooted out of national headlines because of Michael Jackson’s death. Click here for the whole story.
2. Gaffney County has a serial killer and he has already taken 5 victims in less than a week. A little scary considering I was there just a few weeks ago for a wedding. The killer’s pictured popped up on CNN and CNN.com while over 100 investigators in the Carolinas are working on the case. Let’s get this guy. Click here for more information. 
   
3. This one didn’t make national news, but a huge fire overtook an old mill in Rock Hill, just blocks away from my apartment. Apparently the fire was so big, that smoke could be seen from as far away as Charlotte. The building used to be a bleachery, but has been abandoned for a while. It took more than a day for 55+ firefighters to get the fire out. Read more here.  

Let’s all hope that sweet southern little South Carolina will only make good news. Please.

How could you be so heartless?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I’ve discovered something that irks me.

Here are some (not all, I admit I chose some of these just to prove my point) of the top headlines from CNN.com in America:

‘Idol’ blog: Kris Allen need not ‘Apologize’
Miss California USA to keep title
‘It was like the sky fell down,’ mom cries
Missing teen’s cell phone gives cops clue
How it feels to be judged on looks
Ranking the best, worst owners in sports

Really? Believe me, I completely understand addressing your audience, but what in the world kind of audience is regularly visiting the site if that’s the case. I am a little embarrassed because I do regularly visit the site, but find myself digging for what I want to read.

The reason this irritates me is for the simple fact that there are way more important issues happening around the world, but instead the decision on letting Miss California keep her crown is deemed more important. Ridiculous.

I feel a bit manipulated (and I began to feel like that in my media and politics class), because I find myself discovering news about my own country from friends who live in other countries. That’s sad. They have to tell me what is going with my president or my economy. They also inform me of information about their own countries that don’t seem to make it past the never-ending run of ‘missing teens’ stories.

For some reason I’ve always been obsessed and a little fascinated with the media and how it works. I am still obsessed, fascinated, intrigued and now just a little motivated to do something about all of this.

I know that CNN and all other media is a business, and a professor once drilled into my head that they only exist to make money. I just wish they would make money better.