...you come to see the freaks.
L.A.Times:
An advertising boycott against Fox News host Glenn Beck has succeeded in keeping most major sponsors from running commercials on his show even as the controversial commentator's viewership has grown.
Beck attracted 2.81 million viewers Monday, his third-largest audience since his show launched on Fox News in January, according to Nielsen Media Research data provided by the network. On Tuesday, nearly 2.7 million viewers tuned in, his fifth-largest viewership to date. And the conservative host got a plug from former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who urged people to watch his program in a post on her Facebook page.
8 comments:
For the first time in years I tuned in Fox to check the coverage of Kennedy's memorial. Fox comes in clear as a bell. MSNBC is low volume and muffled. CNN is somewhere in between. How is this possible? If I weren't afraid I'd have an aneurysm I'd watch fox just to see what the idiots are saying. I think it is the freak-show aspect that draws viewers. That and the clear as a bell sound quality.
Or maybe it's just in Utah.
The Glenn Beck Variety Hour!
Just imagine the possibilities! C'mon, Rupert, get on the ball!
I do not accept you! I do not accept you!
"I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a oligarhy."
;>)
I can only hope some of those people tune in long enough to get enough of his blather, so they have 'fodder and fuel', to pass on, as they ask others to check out the 'nut-case', before his show is canceled.
I worked for Nielsen years ago; they don't monitor the LENGTH OF TIME, just the frequency and the numbers - banging around on a television with your remote control as you look for something good to watch, still 'trips the signal', and of course everyone stops to take a look at the freak who looks like scrub-brush; who has eyes that pop and roll like a clown, and who probably will wind up joining Palin in some 'cause', that will still assure the 'nut-cases of the world', they are about to burst into 'holy flames of glory'.........
Maybe they'll hook up with Rick Warren; maybe they'll just go away and we'll all get lucky!
One thing's sure: Advertisers aren't going to gamble with their costly advertising dollars; they'll find a place where there is an audience who can think for themselves; who are intelligent enough to get their promotional message, and have the buying dollars to make a difference in their profit-line.
Today I watched the C-Span coverage of Ted Kennedy's funeral; it brought to mind, the decency and value of words spoken from the heart; of a place where there'd be no screaming reporters, of a quiet place and sense of dignity that television seldom shows us.
Today I had to remember it was 2 years ago my cousin committed suicide.
Today it was my daughter-in-law' 28th birthday.
Today it was the anniversary of Katrina.
Today they had a private ceremony for Michael Jackson.
Today someone died every 3 minutes or so.
Today I hope somewhere in the halls of television decency, there will be resurrected, the concept of returning to the days when Dan Rather; Walter Conkrite, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and the many others who graced that screen more than 50 years ago, will become the gold standard for future programming that will not just invite the 'wing-nuts' to tramp up and down the air-waves, but bring us the balanced; the wise, and the strong who entertained and informed us, and left the side-show freaks to the traveling road-shows.
Welcome, Happy. You've certainly encapsulated the situation as it stands.
For myself, I had hoped that societal de-evolution wouldn't midwife a situation like this - an Elmer Gantry-style demagogue with the social conscience of a velociraptor playacting the role of Howard Beale upon the cracked mirror of public perception for cash and prizes...but as in so many other things in life, I was misinformed.
;>)
Which just attests to the known fact that fascists take orders very well.
Thanks, db.
You are hardly misinformed.
S
Beck attracted 2.81 million viewers Monday, his third-largest audience since his show launched on Fox News in January, according to Nielsen Media Research data provided by the network. On Tuesday, nearly 2.7 million viewers tuned in, his fifth-largest viewership to date. And the conservative host got a plug from former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who urged people to watch his program in a post on her Facebook page.
Is it my imagination or is this some rerun of the 50s? The ghost of Joe McCarthy rising up from the grave to stir anger about hidden commies and rile the right. There were boycotts of advertisers then as well but it wasn't about the shows' content back then. It was about competition. But now when one man can own a network and entire media outlets in some areas there is none. So I just wonder if Glen will go the way of Howard when the losses are too great. He's shaking up the great mechanism of the corporate profit machine you know.
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