Beamer wrote on Apr 7, 2010, 19:09:
Exactly. It's why Seimens and Boeing and British Petrol other huge multinationals buy ads on CNN, MSNBC, etc. These ads aren't hawking a product. You can't go buy a Seimens Bluray player or buy gas at a BP gas station. They spend millions in ad dollars on these media networks, even though they aren't selling anything. It prevents these news organizations from being too critical or investigating these companies. Not that they would: all the the major media outlets are owned by huge multinationals themselves: GE owns NBC, Westinghouse owns CBS, Time/Warner owns CNN, etc.
The organizations are critical all the time.
Yes, in part they open channels to the organizations. Doesn't stop them from being critical.
It's also business-to-business ads.
And it's stock awareness. Who watches CNN? Investors. Why not crow about how great you are to a sitting audience that can invest in you and raise the stock price. Or so that the name is out there and people prefer a Qualcomm-powered phone or to fly on a Boeing.
It's like half of you sit around thinking everyone is conspiring against you. Haven't any of you worked at a major corporation ever?
And, for the record, I filled my tank up at a BP station this past weekend.
1. INVESTORS don't watch CNN or MSNBC. It's useless. If they watch anything at all, they watch Fox Business or CNBC. But mostly they are researching on the internet or in trade publications.
2. Business to business ads? Do
YOU work for a large corporation? The execs aren't watching CNN or Fox News unless it happens to be on in the airport. Add to that the ads aren't even hawking business services. They're "feel good" ads. They're designed not only to latch media companies into a revenue stream, but also as propaganda to make the world feel okay about them. That disinclines the public to believe stories about such companies polluting or bilking consumers or whatever when accidents or scandals happen, if such stories even get air time.
3. News organizations are critical
all the time? Where were the mine safety stories before the Massey mine blew up? Where were the stories about the housing bubble and derivatives trading before the market crashed? Sure now that hindsight is 20/20, the news orgs feel it's safe to pile on (even here they play "he says, she says"), but there's no proactive criticism. There are multiple reasons for this, but one major one is: why rock the boat of a major revenue stream?
The major media companies in the US aren't a Free Press any more looking out for the interests of the common man and playing a watchdog role on gov't and corporations. They are the corporation, and they have been largely coopted by the gov't in exchange for access to high level politicians.
It's extremely naive to think otherwise.
And that's what this story is about: corporations influencing "independent" media as to get favorable coverage. It happens all the time. Companies have always and will always spin things their way. It's up to the media outlets to resist this. And Toby wasn't happy with the way Zoo Weekly was handling it, so he posted a revealing email (proof) and got fired.
By all means, if it makes you feel better, please pretend otherwise.
RIP RedEye9. We miss you.