Comments on: War is hell. Call my agent.

War is hell. Call my agent.

XQUZYPHYR — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 20:29:12 -0800

The CBS News American Idol Power Hour. Viacom, owner of networks CBS and MTV among many others, is aggresively pushing lucrative ~~bribes~~ offers for Private Jessica Lynch to get her on CBS News, including the possibility of her own video-hosting program on MTV and special editions of TRL. Corporate consolidation the way it is, are we in an era where synergy allows news-media-owning companies to offer not just material profit but flat-out media iconization in exchange for a good story? To put it another way: have we gone beyond using the news to promote entertainment owned by the same company to using entertainment as the currency to flat-out buy the news?

By: mischief

mischief — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 20:52:41 -0800

I love America! ;-P

By: the fire you left me

the fire you left me — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 20:57:38 -0800

Synergy is not a word. It is a marketing construct. But, it works well for your usage? As you make use of the term "synergy", so does the media make use of Private Lynch.

By: son_of_minya

son_of_minya — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 21:03:49 -0800

Scarborough was bitching about this (conveniently on his NBC program). The story is a little odd, but what really amazes me is that during this whole rant-fest, the guy never brought up the fact that the Jessica Lynch rescue story was fabricated, and that nobody knows how her maintenance group ended up alone. On the other hand, this story reminds me of Mona Lisa Overdrive. Maybe ten years from now, not only will manufactured celebrities get their own show and the cover of People (and plastic surgery ala Greta Van Sustren), but they'll also get cybernetic implants in their eyes. Manufacturing war propaganda sickens me, but the manufacturing of celebrities is kind of neat..

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 21:10:05 -0800

Umm, I'm confused, fire. One, Synergy is a word, and two, I used it exactly the way I meant: divisions of a corporation interacting with each other. My question is really which part of that corporation is taking over... usually the complaint is how the news is using entertainment to garner ratings, for example increased coverage of celebrities and references to hit shows and movies. CBS would do stories on Survivor because they wanted the show to get more ratings. Now, with this story, you've got an example of news not using media as promotion for the network, but using media as a bribe to allow a potential news source to become news. CBS wants to make Lynch a celebrity so they can interview her, since... she's famous. If you did this kind of value inflation with stock, you'd be in jail.

By: Ufez Jones

Ufez Jones — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 21:17:45 -0800

Welcome my friend, to the machine.

By: alumshubby

alumshubby — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 21:24:46 -0800

What the hell...give her a line of jeans to model.

By: Ignatius J. Reilly

Ignatius J. Reilly — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 23:41:07 -0800

If you did this kind of value inflation with stock, you'd be in jail. Very well-put. Freaky.

By: konolia

konolia — Tue, 17 Jun 2003 04:27:08 -0800

Oddly enough, we aren't hearing squat from/about Jessica herself-I can't help but wonder if her wounds are worse than have been reported. So far her family at least seems to be keeping a dignified silence...as for the media, I am sickened.

By: konolia

konolia — Tue, 17 Jun 2003 04:49:44 -0800

Spoke too soon-here's some info

By: datawrangler

datawrangler — Tue, 17 Jun 2003 04:52:30 -0800

As I understand, Lynch is reported to have few memories of her ordeal. Thus, her silence. But whether or not she really remembers something, and has been told to be silent; ah well...

By: yeahyeahyeahwhoo

yeahyeahyeahwhoo — Tue, 17 Jun 2003 06:36:56 -0800

This is Great! They should bring back rescue 911, and anyway, CBS and MTV have to think about the future, what are they gonna do when Carson Daly starts to grow ear-hairs and Dan Rather totally loses his shit! (if he hasn't already)

By: holycola

holycola — Tue, 17 Jun 2003 08:09:27 -0800

...including the possibility of her own video-hosting program on MTV and special editions of TRL. I'm sure every song would be the song that kept her going while she recovering under the care of sympathizers. Makes me wonder what Carson did to qualify himself for the show. I wonder if it was at all similar to getting yourself lost and captured by an under-equipped and ill-trained enemy. From zero to hero, oh wait, no, still zero...