Cue the world's smallest violin (Media Matters)

[chill_wind]

Cue the world's smallest violin

Published Sat, Feb 7, 2009 11:12am ET by Eric Boehlert

The casual contempt for Obama--an unheard of phenomenon for the press eight years ago when Bush arrived in the Beltway--has already become impossible for many within the media industry to hide. Specifically the WaPo Lisa de Moraes and her unnamed television industry "suits" quoted her news article, "Obama's Preemptive Strike."

The premise is pretty simple: Obama may address the nation three times in primetime during the month of February. The Post's television writer treats this as a really big deal and inserts a how-dare-he attitude, as she wrings her hands wondering how many millions of dollars the networks might "lose" by, you know, handing over the public airwaves for relatively small blocks of time to the POTUS so he can address a national crisis.

"President Obama's desire to talk -- and talk, and talk -- to the American public could cost broadcast networks millions, and millions, and millions of prime-time TV dollars," wrote de Moraes. And yeah, good luck uncovering that kind of contempt when Bush addressed the nation in 2001 on network TV, even before the 9/11 attacks. The idea that it's newsworthy or unusual or a crisis for the TV networks when a president uses the public airwaves to address the nation is just absurd.

So is the Post's claim that the networks might "lose" money because of Obama. The Post writer makes the claim again and again and again.
(...)

more: http://mediamatters.org/countyfair/200902070002

The internal link in his story doesn't work-- the disgusting Lisa de Moraes TV Column piece (WAPO) he's talking about is here:

"Omama's Preemptive Strike"

Gagging. If I could cut and paste the whole thing, I would. I thought for briefly that I was reading "The Onion", except I wasn't. We can't make room without obsessing about pain in our profits to let Pres Obama address Americans directly in this crisis? We need major, major media reform now.

[Voice for Peace]

1. .

k/r

[Demeter]

2. god forbid the public airwaves be used for public purposes

[chill_wind]

4. Exactly. That space needs to be reserved for the Pentagon Pundit Propaganda Newz.

What a despicable state.

[chill_wind]

3. self-delete

[tavalon]

5. The Fourth Estate is currently our biggest problem

I think President Obama is trying to circumvent that and talk directly to the people, no extra spin. The networks and cable are no friend to Democrats/Liberals and we joke frequently, using the framing of the Repigs that the media has a liberal bias but you know, it's really not funny. These supposed journalists are dangerous to our democracy.

[Joanne98]

6. Reforming the media should be a top priority.

We need laws, laws and more laws. If that doesn't work use the anti-trust laws to break them up and if that doesn't work NATIONALIZE THEM!

[glowing]

7. Funny thing is that when the President talks, at least this one, more people

tune in.. so, whatever channel they watch him on, many continue to watch the next show.. its pure b.s. when Obama bought his commercial spot, it was watched by so many.. and when the show was over, many wanted more.. didn't feel long enough. This President could have a show every week, and the people would not get tired of it.

[Demeter]

8. Don't Confuse the Corporate Media With the Facts!

You know they really can't handle Reality. It doesn't fit into their commercial breaks.

[glowing]

9. Funny how they just make shit up most of the time.. They have no clue what

purpose they are supposed to serve. Dumb asses.

[UpInArms]

10. I really wish these freaks would realize what the term "public airwaves" truly means

idjuts

[Capt. America]

11. The talking heads on TV will say that the more the President is on prime-time, the less people will

care what he has to say. The more he appears, the people will begin to take his appearances less seriously because he will have "gone to the well" too many times.

[chill_wind]

14. That's exactly what they said. But they couldn't get enough of the chimp-in-chief.

They said EXACTLY that.

[barbtries]

12. we sure as hell do

this country is sick and the illness is the media.

[chill_wind]

13. "Obamavision". : - / The last couple paragraphs say it all:

But besides the economic hit, broadcasters are worried that this kind of shock-and-awe approach to prime-time preempting might be part of an Obama strategy to charm his way to a new economic-rescue plan. "As we're meeting this guy, from a network perspective, it's like, 'Is this part of the plan for him?' " the network exec said. "Is this what it's going to be: Is he going to take to the airwaves every time he has something to say?"

Such a strategy, of course, could backfire.

"Do people really want to come home after looking for a job, or after being at a job they hate, sit down to veg out in front of their favorite show -- and he's on again?" said one TV suit, who suspects/hopes the Average Joe's reaction to too much Obamavision might be "nothing he's going to say is going to help me get a job, or put food on the table."

Said the TV suit: "He could lose a lot of goodwill doing this."

There are 5 pages of comments at the end...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. geezus. unbelievable. Media Reform, pleeeeeeeaaaase!

the biggest ignoramuses watch MSM...it's unbearable to talk to them, mostly.

arg!

[elleng]

16. Check the comments.

WaPo readers didn't let this one get by.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503599_Comments.html

[chill_wind]

17. She's getting a blistering earful. My favorite one:

IS THIS A JOKE???
2/8/2009 3:42:04 PM



another wrote:

This reminds me, oddly, of when JFK was assassinated. We were all given the day off from school, and was I ever disappointed to find that all my favorite cartoons had been pre-empted with, you know, this national crisis.

But Lisa, I was in second grade. What's your excuse?

[elleng]

18. chill, I agree that 2nd is good!

I WROTE THE FIRST you cite! Glad you like it!

[chill_wind]

19. Hah! I LOVE it! :-)

[bemildred]

20. Effective Presidential leadership is what they fear most.

A charismatic leader who can mobilize the electorate can bring about "change you can believe in", and that will not be good for corporate parasites of any stripe,

[Voltaire99]

24. Please. Like bailing out Wall St. and Detroit's elite isn't helping corporations.

If you think the Powers That Be are afraid of Obama being "effective," you're still in campaign Kool Aid mode.

They're very, very comfortable with their trained seal.

[bemildred]

26. Name calling is not an argument.

Enjoy your pessimism.

[ShortnFiery]

21. It's now seemingly The Whorsington Post. n/t

[Skittles]

22. America is in crisis - I want to hear the (real) president speak

so fuck off, Post

[Left Coast2020]

23. I don't know if anyone here attended Washington State University,

but if you did not, there is a communication school known as , "The Edward R. Murrow school of Communications". I am alum of that institution. And it is apparent that the WaPo writer is not a product of that prestigious school. That piece would qualify as "unsubstanive", and something more suitable for Op-Ed dept--if that. Perhaps the garbage bin would be equally suitable for that piece of paper.

One of the things I pray (not literly) is that President Obama changes this sad, pathetic thing we call, "mainstream media". The conglomerate fashioned mentally of our radio and television is a joke. I don't even watch TV. I hope media reform is on the agenda of this administration--not just "spiffy stuff" around the edges, but a complete overhaul of the media industry. An ennama might be approiate too for the smiley-faced talking heads who have no clue as to what is happening on main st. Corporate structured media that prohibits diversity is dangerous. If we don't take a new direction is this industry, our next generation is in trouble. :crazy:

[Skittles]

25. good post ; worthy of its own thread

yes INDEED!