NBC: We skipped terror tribute because it wasn't "tailored for the U.S. audience"

[mfcorey1]

Last night's Olympic opening ceremony included a tribute to all victims of terror--specifically the victims of the bombings that took place in London on July 7, 2005--the day the Olympics were awarded to London. But if you watched it on NBC, you didn't get a chance to see it. Instead, you got treated to a Ryan Seacrest interview with Michael Phelps. Cordyc has a reclisted diary about it here.

Well, NBC gave an explanation a few hours ago--and it's so outrageous that it merits a diary of its own. Apparently the Peacock Network didn't see fit to let us see the tribute here in the States because it "wasn't tailored for the U.S. audience." No, I'm not kidding.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/28/1114648/-NBC-We-skipped-terror-tribute-because-it-wasn-t-tailored-for-the-U-S-audience

[fishwax]

1. well, that's a pathetic excuse

[SharonAnn]

21. I guess we could've learned something and shouldn't learn it?

[Fridays Child]

2. What? Not enough commercials?

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. We Removed 3 chapters of 1984 because

it wasn't "tailored for the U.S. audience"

[avebury]

4. Pathetic. This is the Olympics, a worldwide event.

Not everything in the universe is about the U.S.

[laundry_queen]

61. LOL

Try and tell many Americans that. DU being the exception.

[Raine]

5. They treat people here like babies, it's so insulting. nt

[MADem]

6. It was not a tribute to victims of "all terror," though--it was a 7/7 tribute.

7/7 (3 tube trains, a double decker bus, home-grown bombers) was significant because it happened the day after London was chosen as the site for these games.

The announcement at the start of the tribute was quite particular and specified that it was a tribute to 7/7.

No mention was made of Olympic terrorism in Munich, forty years previously, or attacks on populations like 11M in Spain, or 911 in NY.

[Spider Jerusalem]

27. And?

Most of the US would probably have a fit if the BBC cut a tribute to 9/11 victims from a UK broadcast of a similar event in NYC. And the "not tailored for the US audience" twits at NBC would probably be prominent in expressing their indignation (those prize morons Matt Lauer and Bob Costas, certainly).

[MADem]

41. And the BBC, could, and would, deliver a hearty fuck us if they so desired.

You think we'd bend the Beeb to our will?

Mitt Romney didn't have too much luck telling the United Kingdom how to run their show, did he? If the BBC chose to cut out an American tribute (frankly, Oklahoma City would be more equivalent than 911, which, like the 7/7 attack, was also a local/home grown act of terrorism) that would be THEIR business, and they'd tell us to shove it if we took umbrage.

I'm betting if Bob Costas and Matt Lauer were pitching a fit about anything, most of the people on this board would be cheering the Beeb on for telling them to stuff it, and supporting the decision of the Brits to make their own decisions about what they want to show. Ain't that ironic...!

Pitch a fit all you want. Stomp your foot and act like it matters. Don't expect NBC--the corporate entity that bought and paid for the rights to broadcast those games (so they could make a profit, not run a charitable event) --to give a shit.

And if it matters that much to you that you not be subjected to NBC's "editorial eye," take advantage of the live feeds they are broadcasting on the computer. All you have to do is sign in via your cable company, and you can get six to eight live--not taped--live contests to choose from and you can see them as they are happening. COMMERCIAL FREE, too!

I saw the 7/7 tribute, and I thought they made the right choice. Too Protestant-Christian, too slow, too dull, too dark, too herky-jerky. No American knew the singer. A channel changer if I ever saw one. I'll wager not one in a hundred adult Americans could sing "Abide With Me" and maybe one in fifty could hum it on a good day. And I'm being VERY optimistic.

[grasswire]

53. I could sing it.

Some things don't ever leave the memory bank. It's a beautiful hymn, as hymns go.

[MADem]

67. You are one of the few. nt

[xmas74]

58. I've heard Abide With Me at funerals

and we've sang it on Sundays at church.

That's not saying that many churches do the same here in the U.S.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

65. I'm an adult American who sat through the rapper...

without changing the channel. I have no idea who he was, don't know the name of the song (and didn't particularly care for it), but I appreciated that he was given his time in the spotlight. I'd wager most Americans didn't know Kenneth Branagh, The Tempest, the Arctic Monkeys, clips from Billy Elliot and The Full Monty, etc., yet there they were. Perhaps if people would learn to expand their fucking horizons, we'd all be better off. And that includes a "no-name" singer of a beautiful hymn.

I couldn't care less about NBC and actually had to channel-jockey to find the right station. But it's not too much to ask that they show *some* respect to the country hosting, and to their MASSIVE audience watching. The censoring was ridiculous, as was the CONSTANT yapping of Meredith, Matt, and Bob.

[MADem]

66. Get a job as a corporate exec at NBC, and you can make those decisions.

As for Billy Elliot, it's on stage in the USA--I daresay some people have heard of it.

These people are in it for the money, as I have said--over and over again--it's not about you. They're aiming for the lowest common denominator. Don't blame me for pointing out the obvious.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

71. Thanks for the unsolicited career advice, but I'm set.

Yes, Billy Elliot is on the stage, but I'm still certain most Americans have not heard of it, regardless of medium.

No one is "blaming" you--why are you so defensive?

[MADem]

76. Plenty of Americans went to see the movie.

Billy Elliot, I mean: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0249462/business

Surely not all of those people who paid all that money slept through the film?

I'm not defensive, but thanks for your concern.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

85. If they did, their loss--it's a wonderful film.

And the numbers you ever-so-kindly reported via IMDB are chump change compared to the Titanics and Harry Potters of the world:

$21,995,263 (USA)
$87,285,000 (Worldwide) (except USA)
$109,280,263 (Worldwide)

"Plenty" does not equal "most."

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. And we should treat US Audiences like children

[MADem]

37. ??? Who's treating you (don't pull me into that BS) like a child?

And more to the point, who's "we?" Do you own NBC?

"We" don't have a "right" to a commercial-free games program because PBS wasn't covering the Olympics. They didn't bid for it and they didn't win the contract. NBC did, and what they gave us was a commercial, corporate, tape-delayed "greatest hits" program. They bought the rights, they own the coverage, because they bought and paid for it, and they made the choice. They had every right to do that, because it's theirs--not yours, not mine.

This is not a truly "amateur" exercise--everything, from the cost to train, clothe, house and transport the athletes to the souvenirs to the corporate tie-ins and endorsements are all generated from organizations that don't give a shit about you or me, but give a shit about making money.

It's a profit-making exercise. It's all about MONEY.

They tug at your heartstrings and give you the occasional exciting backstory, along with world class athletic contests and likeable, fresh-faced athletes, to make you watch and care and to separate you from the cash in your wallet. At the end of the day, though, it's no different from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, or any other major sports franchise--except for the fact that the Olympians --most of them--are not getting much if any cash up front for their efforts. It's like a lottery for them--do well, win big, get an endorsement. Or do poorly, but look cute while doing it--win an endorsement. Have a tearjerker or "overcoming obstacles" backstory, miss it by THAT much, make people feel sorry for you--win an endorsement.

Let's not overstate what is happening in London, and what happens everywhere else every four years. This is a money making venture. This is not a charity. You have no "rights" here unless you are an NBC executive.

You have choices, though--one of 'em is don't watch the TV program. Find access to a BBC or other nation feed (other nations cut that as well, though, so look hard). Or, if you have cable or dish, you can get the NBC live feed of multiple events over the computer and not miss a trick--with no commercials. You will have to adjust your schedule to do that, though, because Great Britain isn't going to change their time zone to suit us. All you have to do is access the Olympic coverage by signing in with your account details through your cable company's website. That's how I watched the live swimming yesterday.

"They" made a business decision. "They" had ads to sell. They cut shit out to accommodate those ads. Do you actually think the Olympics is some kind of kumbayah charity? And if you do, why do you think the likes of Mitt RMoney would associate himself with them? It's Big Business. It's HUGE business. But make no mistake--it is business.

They made the decision (and for once I agree with them) that the singing of a dirge-like, "Anglo-Saxon" Christian hymn that is unfamiliar to most Americans (and could be viewed as excluding to non-Christians, secular people, and atheists), coupled with jerky, overly-dramatic orange dancers, that was a specific requiem to 7/7, was a snoozer/channel changer. They decided that more people would be interested in the "Last Olympics" Phelps story than that low-energy, dark effort.

You should have watched the live feed if you really didn't want to miss anything. That's what an adult would do instead of whining that a corporation owes you anything/is treating you like a child, and that a "compilation" show in the evening that is, in essence, a "greatest hits" effort, should give you everything your little heart desires without commercial interruption.

"They" don't owe us anything, and we have choices.

[byeya]

40. Steve Martin in The Jerk: "So it's a profit deal?!!"

[nadinbrzezinski]

47. Indeed, why I am watching bbc

Or any OTHER delivery channel, because I am tired of the cuddling.

Have a good day.

Oh and one last thing...USA, USA, USA!

We need to protect USAcitizens from any possible furiegner influence. USA, USA, USA.

[MADem]

68. What's with the childish USA shit?

Pardon me for pointing out the obvious--this is a very lovely world-wide CORPORATE exercise.

It's sports-tainment, and it is what it is.

It is about MONEY. And that's not my fault, so grow up and stop giving me shit about it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

69. same to you fella

bye bye

[woo me with science]

60. Thank you for the

lesson on how things are. I'm sure nobody here had any idea that this is a money-making venture.

Of course it was a business decision. But of course that segment *could* have been included, if someone had decided to include it. Perhaps it would have been nice for a change, during an event that supposedly celebrates many nations, to treat Americans as though they actually have some interest or investment in other people of the world, and in issues beyond their chosen brand of skin cream or underwear. I, personally, find it refreshing to come to DU and hear Americans talking about how their media might serve them better...even their corporate media. I like to hear the expectation or even the demand that there be something better for us than the constantly shallow, condescending, and materialistic status quo.

I understand your having a different opinion than others here. I don't understand the need for the belittling nastiness that pervades this post and others here by you.

[MADem]

70. Well, I wasn't conversing with you, but thank YOU

for sticking your beak in and getting all sanctimonious with me. Like I had anything to do with the decision! I am not being "nasty" I am being factual--the nastiness is coming from people who are hectoring me solely because I'm not getting all hot, bothered and breathless over the fact that a not-very-good segment of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies wasn't played on what was, in essence, a highlight reel punctuated by dozens of commercials of "the Opening Ceremonies."

If you really didn't want to add to the "belittling nastiness" of the thread, you would have restrained yourself and not joined the hanging party.

As I have said elsewhere, for-profit TV never goes wrong by appealing to the lowest common denominator. They're in it for the dough, and they know how to make it. If that doesn't suit, the remote works well, assuming the batteries aren't worn out in it--otherwise, a trip across the room to the On/Off switch is in order.

If you want to make a change at NBC, knock yourself out trying. Write pouty emails, post on their "Facebook wall," twit or tweet or what-have-you. In 24 hours, the world will be on to the Next Big Gripe to get exorcised over.

Or go work for NBC, crawl your way up their soulless corporate ladder, and then you can tell them that they can show a dull, boring, stultifying hymn dance number instead of an interview with the pot smoking golden boy who's worth a bundle in endorsement kickbacks alone.

It matters not to me.

I don't think for-profit, commercial TV "owes" me anything. I vote with my remote.

If it doesn't suit, turn it off.

[mr blur]

73. Actually, it wasn't "a dull, boring, stultifying hymn dance number" ,

otherwise, I'm sure you're right.

[MADem]

74. I found it so. Your mileage varied. Different strokes for different folks. nt

[MrSlayer]

7. Right, because they didn't say "9/11" eight hundred times.

I can't think of a nation better equipped to handle yet another tribute to the victims of terrorism.

What horseshit. It didn't pass the propaganda minister.

[burrowowl]

8. NBC

is a blowhole!

[magical thyme]

9. oh, well, that makes sense. We are, after all, the center of the universe

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. Most Americans never heard of 7/7 and NBC had no intention of informing them...

Imaging all over America people becoming aware of something like that.

Blows that whole "go it alone" strategy....

[MADem]

42. And the IOC flat-out refused to acknowledge Munich in the opening ceremonies.

I don't think that actively played a role in the decision to run the Phelps interview, but it's icing on the cake.

They were asked, several times, to include the 40th Anniversary of that tragedy in that opening show. They refused. Some Olympic-related terror attacks are not like the others, I suppose.

That poutrage bullshit can and does go both ways:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180179/NBC-Olympic-coverage-Bob-Costas-joins-outrage-7-7-terrorist-attacks-tribute-edited-Opening-Ceremony.html

I didn't find the 7/7 thing "moving"--I found it slow, dull, dark, and gloomy. I thought the song choice stunk, too. I would have thought that even if they said "This horribly staged dance and song commemorates Munich AND 7/7." Of course, a Protestant Christian hymn would probably be seen as insensitive, since all the people who died in Munich were Jews...

You know, the minute the Olympics gets into overtly political stuff, you're going to find people who disagree. I think they should fire up a tradition where, the morning of the Opening Day, they hold an ecumenical memorial service to remember all who have passed, in a very generic way, and that way they can check that block for people who insist upon political references, and avoid it in the Opening Ceremonies, which are supposed to be upbeat and fun.

[Withywindle]

59. I can't believe that. Really?

It was a huge news story at the time, even here. I remember it clearly.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

63. Ask a typical American about it.

They're oblivious.

The purpose of the media is to make you forget.

Just look how quickly people were willing to even CONSIDER voting Republican after they lied us into a war and crashed the economy.

In two years the House flipped.

[Union Scribe]

87. They might not know the date if you just say 7/7, but anyone I

have talked to this story about has known what event we're talking about. And I'm not talking to brain surgeons and historians. The RWers often can remember it because it reinforces their Islamophobic worldview.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

89. Funny how they remember that and the Train bombing in Spain

But they gloss over the Anthrax attack.

I've had some of them claim it was a Clinton Appointee trying to do a false flag to make Bush look bad. They even say he committed "suicide" when he was found out.

The same way Vince Foster committed "suicide".

Ya have to admit, they've really built a web of lies.

[malaise]

11. Ah well NBCs Olympic Contract won't be renewed

Count on that and give thanks.
Whoever gets the Olympics in the future must sign on to showing the entire Opening Ceremony -anything else is stupidity.

[mentalsolstice]

29. Unfortunately this isn't true

They appear to be contracted through 2020. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympics_on_NBC

[malaise]

35. Holy Shite

They signed a new contract last year.

[MADem]

44. The one with the most money on the table wins the contract.

Even if they choose to show nothing at all.

It's not about the quality of the broadcasts, it is about the money up front.

If you have a cable provider, you can watch the entire Olympics--and even pick what events you want to see-- live on the computer, commercial free, by signing in to your cable provider's website.

[KurtNYC]

12. By that standard why broadcast the Opening Cerimonies at all ?!

And the parade of nations could have been just the U.S.

[Junkdrawer]

13. Basically, the British public had the "Wrong" reaction to 7/7....

They investigated what happened and then decided to withdraw from Iraq.

Obviously, the "Right" reaction is to never ask questions and to escalate resource wars.

Now if the British public had rallied behind Blair, 7/7 would still be on American lips.

Unfortunately, only the finest British Crystal was more transparent than Blair's motives, so we don't talk about 7/7 much anymore.

(When was the last time you heard 7/7 invoked in the US media?)

[tanyev]

14. Plus, Meredith, Matt and Bob would have had to keep their yaps shut for a few seconds,

and we certainly can't have that.

[OneGrassRoot]

15. What about the peace sign?

I keep seeing reference to a peace sign and people dancing to modern music, but I scanned through the opening ceremonies twice (I taped it) and never saw that. Did anyone else?

[rox63]

16. I saw that, and I watched the NBC broadcast

Not sure how you missed it.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

17. Yes, I definitely noticed it

When they were doing the skit about the girl loosing her phone, and all the people out dancing

[OneGrassRoot]

20. omg, I missed that skit altogether!

I taped the replay...weird. Will try again and check my sanity in the process.

Thanks.

[Odin2005]

25. It was during the 60s-70s pop culture part.

[Harry Back]

81. I saw it (the peace sign)

in there somewhere.

Everything I saw in that, did not make a lot of sense. It did not flow well, but then if NBC was CENSORING it because it wasn't tailored for Americans, maybe THAT'S why I couldn't make any fucking sense of it !!

[eShirl]

18. NEITHER IS THE FREAKING OLYMPICS

[Honeycombe8]

19. That is such bs. Part of the POINT of the Olympics is to share the experience with various countries

and experience the Olympics in the way the host country does it.

If you start editing out the things that the host country feels is important, you lose the flavor of the whole darn thing! IDIOTS!

[Marrah_G]

22. Fuck NBC

[renate]

23. well, that's just embarrassing

Have they forgotten how the ENTIRE WORLD rallied around us (albeit briefly--thanks, W!) after 9-11?

[MADem]

46. The IOC refused to include the 40th Anniversary of Munich in the Opening Ceremonies.

Wouldn't that have been appropriate to include, as well...if we're going to have a maudlin interlude in the middle of "pandemonium?"

The ONLY reason 7/7 was included in the ceremonies is because it happened the day after London was chosen as the Olympic city. That was the connection to the Olympics. And of course, the first terror attack on the Olympics happened forty years ago in Munich.

[Spazito]

24. Wow, "wasn't tailored for the U.S. audience"....

they are no longer trying to hide the facts they "tailor" the news to reflect their right wing slant, both internationally and domestically.

[suffragette]

38. That's what I get from that statement as well, unless it pushes the proper propaganda

they omit it.

Disgusting.

[lunatica]

26. So they decide what's proper for Americans to watch

I'm shocked I tell ya!

[Ruby the Liberal]

28. I am loving that they are getting blowback on this.

Maybe next time, they can just cut all of the host country's "non US" references to their culture and history and reduce the opening ceremonies to just taping the US team walking around the track.

That Kos link has their feedback email: [email protected]

Hopefully they are getting it from all directions on this crap decision.

[Posteritatis]

31. That's in the running for "most parochial thing I've heard in days." (nt)

[Klukie]

32. WTF

[pokerfan]

33. Because it's all about us

or it should be.

[DevonRex]

34. I left a comment on the NBC FB page. Nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. So did I

This cuddling is beyond ridiculous.

[DevonRex]

54. It's yet another insult to the Brits. As if

their terrorism victims are of no significance to Americans. I'm offended that in effect NBC made that statement to the UK on our behalf when nothing could be further from the truth. They embarrassed us.

[nadinbrzezinski]

55. Yup

exactly, and also cuddling and protecting Muricans from furiegner influences... RUN!!!!!

[DevonRex]

57. Yeah there's that too.

The word you want is coddling. I knew what you meant from context so no problem at all.

[99Forever]

36. I sure am glad...

... the geniuses @ NBC are deciding for me,whether or not I need my viewing content "tailored."

I changed channel when they said that twit Seacrest was involved in the coverage. What tiny bit of interest I did have in the rich peoples games, pegged to zero at that moment.

[gollygee]

39. Huh? Was the rest of the opening ceremony tailored for a US audience?

It's the Olympics. The whole point is that it's for an international audience. Time to let go of provincialism.

[Zoeisright]

43. Fuck NBC.

[SpartanDem]

45. Disgusting

[bhikkhu]

49. That's pretty pathetic

I'm glad I don't have cable after all. It seems online is the only way to see the games without the inane NBC filter and chatter.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

50. There are things they are told over there about things that we will never hear over here.

We only think we're free over here.

[patrice]

51. Yep! Don't want to be reminding U.S. audiences about that there TERROR, now do we. nt

[patrice]

52. Doesn't matter anyway, since it didn't happen in the U.S.

[Autumn]

56. NBC isn't "tailored for the U.S. audience", at least ones of average intelligence.

It's tailored for idiots.

[patrice]

62. NBC supports PROXY Terrorism by diverting attention from it. nt

[SoCalDem]

64. NBC..Jingo Olympics

[AntiFascist]

72. No wonder we end up so xenophobic...

everything we're exposed to has to be tailored for us.

[spanone]

75. by what standard does nbc grade tailoring? who makes that call?

do they have a department of tailoring?

what the fuck does that mean?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

77. NBC is disgusting

shameful

[liberal N proud]

78. Our media is closer to the old Soviet Pravda than you think.

They only tell us what the corporate world wants us to see.

[elleng]

79. Jerks.

[indepat]

80. Thank God we have NBC to tell us what is properly tailored for

the American audience.

[Warpy]

82. They just didn't want to remind jingoistic morons

that the USA isn't the only country that suffered during bin Laden's terror.

[NotThisTime]

83. That's disgusting.... The world mourns with us during our tragedies, do we do the same? No.

[catbyte]

84. I'm still trying to figure out why Ryan Seacrest

Seriously? That's the best they could do?

[Ken Burch]

86. Assholes!

That's all I got on this one.

[AsahinaKimi]

88. is this what many neoconservatives call: American Exceptionalism?

This country really does do some crazy stuff some times.

[JI7]

90. if Another Country had done that to us with 9/11 you would have ignorant politicians calling for

boycott of the nation. and depending on the country changing names of items with that country . like freedom fries .

[toddwv]

91. They definitely dropped the ball.

What an embarrassing decision. I wonder who was signed off on that idea and if they'll keep their job.

[Rex]

92. Social engineering at its finest.

Believe what we tell you.