Media Curmudgeon

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February 12, 2008

Guest Blogger Bruce Braun Has The Final Word

Apparently, Jesse is one of those that will forever blame Fox News and Mr. Murdoch for facilitating everything bad or evil in right wing politics. Are CNN and MSNBC blameless? How about MSNBC's Shuster suggesting the Hillary campaign had "pimped out" Chelsea? Hardly a new term, pimped, especially for Chelsea's generation, but within hours, the Clinton campaign was threatening to withdraw from an upcoming debate on that network, over a stupid remark.

Let's be realistic about all of the rhetoric over the objectivity of the news media today. For all of them, radio,television and print, specifically, it is about generating audiences. How soon most people forget the days of yellow journalism, muckrakers, and the adage: "if it bleeds, it leads". OOPS! Hey, all that is happening today, not just back in the 1920's and 40's!

Does Jesse think CNN, MSNBC and Fox don't all regularly conduct research and hire news consultants to guide them in how and what they present in their broadcasts? Ever hear about Frank Magid and Associates, the largest of the news consultants? Everything from the physical appearance, age, and clothing of on-air talent is strategized, up to and including the actual content and DELIVERY itself. Or as Magid says on their website: "At the heart of our work is the recognition that our client's success rests on an in-depth understanding of cultures, consumers, and the attitudes and perceptions that motivate them." Read between the lines on that claim.

Is this sort of audience research anything new? Hardly, Magid has been working his magic since 1957. Where do people think "Eyewitness News" and "Action News" comes from? Magid invented the names along with "news teams" and all of the outrageous special reports that take place during sweeps months. And Magid specializes just in TV.

I worked in news/talk and music radio for CBS in the 1970's and 80's and we hired research companies to tell us what audiences were being UNDERSERVED in our market along with the sorts of music, topics, subjects and stories we should emphasize (a top ten list as I recall). All of the on-air talent were selected not just on the basis of their ability but on how they tested with the audiences research, which told us we were being UNDERSERVED by other on air talent in the market. This sort of media research is ongoing, year in and year out. For the record, TV entertainment shows and music radio stations are also huge consumers of market research as well.

Everyone in media is constantly searching for that niche market that has been ignored or one they think they can dominate by exploiting the weaknesses of the competition. ESPN, CNN and MTV are all examples of early niche TV exploiters.

How much more obvious can it be? Fox News has gained success because they tapped into a segment of the viewing audience (as well as Rush on radio) that felt the existing news outlets were biased on the left side of the political spectrum. I've yet to see any sort of survey of journalists as to political party affiliation and political viewpoint that did not skew overwhelmingly Democratic and Liberal. For the Fox News audience, at the risk of being redundant (in research terms), they believed they were underserved. How many of those people believe that CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS are propaganda arms of the Democratic party? Probably about the same number of those who believe what Jesse asserts about Fox and the Republicans.

Jesse might want to recognize that all incumbent and aspiring politicians conduct their own versions of what Magid does. As I recall, Bill Clinton took audience research to the most sophisticated levels it had ever been. Whatever buzz words or catch phases popped up in weekly voter focus groups, magically made their way into the following week's speeches and comments to the press, from Clinton and all members of his administration. In marketing, we call it keeping on message.

Truth in journalism is a moving target. Or to quote Bill Clinton: "It depends upon what the meaning of is, is." Most on-air mistakes, incorrect captioning and inadvertent slights are just that, screw-ups. To read in some level of conspiracy with these screw-ups is an over-reaction. Any one who works in a television news organization, knows that the rush to get on the air trumps accuracy in many cases. Left or Right, there are not any cabals sitting in a dark news room strategizing how to make the other side look bad. Politicians manage to to a great job of misspeaking, looking or sounding foolish without the help of journalists.

I'm no fan of Karl Rove or Fox News, but to demonize them for what every other political strategist and brand marketer does is disingenuous. Politicians, irrespective of party can be counted on to do whatever it takes to keep their grips on the levers of power. Promise anything and then blame the opposition for never delivering. Try running for any national office without the blessing of party leadership and see how far you can't go. Nice.

Rather than everyone getting their panties in a bunch over Fox News, how about focusing on the looming nomination grab amongst the Democratic Super Delegates. Take a look elsewhere on the Huffington Post for Ari Emanuel's "My Brother the Superdelagate and Why I Don't Trust Him To pick the Next President" Remember Bush-Gore in 2000? Same story, different day.

All pigs are equal but some pigs are more equal than other pigs. Let's get over this misconception of our living in a democracy. We don't. We live in a Republic, where we elect people to represent us. One person, one vote is a fallacy especially when it comes to voting in a democracy where we return 98% of incumbents to office in every election cycle due to gerrymandering and no national term limits. Once in office, they vote what the party leadership dictates or suffer the consequences of being marginalized by the leadership.

"Gambling in Rick's? I'm shocked, shocked!"

Posted by Charles Warner at February 12, 2008 11:09 PM

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