OT: media self-awareness

Metro Detroit is supposed to get a bit of rain Wednesday, morphing into ice/sleet/snow.

Watching the noon report, the weather guy put up his “storm impact” scale. The top of the scale reads “get milk and bread” ie “expect to be housebound for a couple days”. Below that are progressively lower impact levels, with similarly tongue in cheek names.

The bottom level, no perceptible impact, was named “start media hype”.

A couple years ago, a month or two before the Superbowl, the local news anchor handed off to the sports guy. As the guy dove into his piece on the Superbowl, I heard one of the news anchors, off camera, say “yeah, start the hype machine”.

The media knows exactly what it’s doing. Shinyland runs on hype and hysteria.

Of course, today’s “BREAKING NEWS” was a new membership offer from Sam’s Club, an obvious advert, passed off as news. Wonder what WalMart paid the stations to do that?

Steve

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The media knows exactly what it’s doing. Shinyland runs on hype and hysteria.

Of course, today’s “BREAKING NEWS” was a new membership offer from Sam’s Club, an obvious advert, passed off as news. Wonder what WalMart paid the stations to do that?

Steve

At its very base, media, all media not just TV, do what it takes to garner max revenue. (Pretty much true of all profit making entities.)

For TV, revenue comes from their advertisers. (News programs and otherwise.)

Advertisers target their spending to where the most eye balls show up.

Going for max eye ball count, TV shows and says what they judge are their best eye ball gatherers in the hype and hysteria department.

QED.

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Advertisers target their spending to where the most eye balls show up.

Ayup. And what does that say about the average USian, that they apparently seek out hype and hysteria, rather than information?

Steve…remembers an old guy who sat at a desk and read real news, in am even tone, devoid of hysteria…his name was Walter

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And what does that say about the average USian, that they apparently seek out hype and hysteria, rather than information?

Of course. This has been a part of our culture for a long time now. I call it the “Bright Shiny Object Syndrome.”

Pete

Steve…remembers an old guy who sat at a desk and read real news, in an even tone, devoid of hysteria…his name was Walter

WC was good, quite good… head and shoulders above just about all of the clowns we’re subjected to in the 21st century…

As good as Walt was, he DID have biases. They were just FAR LESS than what we see today.

I remember a specific program, aired shortly after Ike Eisenhower’s passing, he assembled lots of folks who personally worked with Ike. One of the participants was General Omar Bradley.

The discussion was running a little bland, when Bradley commented that when he received memos or notes that had ‘footnotes’ and margin notes hand written all around the edges, Bradley immediately knew it was from Ike.

Walter happily exclaimed that Bradley’s comments might have been just the most revealing information on the deceased Prez, General, brought to the discussion.

He did have some interesting newscasts.

Advertisers target their spending to where the most eye balls show up.

Ayup. And what does that say about the average USian, that they apparently seek out hype and hysteria, rather than information?

Chuckle story: I noticed a pair of HI-TEC Hikers (walking boots) at Mark’s priced @ $79.xx on my walkabout. Saw them again a week later at $149.xx on sale at half price. Now they are in a flyer from my mailbox as a Door Crasher Sale $69.99 Save $60 “our reg. $129.99”. valid February 17-23, 2022.

So if you double the price but then put it on sale at half price … do you sell more?

Anymouse

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Chuckle story: I noticed a pair of HI-TEC Hikers (walking boots) at Mark’s priced @ $79.xx on my walkabout. Saw them again a week later at $149.xx on sale at half price. Now they are in a flyer from my mailbox as a Door Crasher Sale $69.99 Save $60 “our reg. $129.99”. valid February 17-23, 2022.

A replacement house window company in metro Detroit advertises their windows as “half off” or “buy one get one free”, 52 weeks per year.

So if you double the price but then put it on sale at half price … do you sell more?

Depends on how gullible the mob is. Recent evidence indicates most residents of Shinyland have the IQ of a potholder.

The US used to have “truth in advertising” laws that required that, to advertise something as being “on sale”, it had to be offered at the claimed full price most of the time. Then the US became Shinyland, and those laws appear to have gone away. I can stroll down the grocery store aisle and see a red and yellow “sale” tag on the shelf, stating a price. I lift up the sale tag to see the regular price tag underneath, and the price is the same. Then there is the example mentioned above about the window company, whose wares are “half price” 52 weeks/year.

Steve

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Chuckle story: I noticed a pair of HI-TEC Hikers (walking boots) at Mark’s priced @ $79.xx on my walkabout. Saw them again a week later at $149.xx on sale at half price. Now they are in a flyer from my mailbox as a Door Crasher Sale $69.99 Save $60 “our reg. $129.99”. valid February 17-23, 2022.

So if you double the price but then put it on sale at half price … do you sell more?

This reminds me of the hotel room rates that are posted on the inside of the front door of the hotel room. They’re always higher than what you’re paying. It turns out that the posted rate is the peak rate that applies only on the very busiest days of the year. So if you stay in the hotel room at any other time, you’re paying considerably less than this peak rate, and you think you’re getting a bargain.

steve203
Depends on how gullible the mob is. Recent evidence indicates most residents of Shinyland have the IQ of a potholder.

There you go again, denigrating potholders!

True story. Working way thru school, grocery store. Pork and beans selling for 29¢ each. Slow mover.

Advertised 3/87¢. Went like hotcakes.

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