Global Media News

America loses an icon

Anybody who has watched television or listened to the radio in the last 55 years probably knows the name Dick Clark. Most recently, Clark has been known for hosting New Year's Rocking Eve. On April 18th Dick Clark died of a heart attack at 82 years old.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rocking Eve aired on ABC every New Year's Eve from 1973 to 2003. In December of 2004. Ryan Seacrest filled in for Clark in 2004, and the annual special broadcast was called Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest. In 2005 he officially retired from hosting the New Year's Rocking Eve, naming Seacrest as his replacement, although Clark continued to make annual appearances on the show.

"I learned a great deal from him, and I'll always be indebted to him for his faith and support of me," Seacrest wrote in a statement. "He was a remarkable host and businessman and left a rich legacy to television audiences around the world. We will all miss him." Indeed Dick Clark will be missed, not only by his protegee, but also by the several generations who have grown up watching and listening to his many contributions to the world of media.

According to his death certificate, America's oldest teenager "had very minor prostate surgery," less than 24 hours prior to his death. Long time friend of Clark, Congressman David Dreier said, "all of a sudden, he got a feeling in his arm about 9:30 (Wednesday) morning and he was gone by 11:15. It turned out to be a massive heart attack." Clark's health has been in steady decline since his 2004 stroke.

Dick Clark was a staple in American homes since 1956, when he took over hosting the popular variety show, American Band Stand, until it went off the air in 1987. The impact of American Bandstand can not be underrated either culturally or socially. Even though the show diffused some of the more raucous elements of rock 'n' roll music, it helped to solidify the growing youth culture which centered around this phenomenon. But the show was important in another way as well. Once Clark took over the helm of Bandstand in 1956, he insisted on racially integrating the show, since much of the music was performed by black recording artists. When the show moved to the network schedule, it maintained its racially mixed image, thus providing American television broadcasting with its most visible ongoing image of ethnic diversity until the 1970s.

The popularity of American Bandstand helped ABC reach the top of prime time ratings for the first time in the 1970s. Many top-40 acts performed on American Bandstand including; Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike and Tina Turner, The BEach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Simon and Garfunkel, Talking Heads, The Jackson 5, and Run DMC to name a few.

 

Since Clark's passing it has been abundantly clear the magnitude with which he impacted media, FMQB Publisher Kal Rudman considered Clark a close friend and a mentor. He says, "The passing of Dick Clark removes one of the largest foundation stones of the entire pop music industry for the latter half of the 20th century." This sentiment is echoed by all who knew or even knew of Clark and his illustrious career. Many celebrities' have made statements conveying condolences and touching upon the impact Clark had on them professionally and personally. Joyce Chen reported for The New York Daily News that fellow broadcast legend Larry King wrote. "Dick Clark was a great friend, true legend, & a master journalist, nobody did what he did better. It was a pleasure to be in his company." Rapper Snoop Dogg even Tweeted "REST IN PEACE to the DICK CLARK!! U were a pioneer n a good man!! Thank u sir."

"The Times Square Alliance has set up an area at the Times Square Visitor Center and Museum where fans can share their memories and pay their respects to Clark on its New Year's Eve Confetti Wishing Wall. The messages will be added to the one ton of confetti that will fall on New Year's Eve revelers in Times Square in 2013."

Camille Mann reported on CBS.com, there will also be a permanent memorial to Clark dedicated at Times Square, according to Ben Mevorach, the News and Programming Director of 1010 Wins. It is quite suiting That Dick Clark be memorialized where he has already been immortalized.

Clark was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame and won numerous Emmys over the years. He is survived by his third wife, Kari, as well as two sons and a daughter.

Sony's New Online Photo Sharing

    Sony plans on launching its new online photo sharing service called PlayMemories Online. This new service is being offered in six countries such as Japan, the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, and the U.K. starting May 25. The new service will offer 5GB of free space. Basically what the service does is allow users to upload photos and videos taken with Sony products such as its cameras, using its PlayMemories Home software for Windows and Macintosh. The program also allows for photos to be uploaded from smartphones and tablets using a new Android app that will be available from the Google Play store.

    The photos that are uploaded can be shared online, or viewed using Sony's Bravia TVs or digital photo frames. According to PCW some of Sony cameras are equipped with wi-fi and they are able send images and videos directly to tablets or smartphones, which can then be uploaded to the service.

This new service plans to be one big part of a major operation by Sony to connect their many products through online platforms. This new service could seem to be a copy of their rival ,Apple, who's online service iCloud allows for this same type of online connection between its products.  Samsung is also said to be coming  out with their own online programs.

Along with pictures Sony is also trying to connect its gaming products into the program. Sony had recently announced a new photo editing suite for the PlayStation 3, to use together with PlayMemories Online. Any files that are stored on the gaming device will also be able to be viewed and edited using Sony's handheld Vita and PlayStation Portable consoles such as the PSP.

According to GMA news "On the other hand, Sony is also trying to incorporate its gaming products into the project. Sony is also working to improve their online services in other areas. They have taken many of their online music, movies, and games and have added them to its Sony Entertainment Network, and according to the Times "Sony says it will eventually open up those services to devices running on other operating systems and may make them accessible to Mac users, said Nick Sharples, director of European corporate communications for Sony."

 

 

 

DumbDumb: Name of the Lollipop, or a New Production Company?

DumbDumb is not just the name of a lollipop, it's also the name of an advertising company that has been busy at work to produce Denny's webisodes called "Always Open" which I discussed in my last post. There are numerous videos displayed on the website, and the first in the upper-left hand corner is one titled "DumbDumb Inro Reel". The video allows viewers to better understand what the production company is all about.

In the video, the two founders of the company, Jason Bateman and Will Arnet, talk about how their videos affect advertising. Bateman states, "we try not to hammer you with some sort of product message" and later in the video both founders make it very clear that their work isn't necessarily to sell products specifically, it's to help companies connect to their target market better. Arnet specifically says in the video that "we are not necessarily an ad company, but we create stuff."

From these two quotes, it's clear to see that the company is trying to aide companies in reaching their target markets and to sell to them by under-using product names and slogans. The advertising is simple. 

According to the website, on the about us tab, DumbDumb

"creates and produces brand-inspired entertainment content that reaches audiences across all forms of social, digital, and traditional media."

 This is quite evident in the Denny's webisodes "Always Open." DumbDumb produces each of the episodes for Denny's, and they are definitely "brand-inspired" in stead of brand overloaded. According to a PSKF.com article, in the Denny's videos "the only reference to Denny's is that the host and the guest share a booth in the diner and the video ends with the company's logo and tagline 'America's diner is always open'." This means that being "brand-inspired" is really being carried out in the videos provided by the company.

"Always Open" seems to be DumbDumb's largest product, due to the amount of webisodes of the show that are on the home page, but it's not to say that "Always Open" is their only project. As stated in the "DumbDumb Intro Reel," the company has produced short videos for Orbit chewing gum too. The company will surely be as successful as planned with a mission statement as specific as theirs:

"Our goal is to enhance traditional marketing and advertising activities, and ultimately revolutionize the way advertisers connect with their audiences."

This idea of not over-using the product name, logo, or the product itself in the short videos is how the company will prosper, or so it seems. If the intention is to add on to what the advertisements have already stated, as a sort of reinforcement, then consumers may be more susceptible to buying the products that are in the videos because of the subtle messages used.

The more products and ideas that DumbDumb produces will help to prove their mission statement, as well as their claim to what they do. There is no doubt that the public will become more familiar with DumbDumb as more and more companies will realize how well their videos reach customers.

Craigslist and Twitter

   It seems that recently Craigslist founder, Craig Newmark, has been testing the waters with social media. Newmark will donate 1$ to the National Wildlife Federation anytime the hashtag '#squirrels4good' appears on his Twitter feed or Facebook.  In an article in Yahoo! News the founder stated: 

"In the short term, I'm learning how to use social media to support the stuff I believe in," Newmark told Mashable in an email. "I do most of my work in my home office, where frequent visitors remind me of a growing love of the natural world. Beyond that, I need to learn social media more effectively to support what I believe in the 20-year range and the 200-year range."

 

    The owner says that a Twitter account under the name of '@Common_Squirrel' will be teaming up with him to get his message across. Newmark also says that he has a Pinterest board up for squirrels, so people can post pictures, facts, and any videos of the fuzzy little creatures. What does this say about the social media? We're starting to use it more and more in our everyday lives and it seems that such routine use is catching fire with others. Many other non-profit organizations have been using Twitter to their advantage as well. Some popular ones are Redcross, and MakeAWish- both which seem to have the right idea considering we turn to social media in times of emergency or possible natural disaster  for communication, and with Make A Wish's popularity it makes sense for them to target Twitter as a constructive medium to raise awareness. 

   In an article in The Huffington Post not only does it mention the rise of using Twitter to connect with supporters, it recommends it to spread the message: 

Users aren't going to Twitter and Facebook to hear press-release speak. They want genuine, community-minded engagement that inspires conversation and a reason to get involved in a cause.

So what's next for organizations, and charities alike? Seems like the next best step is to take your ideas to Twitter- where you can spread the word and connect with supporters. With the founder of Craigslist now on board with Twitter promoting, it will be interesting to see who else is next. 

 

Nike #RSVP on Twitter

 

This past weekend Nike tried something new idea. This idea was to release of its latest sneaker the Air Jordan 12 Playoffs. Nike's plan was to reserve  RSVP sneakers by hash tagging the sneaker name through twitter. So for example if you wanted to RSVP a pair of sneakers you would have to #AJ12. According to Allie Walker of PSK post. 

"When Nike released the Air Jordan 11 Retro in December 2011, eager sneaker fans camped outside of stores for days, fighting for the chance to be the first to own the new shoe. Riots ensued, police were called in for crowd control, and there were even reports of people being trampled by crazed sneaker fanatics rushing to grab the sneakers off the shelves."

Nike tried this new system in order to end the camp outs  and stop the violence over the sneakers. After the Air Jordan 11 release and a couple sneakers after more notably the Air Foamposite Galaxy. Nike has high hopes for this RSVP twitter system would an end to the madness and chaos. Also according to Allie of PSK.

"Nike introduced its Twitter RSVP system for new product launches earlier this week, aimed to help the company better manage hectic release days (fans camp out for more than just Air Jordans). With the new Twitter RSVP System, Nike stores will send out a randomly timed tweet with a product specific hash tag on RSVP Day."

At the beginning this seems to be a very good idea but like everything else in the world it has room for improvement. For one not everyone who buys sneakers has a twitter account. Myself for example I tried to RSVP a pair for myself so I made a twitter account but I was very unfamiliar with the Twitter direct message system so it was not able to RSVP myself pair. The main reason is because Nike did not follow me back on twitter which means Nike did not get my direct message. In the upside this new twitter RSVP for sneakers becomes a new way to market the sneakers. Still this is a work in progressss and hopefully Nike will have more success with their future sneaker releases.

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Codenames in France for Winners Via Twitter

"In France on Sunday, the flan was decidedly in the oven, while the tomato was surprisingly green. By the same token — according to Twitter, at any rate — the temperature in Budapest hovered near 25 degrees" this is the opening line for the New York Times article "For Results, Twitter Gets Out Early Word, in Code" by Scott Sayare. This is about Twitter being used to get around the laws that the French government has to stop the Media

In France Media sites will be fined if they post the results of an election before 8p.m. The reason for this it because the poles do not close until eight. Other countries though do not abide by these rules and give an unofficial count of the votes and a projected winner.

To fight this law the people of France took to Twitter in code to talk about the results  of the presidential race. As the New York Times decodes the Twits as such

"The flan stood for François Hollande, the Socialist favorite, who finished the evening in the lead, with about 28 percent of the votes in the first of two rounds of voting. (Before losing weight for his presidential bid, the jovial Mr. Hollande had been known in some circles as “Flanby,” a brand of jiggly French custard.) The tomato was the far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whose Left Front party was largely composed of communists — thus the red fruit reference. He finished with a disappointing 11 percent."

This is important to understand because social media could be changing the way voting is. In a CNN article by Alice Antheaume titled "Why social media will reveal French election winner,"  she talks about how social media is changing the way of politics but not how we might think.

Antheaume wrote

"The 2012 campaign has proved a pivotal moment in political history: for the first time, the Web and social media are part of all candidates' strategy -- from Nicolas Sarkozy (center right) to Hollande (center left), Jean-Luc Mélenchon (far left) to Marine Le Pen (far right) and Eva Joly (Green)."

This shows that politicians are using social media to help try to win votes. Sometimes this has been proven affective but more often than not, they have not figured out to make a facebook "like" into a yes vote. According to Antheaume she believes that  ""Can an election be won on social media?" is: in France in 2012, most probably "no". However, the question: "Can social media predict the name of the next French president?" calls for a positive answer." I agree with her on this but i also believe that in time social media sites will start to show pull for certain politicians.

3 More Arrest to The Rupert Murdoch

The Rupert Murdoch media empire continues to be dragged into the dirt with this scandal and the media just continues eating it up. The Rupert Murdoch case continues the British police arrested 3 more suspects who they believe to be involved in the case. This arrest came from a separate judicial investigation into the behavior of journalists at Mr. Murdoch’s British newspapers.

The Police decide not to identify the three men arrest but give their description of them:

 In a statement as a 36-year-old man living in Kent, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt a public official; a 42-year-old former member of the armed forces in Lancashire, arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office; and a 38-year-old woman living at the same address in Lancashire, suspected of aiding in that misconduct. The police said they were searching both residences.

 Mr. Murdoch’s company, the News Corporation also comment "one of its journalists at The Sun, a tabloid, had been among those arrested on Thursday, though no name was given, news agencies reported. The British news media identified the journalist as Duncan Lacombe, 36, the paper’s royal editor."

Well so far there have been nine other arrests from this Newspaper incorporation this year and it has become the main event of British news. The list of those arrested but yet to be charged includes several well-known figures in British journalism, including Rebekah Brooks, the former chief of News International, and Andy Coulson, formerly an editor at The News of the World and later the communications chief for Prime Minister David Cameron.  

 

Scandal in the Chinese Communist Party

As of late Bo Xilai has come under alot of scrutiny. Bo Xilai is a former Chinese politician who held many top seats in the Chinese government but was removed from his position amongst heavy allegations. The allegations all started when Bo Xilai's wife was accused of murdering English businessman Neil Haywood in November 2011. The problem arose when Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun went to the US consulate with documents about their crime and other scandalous info and threatened to turn them in. Wang was then detained and sent to local authorities by Xilai's police force where he was interrogated and investigated.

This led to public outcry and eventually Bo Xilai was stripped from his position and now faces serious out-lashes from the government and public. The Chinese Communist Party has now begun a propaganda campaign to dehumanize him signifying the impact of this case for not only Xilai but the whole Chinese government itself. The situation is truly an ironic one as Xilai used to manipulate the media himself for personal gains now gets a taste of how dangerous the media in a controlled state can be. The country has asked for many of the news and media agencies in the country to show support for the state and to attack Xilai in an attempt to "unify" the country but this has been a difficult task as the country is divided on the issue. Many people in the country such as the pro-communist supporters are in favor of Xilai and have supported him extensively while many liberal or progressive figures in the country are opposed to Xilai and viewed him as a criminal. David Bandurski an editor for the Chinese Media Project in Hong Kong described the situation,

“We haven’t seen this kind of direct meddling with the media across the board in a long, long time...You can really sense the anxiety and the uneasiness.  They’re pushing so intently this message of unity and solidarity, and you know all is not well.”

The case is having an enormous impact on media in China and even some abroad.  According to BBC news a Chinese based website located in North Carolina has been hacked and shut down due to their extensive coverage on the story. The manager of the site has stated that Chinese security forces has shut down the website in an attempt to stop the coverage of the news spreading internationally. This alone signifies how interesting the case really is as China doesn't want any bad press overseas that can potentially be harmful for their government. 

Media in China is an extremely sensitive and private issue due to media in the country being state run and monitored. Certain media networks that are popular internationally, such as Google and Facebook, are banned in China due to fears of their "western" influence. However, many in the country turn a blind eye to the censorship due to the strong economic growth the country has been achieving over the past decade which has helped modernize the country and reduce poverty.

Here's the Wall Street Journal with some interesting coverage on the case

 

Urban Outfitters Holocaust Tee's?

Fashion retailer, Urban Outfitters is infamous for putting out clothing that could be considered offensive to some.  Well they've done it again!

Last Thursday, a simple mustard yellow t-shirt appeared on the Urban Outfitters website.  Designed by the Danish label Wood Wood, the shirt is embroidered with a six pointed star over the breast pocket, which seems to be quite similar to the badges the Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust.

A shirt like this would alway spark up some controversy, but this $100 shirt was coincidentaly featured on urbanoutfitters.com during the same week as Yam HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrace day. According to a post from Time, the Anti Defimation Leauge was up in arms immediatley after it was featured online.  Barry Morrison, who is the regional director of the Anti-Defimation Leauge wrote in a letter to the chairman of the Urban Outfitters firm,“We find this use of symbolism to be extremely distasteful and offensive, and we are outraged that your company would make this product available to your customers.”

Although this t-shirt offended many Jewish and non-Jewish people, Urban Outfitters does not seem to be broken up over their distasteful comments.  This "Holocaust" t-shirt is one of many derogetory products featured at Urban Outfitters.  Anoosh Chakelian of Time, explains: "In February, the store also came under fire from Irish American spokesman Seamus Boyle president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, for selling t-shirts bearing slogans such as “Irish I was Drunk" which Boyle described as arrogance and disrespect to a whole nation."

According to Fox News, the representatives of Urban Outfitters refuse to respond to any requests for a comment.  Morrison told Fox,“They have continuously crossed the line into incivility,” he added. “We have asked them in the past to meet with us so we can discuss these issues, but we have never received a reply. There is a way to be successful without offending or belittling people.”

 

Correct That Correction!

Is it really so hard to properly correct your mistake on tv?! An audio clip was broadcasted on the "Today" show of a statement by Andrew Zimmerman, from the Trayvon Martin case. The "Today" show quoted him saying, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. ... he looks black.” What Zimmerman actually said was,

“This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.” The dispatcher then asks, “O.K., and this guy — is he white, black or Hispanic?” Mr. Zimmerman pauses and replies, “He looks black.”

Therefore, what the "Today" show broadcasted was dead wrong. "The clip was first broadcast on March 22, but no one noticed until it was rebroadcast on March 27. Later, when word of the misleading edit got out, everyone from Sean Hannity to Jon Stewart reacted with disbelief, with good reason."

This went on to criticizing all the news channels for all the mistakes made in the past. All of this goes to show that every aspect of the media makes mistakes, the problem is the lack of correction. The "Today" show never corrected its mistake on air. Usually when a mistake is made in the media, it is not corrected in the original form it was made. Such as newspapers; usually, they correct mistakes online, not in print. The New York Times has an entire space on thier web page for corrections to print. Why is it that these media sources do not make corrections in the original form it was released? That is what we should be expected look for when we actually expect a correction. This leads to much controversy and complaints from the general public.