Cabin fever setting in yet? If you’re looking for some cheap entertainment, I’m on today’s edition of the Matt Lewis Show discussing Demon Sheep and asking important questions, like why no Presidential Administration has named an Archbishop of Funk. This is important stuff, you should tune in.
Category: media
More late night communications
Thanks to teaser trailers and shifting advertising philosophy, few Superbowl ads in recent years have been noticeably different from the types of ads played throughout the football season. But this year, one was jaw-droppingly shocking:
It’s a win for Letterman, obviously, who promoted his show with a memorable and hilarious ad. But even in appearing in a competitor’s ad, Leno helped his own cause considerably.
As discussed before, Conan O’Brien handled his Tonight Show departure with a solid communication strategy that set him up for future success. In part because of that, and in part because of O’Brien’s enthusiastic fan base, NBC has been faced with very public rebukes of the new arrangement. His predecessor/successor Jay Leno has necessarily shifted to damage control mode in the month leading up to his re-assumption of hosting duties.
If Leno wants to return to the top of the ratings, he has to convince viewers he’s the same old, nice, safe Jay Leno they used to have on in the background as they fell asleep – and not a calculating, back-stabbing schmuck. Much like voters sizing up a candidate for office, the majority of late night viewers are looking for someone likeable who doesn’t resort to petty squabbling (at least, not obviously).
Leno’s first attempt to repair his image, an interview with Oprah, had mixed results. (Seriously, who quotes Bob Sugar while trying to win sympathy?) But in filming this ad, Leno is able to diffuse the situation and put the late night shakeup in perspective.
But this isn’t all image rehab; Leno gets some real, tangible benefits as well. Superbowl viewers were going to see an ad for the Late Show one way or another – it will likely be the highest rated program CBS airs all year, and they were not shy about pimping their own shows. Leno’s appearance puts him in front of a large viewing audience in a positive light. In essence, even though the ad displayed the Late Show logo, it was also an advertisement for Leno’s Tonight Show.
The content of the ad catered to Leno’s interests as well. As Leno’s 10:00 p.m. variety hour sabotaged NBC’s local news and late-night programming, Letterman has climbed to the top ratings spot after spending a decade playing second fiddle to the Tonight Show. So when Leno explains Letterman’s grumpiness by saying it’s “because I’m here,” it means more than just Oprah Winfrey’s Superbowl party.
And by the way, Oprah’s Superbowl party was kind of lame… perhaps it would have been better with Betty White and Abe Vigoda?
Good journalism, bad journalism, and Mary Landrieu’s office
Very few people actually know what happened last week in Mary Landrieu’s New Orleans office. That didn’t stop multiple news outlets of dropping the phrase “wiretapping” around liberally (no pun intended) when reporting that James O’Keefe, Stan Dai, Joe Basel, and Robert Flanagan were arrested. Of course, that meant echoes of Watergate coloring the commentary – even though the official documents make no such accusation.
Watergate makes for an interesting comparison here – not in any crimes perpetrated, obviously, but in reporting. Anyone who has read All the President’s Men – or, like me, simply seen the movie – knows that Watergate was exposed by tireless investigative journalism by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. They spent months digging, to prove their case. They did not print half-truths and echo reports from the AP.
Beyond the statement made by O’Keefe, I know nothing about this case. I am a fan of O’Keefe’s and Dai’s work from their days at Rutgers and George Washington, respectively, which I got to witness when I was working at the Leadership Institute. I have a strong suspicion that whatever information they were looking for probably would have been politically – but not personally – damaging to Sen. Landrieu.
But to make any allegations beyond that would be wrong for me and certainly wrong for anyone who considers themselves an actual journalist. MSNBC and other outlets showed no such restraint.
In fact, one might argue that these arrests – like the Watergate arrests – are the beginning, rather than the end, of the questions. These guys were looking for something – O’Keefe says that Landrieu’s constituents were calling the office but couldn’t get through, and he thought they were ignoring calls.
If citizens are trying to participate but can’t, isn’t that a pretty big story?
The Matt Lewis Show will change your life
Conservative blogger and pundit Matt Lewis launches his very own podcast today.
Those who see his appearances on MSNBC may know Matt as an authority on the national political scene. Few appreciate his deep understanding of diverse topics such as popular culture, music, sports, and classic television sitcoms. Hopefully his podcast will rectify that.
Sunday Funnies: Learning economics doesn’t have to suck
The President’s proposed spending freeze has touched off a debate between Keynesian liberals and free marketers over the role – and capabilities – of government spending. Perhaps you have seen talking heads bickering about these theories, but the best way to articulate this century-old dichotomy of economic theory is, of course, a rap battle:
What does it say about the state of journalism that this actually outlines economic theories better
A reading from the Blogs of St. Paul to the Ephesians
And lo, after one year had passed since the establishment of an official YouTube Channel for the Roman Catholic Church, did the Pope Benedict XVI come forth and say to the flock, Take ye these online tools, and useth them, and spread thy faith far and wide. And be not discouraged by those who cast doubt, nor by an inability to access a wifi hot spot.
One of the best books available on political strategy is Dedication and Leadership by Douglas Hyde. Hyde was a bigwig in the British Communist Party who left and became an active Catholic. His message to Catholics, through this book, was that despite the evils of Communism, the Communist party used effective techniques to recruit and retain membership – techniques which, he argued, could be used by any organization regardless of philosophy, including the Church. As a modern-day example, Hyde might point to the online tactics which helped elect Barack Obama’s which were then used for successful Republican candidates like Bob McDonnell and Scott Brown.
A wired Vatican fits nicely as another modern-day extension of Hyde’s vision; and any institution that ignores the tools of today as an outreach tool is destined to fail. Any man-made institution – even if divinely inspired – must recruit to survive. (Even Jesus Christ Himself knew that He wouldn’t run the Church forever and understood the need to recruit apostles.)
To put it another way: God helps those who help themselves.
Plus, this course of action is far more strategic and savvy than efforts which would simply offer the Church a PR facelift:
Sunday Funnies: Words to Live By
My former employer, Morton Blackwell, was very active in the 1964 campaign of Barry Goldwater. That campaign had a theme – “In your heart, you know he’s right” – that doesn’t really work in politics. One of the key lessons Morton would teach neophyte political operatives was that being philosophically correct did not always translate into electoral success. After Goldwater’s drubbing in 1964, those who had been in his corner broke into two camps, as Morton described it. Some became cynical, and vowed to leave politics, the other side vowed to fight for their ideas rather than with them.
One of the elements that made this second camp successful – and allowed them to regroup and elect Ronald Reagan in 1980 – was a lack of cynicism and a positive attitude.
And that’s why this speech, even if it is only about a silly little TV show, is worth repeating:
There are always places – in the world and the media landscape – for new and innovative ideas. Those places aren’t always easy to find, but are usually worth the search.
Untold Tales of Massachusetts
In discussing the Scott Brown victory with friends and colleagues over the past few days, some angles of the race incredibly haven’t been picked up by the endless mainstream news media coverage.
#1: Specter’s Swap caused the Bay State flop
A casual conversation with a veteran campaign operative brought up an interesting angle to Brown’s victory: that Arlen Specter may have unwittingly delivered this seat to Republican control with his April party switch.
Back in April, Specter’s switch didn’t just make the rallying cry of “The 41st Vote” relevant, it also eliminated the Republican primary between the liberal Specter and conservative Pat Toomey. Remember Toomey had just barely lost a 2004 primary challenge and was poised to overtake Specter in 2010 – if he had the right resources.
If you were a conservative donor somewhere outside of Massachusetts or Pennsylvania, to whom would you donate money if you had to choose: a well-known candidate who had legitimate shot to help return the Senate to its roots, or a long-shot barely-known state senator trying to take Ted Kennedy’s seat? Specter’s swap in April made Brown the best investment when his nine point poll deficit was announced earlier this month.
Who said Arlen Specter never helped the GOP?
#2: Speaking of polling…
Remember how Democrats were roundly criticizing Rasmussen polls for supposedly being skewed in favor of Republicans? Well, it was Rasmussen who first signaled that this race may be closer than the conventional wisdom would suggest it could be.
#3: Jack E. Robinson helped break the “color barrier” for the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation
No, it isn’t THAT Jackie Robinson, and that “color barrier” is, of course, blue. Robinson has been a Republican candidate for multiple state offices since his 2000 challenge of Ted Kennedy, but is considered something of a joke among Massachusetts Republicans. Yet Brown took him at least semi-seriously in their primary match-up.
The contested primary was no contest – Brown won 89% of the vote. But Mike Rossettie, who blogs at RedMassGroup (and used to run the political machine that was the UMass Republican Club) made the point that the primary was an opportunity to campaign, drum up name recognition, and win endorsements and free media.
CoCo and the Online Campaign
New England hasn’t seen an upset like Scott Brown’s win since Superbowl 42 – and much of the credit deservedly goes to his campaign’s ability to harness support from Republicans across the country through online organizing and remote phone banks. Compare that to the other online campaign making news lately: the “I’m with CoCo” movement supporting deposed Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien.
While O’Brien cleverly positioned himself to the People of Earth, the online effort to build support has not been effective – even though it has translated to angry mobs descending on NBC affiliates calling on O’Brien to keep his current gig. The shortcoming? The online movement – which appears largely viewer-generated – isn’t focusing on activities which will affect NBC’s bottom line.
Scott Brown’s online efforts were all geared to mobilize voters and volunteers who could drive more voters to the polls. Outside of fraud and cheating, winning more voters is the easiest way to win an election.
NBC counts votes in two ways: ratings and, more importantly, advertising dollars. A more effective CoCo Movement might target Tonight Show advertisers, warning them of boycotts. A well-publicized action against a current Jay Leno sponsor might be a good shot across the bow.
Johnny Carson’s old chair is not “The People’s Seat.” Rallies and large Facebook groups may snag short-term media attention, but NBC feels like they can win more “votes” with Jay Leno behind the Tonight Show desk and until the CoCo movement translates into viewers and dollars, nothing will dissuade them.
But they’re so progressive…
As Massachusetts becomes the hub of the American political universe, Politico notes that, win or lose, Martha Coakley’s struggles raise some questions:
Before the votes are even counted, her fellow Democrats have compiled a list of reasons why Martha Coakley has struggled: anemic retail politics, a blind-eye to shifting momentum and an inexplicable appearance on a sports talk radio show that led her to misidentify a Red Sox star.
There is truth to them all. But they also gloss over an obstacle that has received far less attention – a glass ceiling that remains almost impenetrable even in the Blue state of Massachusetts.
Sexism? In that haven of progressive politics? In the home of John F. Kennedy, and one of the homes of Robert F. Kennedy? In a state with so many institutions of higher learning?
Massachusetts is my adopted home state, and I loved it for the six years I lived there. Surely, these allegations are wholly inconsistent with a rich history of tolerance in the era of Democratic dominance in Massachusetts.
Why, just consider Boston’s reputation for appreciating its athletic representatives.
Jim Eltringham 