Hard News: Case Studied
51 Responses
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According to the Neilsen ratings, Investigate's readership sits at about the same level as "Trade A Boat" magazine and "Lifestyle Block" Magazine. Given that, how does Investigate stay in business as high production value glossy magazine, with its limited advertising base?
One clue:
The Illuminati.
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"Lifestyle Block" Magazine
Same way Lifestyle Block Magazine does I suppose.
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Andrew, why don't you read the book?
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Andrew, why don't you read the book?
Perhaps we could sponsor a reading? Hardly seems fair to make someone do it just out of the goodness of their heart. Or we could buy a copy, rip out chapters, distribute them, and have everyone review one apiece.
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I don't want to dirty my mind by even thinking about wishart's drivel.
I have to say I found the coverage of the Elim kids' deaths distasteful. Without in any way wishing to diminsih the horror of what had happened for them and their loved ones, I just found the media circus in very poor taste.
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Wishart in selling off NZ cultural treasures to fund magazine shocker, (Sneaky Feelings in this case).
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Tom I thought the Illuminati were Catholic. Wishart wouldn't touch them with a burning cross.
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Good show Russell. Shame that Mark Sainsbury couldn't be quiet for a minute. (You might have to be a bit more pushy with people like Mark?). Would have liked to hear more from the lecturer guy (Graham Reid?)
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The request for reviews eventually inspired me:
Front Cover Review: Absolute Power
Considerably - even unnecessarily - more than six words.
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At risk of being a plagiarist, how about as a review.
Absolute Power/Wishart, Ian:
Unnecessarily - even considerably- more than six words -
Lyndon - that review is gold. Well done.
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Thx
Unnecessarily - even considerably- more than six words
I have to admit I was counting.
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Lyndon, this sounds like the Hemmingway Challenge where EH was challenged to write a story using six words.
Absolute Power? Wishart whines. Absolute dross.
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I have to admit I was counting.
Heh. I like that that review is applicable both to the book and the review itself.
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Andrew, why don't you read the book?
Um... I seem to be the only Andrew commenting - so um... que?
Probably will.
I was just commenting that Lifestyle Block magazine, since you mentioned them also has high production standards & maybe the level of readership & advertising is sufficient to keep them afloat.
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I have just watched this week's Media 7 on TV ON Demand. Really enjoyed it BUT the cynical media reaction to the terrible tragedy of seven sons and daughters lost was disappointing. "An embarrassment of riches"? Gawd.
Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile insight into how the "media" thinks.
As for Absolute Power: can't believe my favourite independent bookshop has a big promo of it. Ahrgghh...
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Perhaps we could sponsor a reading? Hardly seems fair to make someone do it just out of the goodness of their heart. Or we could buy a copy, rip out chapters, distribute them, and have everyone review one apiece.
That might help reduce SAN loss, but its still dealing in Things man Was Not Meant To Know.
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I also have just viewed the podcast of the show and enjoyed it tremendously. One point not raised elsewhere that I've seen, probably because it's really a little too soon, but I guess the church was also able to display it's particular brand of Christianity and has probably had a number of converts since, given the amazing apparent serenity of the response to such an overwhelming tragedy.
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I have just watched this week's Media 7 on TV ON Demand. Really enjoyed it BUT the cynical media reaction to the terrible tragedy of seven sons and daughters lost was disappointing. "An embarrassment of riches"? Gawd.
Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile insight into how the "media" thinks.
For better or worse, it is.
The challenge of reporting a big story is both to do it justice, and to do it better than everyone else. It is competitive, but I think the news media largely stayed within the generous bounds they were given.
According to the school, the only publications that breached the agreement, tried to contact families directly (perhaps with chequebooks waving) etc, were the "women's magazines". (I sometimes think that's a term unfair to women, but there's no other recognised way of describing them.)
But as Shayne Currie pointed out, the effect of the openness was to take those publications out of the picture. So at least, it seems, there were no bidding wars.
That said, there was too much coverage for my taste. And I still don't buy that Michael Holland's stunt on Close Up was acceptable, even if it was the school that printed out the pictures of the deceased that he showed to his interviewees in the hope of a grief bomb.
And, having followed the the story quite closely in the media, I don't think there was anything that got me emotionally like Tash and Portia's YouTube clips, which are embedded in the Elim Christian College Memorial Page on Bebo. They giggle and mime like the silly teenage girls they were.
Having been placed there by their peers, the clips are perfectly in context on the page.
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I've avoided the coverage of the funerals as I always feel uncomforable watching what I think should be private affairs for those who knew the deceased but...
wouldn't the people giving permission for the cameras and media to be there be the individual families themselves rather than the school?
Also I saw on the news tonight that they had clips from the Marie Davis funeral. Are we going to get more and more of this stuff?
I know I go on about Korea a bit with my comparisons but the cameras getting stuffed in grieving families faces over there is absolutely sickening, especially given the friends and families grieve in a much more emotional way ie.tearful hysteria. I would hate to see us going down that almost voyeuristic path.
If it's that important for us to see it then how about televising everybodies weddings, birth of children, kids first day at school, and graduation ceremonies amongst all the other milestones in our lives?
Or do we only care about people when they are dead?
Reminds me about that line about how we should say what is said at funerals to their face while they are alive.
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Russell, been really enjoying watching M7 on the tube on a thursday morning. Gets me my dose of NZ TV without, well, the crap :) Your face is a bit distored on the ipod nano screen, but it's definitly "good enough" to watch.
BTW, if bandwidth is an issue, I'd settle of audio only - it's a show which would work without the video, tho I do like it WITH the video.
cheers
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Cath and I really enjoyed stealing off in the afternoon to see this one get made.
Simon P - What a lovely chap.
The line about it's an employment dispute, made us both giggle a little with the Listener thing.
As for Elim I feel quite sad. We are, despite living on the shore quite the country mice these days (no telly). Consequently the Close Up footage took us back a little. Found it quite icky really. The footage does exemplify for me at least, the problems of media grief. There is an issue of how should I feel and act, replacing what do I really feel. I have a sneaking suspicion this really f**ks with people's grief processes. At a time when you may or may not have any feelings on the matter at all, you have to behave to a media template for grief. It was all there - face smiles, voice talks of grief and the body says get me out of here.
Sorry we had to go so quickly at the end but what can I say ? Shore bridge traffic ..........
On a lighter note- how many f******g stars do we need to put in a f*****g post before s**t gets moder f*****g ated then ?
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Lyndon, this sounds like the Hemmingway Challenge where EH was challenged to write a story using six words.
Papa's response was:
For sale. Baby's shoes. Never worn.
Bleak bastard.
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I'm not surprised that Wishart can keep his mag afloat. The small nut base will keep paying, and the advertising is perfect for the kinds of places you find his mag, like doctor's waiting rooms. When you're waiting for an indeterminate period a sensationalist headline, however ridiculous, catches your attention over more serious articles that you might actually be enjoying when the doc calls you and feel disappointed to put down. Wishart has mastered the art of putting 90% of his information into the title, another 9% in the first sentence, and the rest of the article contains about 1% further content. So you can flick through it, and that means lots of impressions on all the ads. If you actually read the articles you wouldn't see so much advertising.
In that vein, a magazine of this kind is of just as much value to advertisers if everyone just flicks through it in the store and never buys it.
It's a good business, probably enough to keep one man in good pay, so long as you can find a man who's prepared to churn out that much gobshite every month. He's the man, so there you go. I imagine he loves it every bit as much as most authors and journos. The book is riskier, but I'd expect anyone who is a subscriber to his mag to buy it, so that probably guarantees some profits.
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Agreed. All publicity is good publicity.
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