Category: media

The Marshall Plan helped rebuild Europe after WWII. “But in addition to rebuilding, it also plowed about $650-million into information dissemination, including the creation of more than 260 films to help convince the populations of 16 disparate countries to jointly accept American aid and embrace U.S.-style democracy. The films were seen everywhere, from movie palaces in big cities such as Paris to tiny, mountainous villages in countries like Portugal and Italy. But until recently many of them had never been seen in the United States because of a 1948 law prohibiting Americans from being propagandized with their own tax dollars, a restriction removed only 15 years ago.”

“Executives at some of the largest radio companies are suggesting that radio stations develop their own podcasts and make them available at no charge to listeners seeking a more varied or obscure selection of tunes. The idea is to ease the pressure that broadcasters now feel to broaden the array of music on over-the-air radio. Give choosier listeners what they want, without making them wait for the 11 p.m. Sunday show, when radio has traditionally offered less popular forms of music. Once listeners get into the habit of downloading inventive podcasts from their local radio station, they’re more likely to tune in to that station’s broadcasts when they’re in the car or at work.”

“Advertisers have become more sophisticated in their choice of music to convey mood and appeal to consumers. Tunes are still being used to sell soap and establish brand identity, but they are far subtler than the voices we used to hear (cue Barry Manilow) singing, ‘You deserve a break today, so get up and get away to McDonaaaaald’s!’ The jingle as we know it – an often inane, repetitive melody that drills itself into your head – has been declared almost dead.”

The Palm Beach International Film Festival may not be Cannes, or even Toronto, but the event has been making big gains in prestige lately, and has even been ranked as one of the world’s top 25 film fests. “PBIFF has become a cultural asset in a state that is mentioned in nearly 11 percent of the Google hits returned by the search phrase ‘cultural wasteland.'”

The president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has resigned less than a year into her tenure, and will be replaced on an interim basis by a close associate of the controversial former FCC chairman Michael Powell. Kathleen Cox was groomed for years to lead CPB, but she apparently fell victim to an increasingly political workplace as conservative politicians ratcheted up their anti-PBS rhetoric over the last year. One observer has described Cox as “an apolitical bureaucrat in an incredibly polarized agency,” an identity which may have been at odds with CPB’s desire to ingratiate itself to its critics in Congress.

A new study says that men are now spending more on video games than they do on music. “The survey by Nielsen Entertainment shows that DVDs are the number one purchase for men each month. It also found that games are starting to attract significant numbers of players beyond the core target market of males aged eight to 34.”

TV isn’t showing arts very well in the UK. Everyone’s bored with it, and it’s easy to criticize. The question is how to make it better. “TV has lost a sense of self-esteem, even if it has plenty of arrogance and self-assertion. It has lost that 1960s mandarin view of art that took its responsibilities very seriously. I’m not saying we should turn back the clock, but TV should be proud of what it does.”

The whole iPod cult is getting a wee bit out of control, says Kevin Cowherd. Yes, it’s a fine invention and all, perfect for those people who feel the need to be on the cutting edge of every new technological revolution, but honestly, it’s just a music player! “Not all of us want to live every moment of our lives in a cocoon of blaring music. Not all of us want to sit at our office computer terminals, bopping our heads to an invisible beat, a blissed-out expression on our faces… Why, some of us even enjoy extended periods of silence, which we use to think about things.”

Public radio listeners hate on-air pledge drives. So some stations are looking for ways to eliminate the drives… and finding success. “With the help of well-timed renewal letters and on-air plugs for the mailings and website, WUWM’s fall donations were 73 percent higher without a pledge drive than in last year’s same period — with a nine-day on-air drive. The station also increased renewals by 296 percent and saw a slight upward bump in underwriting income.”

Journalist Ken Bode and former Readers’ Digest editor William Schulz have been appointed to the positions of ombudsmen for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “Bode and Schultz periodically will review public radio and TV shows after the programs have aired and report on their journalistic balance and accuracy. The appointments come after a long history of conservative complaints about alleged bias on PBS and NPR.” Observers say that the appointments are a clear reaction to the firestorm of controversy over an episode of a PBS children’s show which featured a lesbian couple and their children.