• by John Gaffney , November 20, 2002

J. Lo. The Actress Of Her Generation?: The first media event I remember in life is JFK’s assassination. I was four. I remember my father bought five copies of The New York Times the next day. Put four of them up in his closet because his kids “might want them someday.” I don’t know where they are. But the impression was made and it stuck all the way through journalism school. (Yes, I went to J School. Can you believe it?) The New York Times was the Bible. The monument to truth, objectivity, and the power of the word. So when I read yesterday that current Times editor Howell Raines plans to include more pop culture coverage I cringed. “Pop culture is the pulse of the country,” he was quoted as saying. I don’t think Raines is looking at page one for that, although there was a page one Britney drive by in October. Hopefully he sees the visionless Sunday magazine as a good spot. Maybe Sunday Styles. Maybe Arts and Leisure. But I have to cast my vote here. I look for The Times and other national dailies to put pop culture in perspective. I believe that edit environment has proven to be attractive for Bloomingdales, BMW and even Britney’s record label. This is he paper of record. It needs to stick with the hand it has been dealt.

Joystick Magazines: I’m hearing more and more buzz about money spent on individual video game titles through TV and print. Now Ziff Davis has shrewdly teamed up with Electronics Boutique to launch GMR. Like that. Distribute through the stores; keep the overhead low. You could call it a fad. But I wouldn’t. All the kids who played Atari when they were 16 have digital game versions now. It’s a big market, getting bigger.

Parting Shot: Protesting Victoria’s Secret’s fashion show as soft-porn is silly. I’d never let my seven-year old daughter watch it, because I don’t want her to think she has to look like that. But if I’m a beer company, I’ll take as much inventory as I can get.