Commentary

Brand Palin: Just What The TV Summer Needs

by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 7, 2009

TV's summer can give wannabe personalities plenty of room for some branding punch, what with much overall TV viewing on the down-low.

One likely personality is the wild and woolly, soon-to-be-ex-Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. The always entertaining, sound-bite-worthy, former vice presidential candidate is the perfect choice to zap a dull summer time period.

The environment is ripe, with a hungry media looking for stories, issues, and, of course, controversy.

Since she's soon to be freed up from her official duties, experts are pointing to the possibility of Palin hosting her own TV show -- perhaps a daytime talk show. But this might not be of the "Oprah Winfrey" kind. Syndicators tend to avoid political figures. While many are verbose, they can also be polarizing -- and not usually good at asking questions.

But Palin can do wonders if she starts making the consulting TV rounds -- especially for the likes of the friendly confines of Fox News.

Some consultants say she should polish her image a bit.

Not me. Her enduring quality, a sometimes fractured, quirky train of thought, has struck a chord. (For a totally different reason, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford also gets my vote.)

Palin isn't managed so closely PR-wise, which is part of her appeal, but gets in the way of any ambitions for higher office: for the most part, presidential aspirants need a smoother delivery to be successful. At the same time, a rougher, unprocessed delivery can create some immediate TV exposure.

Perhaps doubling up her big TV value is that she is resigning, according to reports, because of impending federal legal action. In turn, this had a Palin attorney threatening legal action against news organizations for any misrepresentation of the facts.

All this should give new meaning to the top-rated summer show, "So You Think You Can Dance?"

5 comments about "Brand Palin: Just What The TV Summer Needs".

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Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, July 7, 2009 at 3:40 p.m.
It's interesting that you're not intimidated by a defamation lawsuit, but this may not qualify as "published" in court. Anyway, you should read today's online TIME interview with Palin and stay off the rumor mill. In that interview Palin presents a plausible reason for stepping down: Having Alaska being beseiged by frivolous lawsuits that cost the state big bucks to resolve and the litigants nothing to file. She accuses the media of doing a poor job covering this story and that Alaskans know that her resignation will save them many tax dollars going to fight the lawsuits. My question is, why are elitists (both Democrat and Republican) so afraid of Sarah?
Reply

Brian Egan from visual impact communications, July 7, 2009 at 3:52 p.m.

ignorant left wing comments from the editor. keep your personal agenda out of the article, and report the news in a fair and unbiased manner, if that's possible for you?

growup and be professional wayne friedman

Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, July 7, 2009 at 4:03 p.m.

Here's the TIME link:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1908983,00.html

Aaron B. from AnimationInsider.net, July 7, 2009 at 5:23 p.m.

Fox News is already on pace for an impressive record year in ratings... I can't imagine how much a Palin program would farther skyrocket viewership.

Lori Lamb from Charter Media, July 8, 2009 at 9:10 a.m.

I am so sick of hearing about this ignorant woman who doesn't have a clue! That whiny screechy voice makes me run for the remote to hit the mute button whenever she come on the TV. The bottom line is she is a quitter. She see's the $ figures from the book deals and the speaking fees and is jumping ship. Apparently 15 of the 16 suits have been dropped, so unless she has any more lawsuits the bulk of that should be done. She may be attractive and wear nice clothes but she is dumber than a post and needs to fade away into the sunset along with her self righteous, holier than thou attitude. I'm not afraid of her, she proved to be a huge mistake for John McCain and has no potential to go any further in politics on a national scale.