• by John Gaffney , April 29, 2003

Fear Factor: I've read a few pretty learned pundits lately who are suggesting that the broadcast and cable news networks are purposely laying off the media consolidation issue. That is a heap of rubbish. The problem here is that the media consolidation issue is a complex one that requires that the viewer gain some background knowledge. It requires reporting and reportage. It might even require that a guest on a talk show that would address this issue would need some uninterrupted time. It's not the kind of story that Bill O'Reilly can have a sitting duck guest on. You can't rant about it on Crossfire. In fact, its hard to find anybody with charisma that can carry today's attention hungry cable news audience into this story. So the problem here is the same one as health care, tort reform or tax cuts. We have trained the consumer to only listen when we're yelling at them, or when it's a false alarm for breaking news. There's no fear factor in media consolidation. Therefore, you won't see much public debate outside of Charlie Rose.

Catfights: I think Miller Lite is making a mistake in developing and airing new "Catfight" ads. Yes, the new ones are very funny, and even a bit fairer on the gender side. But those ads, in my opinion, are effective in a football context. Outside of it, they lose a lot. I say, make them NFL exclusives.

At The Buzzer: I say we start bringing American culture to Iraq. You know those meetings they're having regarding the future government? Let's make them like Survivor. "I'm sorry Mr. Aziz. The tribe has spoken." And Aziz goes out of Baghdad with no seat in Parliament. C'mon, it's democracy.