NBC Stuck to Sunny Rebroadcast of Last Year's M&M's

[ShockediSay]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/25/nyregion/25nbc.html?hp&ex=1132981200&en=5ada85173b38752f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

NBC did not interrupt its broadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade yesterday to bring viewers the news that an M&M balloon had crashed into a light pole, injuring two sisters.

In fact, when the time came in the tightly scripted three-hour program for the M&Ms' appearance, NBC weaved in tape of the balloon crossing the finish line at last year's parade - even as the damaged balloon itself was being dragged from the accident scene. At 11:47 a.m., as an 11-year-old girl and her 26-year-old sister were being treated for injuries, the parade's on-air announcers - Katie Couric, Matt Lauer and Al Roker - kept up their light-hearted repartee from Herald Square, where the parade ends....

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Nothing like spinning the news to tell America everything's just fine. Didn't they do they same in the run-up to the War in Iraq? Whaddya expect from "journalists" (NBC) owned by a war contractor (GE)?

Anybody got fax numbers or the like for GE or NBC?

[Don Claybrook]

1. good god

Do any of these newscasters even remember that ostensibly, they're supposed to REPORT on WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED? Are they that far gone? Nevermind; don't answer that.

[NYCGirl]

5. The Thanksgiving Day Parade show is NEWS? That's news to me,

and a few million other people.

BTW, the accident was all over the news reports here right AFTER the broadcast.

[Don Claybrook]

13. The accident qualifies as news

The people covering the parade were newscasters. They should be able to switch gears sufficiently to start reporting the news when it breaks at their venue--it's not really that difficult. I don't know if you were around in 1989 when the earthquake hit the Bay Area, but the World Series was being played. When the earthquake started, the sportscasters became newscasters, poof, just like that.

When you're a journalist and you're covering an entertainment event, and something newsworthy happens at this entertainment venue, you revert back to being a news journalist, and you report it. I guess where we differ is that I'm not ok with the media's lies of omission. In this case I'm guessing the omission was so as not to upset advertisers with negative reporting. I never have appreciated the attempt to shape and mold my view of the world in a bid to make me a better consumer. And that's what all of this distills down to.

I'd prefer they'd broadcast that sort of garbage to Stepford and spare the rest of us. That they won't honor this request is why I don't watch tv.

thanks

[NYCGirl]

22. The people covering the parade probably didn't even know about it

until the end of the broadcast. The reviewing stands and the cameras are at least eight blocks away from where the accident happened.

As I said, the NEWS program immediately following the parade covered it in excrutiating detail.

A mishap involving 2 people (who were not seriously hurt, thank goodness) can't be compared to a major earthquake that affects the entire city.

Edited to add: Downthread, I see that someone posted that it was mentioned by the announcers (who probably were told into their earpieces); they obviously couldn't have seen it.

[drmom]

28. CBS not only mentioned it on their coverage, but showed pictures...

...so clearly it was possible for the "people covering the parade" to find out what was happening.

[fishwax]

32. how could they not know about it

if it was a "tightly scripted broadcast" and then all of the sudden the m&m float wasn't there ...

[Demeter]

20. Unbelieveable

Then why run the parade every year? Just show the "best of Macys" as an annual chestnut, like Wizard of Oz, and ditch the commentators.

[iconoclastNYC]

25. they are NEWSMODELS

They make millions of dollars to read copy. Don't expect them to have a soul...those people were drummed out of the press years ago.

[Benhurst]

30. "NEWSMODELS" -- I love it! I think this should be used for

all the corporate whores.

[MrBenchley]

2. On the one hand...

I'd have had no problem with them omitting the M&Ms altogether and saving a news report on the accident until AFTER the parade.

But to substitute last year for this year is more than disgraceful--it's fraud.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Or perhaps it reveals a contractual obligation for product placement.

It's still dumber than dirt to substitute footage from last year.

[MrBenchley]

7. I agree....

[jayctravis]

31. Honestly...I'm sure that the Mars company paid for their spot

in the parade and wanted the advertising. I'm glad nobody was killed (like the horrible CitH balloon crash from several years ago.

[JPZenger]

3. Better Parade Coverage on Comedy Central

Comedy Central had coverage of a joke parade. At one point, there was a float with a group of gay male dancers with bare chests. The female commentator talked about the importance of diversity. The male commentator said he was either supportive or willing to condemn acceptance of gay people depending upon the views of the network's parent company. Then they mentioned hearing the click, click, click sounds of all the republicans changing the channel.

[guruoo]

19. And Georgie missed the whole thing

[UpInArms]

4. the snews brought to you by the corporation, of the corporation and

for the corporation.

What a heap of stinking shit.

[daisygirl]

8. I was watching and

they said something to the effect of "due to today's wind blah blah blah" and made it sound like they weren't going to be able to show the balloon, but then suddenly there it was. It was confusing, but they did announce there had been a problem with the balloon and that they couldn't show it.

[Nomen Tuum]

9. What do you expect from Moe, Larry and Curly?

Today's three stooges sold out a long time ago

[IndianaGreen]

10. What a concept! NBC can show films of Saddam's statue being toppled

hoping that the audience doesn't notice that it is old news.

[TankLV]

18. Or that the US military did the "toppling" and carefully ringed the square

and that there were less than a hundred iraqi's on hand for the staged event.

Not to mention the hastily raised and then equally hastily reversed raising of the AMERICAN FLAG - not the Iraqi flag - at that performance!

[iconoclastNYC]

26. Yup and it was probably rigged by the Rendon group

The CEO bills us tax payers $610 an hour to con our non-thinking citizens into supporting war.

[Generator]

11. Mon dieu (creepy ain't it)

Get with program people! Reality is SO last century. On the other hand, scaring the kids off for life of the parade is bad for business...if you noticed (as my husband did while we watched some of it) most of the floats are nothing but advertisements.

[jimshoes]

12. They could even re-run

clips of Germany surrendering. We can declare victory all over again.

[MilesColtrane]

14. Product Placement is right...

Can you imagine the negative numbers after Red and Yellow are shown attacking the crowd, causing a little girl's head to bleed?
Until yesterday, I hadn't watched any part of the Macy's parade in years and years.
I was nauseated at just how corporate the whole thing was. Every float had a logo, and every multinational media conglomerate got 30 seconds each to trot out their latest "singing sensation", theme park, or hit show.
Bah, humbug.

[damntexdem]

15. How wonderfully respresentative of what the media has become!

Hide the bad news while faking up false images.

[slay]

16. No kidding - Your fake ass world, brought to you by NBC and GE

That seems to be the attitude of our govenment these days too. They want us to ignore reality while they sell us a fake view of the world with their corporate mouthpieces. Seen any pics of The War on tv lately? Dead soldiers? Coffins even? :mad:

[fishwax]

33. pretty damn symbolic indeed

sad but true ...

[FredScuttle]

17. Please tell me

that Katie screeched "M&Ms....you rock!"

[HuffleClaw]

21. that is just creepy

done to please their advertisers? what WOULD have been newsworthy? anyone suppose that had it been the spongebob balloon involved it would have been news? GAY BALLOON MOLESTS CROWD ! ! !

[LostinVA]

23. I actually don't mind this -- alot of small kids watch this

Every year. As another poster said on this thread, it was all over the news, so it was definitely reported -- including the tape of the errant balloon. This may or may not be why TPTB did it, but a five-year-old probably would be freaked out early Thanksgiving m morning seeing something like that.

[rooboy]

24. It is NEVER acceptable to lie to the public.

That argument is the same as George Bush's "didnt't want to scare the little children" on 9/11. Did NBC run alternative coverage when going after Bill Clinton's penis? Or did they figure the kids could handle that?

[amitten]

27. They are ignoring the REAL story here.

These parade balloons have an insatiable blood lust. Every few years, they lose all control and attack the human flesh they so strongly desire. :o

[bvar22]

29. If they are advertising "Live Coverage",

they should be willing to provide "Live Coverage", and not the phonied up coverage worthy of the "Government News Agencies" of One Party States.

OOPS! My Bad.
the US IS a One Party State!