Wonder Where ABC gets its Business News?

We are all familiar with that media monster called ABC and its huge channel selections that includes sports (the many ESPN channels), kids programming (the Disney Channels), and many others. But I was curious where they got their business news and information. They obviously wouldn't go to CNBC, since it is a part of the GE family, which includes archrival, NBC. But they still have Bloomberg and a plethora of independent business media available. For some reason I was surprised to see Alexis Glick of Fox Business (part of a huge family of networks that overlap ABC in sports and family programming) on ABC's Good Morning America.

Alexis Glick, who has been a guest on my Price of Business show, is one of the most articulate and well versed people on business news and content. She did not disappoint on ABC's Good Morning America with a very thoughtful Goldman Sachs earnings preview. In her discussion she:

• Reviewed the enormity of Goldman Sachs earnings and what it means to Wall Street and Main Street


• How taxpayers should feel about this participant of the bailout enjoying this kind of earnings


• What should taxpayers expect in the future when it comes to company bailouts


• How Goldman Sachs early repayment of the TARP (it was one of the first companies) should matter

Glick is one of the more perceptive analysts in business news and I largely agree with her when it comes to the variety of feelings most Americans will experience when it comes to "Business after TARP" (sounds like a future article). I believe that it is imperative, however, for Members of Congress in both Houses and the American people to assess TARP and whether it was the best route to follow. This requires tough questions:

• Why were we informed that TARP needed to be passed "now," but more than 90 percent won't reach its beneficiaries until 2010?
• Why is the bulk of that money being released during the election year when we are experiencing near double digit unemployment now?
• Was this a legitimate action for the government to take in light of the obvious Constitutional restrictions?
• Since government jobs don't create profit, and profit is necessary for long term job growth, are not the government created jobs all temporary?

These questions and many more should be asked by the media on politicians daily. However, other than Fox and a few overtly conservative media outlets, it simply will not happen. That is probably the exact reason ABC called on Fox and the analysis of Alexis Glick. Not only is the network noted for being "fair and balanced," but it is also extremely thorough. Something we really need from the media today.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

ABC Dabbles in Infomercials

One of my favorite news magazines is ABC's 20/20. The stories are excellent and the personalities (John Stossel and Elizabeth Vargas) are among the best in the industry, in my opinion.

On tonight's show the focus was a follow up on a story about Camden, NJ with an emphasis on the positive developments that the city has seen through the eyes of a particular family (sprinkled with many examples of a lack of progress). The story includes a family that lives in a horrible home and receive an Extreme Makeover on the ABC network program. That was followed with an interesting human interest story on a brother sister competing against each other on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

I don't know about you, but if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it is a duck. Tonight's 20/20 was a very interesting and well done infomercial. It was about other ABC programs. It was done in a tasteful and entertaining manner. Believe me, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't have watched it. But one of the program's major objectives was to clearly sell other programming.

That is the future of media: advertising messages intertwined in the content. Most people won't even notice the smart shows that pursue this objective.

Request a free copy of an article by Kevin Price entitled Two Marketing Trends that Affect Your Business. In it he explains some of the most important trends in business marketing today.

Blog/Video: Geico Does It Again

Geico is one of my favorite companies. It has chosen two key themes that matter to consumers when it comes to insurance -- ease of use and price -- and have provided creative ads as the vehicle to get that message across.

We have had geckos and cavemen (so successful they are becoming the theme of an ABC TV show) and now we have some of the most famous fictional characters from TV being caught up in conspiracy theories. The Flintstones, Cabbage Patch Kids, and now Jed Clampett of the Beverly Hillbillies have been caught up in serious accusations of secrets and money saving that have only recently come to light. You got to love this stuff!

Geico understands that today's sophisticated consumer isn't interested in merely being informed when watching a commercial, but to be entertained. Geico has this down to an art form. The only down side to the new Geico spots is that they require a little more thought than some of the other ones mentioned. But only a little and after you have thought about it had a hardy laugh, you might want to compare prices on your insurance.

Note: Order Kevin Price's audio program The Accumulators, which explains the impact that the Internet is having on marketing and consumer behavior. It is available online here for only $10 plus p and h.

The Network News Mystique

It shouldn't surprise anyone that I'm a devoted viewer of news in general during the day and Fox News in particular. My posts at this blog reflect that fact. However, on those very rare days that I'm at home at 5:30 PM (Central), I begin looking for a network news channel like clockwork. In the past it was always NBC because I like the way Brian Williams presents. His liberal agenda, however, has me moving away from the network. Then, with the move of Katie Couric to CBS, I became very intrigued to watch that train wreck unfold. Now, more often than not, I'm tuning into Charlie Gibson (photo) of ABC News because it is slightly less biased than the other two.

The question is, with the several hours of news I see daily, why would I want to see the broadcast networks? It has come down to a few reasons:

* Creature of habit. Before there were so many cable news channels, people got their news from the networks at the end of the day. The younger a person is, the less likely this will be a factor.

* Entertainment quality. The networks spend significantly more on the 30 minutes of nightly news than the cable companies do on hours of their news programming. They use their best talent, with the best sets, and the finest graphics. If "good looking" broadcasts is important to you, than you probably still find yourself watching the network evening news.

* The "catch all" factor. When you cover the news 24/7 like they do on the cable channels and you find yourself watching them often, you often wonder if you are missing something because there is so much out there. That 30 minutes tells you all the major stories of the day (at least we hope).

* The major network "legitimacy." I think everyone wants to know what "the big networks" are saying. The stories they cover and the way they cover them often tells us the direction the news is going and the stories we can expect in the future.

In light of the fact that I'm typically disgusted by the liberal ideology pervasive in the "mainstream media" today, I'm surprised that I can still stomach it, let alone take extra steps to watch it. But through it all the major networks still have their own mystique.

What I Learned About Morning Television at the YMCA

I make an effort to go to the YMCA 3 or 4 times a week about ten weeks a year. Seriously, I go fairly often, but rarely in the morning. It is usually between 9 and 10 PM when my younger kids are in bed and the older ones are available to watch them. When I do go during the day it is usually after 9 or 10 AM because I have a hard time getting going earlier and I hate the pre-work crowd. This morning I found myself dressed for the gym at around 7:15 after dropping off my kids at school and a very busy day in front of me, so I decided to go ahead and get the Y behind me or I wouldn't likely be able to go at all.

These days I am focusing on the treadmills and as soon as I walked in I noticed that the long line of treadmills had many more bodies running, walking, and fainting on one side of the room over the other. I kind of felt left out, all that was left for me was the five empty treadmills at the end. I reminded myself that I should be happy I could get in at all and went straight to work. When I looked up at the TV screens I noticed that the channel nearest me was CBS (The Early Show), the channel after that was ABC (Good Morning America), CNN was next, and then finally, where the huge crowd was I found NBC. The ratings companies have said that the Today Show dominates the mornings, I began to think I had evidence of this on a very personal level. Almost everyone, even the poor soul next to me who looked like she was going to need to see a chiropractor from straining to watch NBC, was focused on Today.

I used my time to see what CBS and ABC had to offer. The first thing I noticed is that these shows are now virtual clones of Today. They have somewhat similar personalities, Harry Smith (photo above) from CBS seems to now be using Matt Lauer of Today's tailor. When the Today Show is outside with the crowd, so is CBS and ABC. When the Today Show team is on the couch, so are the the personalities at ABC and CBS. If I were one of the personalities on ABC or CBS, I would take it very personally. The only difference is that CBS puts a much stronger emphasis on local news than the others, other than that it looks like "NBC and the Wannabes."

Something I noted that was interesting is that Good Morning America is trying to incorporate Web 2.0 ideas into the show itself. They showed a video of some kid riding a skateboard inches from a police officer on a handrail. That police officer pushed the kid in the bushes near by because it wasn't safe for either one of them. The question, posed on the Web of course, was whether the response was appropriate. The hosts asked a guest to weigh in and they wanted the response of the audience to his comments. It was an interesting way to encourage audience interaction and it appears to be one that is used fairly often. It isn't, however, enough to make me stop watching Today.

I have said before, I don't really understand the attraction. I use to be a strong Good Morning America fan for years. Until I figure it out why I like Today, I'm going to either have to get to the Y early or make sure I go after the Today Show is over. With the continued expansion of the show through out the day starting in September, I might develop a huge weight problem.

ABC Taking Geico Caveman Prime Time?

It's true, ABC seems very interested in having a series based around the character in the quite famous Geico TV commercials. I say "real" TV series (with quotation marks), because the commercials already are just that -- a series of commercials with an actual storyline (one of the reasons the network became so interested in it). They are a mini TV series. All ABC will do is make them an actual show with a little less product placement.

I have been impressed by these commercials for quite some time and commented on them weeks ago. They are important to the world of advertising because they recognize one of the biggest challenges facing sales and marketing today -- how do you keep the consumer's interest? The era of the same old commercial -- regardless of how cute, clever, or even sexy -- being enough for the viewer to take notice is over. In the future, commercials will look like actual programming.

In the March Issue of Wired Magazine the cover story is about our "snack culture" in which individuals want small pieces of entertainment that they can consume quickly and then move on to other items. This lends very well to the Internet and to companies smart enough to take an advertising approach like Geico. These cavemen commercials are revolutionary today, I predict they will be common place tomorrow.

Bill Maher to America: "If Cheney Was Dead, More Americans Would Be Alive"

Bill Maher (photo to the left, possibly frightening himself) has been irresponsible when it comes to his approach to current affairs for years. He even lost his show on ABC called "Politically Incorrect" because of terribly insensitive comments about September 11th (essentially he argued that the terrorists were brave as they stayed in the planes as they hit the buildings, while the US were cowards as they lobbed missiles at their enemies.). Now Maher (on his HBO show Real Time) defends the radically liberal blog, the "Huffington Post," where it was suggested by many readers of that site that we would all be better off if Vice President Dick Cheney were dead (expressing disappointment over the failed assassination attempt against the VP this past week.). His only criticism of Huffington's propaganda tool is that the posts were removed following pressure by more responsible voices of the media.

Bill Maher has a cult following and I wouldn't be surprised of some maniac in this country become "inspired" by his comments and go after Mr. Cheney in a quest to "save lives." Many actually applauded his comments in the audience. There was a time in this nation's history where if individuals made such a comment, it would be interpreted as an actual threat against that elected official. I miss those good old days. Like the person who yells "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater, this goes beyond the boundaries of free speech.

I don't believe HBO should bother to ask for an insincere apology (the only kind Maher is capable of giving). Instead it should demand that Maher leave immediately and simply suggest that he don't let the door hit himself as he leaves the building. People who have HBO should cancel and sign up for one of the many other movie channels that are out there until the network takes just such a stand to that type of behavior. I'm shocked by the collective yawn being demonstrated by most Americans over this behavior. Freedom is a two sided coin, the other side is stamped firmly with responsibility. It is time for us to hold Maher and HBO responsible for its quest for freedom through the abandonment of common decency. Let's hold them responsible. If you agree, contact HBO today.

Do Blogs Hurt Journalism?

I'm not much of a fan of the editorial bent of PBS, but I do love how thorough it is in its coverage. Tonight I saw a documentary on its program Frontline, where it discussed the impact that the Internet was having on journalism (it is significant and the network actually did a fine job demonstrating such). Over all, the future is very dim for paper and ink of newspapers in particular, according to the first episode in a series.

You would think that liberals would be thrilled because of all the ink that won't go into polluting the environment and all the trees that would be spared. Furthermore, since the blog is the new force that seems to be replacing traditional media (according to the program) and it is dominated by liberals, you would think PBS would be dancing in the streets! PBS seems to have a very different view.

Frontline argues that the only serious journalism is in traditional media and in newspapers in particular. For years the front page of the New York Times has provided the lead stories of the nightly news programs at CBS, NBC, and ABC. If newspapers keep getting smaller and editorial staffs keep getting leaner, who will write the truly "serious" stories?

Yet, the program pointed out that some of the most serious stories of the last year became that way because of blogs. In particular they mentioned the incredible story of former Rep. Mark Foley and his potential inappropriate relationships with young pages that many believe contributed to the huge problems Republicans faced in last November elections. There is also the story that CBS News' anchor Dan Rather had a deceptive and politically motivated source on his broadcast about the military service record of President George Bush that was driven by a blog. That story was so damaging that the veteran newsman was forced to resign after four decades at the network. These stories were powered largely by "unprofessional" bloggers and not the major media.

I'm not convinced that traditional journalism is any where close to dying at the hands of blogs. However, if they do die, I am actually very optimistic about the ability of the bloggers to find the stories that were covered by traditional journalism. Real people who live where the stories happen, not typical academicians who are often politically motivated and unschooled in the real world. Sure, the vast majority of the bloggers are ideologues. But at least their readers know it since I have seen very few who hide behind the mask of a so-called "objective media standards."

As a strong believer in the free market, I'm not at all surprised by the decline of the press at the hands of the Web. Newspapers had been taking a beating for years with the rise of Conservative talk radio in the 1980s. Before most had ever even heard of the "World Wide Web" newspapers were being sold and merged, left and right. When I was growing up it was common for their to be a morning and evening edition every day. We haven't seen those for years. The market provides what the people want. And, although disheartening to the liberals out there who really believe they know what is "best" for us, I believe that the market will also provide what we need. A largely unpaid and volunteer army of journalists that is committed to the truth as they see it; yet honest enough to admit when it is merely their opinion. If "professional" journalists had done that, they may not be on the brink of extinction today.

Newsweek Shamelessly Exploits Troops

While US forces continues to fight terrorism in the Middle East, Newsweek Magazine waged a war of exploitation on our troops. The above 12 American soldiers -- well trained volunteers who were defending our country in Iraq -- were killed when their helicopter was shot down in the conflict.

Without regard to the personal opinions of each of these people or their families, Newsweek has made them the poster children of the horrors of this war. The magazine explains the profound personal impact this lost has in its slow continuous drum beat against this war. This is just one more example of how irresponsible the media is and how consumers of the news needs to hold them accountable. In truth, people are doing just that by continuing to vote with their remotes for more conservative channels such as Fox News. Meanwhile, NBC, the recently deemed "most liberal" network by many conservative watch dog organizations, has seen a nose dive in its ratings with ABC's Charlie Gibson over taking the long popular Brian Williams of the Peacock Network in recent ratings.

I hope people keep taking a stand for our troops and against terror. I hope they are conscious about every media decision they make.

Katie Couric: In the News Again, And She Isn't Happy

I have been writing about the decline and demise of Katie Couric since she began her gig as anchor of CBS Evening News. Couric, who arrived at the network with much fanfare and a salary that is twice as high as her counterpart at ABC News (Charles Gibson) and three times more than Brian Williams of NBC. She has maintained a solid hold on third place virtually through out her short tenure.

Some are crying "sexism" and I actually projected that would play a role back in September when she started. The average viewer of a nightly news program is 60 years old and predominantly male. Such individuals may not be interested in getting their news from a relatively young lady like Couric. I argued back then that the viewer would be interested in hearing from someone more like them or the one who is like that smart older son.

Furthermore, the same demographic (male and 60) tends to be very conservative and Couric has made a career of showing her liberal preferences. I'll never forget her interview with Senator John Kerry (D-MA) when he ran for President in 2004. She was in awe of his "intelligence" and "charisma." I honestly expected her to jump in his lap! Much of the decline of Dan Rather was due to his obvious political agenda, such an approach wouldn't work with Couric either, regardless of how attractive audiences may find her.

In the end, there is little that can be done to save evening news, not even Williams or Gibson. It will likely always attract this shrinking demographic, because younger Accumulators (people in the prime of the career and taking care of children and parents) are getting their news online. Before long, relative "nobodies" will be doing the TV version and the "rock stars" of the industry will be exclusively on the Internet.