NEW AL GORE TV HOPES TO AVOID 'LIBERAL' LABEL

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=38939

Former vice president Al Gore and a group of investors have plans to launch an all-news channel, but it won't be a liberal alternative to Fox News. Instead, it will be aimed at the under-25 crowd.

"Liberal TV is dead on arrival," said an insider advising Mr. Gore and his team. "You just can't do it."

NBC agreement
The Gore-led group of investors is about two weeks away from forming an agreement with Vivendi Universal Entertainment to acquire Canadian-based cable network Newsworld International for about $70 million, said an insider at Universal Television Networks, the Vivendi unit that currently operates the network.

The proposed news network will be positioned as "a professional news operation reaching an aware, younger, hipper audience," the adviser said, characterizing it as a combination of CNN and MTV. "The station will try to reach a younger market."

[Caution]

1. when will these idiots wake up and realize

that the only reason "liberal" is a negative word is because of the conservative media? Most americans don't view it in that light.

[Julien Sorel]

20. When the millions of dollars they spend on polling and

focus groups tells them otherwise.

How easy to sit behind a computer monitor and call everyone out in the world trying to actually make a difference 'idiots' because they refuse to throw millions of dollars down the drain on slogans like 'fuck the corporate media.'

[grasswire]

2. that's what I've been saying..

...it ain't aimed for us, and it ain't going to give us the red meat we crave, and it ain't even going to please us.

HOWEVER.

Al Gore is a futurist. His vision is greater than election 2004. He's laying the groundwork for the kind of infrastructure the right established twenty years ago.

So we shouldn't be carping if we don't get what we think we want with this endeavor.

[cprise]

19. So after it succeeds and Gore leaves

...we are left with another craven CNN-like corporation.

[mistertrickster]

3. This has establishment media's fingerprints all over it . . . they always

think "younger is better"--they always think "liberal" = "low ratings." Yeah, I guess that's why CBS expanded the most liberal show they had "60 Minutes" from one to two hours a week. And hasn't it been running for about--oh--three decades now??!!

[E_Zapata]

7. good point.......

How many 22 year olds OWN their own houses and support a family of 4 or go out and buy their own spanking new $40,000 vehicle?

Yeah, the advertisers are really going to reap huge benefits.

"younger is better" is bullcorn -- sure, you can get them to buy the latest fad clothing and go to the crappy chain restaurants with all their friends, but it is me... a middle-aged professional who is going to put the big bucks into the economy. Well, I would IF the friggin radical right wing government wasn't trying to take me out economically, spiritually and every which way.

[PurityOfEssence]

26. Hold on there a second

How many people a few year on who DO own their home, support a family of 4 and make payments an a statusmobile have much disposable income for many of the consumer items hawked on the evil TV set machine?

There's a reason why the young adult demographic is so sought after: they have more discretionary money and they are more adventurous. This has been proven over and over, that's why big movies are what they are these days.

[mac56]

4. Don't draw your swords yet.

It'll be plenty liberal. They just may not call it that.

[E_Zapata]

8. Plenty liberal?

what the heck does an 18 year old know about anything? They were 'educated' in the American educational system and I shudder to think of what they know about our country and what it stands for. It is up to us liberals who grew up when civil rights grew legs to teach these young people what is possible. And how the heck am I going to lead the next generation if I can't get my own liberal talk show/news program?

[mac56]

9. Well, guess you're right then.

Let's draw our swords and fall on them.

/sarcasm

[Classical_Liberal]

14. What makes you assume that isn't the goal of this new network?

?

[Occulus]

16. Methinks you're not giving

young people the credit they deserve. I personally know several college students who are simply very bright and well-informed.

I also know a few who are complete idiots. But that all goes for adults as well.

[goobergunch]

28. EDIT: I read post 11 and withdraw objection. (n/t)

[Classical_Liberal]

12. Why not, Fox won't own up to the fact that it is conservative

It's motto is "fair and balanced"

[Demobrat]

5. Who cares what they call it.

It's the content that counts.

[qanda]

6. Why is it "dead on arrival"

If it's never been tried before? That is the lamest argument I've ever heard, because it has no basis. Give it a try. There are millions of us out here who want an alternative to what we see on FOX, CNN and MSNBC. We don't need another MTV. Most young kids don't give two flying hoots about real news.

[E_Zapata]

11. Yeah, I can envision the answer to the survey:

What spokesperson, host, or personality do you most want to see?

Carson Daily! He rocks, oh yeah......woo hooooooooooo


--- no offense to any of the incredibly astute and conscious and intelligent younger people on DU. You just have to realize that you are an extreme minority within your generation. And a minority that I absolutely behold and have been inspired beyond belief consistently and routinely. YOU guys rock!

so my answer to the survey would be: that Kleeb dude and a few other youngins' on here!

[jokerman93]

32. Prophesy

Ah-nold is an augery of things to come:
A content free campaign that hopes to create a defacto one-party system based on star power, fantasy and skillfull showmanship.

I see the future of political discourse! A new breed of celebrities come to speak for us.

I see a crop WB Channel/FHM/Maxim superguys, Loreleis and Keeanu/Neo-Anderson type populists coming up to deliver the fun/hip/relevant message to our "young people"!

Talk radio is for hayseeds. We're gonna get ENTERTAINED and TITILATED baby! Anyone watch Tech TV lately? That's the ticket, just make it socio-political.

Politics is about to become airbrushed, sexy and indistinguishable from entertainment.

[dweller]

18. i guess i'll forget hoping

to see Cronkite doing an editorial or political commentary. That'll catch those young'uns and draw them in...
oh well, i'll watch and see-jeez, what am i thinking, i don't have cable!

dp

[Flying_Pig]

10. Liberal, conservative, ....whatever. All I want from my media is the

TRUTH, nothing but the truth, and lots of it. If they can do that, then things will take care of themselves, because as WE all know, liberal is best, and if people can just get the truth, they'll figure that out.

[jbutsz]

13. good

News should not be liberal or conservative or of any other ideology for that matter. A news venue is supposed to report the news, not make it; in other words, the news is not itself liberal or conservative.

By avoiding labels, they will be in a better position to reach more viewers.

Intentionally making/selling it as "liberal" is singing to the choir and that's why they hit the 'waves dead in the water - only left liberals will watch it. They need to attract as many people to the current events as possible, not just people who are already paying attention.

I think gearing it to the 25-and-under crowd is a good idea. The only other channels that address the youth of America directly are MTV and the like, which are jokes because their priorities are selling products and lifestyle first, not deliverying news.

Edit for spelling

[Rose Siding]

15. I heard they HAVE to make it non-biased

for some licensing reasons. Hence 'fair and balanced'. The bent of their coverage will be up to them but they have to claim neutrality.

[GinaMaria]

30. disagree

Look at Britain. Their media clearly identifies itself as either progressive or conservative. They tell you that up front. You then read the article with that in mind. They do not however have an extreme view and tell people it is fair and balanced. It's obvious the guardian is left leaning progressive. People read it with that in mind.

My concern here, is that the fear of the label 'liberal media' will have the same effect it's been having on the news for a while, a serious migration right. It's a way to push things in favor of conservatives. They get more air time because they cry foul when there was no foul to begin with.

Sorry, but no matter how fair and balanced Gore News is, the right will continue to label it as liberal and attempt to push the perspective farther right the whole time crying that it's too liberal. They should do their best to present news and ignore those who would push them to bias.

[jbutsz]

39. i'm not sure

Is Guardian and BBC both non-profit news agencies? I know BBC is but what about Guardian?

Maybe that's what we really need here - a non-profit, with an investigative arm... so that people here can genuinely experience objective, independent (not beholden to anyone), and investigative mainstream news.

[cprise]

55. The Guardian would not exist without the BBC

The former is commercial, yes, but as you can see in the Iraq/Kelly scandal few people got upset about the issue until the BBC said something.

Why that difference in reaction? Because the BBC has the most credibility due to its immense resources and the perception that its reporting priorities are the closest to the public's own. The BBC is funded by TV license holders and so their POV is more populist than most-- It's like one TV, one vote since TVs are so affordable. They are also far more insulated from political influence than, say PBS which receives charity from gov't spending bills and commercial entities.

The BBC's ability to report some really hard news and stare down a government that has gone astray acts as a sounding board for all kinds of journalists in the commercial sector. Generally it's a healthier news environment and there is a certain core committment to true public broadcasting and services that the Leftist papers can unabashedly espouse.

[underpants]

17. These days "liberal" means not far right

So it isn't going to be liberal. Nothing about his past would suggest that he would put on a liberal slant.

[UTUSN]

23. What About the GENERAL ELECTRIC Angle?

The "NBC" part of MSNBC doesn't seem to be working. What will it do to the end product here?

********QUOTE*******
Last week, General Electric Co., parent of NBC, agreed to buy the entertainment properties of Vivendi Universal. GE will own 80% of the new company, while Vivendi retains 20%. Vivendi's TV properties, which include USA Network, Sci Fi and Trio, will combine with NBC's Bravo, Telemundo, MSNBC and CNBC. NBC Universal, will be the fourth-largest media conglomerate, with revenues of approximately $13 billion, when the deal is finalized in early 2004.
*******UNQUOTE********

[bpilgrim]

21. great... just what we need.

more 'mtv' substance :crazy:

peace

[dusty64]

24. Thats what I was thinking.

This is something of a disappointment, I was looking forward to a network that would deliver the news by simply telling the truth. I don't see me bothering much to tune in as I stopped watching mtv many years ago, how many reality and game shows can one person watch.

[ldf]

41. yeah, we can thank mtv

for all this reality tv crap.

(ok, with the exception of boy meets boy! :-) )

[Gloria]

22. My experience yesterday with a lovely 25 year old grad student

finishing her masters in a statistics/psych type of area:

She watches FAUX and thinks it's really news. She thinks O'Reilly is great. Liked FAUX because it was punchy. She didn't know what the words "think tank" meant. She was totally unaware of some of the things I told her about FAUX watchers being "informed", the media in general. She sincerely believed she was well-informed.

If she could tune into a "fun" station and get the truth, that would be an improvement, even if we don't think it is....

[cprise]

25. Draft her *ss for Iraq

Then she'll want 'boring'.

[mitchum]

54. How in the hell did she get to be a graduate student?

That just boggles my mind

[rocktivity]

27. Gore is just being as dumb as a fox (if you'll pardon the expression)

He's cagey enough to know that he "just can't do" liberal TV, especially not now. So he's simply calling it something else! I mean, if you believe liberal TV can't be done, how can you believe that getting the MTV crowd to watch cable TV news ALL DAY can be?


rocknation

[0rganism]

29. Everywhere is the myth of "liberal media", yet "you just can't do it"?

Well, that just used up my USRDA of cognitive dissonance for the day. My cup runneth over. From the article,

"If there is any transparency to Gore, then it will be identified as a partisan operation, which will alienate advertisers," said the sales executive.

Uh huh. Of course, all the allegedly "liberal media" flourishes because those same advertisers are allegedly willing to fall over backwards spending millions advertising in a liberal medium. Whether or not a liberal TV network is DOA, the Goldberg/Coulter premise certainly is. Straight from the horse's mouth, good old Fox Newscorp:

"The problem with being associated as liberal is that they wouldn't be going in a direction that advertisers are really interested in," said Paul Rittenberg, senior VP-advertising and market research, Fox News.

The very idea of "liberal media" is FUCKING DEAD.

[KG]

31. still running from the 'L' word, Al?

anyone here still think of Al as a populist?

[Cheswick2.0]

36. what I think is that Al Gore is way smarter than you

But don't listen to Gore, just take Naders word for it.

They are not going to call themselves liberal any more than fox calls itself conservative.

[enki23]

33. if anything is dead in the water, *that* idea is

nothing al gore ever does, ever, will avoid the "liberal" label. this is completely in spite of the fact that he isn't actually all that liberal.

[Democat]

34. If they aren't as proud to be left as Fox is to be right, quit now

The country doesn't need a wishy washy news source and no one is going to watch a new wimpy biased news channel.

They should either decide to fight as hard from the left as Fox does from the right, or just give up now.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

35. Gore is Wrong!!!!!!

We need a left-leaning version of FAUX DAMN IT!!!!!

[cprise]

64. He's wrong because he only believes in commercial news

.

[durutti]

37. Since When is Al Gore a Liberal?

With his whopping 65 percent ADA rating.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

38. Gore honey FIRE that advisor...and name the channel : "Liberal News"

[Dogmudgeon]

40. If Unnamed Source said it, it must be true

I'll gripe when I can get it on cable.

--bkl

[Cheswick2.0]

60. Yup, those unamed sorces have always been so trustworthy

when it comes to Gore.

[deutsey]

42. Gee. Why doesn't this surprise me?

Thanks, Al, for pulling the rug out from under us yet again. Asshole.

:puke:

[frank frankly]

43. fuck these advisors

get some spine and grow
quit being defensive and call them LIARS

[Lorien]

44. The ONLY way to change the perception

tha being "liberal" is not desirable is to embrace the term without apology. Most Americans ARE liberal, they've just been brainwashed into believing the label a horrible thing by the reich wing media. Fight fire with fire, I say.

[VermontDem2004]

45. It won't be able to shake the label

Al Gore TV will always be known as another channel in the vast liberal media.

[SharonAnn]

46. Al Gore will finally be called a "Liberal" then. Since he's always

been a centrist before.

[samsingh]

47. as long as it is an objective news outlet

that reports the truth, we all win.

[NashVegas]

48. *sigh*

NWI, right now, is the only cable news channel that's not all-shouting, and definitely not dumbed down.

The article doesn't make it perfectly clear whether Gore's group is buying it outright or leasing it from NBC. If it's the latter, that just pretty much cements, IMO, that DirectTV subscribers are losing their best option for news that actually is balanced.

[BigBigBear]

49. I could do it. Here's how I'd start

None of this seasoned, reasoned, we'll-beat'em-with-our-ideas crap. You wanna win? You throw punches.

"Bill O'Reilly wants you to shut up. Of course he does, he doesn't want everyone to know how dishonest he is. What a wimp. 'Stop hurting me, stop hurting me...turn off that mike, get out of my studio....' If he can't stand the heat he should get out of the kitchen. Even Stuart Smally kicks his butt. We know a liar when we hear one.

Hannity could bore the dead. Watch out Sean baby, Hillary's comin' to get ya!!! Someone give this guy a new ex-president to play with.

Let's see? How many bombs did tough-guy Bush drop on Afghanistan prior to 9/11? None. How many convictions did Ashcroft secure for 9/11? None. (They DID get Taliban John though. Whew...)

What was Bush doing in the fighter jet YOUR tax dollars bought, in that ridiculous get-up, when the Texas Air National Guard had BARRED HIM from flying because he was a afraid of a drug test??? No wonder Rushbo is such a Bush supporter...

How many terrorists do you think we could have caught if Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott and Tom Delay and Ken Starr weren't fixated on Bill Clinton's pecker? That was $70 million of sleeper cells laughing at us. Are you happy Scaife? Are you happy helmet-hair? Newt? How many wives did you leave last week?

How many convicted felons in Clinton's administration? None. How many in Bush's? Three. All appointments, too. Bush knows talent when he sees it.

How many indictments in Clinton's administration? 1 (overturned)

How many in Reagan's? 136

Who gets the airport named after him?

Clinton won elections the old fashioned way - by getting more votes. Who remembers that?

It took a Rhodes Scholar and 8 years to fix the mess that Ronald Reagan left us, despite a Congress that investigated every deposit slip and signature the guy laid down for the past twenty years, and it took a rich-kid Connecticut Cowboy, who's never even gotten a job on his own talents in his entire life, six months to screw it all up again. This is a guy who couldn't find oil in Texas, campers. Reminds me of the local brat that blows his allowance in one day and them blames his sister. Truth hurts, don't it????

Welcome to The Bottom Line, campers. Notice served to Hannity and Rush (now we know where you got that name), Mike "Ocscar Meyer Weiner" Savage and Bill NotReally.

This'll leave a mark."

I could do this.

[lostnfound]

56. I like it! You would rock. n/t

[robbedvoter]

65. I'd listen to you and get all my friends to as well.

I'd advertise for you and write sponsors to get behind you.
A show like yours can get voters to the polls (the true antidote to hate radio). Yes, this was trully good! I'm not worthy!

[aquart]

50. So the point of this would be .......?

Mini-news for mini-minds?

There's a niche for this? They've got CNN.

The rest of us still have no major media news source.

[otohara]

51. Well If It Isn't Liberal - I Ain't Listening

n/t

[onehandle]

52. Fox doesn't claim to be conservative...

This channel shouldn't claim to be liberal.

It's a news program. Period.

Fox, of course, are liars. Franken says so.
This new channel will show how much they lie.

[leesa]

53. I would just like honest news. Think it's possible?

At any rate SOME effort has to be made to counter the RW spew from every channel...just straight news sounds great to me. I haven't been able to watch the news for years now. This may be the best thing he can do for progressives. I think running for political office would simply be too much of a draw for the RW vultures. He would be a giant punching bag.

[JCMach1]

57. Young, smart and hip-- it's called marketing people

and that's a very subversive approach to the news.

I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

[FrenchieCat]

58. Anything is better than

NOTHING....which is what we've got now, other than C-Span....and that's even questionnable.

Let's try it and be positive.........you never know, might be the hottest thing since MTV????

[w4rma]

59. IMHO, they should copy FOX News's style and they shouldn't allow it to be

pigeonholed into an age group, either.

Stark differences in bright colors. Big letters and small words. Hard hitting and tough. Fast moving for today's short-attention span population.

Start out subtly and slightly progressive. And build on that foundation.

Never label it a liberal network.

And if anybody tries to give Gore any lip for running the place, tell 'em that Murdoch is a well known and politically active conservative Republican who hired a former chairman of the Republican Party to run FOX News.

[dbt]

61. BigBigBear Nails It In Post #49!

I'd LOVE to run Gore's new net and I would come right out and call it The Liberal Media. I would make every attempt to trademark the phrase or get a service mark status for it.

In the very first place, it would benefit hugely from the name recognition that the Reich Wing has been harping on for the last thirty years. Every time some RushWannaBe opened his hole about "The Liberal Media," a cash register would ring for me. Damned if I wouldn't try to take out ads on their shows: "You've heard (host) talk about the Liberal Media, now watch it for yourselves! Call your local cable company and tell them you want to actually SEE this Liberal Media that everybody's talking about."

And I'd damn sure take the gloves off. I'd get just as pugnacious coming from the Left as Fochs is coming from the Reich. I'd use every raised eyebrow, superior smirk and condescending atittude move that you see used against the Democrats on the Whore Nets against the Repugs. My most frequently-used full screen graphic would be the word "LIES" in yellow letters against a black background.

I'd have me some Star Power, too, just the way CNN and Fochs do it. I can't decide if Molly Ivins or Jim Hightower would be my first hire, but they'd both be in there. I'd see if Uncle Walter thought he could anchor thirty minutes a day in prime time. I'd dangle large dollars in front of Will Pitt and seriously consider putting Carville on with a translator (for when he REALLY gets wound up). I'd want Helen Thomas in charge of White House coverage. I'd want Michael Moore, Joe Conason, Gene Lyons and Bartcop (yes, I would have a delay circuit active at all times).

I wouldn't give shit one if these people were physically attractive or not. I would prefer ugly, as it would help with my product differentiation.

Take a look at the best-seller lists and tell me there's no market for a Liberal Media. As to focus groups, take a listen to your local Clear Channel radio station. There's what you get when you rely on focus groups.

Funny how the "experts" are so sure this won't work without even trying it first.

:argh:
dbt

[robbedvoter]

62. Right you are! Send this man's resume to Gore!

Why can't we have straight talk? Why is liberal a dirty word? We are the majority in this country and we demand a voice!
Hey, genius advisers - have you ever wonder why we are on the intenet INSTEAD of radio, TV?

[cprise]

63. One thing the Bottom Line wouldn't have: Advertisers!

You think they're going to allow themselves and their parent companies to be attacked, and still pay for that show?

Uh, no.

This is absurd. We have let the corporate culture go too far: Any attack on a corporation is now considered an affront to all free enterprise. You can thank DLC Liberalism, which is so corporate we got genetically-engineered food shoved down our throats without any meaningful debate.

Social issues are good, but even they cannot continue to make progress if corporations are considered beyond reproach.

I'll continue to listen to Democracy Now! and BBC World Service.

[robbedvoter]

66. Democracy Now never mentions the word "vote"

They are underwritten for vote supression. Magnificent as they were on war, they are the Dems worst enemies (treated Conason worse than Tweety did).
We would find advertisers - small, local ones at first, than success will bring bigger ones.
This kind of stuff would get a large audience instantaneously.
I want BigBigbear (and others like him!)