Corporate Hush Money is Paid to the American Media
Commenter mp at eschatonblog.com asks: Why are national ads so crappy?
Ads are "beards" for the hush money Corporations pay the Media, in the form of "ad sales".
Kinda like baseball cards in packs of bubblegum. People used to buy the gum with the intention of chewing it and the baseball card was the "prize". Nowadays the baseball card is what you buy and you throw away the gum. Similarly, Corporations used to buy ads with the intention of selling something through those ads. The acquiescence of the Media was just a welcome side-effect (the 'prize'). Nowadays, the acquiescence is what the Corporations buy, ad they'd just throw away the ads, if they could pass it off.
What do you want to bet that BP is continuing to buy "ad time", but the networks have agreed with BP not to air them? This makes sense. But since Media outlets keep that "ad revenue" number under lock and key, only another intrepid, non-bought-off Media outlet will uncover the corruption.
Ads are "beards" for the hush money Corporations pay the Media, in the form of "ad sales".
Kinda like baseball cards in packs of bubblegum. People used to buy the gum with the intention of chewing it and the baseball card was the "prize". Nowadays the baseball card is what you buy and you throw away the gum. Similarly, Corporations used to buy ads with the intention of selling something through those ads. The acquiescence of the Media was just a welcome side-effect (the 'prize'). Nowadays, the acquiescence is what the Corporations buy, ad they'd just throw away the ads, if they could pass it off.
What do you want to bet that BP is continuing to buy "ad time", but the networks have agreed with BP not to air them? This makes sense. But since Media outlets keep that "ad revenue" number under lock and key, only another intrepid, non-bought-off Media outlet will uncover the corruption.
posted by batguano at 10:17 PM
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