Date: Wed, 08 May 2002 11:24:57 -0400
From: Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: FW: Industry blowing smoke on digital rights
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

"Strong, Lee" wrote:
>
> >  -----Original Message-----
> > From:         Strong, Lee
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 9:54 AM
> > To:   Keith Lynch (E-mail)
> > Subject: [WSFA]      Industry blowing smoke on digital rights
> >
> >       What Keith said for himself on the question of a hypothetical
> > contract between television viewers and networks applies equally to all
> > other viewers.  The recent statement by Mr. Jamie Kellner, head of Turner
> > Broadcasting, that there is some kind of contract between viewer and
> > network is completely false.  Television and radio networks distribute
> > their media products (programs) free in the hope that viewers will buy the
> > advertisers' goods and services, which will justify the advertisers'
> > purchase of television and radio time.  Since people do behave in this
> > way, this is a reasonable expectation about human behavior.  However,
> > there is not and never has been any contract requiring viewers to watch
> > any particular thing, especially commercials.  The normal human reluctance
> > to watch the same commercial over and over is not "theft" as Mr. Kellner
> > falsely alleges, but simple good taste.

I have this fantasy where I'm talking to a roomfull of high-level media
types, giving them a bunch of information that they really need to know
(and they know that they need it, and they can only get it from me.)
Before making every major point, I run a five-minute multimedia
presentation featuring strobe lights, loud obnoxious music, mini-dramas
featuring total idiots, etc, etc., all devoted to emphasizing what a
Wonderful Person I am.

After the presentation, there'd be a question and answer session, with
the answers carefully preselected to apply to the questions that they
should be asking rather than what they think they want to know.  Of
course, the answers would have more little multimedia presentations
about how smart I am and how dumb they are.

They'd probably like it.

> >       On the other hand, Mr. Kellner, if we have a contract, how come
> > Turner Broadcasting isn't broadcasting 20 hours of high quality science
> > fiction and fantasy every week?

Or, for that matter, baseball games that don't involve the Atlanta
Braves.

--
Steve Smith                                           sgs at aginc.net
Agincourt Computing                            http://www.aginc.net
"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense."