The Line

The fact that Clear Channel (and other radio companies using syndication/networks) sometimes use "actors" as callers never came as a surprise or a concern to me when it was revealed years ago.

Creating "skits" for play on the air to increase the entertainment value seems perfectly fair game to me, since it's all about creating an experience for the listener.

As long as you don't promise on the air that "every caller you hear is real."

That's why the KISS 108-Miley Cyrus flap is a different matter for me at least.

Deceiving listeners is beyond just bad PR.

It's bad business.

Listeners Are Glued To Campaign News

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Pew: Public interest in news about the presidential campaign reached a new high last week, though the national news was dominated by coverage of the faltering economy. Fully 57% of the public followed news about the election very closely and another 31% followed developments fairly closely. About a month before Election Day, interest in campaign news is higher now than it has been in previous years in the final days before the election.

If you're wondering how to talk about it without taking sides, how about asking your listeners whether they think the press has been fair to all sides? (Strong majorities of the public say the press has been fair to John McCain, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. But fewer than four-in-ten (38%) say the press has been fair to Sarah Palin.)

If This Isn't A Fun Talk-About, I'll Eat My Ballot

If you’re still undecided about the upcoming election, you may want to stop and think which candidate you’d want on your side in your day-to-day life. According to the September American Pulse of 4,047 respondents (including 3,453 registered voters), registered voters want Sarah Palin to babysit their kids (62.1%), John McCain’s help if they are arrested (34.5%), and Barack Obama on their side in a street fight (36%).

With all the rhetoric surrounding the tight Presidential contest, undecided voters may still hold the key in the race for the White House. Therefore, it’s interesting to note which candidates Americans want by their side on vacation and at home, when asked to choose between the candidates and their running mates. Over 40% of registered voters would choose to go to Vegas with Republican Sarah Palin and have her as their next door neighbor. On a more serious note, however, voters feel Barack Obama will be the most remembered by historians.

Contacts:
BIGresearch - Dianne Kremer - 614.846.0146
SSI - Jason Kannon - 860.674.3861

Imus Fallout For Media Marketers: Janet Jackson Chill Will Turn Icy

Fortunately, the country format is not one where as MediaPost's Wayne Friedman posits

"Most of the media gains success by being edgy -- from FX to cable news shows. Time magazine recently reminded us that for Bill O'Reilly on Fox or Glenn Beck on CNN, "offense is the coin of the cable realm." What would happen if advertisers believed that someone was unfairly targeted, that someone's reputation was hurt?"

.. but his media critique is still worthy of a read and serious thought! Dittos with the comments of Edison Research's Sean Ross:

"Maybe the most disheartening thing about the comments that led to Don Imus' firing yesterday is that for most people who spend any time with Talk radio or edgy high-profile morning shows, those comments weren't the worst thing they'd ever heard on the radio.Imus' comments were inexcusable, but they weren't unusual... If anything positive is to come from the Imus controversy in the long run, it is that PDs, GMs, and owners must instill and reinforce a policy of "first do no harm to the audience" and make very clear that they mean to the whole audience, not just those in the target demo. Air talent will always make mistakes, but an ongoing series of deliberate provocations is different from an unfortunate stray remark. And so much recent content has been more insidious because it so often reflects not even a personality's true beliefs, but a calculated desire for publicity and an inability to get it without choosing to hurt others. If all of that were gone, we would all have a better chance of moving forward together."