**Voices of Hope Productions |THE EYE| JUNE 2024 :: POP CULTURE AND ISSUE ADVERTISING**

"The first step is to understand that TV is just a delivery system for ads. The only programming that really matters to those in power is the commercials. The success of a show is not measured by how good it is, or who says they loved it, or even how many people watch. A show is a success if the people who watched it go and buy the products that were advertised during the commercials. It is all about what is being sold and (just as important) who is doing the buying. It might not seem fair, but viewers need to understand that the most-watched shows aren't always considered the most financially successful." Dean Batali, lead writer for That '70s Show and former writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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>>>>'AMERICAN IDOL'—TELEVISION'S BEHEMOTH DARLING

Ryan Seacrest boasted in the last moments of the 'American Idol' finale that 63.4 million votes came in over the telephone lines. He went on to say that there were more votes than any American president in history had received. Besides being a scary state of affairs for a country where more people vote for a TV show than a president, he neglected to say that Americans have to be 18 years old, registered, and can only cast their ballot once per presidential election. 'Idol' voting is open to anyone who can push phone buttons, but more importantly, they can also vote multiple times for their 'Idol' choice. Is anyone paying attention to those small details?

Where else can you watch young wannabees sing on the same stage as Mary J. Blige, Prince, Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow? The last time we might have seen this was for a Muscular Dystrophy pledge-a-thon broadcast. Before 'Idol' how many teens do you know who would belt out a collection of Burt Bacharach songs? But, music is one of those mediums that transcends age and time. 'American Idol' has captured the ears and eyes of 6 to 90 year olds and everyone in between. It's not very often that you see one show bring the entire family together. 'American Idol' contestant Paris Bennett, "There's more than one personality that kids love, that adults might be in love with, that grandparents might be in love with."

You can't argue —'Idol' is a brilliant formula. It's the darling of its audience. It's the darling of its advertisers. Its the darling of the FOX channel. It's the darling of the telecommunications industry and it's a darling in other countries too. "'American Idol' has essentially made that network, bringing it to parity with the three big networks," said Robert Thompson, professor of TV and pop culture at Syracuse University. "So many people are getting fat on this show." Cingular, which collects 10 cents for every text-message vote reported a 9 percent revenue increase for the first quarter of 2024 that it attributed to 'Idol.'

When is a good thing too much, though? Will 'Idol' get diluted by other reality shows that emulate the formula? If the show can keep an American family together for two nights and get them to spend money on the products advertised, the show is certain to go down in entertainment history as a pop culture behemoth.
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Housed within the walls of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium is a collage of hundreds of science, art, and human perception exhibits. The Exploratorium is a leader in the movement to promote museums as informal education centers. This unique museum was founded in 1969 by noted physicist and educator Dr. Frank Oppenheimer.

Music: Central Park SummerStage, a program of City Parks Foundation, presents performances of outstanding artistic quality, free of charge, to serve the diverse communities of New York City. The artists represent a breadth of genres and cultures and perform in an outdoor setting accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. SummerStage strives to develop audiences' deepening appreciation for contemporary, traditional, and emerging artists as well as the communities in which these artists originate.

Net Neutrality allows everyone to compete on a level playing field and is the reason that the Internet is a force for economic innovation, civic participation and free speech. Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet's First Amendment -- a principle called Network Neutrality that prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you -- based on what site pays them the most. If the public doesn't speak up now, our elected officials will cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign. 10 out of 12 of our New Jersey Representatives voted in favor of the COPE Telecom bill. Only Congressmen Holt and Payne voted against the final bill. Andrews, LoBiondo, Saxton, Smith, Garrett, Pallone, Ferguson, Pascrell, Rothman and Frelinghuysen all voted for it.

>>>> ISSUE ADVERTISING SPENDING AND OUTCOME
(Annenberg Public Policy Center, 108th Congressional Report)
Issue ads differ from candidate ads in that they promote policy issues, opinions about public policy and seek to mobilize constituents, policy makers, or regulators in support of or in opposition to current or proposed public policies. Along with raising issues, those advocating the importance of issue advertising in the political system tend to point to issue ads as playing an important role in framing problems, issues, and solutions.

Over $404 million was spent on broadcast and print issue advocacy during the 108th Congress (2004-2005), with business interests outspending citizen-based advocacy groups by more than five to one, according to a report by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Citizen/cause groups purchased $58.2 million in issue advertisements representing 14% of the total. There was vastly uneven advertising spending on important public policy issues. All told, 94% of the specific issues examined were subject to unbalanced persuasive efforts. Of the 52 specific issues identified, half had all of the spending advocating a single side of the debate with zero spending on competing points of view. Only 26 issues (50%) faced any opposition spending whatsoever, and for the great majority of these the spending was vastly disparate; only three (6%) issues had competitive spending.

When advocates of issue advertising are asked why they choose to advertise, they usually say: to encourage supporters, set agendas, define frames, keep organizations in mind, generate free media, and balance a biased press. They usually don’t mention persuading members on specific issues or passing specific pieces of legislation.

At the top of the list of goals for many issue advertisers is setting an agenda and raising an issue. This is a critical component of the legislative process that has to happen before there is a bill to lobby for or against. According to John Kane, senior vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, issue advertising is effective at raising issues in Congress. “If you think about the wide range of issues that Congress has to consider and the wide range of interest groups across the country . . . trying to get your issue up on the table and highlighted is a very important part of the whole fight . . . It’s really not an effort to change someone’s mind, it’s an effort to really spotlight the issue.”

Media consultant Dan Weiss echoed this idea, “with all the issues that congresspeople, staff, and the media have to deal with, by running a clever or attractive ad, you can get people’s attention in a way that you might not be able to otherwise." Read More
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