Archive for June 26th, 2009

ABC’s loses on a sure bet … “The Philanthropist” and repeats outdraw the Obama healthcare infomercial (ouch!).

June 26, 2009

Ken’s Take: The mainstream media seems to be ignoring it, but virtually nobody watched the Obama healthcare  infomercial on ABC.  Hmmm.

Couple of observations:

(1) Maybe, just maybe, Obama yak-yak fatigue is finally setting in

(2) So, ABC took a hit to it’s journalistic reputation without even getting a swell of viewers,  That should teach the compliant networks a lesson.

(3) Imagine the ratings if Michael Jackson (may he RIP) had died a day earlier than he did

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From  The Live feed, “ABC’s White House special struggled for viewers”, June 25, 2009

President Obama’s town hall meeting on health care delivered a sickly rating Wednesday evening.

The one-hour ABC News special “Primetime: Questions for the President: Prescription for America” (4.7 million viewers, 1.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) had the fewest viewers in the 10 p.m. hour (against NBC’s “The Philanthropist” debut and a repeat of “CSI: NY” on CBS). The special tied some 8 p.m. comedy repeats as the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network.

The special was shot at the White House and featured the president answering questions about his health care plan. The president’s primary message was that those who like their current insurance will be able to keep it and that taking no action will result in higher health care costs.

The special drew fire from Republican leadership after refusing to allow an official opposition response, or even a paid ad. ABC also interviewed Obama on “Good Morning America” to help promote the special.

ABC points out that “Questions for the President” continued after the local news during late night on “Nightline” (4.3 million) and helped boost the news program to pull more viewers than CBS’ “Late Show” and NBC’s “Tonight Show.”

Source:
http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/06/abcs-white-house-special-struggled-for-viewers.html

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Posted in Health Care / Medical Insurance, Obama Administration | Leave a Comment »

ABC’s loses on a sure bet … “The Philanthropist” and repeats outdraw the Obama healthcare infomercial (ouch!).

June 26, 2009

Ken’s Take: The mainstream media seems to be ignoring it, but virtually nobody watched the Obama healthcare  infomercial on ABC.  Hmmm.

Couple of observations:

(1) Maybe, just maybe, Obama yak-yak fatigue is finally setting in

(2) So, ABC took a hit to it’s journalistic reputation without even getting a swell of viewers,  That should teach the compliant networks a lesson.

(3) Imagine the ratings if Michael Jackson (may he RIP) had died a day earlier than he did

* * * *

From  The Live feed, “ABC’s White House special struggled for viewers”, June 25, 2009

President Obama’s town hall meeting on health care delivered a sickly rating Wednesday evening.

The one-hour ABC News special “Primetime: Questions for the President: Prescription for America” (4.7 million viewers, 1.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) had the fewest viewers in the 10 p.m. hour (against NBC’s “The Philanthropist” debut and a repeat of “CSI: NY” on CBS). The special tied some 8 p.m. comedy repeats as the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network.

The special was shot at the White House and featured the president answering questions about his health care plan. The president’s primary message was that those who like their current insurance will be able to keep it and that taking no action will result in higher health care costs.

The special drew fire from Republican leadership after refusing to allow an official opposition response, or even a paid ad. ABC also interviewed Obama on “Good Morning America” to help promote the special.

ABC points out that “Questions for the President” continued after the local news during late night on “Nightline” (4.3 million) and helped boost the news program to pull more viewers than CBS’ “Late Show” and NBC’s “Tonight Show.”

Source:
http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/06/abcs-white-house-special-struggled-for-viewers.html

* * * * *

Posted in Health Care / Medical Insurance, Obama Administration | Leave a Comment »

The eco-question: paper or plastic ? … not so fast!

June 26, 2009

TakeAway: Studies suggest that much maligned plastic bags aren’t so bad for the environment after all … as long as they get recycled.

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Excerpted from WSJ, “ Paper or Plastic? A New Look at the Bag Scourge”, June 12, 2009

When plastic grocery bags were introduced some 30 years ago, they were touted as light, long-lasting and cheap. They caught on so well that hundreds of billions are dispensed each year, creating a modern menace that often winds up nestled in trees, stuck in sewers and drifting in oceans.

Faced with the growing blight, countries from Ireland to China and cities from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., have moved to ban or tax their use. A United Nations official called for outlawing them world-wide.

There is growing evidence that the production, use and disposal of plastic bags put less burden on natural resources than paper bags. Meanwhile, a knock against plastic bags — that they can’t be conveniently recycled — is becoming less persuasive as more cities start accepting plastic bags in curbside recycling programs.

Most American consumers .. go through five or 10 plastic bags each week.  More than 90% of Americans reuse their bags at least once … for lining wastebasket,  carrying lunches, or from or cleaning up after a dog.

Various studies have examined whether paper or plastic grocery bags are environmentally friendlier. Plastic bags consume less energy and water and produce less pollution, including greenhouse-gas emissions. But, plastic bags  are rarely recycled. But plastic bags are recycled at less than one-third the rate of paper bags.

Plastic bags are difficult to recycle for the same reasons they are convenient to use. They are so light they fly out of curbside recycling bins, which often lack lids. If they make it to a recycling plant, the bags tend to wrap themselves around machinery, gumming it up. So, most curbside recycling programs don’t accept them.

U.S. cities that accept the bags in their recycling bins typically ask residents to stuff a lot of bags inside one bag, sausage-like, to make the bags easier for recycling workers to handle. It’s what industry insiders call a “bag of bags.”

Virtually all studies say the environmentally friendliest option is to choose a reusable grocery bag, and to reuse it at least 4 times, regardless of what that bag is made of.

Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124473522987806581.html?mod=djemalert

Posted in Environment - Green | Leave a Comment »