Grumpy Editor

'The Interview’ controversy boosts Sony’s PR efforts

 

Champagne bottle corks must be popping today at Sony Pictures Entertainment’s publicity department after whopping print and broadcast coverage/mentions of its comedy film, “The Interview,” before and after it played to full houses at about 300 small independent theaters over the past few days while online video orders kept Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Sony busy, observes Grumpy Editor.

In addition, the film, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, saw thousands of illegal downloads.  The action followed a widely covered cyber attack, including mention by President Barack Obama at last week’s White House press conference, aimed at the Sony Corp. film unit. 

Not bad for a movie depicting events leading to the fictional assassination of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un that garnered a C rating from Washington Post reviewer Ann Hornaday. 

Hornaday’s review of The Interview took up half a newspaper page.

Beating that, with more than half-page of text and photos was The Wall Street Journal on Friday.  The story, written by three staffers, started on the Marketplace section’s opening page then jumped to an inside page.  The front page included a photo of Cinema Village, New York, which screened the film while the inside page art spotlighted actor Rogen greeting attendees at a Los Angeles screening. 

Variety reported more than 900,000 illegal downloads of The Interview in less than 24 hours. 

Editorial cartoonists also got into the act, focusing on the event.

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE… 

Blue for blue PR.  JetBlue Airways provided free flights to New York for two police officers from each city along its routes for funerals of Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, New York City police officers killed in an ambush attack…Off track.  In Hawaii, White House reporters in President Barack Obama’s motorcade were sidelined for about 45 minutes when their press van’s wobbly tire nearly separated from the vehicle.  Vacationing Obama continued on, leaving the stranded journalists waiting for a replacement…The Los Angeles Times, in another shake-‘em-up lengthy feature aimed at already-shaky readers (from previous periodic earthquake stories) noted a major shaker could imperil Los Angeles’s water supply by destroying key sections of three major aqueducts, “cutting off the water supply for more than 22 million people in Southern California”…CNN’s Don Lemon made Columbia Journalism Review’s worst journalism of 2014 list.  He grabbed that negative honor in connection with missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 when he asked guests if the aircraft could have been swallowed by a black hole, among other fumbles…Last issue of the Long Beach Register, offspring of Freedom Communications’ Orange County Register, was published Sunday, 16 months after its debut to compete with the Long Beach Press-Telegram…The New York Times plans to open a 100-person office in London that will become the newspaper’s digital hub in Europe and international center.

 

Ad agencies and their clients don’t notice this?

Major trend with TV commercials is to use tiny, hard-to-read type, usually white against a bright yellow or orange background.  Among those making viewers squint or reach for their glasses (or binoculars):  ExxonMobil Corp. and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

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Obama debuts ‘Ladies Day’ with White House press corps

 

In an unusual routine, President Barack Obama at his final White House press conference of the year on Friday called only on female members of the press corps --- eight of them --- for questions, leaving their male counterparts waving their hands to no avail, notes Grumpy Editor. 

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the prepared list focused on “women from a variety of news organizations who day-in and day-out do the hard work of covering the president of the United States. As the questioner list started to come together, we realized that we had a unique opportunity to highlight that fact at the president’s closely watched, end-of-the-year news conference.” 

Those called on during the session:

Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico, led it off, followed by ---

Cheryl Bolen, Bloomberg.

Julie Pace, Associated Press.

Lesley Clark, McClatchy.

Roberta Rampton, Reuters.

Colleen M. Nelson, The Wall Street Journal.

Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post.

April Ryan, American Urban Radio. 

Getting to the podium 22 minutes beyond the scheduled start (throwing a curve to broadcast and cable TV networks regular programming) and before the questions, the president spent eight minutes recapping his accomplishments during the year “to make life better for ordinary Americans.”

Keith Koffler, award-winning journalist with 16 years experience covering Washington and noted for reporting, commentary and analysis at his whitehousedossier.com, said Obama was “relaxed, confident, completely dismissive of his opponents and bragging shamelessly about his achievements.” 

While some news outlets trumpeted Obama’s remarks, Koffler commented:

“The president seems unaware that Democrats were destroyed in the last election; that the slaughter in Syria continues; that the economy has stirred to life only after five years of trying under his leadership; that the jobs being created ain’t that great, that incomes aren’t rising, and that more are simply out of the workforce than in 40 years; that the U.S. oil and gas boom occurred despite him, not because of him; that he blew Bush’s achievements in Iraq; that a whole new class of Islamists have been created for us to fight; that Iran is on the cusp of nuclear weapons; that people’s health insurance costs are on the rise and rationing is on the horizon. And on and on.” 

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE…

After a series of storms, following three years of drought, Los Angeles water officials --- noting the vast amount of rain water that surges down the Los Angeles River (which it has for years), emptying into the Pacific Ocean --- feel it would be a good idea to start collecting that runoff…That’s show biz. Fortune magazine’s Dec. 22 issue mentions, “The big question for the 2015 global economy is how dramatic China’s economic slowdown will be.  Our answer? Meryl Streep dramatic.”…San Diego-based Bumble Bee Seafoods, founded in 1899 by a handful of dedicated fishermen and growing to become North America’s largest branded shelf-stable seafood company, is being acquired by Thai Union Frozen Products of  Thailand…Magazine circulation directors remain busy needling subscribers.  Bloomberg Businessweek sends out a “student renewal alert” to “avoid service interruption” at a $40 one-year rate --- double a prior pitch.  Meanwhile, Consumer Reports, which spends a high amount on frequent printing, mailing and postage directed to subscribers, starts its “reminders to subscribers” five to six months before renewal time…Marking the end of a famous car-maker corporate name, Chrysler Group LLC changes its name to FCA US LLC linked to its parent, Fiat of Italy…The New York Times is without an advertising column following the departure of Stuart Elliott who wrote the feature for 23 years...The June 16 issue of People, with Hillary Clinton on the cover, was the magazine’s worst seller this year with 503,890 copies, reports Adweek…Debuting in Coos County, Ore. Jan. 6 will be the weekly Coquille Valley Courant with Shelby Case editor.  Publisher Jeff Precourt says contrary to industry critics, newspapers are far from being a dying medium.

Much to read.  With an eye toward running for president, Jeb Bush says he’s ready to release 250,000 emails from his years as Florida governor.

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Bank grinch makes mark in HSBC season’s greetings

 

A public relations grinch showed up with a season’s greeting --- and more --- posted in the window of a HSBC bank office that shocked some folks, notes Grumpy Editor. 

HSBC is no small-town financial institution.  It's the world’s fourth largest bank 

In the spirit of the season, the message conveyed thanks to London customers “who trusted us in your mortgages this year” then in smaller type warned:  “Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.” 

At the bottom of the message was “Season’s greetings” and HSBC in larger type with its logo.

An editor at London’s The Guardian newspaper spotted the unusual greetings message and tweeted a photo. 

Founded in 1865 to finance trade between Asia and the West, HSBC serves about 52 million customers via around 6,600 offices in 80 countries and territories in North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE... 

In another bank PR blunder, a Florida judge orders Bank of America to pay $1,051,000 to a Tampa couple that received 700 loan collection calls --- sometimes up to five a day --- in four years. The couple’s attorneys sued B of A under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act…Strangely, the CIA was not contacted for input in connection with the Senate Intelligence Committee’s release last week of its whopping 6,000-page report on the agency’s interrogation program (branded “torture report” by media)…No sooner did national media spotlight news that California’s three-year drought produced the worst conditions in 1,200 years (that’s going back to medieval days, or 678 years before Columbus discovered America) when the Golden State is slammed with the biggest storm in years, dumping up to 12 inches of rain --- with another storm on the way today…Latest Pew Research Center survey finds 75 percent of adults say they are “better informed” about national news stemming from daily visits to Web news sites...Forbes, now with Asian ownership and after 97 years based in New York City, this week starts editorial operations from New Jersey…For its “person of the year,” Time magazine didn’t settle on one individual for 2014.  The recognition went to “the ebola fighters”…Shaking up apartment house owners, Los Angeles unveils an earthquake plan that requires vulnerable pre-1980 apartments to retrofit within five years…Seen Family Circle magazine’s staff page lately?  A magnifying glass (or a visit to an ophthalmologist) is required to read names, titles and contacts.

 

UPS AND DOWNS. While last week’s stock market drop is attributed to a slide in oil prices, it wasn’t too far back when higher oil prices was the culprit behind a stock market drop.

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Shhh! China overtakes U.S. as world’s No. 1 economy

 

In what amounts to the top economic story of the year (or decade, or century), U.S. print and broadcast media were silent as the U.S. slipped to No. 2 spot in world economy while China edged ahead as the global leader, notes Grumpy Editor.  

Under the headline, It’s official: America is now No. 2, MarketWatch columnist Brett Arends on Thursday pointed out:  “It just happened --- and almost nobody noticed.”

He’s right.  Most editors, focusing on other attention-getting stories in recent days, overlooked the economic development that puts the U.S. in second place for the first time since 1872.  That’s when the U.S. overtook Great Britain. 

International Monetary Fund figures showed the Chinese economy this year is worth $17.6 trillion, compared to the U.S.’s $17.4 trillion, wrote Arends.  “As recently as 2000, the U.S. produced nearly three times as much as the Chinese,” he added. 

Boosted by rapid industrialization, including manufacturing a wide range of products for U.S. businesses, China’s wealth accelerated in recent years and is expected to extend its lead with the IMF estimating China’s economy will rise to about $26.98 trillion by 2019, 20 percent above the U.S. level. 

Arends, in his MarketWatch piece, noted “China now accounts for 16.5 percent of the global economy when measured in real purchasing-power terms, compared with 16.3 percent for the U.S.”  He added, “This latest economic earthquake follows the development last year when China surpassed the U.S. for the first time in terms of global trade.”

Actually, a red flag was hoisted on this development by Bloomberg News a little over seven months ago with:  “China is poised to overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest economy earlier than expected, possibly as soon as this year, using calculations that take purchasing power into account.”

First with the news, however, was London’s Daily Mail.  It reported the same information and statistics on Oct. 6 under the headline:  “America usurped:  China becomes world’s largest economy --- putting USA in second place for the first time in 142 years.”

 

FYI, IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE…

Hotter or colder?  As representatives from 190 nations attending a United Nations climate conference in Lima, Peru, heard that this year is on track to be the hottest on record, the Washington Post cited, “In 46 years of records, more snow covered the Northern Hemisphere this fall than any other time”…Gannett Co.-owned USA Weekend, distributed to more than 800 newspapers in the U.S., will close with the Dec. 28 issue, resulting in layoffs of about 30 staffers…Question of the week:  Will Harry Reid (D-Nev.), as majority leader, clear the way for the Senate to vote on a House-passed bill extending tax breaks --- including deductions for state and local sales taxes that would benefit taxpayers in the state he represents…President Barack Obama proposed a three-year, $263 million spending package that includes 50,000 body-worn cameras and expanded training for law enforcement…Fast work:  Sixty nine years after the end of World War II, both parties in Congress agreed that Nazis should not receive U.S. government retirement benefits.  The No Social Security for Nazis Act sailed through the House and Senate last week…Anchor Candy Crowley will be departing CNN after 27 years with the cable network…The three words, “I can’t breathe,” the rallying cry for nationwide protesters during the past week, were edited out of a Walmart commercial promoting a family mobile phone plan.  It involved a female’s tight hug around the neck of a man who said he can’t breathe…A CBS Radio News top-of-the hour item on Thursday mentioned cars caught in a flood from a rainstorm “in Southern California,” comparing the large territory to something like a city.  Actually, Southern California is about the size of Wyoming.  The site where seven vehicles were stuck:  near Gilman Hot Springs in Riverside County…Restart the presses: A tractor-trailer carrying 19,000 advanced sections of Sunday’s New York Times overturned Thursday morning on a highway ramp outside Philadelphia.  The destroyed papers were replaced in time for home deliveries.

SOGGY PAPERS AHEAD?  While backing a landmark environmental law that bans plastic bags use by grocery stores by July 1, the Los Angeles Times doesn’t indicate what it will use to protect driveway delivery of its newspapers when there is inclement weather.

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SEC set to push scrutinizing pay of CEOs vs. workers

 

Company pay, and how much the boss gets, looms as a big deal in 2016 when the Securities and Exchange Commission is likely to require most public companies to disclose the pay ratio between chief executives and rank-and-file employees, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The likely federal rule, not getting much media play, looms as another “rich” vs. “poor” action out of Washington.

Backers see the disclosures as a method to prompt management to cut CEO paychecks while raising lower-level workers’ pay. 

The move is something that would be pretty much out of line a few years ago.  Most workers then would say, “Who cares,” while focusing on improving their own job performances in efforts to reach higher salary levels along with new job titles. 

Meanwhile, the SEC and others in Washington don’t seem to be concerned about growing lofty pay collected by most professional basketball, football and baseball players. 

Latest example:  Yasmany Tomas, 24, a baseball outfielder from Cuba, late last week was in the process of settling on $68.5 million in a six-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Major league baseball’s minimum annual salary next year rises to $507,500 from $500,000. 

Keep in mind that for baseball, the “year” (including pre-season training) runs about eight months. 

That makes company CEOs earning $1 million to $5 million over 12 months quite a bargain for overseeing companies with far-flung operations and hundreds, perhaps thousands, on payrolls. 

 

FYI, IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE… 

Heavy shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday and into this week follows consumer sentiment that has climbed to the highest level since July, 2007, finds the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index.  In addition, the National Retail Federation expects a 4.1 percent boost in retail sales in the November-December period…Look for TV news tomorrow to focus on footage of cars splashing through water in the Los Angeles area as the first heavy storm since February is expected to dump one to two inches of rain…Media haven’t emphasized the fact that the looting, vandalizing and torching in the Ferguson, Mo. area last week affected about 60 businesses with a dozen destroyed, ranging from storage facility to hair salon…Despite federal attempts to curb its use, demand for coal to generate electric power has been on the upswing since 2012…Getting limited media mention:  The Pentagon, with White House blessing, continues to release detainees from U.S. detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Five were released late this month, leaving 143 remaining, down from almost 800 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, reveals The Wall Street Journal.  Look for more to be turned loose this month…Nothing to growl about:  The “cowardly lion” costume worn by actor Bert Lahr in the classic 1939 MGM film, The Wizard of Oz, fetched $3.07 million at an auction…Oops!  A Los Angeles Times story reports a crane in Hollywood removes “iconic KTLA radio tower for renovation and relocation,” forgetting that pioneer station KTLA is in TV, not radio…Digital-influenced newspaper title:  With the focus on digital growth, The New York Times in February gives former NPR executive Kinsey Wilson a new title --- editor for innovation and strategy…A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds only eight percent of likely U.S. voters rate Congress’s performance as good or excellent, unchanged from the prior two months.  

Farewell to lady:  University of Delaware’s student newspaper is taking “lady” out of stories that mention Lady Hens, the women’s sports team.  Student editors claim use of “lady” is "inherently sexist," derogatory and redundant since hens are female.

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