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And Another One Falls... The 3 November 2003 edition of the Zeitgeist e-Zine The November “sweeps” period began last Friday. Halloween. Appropriate, don’t you think? For the uninitiated, “sweeps” is the term used by the television industry to denote the periods throughout the year when network and station popularity is measured. The resulting ratings (if high) allow networks and stations to jack their advertising rates. This is why your favorite shows get more interesting in November, February and April/May. It’s also when local TV news gets increasingly sensational. It was
during sweeps when Cleveland’s Fox8 decided to “expose”
the CVB of Greater
Cleveland’s “questionable” spending practices.
And this year's November sweeps got off to a rocking start in Denver
on Halloween night as 7News revealed their discovery of an apparent
CVB sponsored event at a strip club. While the Chairman of the Denver Metro CVB Board has said that no tax revenues were utilized at the strip club, he has refused to open Bureau books to 7News to prove it (that always endears you to the media). At the same time, they’ve placed CEO Eugene Dilbeck on paid leave while the Board tries to sort out its next move. Now, there’s plenty of blame to go around here. Previous high profile Bureau media meltdowns have encouraged other metro news organizations to go on Halloween witch hunts in their own towns. So you could point a finger or two at past CVB indiscretions. You could blame the media (but it won’t stick) for their sick twist of facts and copious utilization of innuendo to paint the CVB as playing fast and loose with Joe & Jill Public’s tax money. The Cleveland media’s treatment of this as a case of working class inequity would have been laughable...if it wasn’t so damned effective (“While you were eating Hamburger Helper, the CVB brass were dining on caviar and fois gras!”). Boards that try to cover their tracks by invoking the “we’re a private organization and don’t have to open our books” defense get a finger, too. Sure, you legally don’t have to open your books…but who cares? When the media connects the words “tax dollars” and “open records,” you’re toast in the court of public opinion. The books need to be opened. But, most of the fingers now need to be pointed at the CVB CEOs that somehow think that this kind of scrutiny won’t be visited upon their door. After the debacle in Dallas, how could anybody think that going anywhere near a strip club wasn’t playing with fire? After the collapse in Cleveland, how could anyone not be reviewing their spending practices, top to bottom? And after the misadventure in Memphis, how could anyone think that defiantly withholding financial records from the media would play out to your advantage? As Mr. Rogers would have said, “Can you say Hubris?” And there is no place for this sensationally unattractive trait in our industry. For those that thought it can’t happen to you…the media doesn’t discriminate. All they smell is a story. And their sense of smell is heightened during sweeps. This week’s
assignment: Look at your current program of work. If there is anything
that you wouldn’t want your daughter, mother or the media to know…shame
on you. Now fix it.
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