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Jun
26
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It’s been almost two months since NBC 10 introduced their virtual anchor, Irresistible Ella.
In typical NBC 10 — and, to an even greater extent, NBC10.com — fashion, it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s a news organization, a TV station, with a freaking cartoon character who narrated a news story updated every weekday on the website. Somewhere, someone decided this was a good idea, that this was something that would interest their readers, that this was a benefit for the viewers! Probably more than one person, too. (You might say that someone, somewhere — more than one person, even — decided that hiring me to write this every weekday was a good idea. To that I say: Touché.)
Really, though, what do we expect? It’s a TV news station’s website — we expect the ridiculous and such. Today’s Ella news brief hit new levels, though. There was nothing all that weird about it — except I didn’t already know the story Ella was narrating — but look at the photo up there: She’s outside, in DC, so she has a raincoat on. I’ll repeat it: NBC 10 put their cartoon anchor in a raincoat because the photo she was reporting in front of — in the fictional cartoon world — was outside, at the White House, and it’s raining there.
There’s nothing left to say but: Well played, NBC 10. Well played, indeed.
Irresistible Ella [NBC 10]
Archives: Irresistible Ella
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dmac | 3:44 PM | 2 Comments
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Jun
16
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The following is a memo sent from an ad guy at the Inquirer to an advertising list. It was then forwarded to the entire staffs of the Inquirer and Daily News by a PNI person:
—–Original Message—–
From: [redacted]
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 8:39 AM
To: PNI Weekly Update - All; BSCN
Subject: FW: Attention Pizza Lovers
—–Original Message—–
From: [redacted]
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 8:29 AM
To: Advertising List
Cc: [redacted]
Subject: Attention Pizza Lovers
In this Sunday’s Inquirer, Poppa John’s is running a comic gatefold ad. This ad was taken from a competitor to see if we can improve Poppa John’s response. If the response is strong it will lead to additional incremental business for us. So, if you are planning to eat Pizza this weekend please, please go to one of the Poppa John’s locations listed on the gatefold. You may also want to mention that you saw their ad on the comics.
Thanks for your support.
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dmac | 10:36 AM | 5 Comments
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Jun
13
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• NB to bloggers, journos, etc.: Writing hackeneyed shit like this where you go “Boy, soccer sure is boring… HOOLIGANS!” was probably not funny even when it first started showing up around 1990. If you’re going to bash the World Cup, at least come up with something different. Please. [PhillyBurbs.com Blogs]
• We should have known Pat Gillick would screw up the rotation when he came to town, said we needed pitchers, then traded a starting pitcher away. I’m pretty sure I’ve brought that up before, but it bears repeating. Aspiring model Jason Weitzel weighs in on what could be done to fix the team’s bloated ERA. [Beerleaguer]
• You’re now not allowed to read Tom Ferrick’s blog if you don’t speak English. Get it? GET IT??? [Tom Ferrick's Poliblog]
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dmac | 3:12 PM | 0 Comments
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Jun
9
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That’s not bad, guys. The graphic’s a little crowded, but it’s alright, and it really is a big sports weekend — the NBA finals, the NHL finals, the Fightins, maybe the Hopkins fight if we’re at a bar or something and the freakin’ World Cup! (Oh, and the bike race.) But, c’mon, you’re the tabloid paper, aren’t you supposed to embarass our city or something?
Yeah, something like that. That’d be perfect. C’mon guys, pick it up!
‘Post’ Puts Comics on Front Page [Gawker]
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dmac | 10:35 AM | 1 Comment
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Jun
9
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Last night was the illustrious awards dinner for the Philadelphia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. And just who showed up from our city’s two largest papers? That’s right: Almost no one.
Only one person attended from the Inquirer, which was SPJ chapter treasurer David Sullivan. And only two people were there from the Daily News: one (David Maialetti) left before dinner to go cover a fight and the other was my father.
So, it’s time for a nice game of pick your punchline!
Nobody from the Inquirer showed up at the SPJ awards because…
- … they were all at mass with Brian Tierney.
- … the Down Town Club doesn’t have wireless, so the paper couldn’t start three or four new blogs to cover the event.
- … it didn’t have anything to do with Barbaro.
Nobody from the Daily News showed up at the SPJ awards because…
- … nobody could find the Down Town Club.
- … Will Bunch told everyone not to go because of conservative media bias.
- … it didn’t have anything to do with Barbaro.
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dmac | 9:34 AM | 2 Comments
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Jun
7
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 • Tonight in Center City, a whole bunch o’ restaurants are offering $4 cocktails, $3 wine and $2 booze. And this happens every Wednesday until Aug. 30! Sadly, the Center City District’s plan to drop 400 beach balls at 16th and Market was cancelled due to inclement weather; if you’re in the market for a beach ball, try and contact the CCD and see if they’ll give you one. [Center City District via The 14th Windiest State]
• Three more Knight Ridder papers have been sold, which leaves three to go, according to my calculations. [Akron Beacon Journal]
• In case you haven’t been up on Barbaro news, the president of Penn visited him last week. Give it a few weeks before Bush comes down to see everyone’s favorite horse. [Daily Pennsylvanian]
• The moral of the story: Don’t trust online mail order pharmacies to keep your info private. [Romenesko]
• See, it’s not just good players who take illegal supplements; it’sshitty ex-Phillies, too. [The Clog]
• The Phillies game is starting, like, now. Go Ryan Madson! Pitch like Jason Grimley on HGH! Er, wait, pitch better than that. [Yahoo! Sports]
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dmac | 4:42 PM | 0 Comments
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Jun
7
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Herb Denenberg, the Evening Bulletin’s consumer advocate columnist, weighed in the other day on that subject that cannot shut a pundit up no matter how hard you try: Bias in the media.
Question: Why aren’t more politicians critical of the role the media is playing in the war, giving aid and comfort to America’s enemies?
Answer: Politicians are always reluctant to attack the media. You’ve heard the old saw about not arguing with those who buy printer’s ink by the barrel. However, you can find some people who are willing to tell it like it is. In their book Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror, Lt. General Thomas McInerney USAF (retired) and Major General Paul Vallelly U.S. Army (retired), got it exactly right: “Despite oceans of bad news funneled to us daily by the ill-informed and tendentious mainstream media, the fact is that we are winning the war. To say otherwise is to be hugely and deliberately dishonest. That dishonesty, rife in the liberal media, is having its effect on public opinion and is endangering our war effort, which depends on the determination of the American people to see us through to victory.” The mainstream media (or whatever you call it) is one of the great friends of terrorism and the enemies of the U.S. What’s more, it is absolutely biased, dishonest and fraudulent in its coverage of the war in Iraq.
Oh, boy. I don’t even know where to start. I think I’ll let youse parse this one for yourselves.
From Sushi To Corvettes [The Evening Bulletin]
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dmac | 12:36 PM | 1 Comment
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