[opendtv] Another Dynamic Media Moment
- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 19:24:22 -0700
We had an example (like the announcement of the capture of Saddam Hussein)
of why program information (textual, etc) needs to be dynamic today.
For more than a year, there has been several scandals swirling around the
Governor of the State of New Jersey (slightly larger by area than the county
of San Diego). For instance, he hired, after a visit to Israel, a Israeli
to head the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security, even though the guy
wasn't eligible, but the Gov tried to push it through, anyway.
Around 3 p.m. New Jersey time, WNBC-TV reporter Brian Thompson broke the
story: Governor McGreevey was going to resign. There were even rumors that
he was resigning because of an extra-marital affair.
Around 4 p.m. New Jersey time, McGreevey had his press conference. Okay, I
confess, I was monitoring the CourtTV coverage of the Scott Peterson murder
trial. They cut into the press conference, and I looked over, but paid it
only minimal mind, since I was online at the moment.
His wife was standing next to him, and he mentioned his wife and family, and
motioned in the direction of an older woman -- perhaps his mother --
standing on the other side of his wife.
Then, it hit me. "Did he just say that he was proud to be a gay American?"
So, I put the press conference more into my "foreground." The California
Supreme Court had ruled today that the mayor of San Francisco did not have
the jurisdiction to wed gay couples, and I just must have heard that comment
wrong.
He talked for a few more seconds, then admitted that he had had a "adult
consensual extramarital affair" with a man, and that he was resigning from
office, effective November 15.
History was made. Not only was this the second governor in the Northeast to
resign from office in the last two months, but this is the first time that I
can recall someone resigning because of the outgrowth of a homosexual
affair.
There were all sort of unique moments. The pained look/smile on his wife's
face, the startled aides behind him.
The whole press address lasted no longer than three minutes. However, it's
too long to be repeated on TV -- outside of perhaps C-SPAN -- and people who
weren't watching it live missed something that will be remembered for a long
time.
However, since people with DVR's had -- at this moment -- no way to be
informed of dynamic changes or pre-emotions in television programming,
unless their machine was already recording one of the news channels that
offered the address, they'll never get to see it.
As with so many breaking news events, there was little or no advance
knowledge. Just rumors, and what was billed as a routine press conference,
not the thing that stations cover live.
John Willkie
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