The Cable Gamer has always kinda liked The Huffington Post's Rachel Sklar.
For two reasons:
First, she edits her section of "Huffpo" with a light touch--allowing plenty of room for wit and humor, in contrast to the politics section, which seems to consist mostly of unemployed Hollywood screenwriters who hate George W. Bush.
Second, she's a brunette, who has resisted the temptation to go blonde, even when the peroxide siren of TV started calling her.
So go, girl!
However, Ms. Sklar does have a few things to learn about The Cable Game. A case in point is this "Eat the Press" item of hers today.
Like all liberals these days, Sklar shills for MSNBC every chance she gets. That's fine, but she needs to know her facts. In her original post, she had fun with the fact that the new Fox Business NETWORK (FBN), not CHANNEL (FBC)--that's fact-correction #1--was advertising on MSNBC.
But what Rachel didn't understand is that such advertising, called a "local avail" occurs when time is bought on local cable systems. It is extremely common in media--all cable media. And in any case, the money for the ad did not go to MSNBC, but rather to the cable operator.
Interestingly, if you scroll through to the end of her post, Sklar acknowledges, sort of, that she got it wrong--in response to a challenge from Fox Business NEWS. So that's fact-correction #2.
Sklar didn't quite admit that she'd made a mistake, but she was, at least, nice enough to thank Fox for the "clarification." More like "correction," Rachel--but we'll let it go.
Just be more careful next time, because The Cable Gamer is always eager to like an honest brunette!
2 comments:
Hi Cable Gamer, and thanks for the props. I have no problem admitting when I've goofed, which is why I happily posted the update. However, the facts remained the same: A FBC (didn't realize it had hit the official stage of term of art, but, noted) channel ran on MSNBC. They had to know that with a local ad buy. So they had to have contemplated it. For their part, MSNBC has to get something out of those local buys - the financial arrangement obviously shakes down across the cablers. So ultimately it still involves finances exchanged between parties, albeit through a middleman. And the ultimate "showdown" element is the same - Fox money still gets to MSNBC, MSNBC eyeballs still get to Fox. As for the ad buy thing, hell yeah I'm happy to learn about it. I'd never presume to waltz in and know everything, and I don't particularly feel dumb for not having been aware of the particulars of ad purchases, just smarter for having been made aware. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong, because it means that the rest of the time I must be right! But oy, please, that photo. Not the ad buy I would make. Thanks!
Hmm... actually Rachel, no Fox money goes to MSNBC in this case, not even indirectly. Cable operators receive this inventory (local avails) to sell in exchange for per-subscriber fees; in other words, cable viewers pay MSNBC's tab, while Fox pays Time Warner Cable for their avail.
MSNBC receives zero additional money whether these avails are sold by TWC or left empty. It's strictly subscriber revenue.
However, as a consolation prize, you can go and muse that Fox is giving money to CNN's parent company to advertise on MSNBC...
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