From: scott@asd.com (Scott Barman)
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,alt.activism
Subject: Re: MEDIA: NBC Axes GE Critic
Date: 13 Apr 92 20:20:51 GMT
Organization: American Software Development Corp., W. Babylon, NY

In article <9204080742.AA07780@tba.msi.cornell.edu> harelb@MATH.CORNELL.EDU (Harel Barzilai) writes:
>AUSSIE ACTIVIST "AXED" FROM NBC SHOW 
>
>By Dale Paget, through AAP 

 . . .

>Asked if General Electric had any influence over the content of 
>the Today show Applebaum replied: "Of course not." 

BULLSH*T!

As a former NBC employee, I can tell you that is not a lie but is not
catgorically true either.  Decisions not to "slam" General Eletric comes
from the top of NBC hirarchy.  NBC President Bob Wright (the former head
of GE Plastics) pressures the news division on behalf of Neutron Jack,
who I underdstand gets squeemish when something negative about GE has to
be reported.  Producers, editors, etc. are "informally" instructed to
make "less" of GE-related stories.

I cannot say publicly who was responsible in the following because some
of these people are still there and I will not jeopardize their jobs. 
There was a story about six-to-eight months ago (last summer?  I was
still working there) that put GE in the top news stories on the other
networks.  It was the number 2 story on CBS and the third on ABC.  It
made it as almost a "cursory" appearance in a segment after the first
commercial on Nightly.  According to the writer who wrote the story, the
original was edited and "homogenized" (that person's word) and burried
by someone who could burry it in a later segment.  That person told me
that Katie Couric (who was filling in for Brokaw that evening)
questioned weather it was to be there or in the first segment during the
rehersal/read through.  Someone came over the Ms. Couric and quietly
said something to here.  What is not known (this is when the "newsroom"
was also the studio, but I understand that's been changed now).

GE exerts an awful lot of influence on the content of what NBC airs.

Have you ever wondered why the Kitty Kelly book on Nancy Reagan is not
going to be made into a TV movie?  Because NBC owns the rights to it
(negotiated under Brandon Tartikoff).  NBC later "dropped" the project
saying that they did not think it would sell.  BULLSH*T!  There are a
number of people, including Neutron Jack, who are friends with the
Reagans.  Certain internal wispers (where were later reported in New
York Newsday) said bluntly Neutron Jack nuked this one.  He did not like
it slaming his friend and it was not going to be on his network.

Oh, and incase you don't know who Neutron Jack is, it is referring to
General Electric Chairman and CEO Jack Welch.  Neutron Jack is infamous
(up until recently) for his wholesale blowing away (read: firing) of
management people to get the performance and loyalty he wants.  He would
get rid of the people but leave the buildings stand... like the
advertizments for the neutron bomb.  Thus the name Neutron Jack.

-- 
scott barman			|            LET'S GO METS!
scott@asd.com			|            LET'S GO METS!
				|            LET'S GO METS!
 (I can barely speak for myself, you expect me to speak for my employer??)
Newsgroups: alt.news-media