alternative hippopotamus

progressive cyberdadaism from our nation’s capital

November 13, 2006

The Old Media

by AltHippo @ 5:25 pm. Filed under propaganda

I’ve been digging through some history of radio and television sites in an effort to paint the picture of the extent to which Old Media owns rights to every conceivable passage to our five senses. As an example, I decided to look at CBS. CBS started out in the radio broadcast and record businesses, but over time expanded to own: tv stations, tv production facilities ( CBS Paramount Television), cable television stations (Showtime), satellite radio (Infinity Broadcasting), CD’s and DVD’s (Columbia Records), and book publishing (Simon & Schuster). They even own a share in what might otherwise be thought of as a contender in the New Media category: the Sundance Channel.

But what I found fascinating was two passages from CBS’s home page on their history. Here’s the first: (CBS)

” 1935. Frank Stanton, a 27-year-old instructor of psychology at Ohio State, receives a telegram urging him to join CBS. He moves to New York and joins CBS as number three in a three-person research department. His early work focuses on audience measurement – program ratings, geographical studies of CBS station coverage and effectiveness studies on radio’s ability to sell goods.”

After seven years in business, CBS chief Paley employs someone who has a background in psychological techniques and their role in advertising. This goes beyond the notion of creating CBS radio to sell CBS phonographic records. They start to see themselves as selling the ability to sell.

Here’s the second passage that caught my attention: (emphasis mine)

“1943. Paley takes a leave of absence from CBS to serve as a colonel in the U.S. Army. Attached to General Eisenhower’s staff in London, Col. Paley heads the Office of Psychological Warfare. Paul Kesten, whose genius for promotion was critical in making CBS competitive, is named Executive Vice President and heads CBS during Paley’s absence.”

The head of CBS ran PsyOps for Eisenhower. That says something to me about the interrelationship of Old Media and the political infrastructure.

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hip·po·pot·a·mus n. A notion, perhaps distinct from conventional wisdom, that needs to be verified by reality-based scrutiny.

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