Okay, so I've spent the last two days filling out petitions against the CBS and NBC response to renig on their negotiations to air the UCC commercial. I've created my own petitions that will be handed out on Sunday after the service. I'm also one of the organizers for a planned response for NYC's clergy and laypersons- we're gathering names and ideas on whether to have a demonstration or offer a press release. People are calling me, phones are ringing, my email inbox is "running over".
And then, I get an email from the denomination saying this,
1. Please don't over-react to what's happened, the majority of our ads were intended for cable stations; only a small number of ads were going on the major networks anyway.
2. The negative response and the outcry from just about everyone against NBC and CBS have garnered us more publicity than we thought imaginable, so its really been a blessing in disguise.
As of today, over 200 major news houses have printed, emailed, did television coverage, and loads of commentary about our commercial. Each time a news station has reported on the commercial, they've shown the commercial in its entirety. The NY Times did an article on it, practically every news source in England has come out in our favor, and word has spread in NYC like wild fire asking, "Wow, who are the United Church of Christ?! We love what they stand for!"
And so, I am wondering (at 1am in the morning), is a press conference or denomstration really necessary? We've gotten probably 100 times more coverage than we would ever have dreamed; and the commercials were only supposed to air for 3 weeks anyway; now the denomination has decided to continue airing the commercials (if only on the cable stations) well into 2005.
It reminds me of that old addage: "Bad press is still good press- and its free." Needless to say, I am not as angered or frustrated as I was the other day. Me and several of my collegues were still stinging a bit from the election- the action of NBC and CBS seemed to exacerbate the our overall feelings of mistrust and corruption. For those who let me rant while holding your tongue, thank you.
That said though, the petitions are still going out and we'll probably have a press conference of some kind soon enough; I'll let you know when whatever happens, happens.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Unexpected Response
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4 comments:
Hmmmm....a petition....that sounds so...American Family Association-ish.
gasp! you're right! but then, protesting is all about petitions, vigils, press conferences and demonstrations...
still.. i hope this doesn't put me on that slippery slope of pious self-righteousness.. if i start going down that slope, slap me in the head with a two by four, surely that'll slow my decent.
Just when you start to get some attention is not the time to be satisfied and go home. NBC is still not letting the commercial air. The longer it is a news item, the more likely they will allow other groups promoting tolerance get onto the airwaves. Conservatives have made media outlets timid. NBC etc. should understand that caving into social conservatives prejudice is not costless.
-mrkmyr
You are definately right- many of the UCC clergy are meeting tonight (Monday) to plan 3 vigils in December and January to keep alive the reminder that what NBC and CBS are doing is wrong.
So, fret not, we're staying on top of this. It's just most of us are no longer thinking, "After all this work and money, all our plans are for naught." Actually, we all realize how wonderful this has been- were it not for the reaction of the newstations, our commercials would have just aired and been done with. Our denominational studies hoped that with the airing of the commericials, 1 in 3 people would have seen the commercials at least 4 times. Now, with all the commotion, practically everyone has seen the commercials and gotten the message, "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here [in the United Church of Christ]."
I think that's wonderfully cool.
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