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doc_strangeToday, I decided not to renew my WBEZ membership. I've been a member for... oh, 14 years, with a couple of gapped years when I moved, forgot, and they didn't find me before I realized I had to re-up. Otherwise, I've been a supporter the whole time. I love the idea of locally-produced material rather than network-junk stuff, and WBEZ has been great at producing good local content.
Today, however, I walked away in disgust. The locally-produced program "Eight Forty-Eight" aired a "story" that was nothing but a commercial press release in disguise. I would have expected this sort of pseudo-ad-placement from a TV news segment about a new drug or whatnot, but not from WBEZ's 848 on a "new ethical hacking school" - which sorts of classes have been around - and around Chicago - for years. This segment was nothing more than a plug for a company doing what's been going on for years. In essence, I was contributing to have an IT security firm get free advertising. Thanks. Here's the letter I wrote:
---------------
Dear Eight Forty-Eight,
Thank you for today encouraging me not to renew my WBEZ membership. I try
not to support the appropriation of nonprofit funds for private
advertising. Today, I heard a six-month-old press release rehashed and
aired as a "story" on Eight Forty-Eight. Ethical hacking courses have been
around since 2000, on a scale and quality comparable to that covered in your
May 3, 2007 story. Moreover, they have been taught in and around Chicago for at
least the last 4 years by a range of companies. It's nothing new. Yet,
you chose to dedicate what in essence was advertising time to a "grand
opening" story that actually dates back to December, 2006; see for example
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1213/p03s03-ussc.html - another press
release about this same company, turned into "news."
Very disappointed. I expect this sort of thing from broadcast network TV,
not WBEZ.
Sincerely,
[me]
Today, however, I walked away in disgust. The locally-produced program "Eight Forty-Eight" aired a "story" that was nothing but a commercial press release in disguise. I would have expected this sort of pseudo-ad-placement from a TV news segment about a new drug or whatnot, but not from WBEZ's 848 on a "new ethical hacking school" - which sorts of classes have been around - and around Chicago - for years. This segment was nothing more than a plug for a company doing what's been going on for years. In essence, I was contributing to have an IT security firm get free advertising. Thanks. Here's the letter I wrote:
---------------
Dear Eight Forty-Eight,
Thank you for today encouraging me not to renew my WBEZ membership. I try
not to support the appropriation of nonprofit funds for private
advertising. Today, I heard a six-month-old press release rehashed and
aired as a "story" on Eight Forty-Eight. Ethical hacking courses have been
around since 2000, on a scale and quality comparable to that covered in your
May 3, 2007 story. Moreover, they have been taught in and around Chicago for at
least the last 4 years by a range of companies. It's nothing new. Yet,
you chose to dedicate what in essence was advertising time to a "grand
opening" story that actually dates back to December, 2006; see for example
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1213/p03s03-ussc.html - another press
release about this same company, turned into "news."
Very disappointed. I expect this sort of thing from broadcast network TV,
not WBEZ.
Sincerely,
[me]
