I gave my opinion about this several months ago, but the past few days require another look from all of us in the Shoptalk community. President Obama–after a prime time speech before Congress and a star turn (again) on “60 Minutes”–made the rounds of the Sunday talkers last weekend and made history by appearing on every single one of them!
And then last night, he spent virtually the entire hour on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” He’s out there selling Healthcare Reform and singing the praises of economic stimulus, both priorities for his administration. His supporters tell me this is a smart strategy. By owning the airwaves–including comedy shows from which many Americans get their “news”– the President can control the message and drive public opinion, which will help him on Capitol Hill.
Conversely, his detractors say that Obama Saturation will water down the impact of his messaging–or worse, turn off citizens who may become annoyed at his omnipresence. Last spring, I was in this latter camp but I’m starting to wonder if his supporters have something with regard to managing a splintering media. Please, send me your thoughts and I’ll follow up later this week.
Erik Sorenson is chief executive officer of Vault.com, Inc. He oversees the strategic direction of the global, New York-based media company, including ShopTalk & TVSPY. If you would like to comment on Remote Control, or want to reach Erik, email remotecontrol@tvspy.