| 
If you were anywhere in the world near a radio, TV or computer last week, then you might have thought it impossible to avoid the media spectacle surrounding Michael Jackson’s death. From nonstop coverage on all news nets to a tribute at the BET Awards three days after his passing, to documentaries on networks including E! and Vh1 and talk shows dedicated to the subject of his storied life, it culminated with the televised memorial last Tuesday and still lives on in the memorial post-mortem thanks to politicians and pundits everywhere. Nielsen reported that 31.1 million US viewers watched coverage of the memorial service, and 18 broadcast and cable networks delivered a combined household rating of 20.6. Compare that to Ronald Reagan’s funeral in 2004 which brought in 35 million viewers.
Not long after the memorial did we see a backlash against the media for disgracing itself by spending too much time on Jackson. Peter T. King, a Republican representative from Long Island, went pretty public with his condemnation of Jackson as a “lowlife” and “child molester” who does not deserve the public adulation he has received since his death and criticized public figures who labeled him a hero. I get the sense that there’s this feeling of embarrassment when we as a society are given the chance to look back at our own actions – all of the attention paid to this topic, including the $5 million the city of Los Angeles shelled out for the media frenzy that was the memorial – and realize that we’ve put aside perhaps more pressing issues like war and politics to focus on the passing of a musician mired in sexual scandal.
But Nielsen’s online analysis suggests something else: they cited the Jackson memorial as the third most-discussed topic ever at 3% of all online conversations. Like it or not, people, we do care. While we may want to believe we as a high-brow society are focused on the most pressing issues out in the world, as ratings for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here have proven, it’s just not always the case. It reminds me of how people sometimes react when I tell them I work in television: they ask me why there isn’t anything good on TV, as though I am directly responsible for why Heroes has gone downhill or why The Bachelor sometimes takes up four prime time hours a week on NBC. You might not be too happy with me if I went into your living room and switched it to History Channel.
There was a lot more to Michael Jackson than #1 albums and court hearings; Thriller was the first tape I ever got my mom to buy for me. I had two long-lost childhood friends call me on Friday June 26th, the day after Michael passed, to see how I’ve been doing for the last 15 or so years. Apparently I was the first person they thought of when the news hit because they remembered my relentless reenactment of the Thriller dance. Artists have a way of touching our lives when their work helps bring back memories of days past and special moments with loved ones. A good friend of mine made an eloquent statement to this effect on an Asian entertainment blog: “… the stuff of great artists… becomes a part of our lives, and whether you’re talking about the first time you saw the “Thriller” video or the first time you tried to moonwalk, you’re not really talking about Michael Jackson. You’re talking about yourself. The art is just a marker, allowing each of us to find our way back to some earlier, happier, more carefree version of ourselves.” This is the lasting impression I want the last two weeks of TV shows, magazine articles and other tributes to have on my memory and not the negative backlash against media’s function in society. It’s an old, tired phrase but will always ring true: if you don’t like it, change the channel. I guarantee you that PBS is one network that did not cover the memorial.
Also: Multichannel ran a very detailed piece on the Jackson coverage on TV. Check it out here.
Read past entries by Sabrina Toledo
|
Indian Handicrafts » My Thoughts on the Media’s Coverage Jackson’s Death said,
July 13, 2009 @ 10:02 am
[...] more: My Thoughts on the Media’s Coverage Jackson’s Death Author: admin Categories: Art Work, Artist Tags: big-art, deinos, group, image-at-top, lives, [...]
Michael Jackson Funeral Online | All Days Long said,
July 13, 2009 @ 10:25 am
[...] My Thoughts on the Media's Coverage Jackson's Death | CU Confidential By Sabrina Toledo If you were anywhere in the world near a radio, TV or computer last week, then you might have thought it impossible to avoid the media spectacle surrounding Michael Jackson's death. … But Nielsen's online analysis suggests something else: they cited the Jackson memorial as the third most-discussed topic ever at 3% of all online conversations. Like it or not, people, we do care. While we may want to believe we as a high-brow society are focused on the most pressing … CU Confidential – http://www.cableu.tv/cuconfidential/ [...]
My Thoughts on the Media’s Coverage Jackson’s Death | Michael Jackson Died | RIP MJ 1958-2009 said,
July 13, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
[...] here to read the rest: My Thoughts on the Media’s Coverage Jackson’s Death Tags: jackson, media, michael-jacksonPosted in Michael Jackson Tributes | No Comments [...]
Victoria Chapman said,
July 14, 2009 @ 1:03 pm
Excellent post. Someone recently noted that how a person goes down in history is largely determined by who’s the historian. Clearly, his contribution as an artist is unquestionable. But from a personal perspective, I grew up with Michael as a part of the Jackson 5 – and had posters on the walls and my friends and I rehearsed numbers to their music many a summer afternoon. For those of us, who remember that young bright boy with the voice of an angel in the 70s or the pop star who revolutionized music videos and dance moves in the 80s — Michael and his music represents a significant part of our coming of age. For those who recall him mostly as the erratic and odd figure of the 90s or the accused pedophile of the last decade, he represents something quite different. Even those of us who recall him from the earlier time periods were largely distressed by the events of the latter time frames.
I was surprised by the immensity of the coverage! Even as a former fan. But I think that speaks, in part, to the generation running the media now … people who came of age in the 70s and 80s. Good, bad or indifferent — MJ’s impact and contribution was strong, longlasting and undeniable. And that was reflected by the coverage … and validating viewership.
As for L.A. and the costs — that was reactionary. It was forseeable and thus they had no choice. Fans were going to converge no matter what — it was a matter of contain or allow chaos. If they had declined to prepare — the liability could have been disasterous.
[Reply]
Sabrina Toledo said,
July 15, 2009 @ 11:09 am
Thanks a lot for your comments, Victoria. I agree that LA’s reaction was necessary given the sheer number of people converging on the city. For me it’s been interesting to hear the opinions of friends who live in LA on how the cost compares to the expenditures they feel the city should be making on social services such as education. That said, spending on education should be anything but reactionary.
[Reply]
Victoria Chapman Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Sabrina you are right re: education spending. As a former LA resident.. and having known educators in the system … issues concerning L.A. Unified (the school district) are looong standing. But it’s not surprising that reacting to an onslaught of people (a form of panic and self-preservation) is a lot easier for city officials to agree upon than to sit and actually map out a way to manage and revitalize a long ailing school system. It’s sad … but not uncommon.
[Reply]
Reess Kennedy said,
July 15, 2009 @ 2:48 pm
I think that quote from your friend is pretty great.
[Reply]