Update: Fox told Tribune TV station to yank clip
Cory Bergman January 15th, 2007
I reported with disbelief earlier today that KCPQ’s website, Q13.com, had only briefly posted video of that satellite media tour interview with an intoxicated Paula Abdul. It appeared for a few hours after the interview on the Fox affiliate’s morning show, then mysteriously disappeared. Now a few days later, it’s approaching 2 million views on YouTube, and it’s making the rounds all over the place. So why wouldn’t Q13.com take advantage of a golden opportunity and post the video front and center? I’m hearing that Fox asked KCPQ to pull the clip off Q13.com. This makes much more sense, especially when you consider Fox’s statement out today in support of Abdul:
“Last week, during a satellite press tour there were intermittent technical difficulties, including severe audio issues in which multiple stations were speaking to her at once. Rather than getting angry about these difficulties, or stopping the tour, Paula forged ahead and decided to have fun with the increasingly challenging situation. Unfortunately, because reporters and viewers were unaware of the situation, her humor was misconstrued.”
While there were some initial audio problems, she was clearly intoxicated. Come on, Fox, we’re not stupid. (Full disclosure: I work for KING5.com, a competitor, and I used to oversee Q13.com when I was assistant news director at KCPQ six years ago.)
8 Comments Add your own
1. Eric | January 15th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Just out of curiosity, does KING5.com make their videos embeddable?
2. Cory | January 15th, 2007 at 9:13 am
Coming soon.
3. Sarah | January 15th, 2007 at 10:29 am
This video is now linked on msnbc.com
4. Safran | January 15th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Everyone in public relations knows that you try to get all the information out quickly and credibly to bring a story to an end. By spinning the story in a way people will not find credible, Fox only makes the story go on and on. The longer the “story” is, the more people will want to see the clip. Like the “Spocko” radio situation, often the reaction leads to worse consequences than the incident.
5. Drew | January 15th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
By the way, another Abdul interview from the same day is on WBRC FOX 6’s website - myfoxAL.com - and in it, she drops her microphone in the middle of the interview and proceeds to then put it *right next* to her mouth after that. Fortunately, WBRC aired the interview on tape this morning.
6. Dan | January 15th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
“come on, Fox” you say Cory?
Tribune owns KCPQ.
Why is Tribune taking orders from Fox about
news programming? This is the question
people should be asking.
Who the hell cares about drunk stars.
That’s not the point or is the point who covers it first
or how many people download something on YouTube or how you take advantage of bad behavior.
If Tribune is a shill for Fox then the public in Seattle
needs to know it. They can then make up their own
minds if that matters to them. Personally, I think
it stinks. Maybe I’m just old school.
Dan
7. Nate | January 16th, 2007 at 1:28 am
And what do you know, what’s now on the front page of Q13.com as I type this out? The Paula interview that’s the “talk of the town” under the American Idol heading, along with an extended version of the opening of the interview!
8. invitedmedia | January 16th, 2007 at 6:19 am
man, that cory guy has some pull, eh?
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