Buying Your Way Into Airline "Radio News"

"The caller to Joanne Doroshow's office last month described
himself as working for Sky Radio Network, a company that
produces programming for Forbes Radio, one of the audio
channels available to passengers on American Airlines. As the executive director of the Center for Justice and
Democracy, a nonprofit organization that casts itself as a
champion of consumer rights, Ms. Doroshow was asked if she
would be interviewed for a talk show examining the issue of
tort reform. When Ms. Doroshow agreed, she said, the caller
informed her that it would cost her organization $5,900 to
have its point of view heard. When Ms. Doroshow balked, she
said, the caller offered to see if it could be reduced to
$3,500. 'I was furious,' Ms. Doroshow said. 'I thought this was
another way corporations are dominating what people hear,
and are getting only their side presented because they're
willing to pay for it.' "

Comments

They were still doing it in 2005 and it continues today:

I just got the spam email (i.e. unsolicited bulk email) below offering to put my company on the show - for a fee, and grant me 'final editorial control'. As these aren't 'broadcast', there's probably no government oversight of these VNR-like productions. Can these scum fall any lower?

Received: from skyradioandvideo.com (rrcs-64-183-99-142.west.biz.rr.com [64.183.99.142])
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Sun, 13 May 2007 00:29:47 -0700
To: x
From: Patricia Chi
Subject: Radio Interview with
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Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 00:31:49 -0700
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 13 May 2007 07:29:47.0161 (UTC) FILETIME=[7BD0F890:01C79530]

TIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL

Hello:

I am writing on behalf of Sky Radio Network, the nation's
leading in-flight media company, in regards to our upcoming
"America's Innovators and Entrepreneurs" talk radio show on
American Airlines.

This special on-going radio series spotlights compelling
profiles of innovators and entrepreneurs -- from the small
business owner to the large enterprise CEO -- the people that
make up the backbone of business in America and are rarely
heard from. This show will feature stories of hope, ideas and
success stories in ways you've never heard before.

I would like to personally invite you to participate in our radio
program, which airs worldwide on American Airlines for a full
month reaching 4.2 million business and leisure travelers. There
is a small production fee to participate (see participation costs
and details below).

Our guests to date include:

Anthony Ambrose, General Manager, Intel
Craig Ellins, CEO, DigitalFX
Tom Cates, President, Brookeside
Stephan Brant, Managing VP, Hitachi Consulting
Debbie Grodon, President & CEO, Snappy Auctions
Al Knapp, President & CEO, Ethanex Energy
Joy Flora, President, Merry Maids

To hear some of our current and past interviews, click on
www.skyradionet.com

Our production team will produce a dynamic one-on-one
interview. Our writers will script everything in advance with
your final editorial control. Your interview will air in a
continuous loop on 29,000 American Airlines flights during
the entire month of September 2007.

Since we're on deadline, we're offering our last two spots on
our September 2007 edition for only $3,995 (normally $6,995).
Please note we must record your interview by May 30th and
because of our tight deadline, we need a commitment to secure
your spot no later than noon PST on Tuesday, May 15th.

Your participation includes:

1. Production and placement of a three-minute interview/profile
to air worldwide on "The Business and Technology Report" on
29,000 American flights reaching 4.2 million in September 2007.
**American Airlines is the world's largest airline and flies to
more destinations than any other airline.
Media kit: http://www.skyradionet.com/mediakitaa.cfm
FAQ: http://www.skyradionet.com/faq
2. Sky Radio's "America's Innovators and Entrepreneurs" program
listing in American Attractions (350,000 monthly copies).
** American Attractions has the greatest number of readers
and largest circulation of any in-flight publication.
3. Rebroadcast of interview on http://www.skyradionet.com
with link to your site for 1 year.
4. Digital audio file of interview for promotional and marketing
purposes.
5. "As heard on American Airlines" logo for airing of interview
on your website.
6. All turnkey production including scripting, recording, editing,
mastering and delivery.

Please contact me as soon as possible to reserve your spot, as
space is very limited. In the meantime, I encourage you to visit
our website to gain a better understanding of who we are and
the caliber of clients we represent.

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Patricia Chi
Producer
Sky Radio Network
12155 Riverside Drive
Valley Village, CA 91607
818.754.6687 Office
310-594-9609 Mobile
818.301.2099 Fax
pc@skyradioandvideo.com
www.skyradionet.com

Producers of the #1 Talk Shows in the Sky and on the Web

Sky Radio Network is an independent producer contracted
to place business and lifestyles talk radio programming for four
major domestic carriers. If you'd like to call for a reference,
please contact the Executive Producer, Elizabeth Montgomery
at 818-762-6800 ext. 11 or email em@skyradioandvideo.com.
If you want to be take off our invitation list, please reply to this
email stating your intent.

I actually am defending Sky Radio because this is not traditional media and found it to be an effective medium for my company to get my word out to a captive business audience.

I understood it to be an advertorial and don't feel I was deceived in anyway because I understood this to be another marketing tool to help build exposure for my firm.

Sky Radio delivers a high quality editorially driven show and doesn't have the sponsorship of companies' ad dollars like a traditional tv, radio programming. You also have to keep in mind regular tv, radio, print outlets are also subject to their advertisers in terms of content being produced.

The role of advertising was instrumental in the mass adoption of TV’s in the 1940’s and 50’s. It was ad dollars that financed the national network build-out.

At least with this vehicle, I am able to spin the message I'd like to without the constraints of a traditional media outlet that wants to garner higher ratings for their own purposes.

Sky Radio has its place for the business audience.

I'm sure it's true that Sky Radio is "an effective medium for my company to get my word out to a captive business audience." Maybe it would be even more effective if you could strap people down, pry open their eyeballs with toothpicks, and force them to watch propaganda films while dosing them with drugs that make them more receptive to suggestion. Being "effective," however, doesn't make it right.

The fact that you are "able to spin the message I'd like to without the constraints of a traditional media outlet" is precisely why Sky Radio represents a corruption of journalism. Long-standing codes of journalistic ethics make it clear that journalists should avoid conflicts of interest with regard to the subjects they report about, and taking money to do an interview is as glaring a conflict of interest as can be imagined. The fact that news media earn revenues from advertising is not the same thing at all. My local newspaper runs advertisements, but it maintains a separation between advertising and reporting.

This is not news though..it's advertising and their own private network..and not traditional media.. you guys are taking this way out of proportion and don't see it for what it is..this is not national radio or television..it's an inflight entertainment program, nothing more.

It calls itself "news," and some of the people who listen to it therefore expect it to be something other than advertising. CBS and NBC and CNN are all also privately-owned networks. Being a private network doesn't entitle them to pass off advertising as news. As for whether we're taking this way out of proportion, we wrote a one-paragraph item about it and have responded to comments posted by people like yourself. Short of just not mentioning it at all, it would be hard for us to devote LESS attention to it.

American Airlines should be ashamed of themselves jeopardizing all those lives. Where is the money going certainly not into preventative or routine maintenance. This airline needs to be stripped of its red and blue colors and its name. American is no longer suitable for an airline that would jeopardize the lives of its passengers and crews. I think Gerard Arpey needs to help run a rodeo.

______________________
Submited by : Descargar Libros

the spam from these people continues unabated. Now matter how many times we request to be left off their list, they ignore you.

We've had it with them. We're taking copies all of their spam and our requests including the read receipts and we are filing a formal complaint with their ISP.

Anyone who buys from them must be looked at as being less than sharp - maybe downright stupid.

I too received this spam email from Patricia Chi offering to put my company on the show - for a fee, as mentioned in this thread.