Remember how the broadcast networks explained that they would cover only three hours of each of the four-day Democratic and Republican conventions because they are nothing more than infomercials out of which no real news comes?
This is why it's perhaps unfortunate that, just one short week after the close of the Democratic National Convention in Boston, both ABC News and CBS News will devote portions of their Friday newsmagazines to infomercials for products in which the networks have a financial interest.
ABC's "20/20" will interview Victoria Gotti about "Growing Up Gotti," which premiered on A&E.
(Jim Cooper -- AP)
|
| | | | | | | | | | ___ Arts & Living___ News about the television industry, reviews of shows and more can be found on our Television page. See what's on TV today, tomorrow or next week with the TV Grid. | | | | | | |
|
Let's start with ABC News, which tonight on "20/20" will interview "the latest reality star" Victoria Gotti "about her hot new television show, 'Growing Up Gotti.' " Gotti, who also will discuss raising her three sons as a single mom -- they also star in "Growing Up Gotti" -- is the daughter of mobster John Gotti. Her show debuted this week to 3.2 million viewers, which, although not a number that will rewrite history books, is the biggest series debut in cable network A&E's 20-year history.
ABC is one of the owners of A&E.
Now on to CBS News, which tonight on "48 Hours" will speak to Yoanna House, who dreamed as a child of becoming a model. House is worth devoting a segment of "48 Hours" to because she developed a regimen that helped her lose 60 pounds. And if that isn't interesting enough, she then tried out for the UPN reality series "America's Next Top Model" and was one of 12 women chosen from 8,000 applicants to participate.
"Does House have what it takes to be the top model?" CBS News asks in its news release.
CBS is owned by Viacom, which also owns UPN; Leslie Moonves, who oversees CBS, including its news division, also oversees UPN.
To its credit, CBS News noted that UPN is owned by CBS's parent company. CBS has been extremely careful about noting such overlaps of interests ever since "60 Minutes" did an interview with Richard A. Clarke about his book "Against All Enemies" without noting it was published by Viacom's publishing division, Simon & Schuster. Even though "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Don Hewitt dismissed the criticism, saying something snappy like if that's the best his detractors can come up with, he'll take it.
Meanwhile, over at Fox, plans are to run a half-hour infomercial -- the same length as the speech given by former president Bill Clinton at the Democratic convention -- for the 20th Century Fox movie "Alien vs. Predator" on Thursday.
Fox and 20th Century Fox are both owned by News Corp. Hosted by the flick's star, Lance Henriksen, the "special," Fox says, will include "an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the new 20th Century Fox film," which, in one of those happy coincidences, opens the very next day. Better yet, this infomercial will contain commercial breaks. Which means you, the viewers, can experience commercials within a commercial.
Of course, Fox has no dog in the convention-coverage feud between the broadcast networks and political parties because the Fox broadcast network has no news division. And Fox's sister network, cable's Fox News Channel, was all over the convention, knowing full well what a great backdrop the conventions make for its talking heads.
We think Tim Russert has found a surefire way to get more viewers for his weekend CNBC show.
Book Bill O'Reilly as a guest with fill-in-the-blank from the New York Times.
Fox News Channel's chief talking head was invited to "chat" with Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and author of "The Great Unraveling," after one of the "Tim Russert Show" producers learned that O'Reilly had issued a challenge to any New York Times reporter or columnist to engage in a debate with him.
