New Media vs Old Media vs Old Ideas

by krshorewood

Charlie Sykes so desperately wants you to think that Al Gore's Live Earth extravaganza this weekend was a washout in one of his usual drive-by blog hits.

If you go by television ratings that would be the case. Turns out MSN, which hosted the event on line, was a lot less bummed.

SUPERLATIVES ABOUNDED AS MSN RELEASED updated audience figures for Saturday's Live Earth coverage, which it dubbed the "most watched entertainment event in online history."
"July 7, 2007 was the greatest day in the history of MSN," declared Joanne Bradford, corporate vice president and chief media officer, MSN. That jibed with Live Earth Partner and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's separate statement that "Live Earth is officially the largest global entertainment event in history."

More than 30 million Live Earth videos have been streamed so far by 8 million people, "a milestone in online history," according to Bradford. The figure includes 15 million streams during the live coverage, and at its peak "the most simultaneous viewers of an online entertainment event"--more than 237,000 people during Madonna's closing performance in the U.K. Other popular performers with the online audience included Kelly Clarkson, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rihanna and Shakira.

The Live Earth organizers also said that millions of pledges to improve the environment were made via the Web and SMS in 178 countries and 35 territories.

Yet another example of what we have known all along about Charlie. Think hard about any new ideas his Chuckness has brought to the table in his over ten years on the air in Milwaukee.

His career has always been about obstruction, not construction.