Friday, August 14, 2009

PATHETIC! (Lame?) reality show wants to buy the press


Bad for e.tv for allowing this. The closing date is apparently today for press to ''apply'' to go along for a week to Zanzibar where Tropika Island of Treasure 2 (Brought to you by e.tv! Brought to you by Tropika! Brought to you by 1time Holidays!) will be filmed.

It will go out on e.tv at 19:30 between 18 October and 6 December.

In another crass and new low, journalists and media outlets can look forward to ''Tropika also taking representatives from a full range of media''. The lovely 1time Airlines will fly everyone. The lovely Dream of Zanzibar Planhotel is where everyone will stay! Whoo.

I spoke to Shirley Kiezer from Stimulii.

Media and journalists have to ''apply''. You have to say beforehand WHAT you are going to write about. WHO you are going to profile (the contestants are Loyiso Bala, Kelly Khumalo, Roland Schoeman, Trevor Noah, Banca Le Grange, Sizwe Dhlomo, Lira, Shashi Naidoo and Tasha Baxter and Speedy).
You have to say beforehand what COVERAGE you promise and how it will happen, and what the VALUE is of the coverage.

ARE THESE PEOPLE CRAZY????!!!!!

Do know that when you see any story dished up as looking like any kind of editorial content from the island stay for Tropika Island of Treasure 2 (Brought to you by e.tv! Brought to you by Tropika! Brought to you by 1time Holidays!) that is was BROUGHT, that the journalist whose name appears with it has signed away their editorial integrity and independence, has to write about it even thought it might be lame, and has seriously breached their own journalistic ethics and standards.

Also BAD on e.tv, SUPER BAD on Stimulii to even request such a thing and SUPER SUPER BAD on the journalist and TV writers who fall for this.

I've been on MANY junkets both locally and overseas, for M-Net, even the beleaguered SABC, as well as DStv and MultiChoice. This is not standard practice. They don't ask what you can do for them. They don't ask what the VALUE is. They know beforehand that an invite extended is for possible coverage and that the product will speak for itself. Basically Tropika Island of Treasure 2 (Brought to you by e.tv! Brought to you by Tropika! Brought to you by 1time Holidays!) on e.tv now buys journalists, editorial coverage and even the slant of that coverage.

Is Tropika Island of Treasure 2 (Brought to you by e.tv! Brought to you by Tropika! Brought to you by 1time Holidays!) going to be SO BAD that press must be bribed by Tropika and Clover SA for coverage?

Thanks e.tv, I can't wait for this show to start. . .