"If a tree falls and no one hears it, does it still make a sound?" -- Anonymous
Last night celebrities sang songs, told sad stories and answered phone calls during a prime-time telethon to benefit the Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund on NBC.
During what the Associated Press described as a "hastily arranged benefit," the bipartisan effort featured famous faces from both sides of the political aisle. Conservatives like Clint Eastwood, Kelsey Grammar, Rob Lowe, country-music singer Kenny Chesney, and even Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly worked together with liberals such as Brad Pitt, Leo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Elton John.
The telethon featured Live performances that stretched across the globe, from Los Angeles to New York to London. The effort even coerced former Pink Floyd cofounder and frontman Roger Waters to make a rare TV appearance, let alone a Live performance with Eric Clapton.
I watched the telethon sparingly, at best. I'm willing to bet the majority of Americans who watched TV last night did the same. And why? Because FOX simultaneously telecast the National Football League playoff game between the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons.
The NFL traditionally airs its first two rounds of playoff games on both Saturday and Sunday. This was nothing new. FOX was doing what it was scheduled to for the past few years.
What bothers me is how STUPID and IGNORANT the NBC executives were to not wait one more week to hold the telethon.
No NFL games will be on rival networks next Saturday.
No college football games until August.
No other major sporting or television event will compete for time next Saturday.
This would ensure better odds for more viewers. It would allow NBC time to market the event all this week. (Personally, I had no clue it was on until I changed the channel during a commercial break from the game.)
If NBC truly wanted to best its opportunity to raise the most money it can for its cause, it would have waited one more week. I am to believe not a single executive, contributor, or even any of the actors and musicians involved -- knew about the NFL playoff game going on at the same time??? That is ridiculous!
This is exactly why it pays to know something about sports, even if one hates athletics. Professional sports are part of world culture, and knowing more about them DOES equate to being more cultured. And if even one person involved had enough wherewithal, moxy, or maybe just a clue -- the telethon could have done more to raise more money for the natural disaster's victims worldwide.
As did this past presidential election, this also shows how truly out of touch Hollywood is with the rest of real-life America.
A lot of Americans watch prime-time football. That number always increases during the playoffs. NBC apparently rushed the telethon together. The advertising for this was all but nonexistent. To me, all of these combined factors indicate that NBC was more concerned about possibly stealing some ratings from FOX instead of raising money to aid the Red Cross.
Shame on you, NBC. And to ALL of you celebrities involved last night: DUH!
Sure, this telethon was aired worldwide, and much of the world doesn't care about the NFL. But let's be realistic: this telethon was targeted to a US audience. And if you want optimal American attention, you don't rush together something and air it opposite an already-scheduled NFL playoff game.
(Also, don't forget that the Superbowl is still annually the most-watched televised event worldwide.)
Also noteworthy is that NBC hasn't aired NFL games since 1996. This fact adds to their negligence for not keeping up with such a HUGE cultural entity(NFL football) simply because they're no longer a direct part of it.
Under different conditions, I might consider this a matter of "Good intentions, poor planning." But I'm thoroughly convinced this was an example of greed (NBC) and negligence (for NBC and everyone involved).
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