Worth Watching: KFC Pulls Aussie Spot That Offends Americans
In the latest example of people being offended by ads never intended for them, KFC pulled a spot depicting a white Australian cricket fan distracting enthusiastic black West Indian fans by offering them fried chicken. Australians didn’t seem to mind, but when the ad was posted online, American viewers complained it played on a derogatory stereotype of black Americans, according to an AP report. (AdAge)
Urban Media Mix: 1.13.10
Wyclef Jean Speaks About Deadly Quake in Haiti Musician, producer and activist Wyclef Jean has been a humanitarian working tirelessly to provide assistance to his struggling homeland of Haiti. In 2005, Jean created the Yele Haiti Foundation, a non-political organization that helps empower Haitians through education, nutrition and business development. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has been in turmoil for years due to political struggle, poverty and the devastating effects of hurricanes. (Essence.com)
False Comparisons “Frustrate” Media’s Intended Role “When a political dispute breaks out, should reporters simply ‘report the controversy,’ or instead attempt to referee and resolve it?” Greg Marx asked Monday in the Columbia Journalism Review. “This is one of journalism’s never-ending debates, and it came to the forefront again over the weekend, as news organizations covered the fallout from Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s assertion, in 2008, that voters would embrace Barack Obama in part because he was a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.’ (Richard Prince’s Journalisms)
Torrence Boone
Google Taps Torrence Boone to Head Agency Development Former Enfatico CEO Torrence Boone has joined Google, where he will be managing director-agency development in North America, reporting to Penry Price, VP-global agency and industry development. (AdAge)
Black Journalists Announce Annual Awards Call for Entries The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announces its 2010 Salute to Excellence Awards Call for Entries. Journalists spanning race, ethnicities and platforms compete for awards of excellence in coverage of African and African American themes. The contest is open to all journalists and entries will be judged on content, creativity, innovation and relevance to the black community. Deadline for Award Entries is Feb. 19. (PR Newswire)
Fantasia and Pepa’s New Reality Erin Evans: As an admittedly unashamed fan of reality television, and good television, too, I had to give Fantasia for Real and Let’s Talk About Pep a quick glance. If the age-old adage is true—that curiosity killed the cat—then read on. For entertainment’s sake and for laugh-out-loud satisfaction, these ladies’ realities are definitely ones to watch. (TheRoot)
Don’t Call it a Comeback! Vibe Relaunches in December
Here’s an article I wrote that ran on The Uptowner on Vibe’s relaunch.
Editor in Chief Jermaine Hall discusses Vibe's new website with staff. (Photo by Tim Kiladze)
Vibe, the late, iconic, urban music magazine that chronicled hip-hop culture, will return to newsstands in December. Despite the challenges of reviving it—shrinking advertising dollars, a leaner staff, and an unrelenting recession—new Editor in Chief Jermaine Hall can’t wait for readers to “sink their teeth” into the first quarterly issue.
“I keep asking myself, ‘Should I be this confident about it?’” Hall said, laughing, between meetings at Vibe’s new digs on 125th Street. “But I really feel good about it.”
Hall, named editor in August, has his lips sealed about who’s on the cover. “Man, my publishers would kill me if I told you,” he said. He said that his new staff—more than a dozen, including his own industry contacts, long-standing Vibe editors like Rob Kenner (who’s “never not been on the masthead” ), and “a decent amount of new talent” –are cranking out a print magazine with a broader focus on urban culture and building a comprehensive web site.
Worth Watching: Tyler Perry Fires Back at Spike Lee
Spotted @ Clutch: Is it possible that both Perry and Lee only differ in the manner in which they present similar ideals or is this a case of “progress vs. regress”? To echo Lee’s initial statement, every artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors. But like the saying goes, “with great power, comes great opportunity.” (Read More)
