Hollywood celebrities will be out in force for Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner -- including USA Today guests Tim Daly (far left) and Richard Belzer (near left), according to U.S. News and World Report. Also scheduled to attend: Jon Bon Jovi and Taye Diggs as guests of ABC; Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as guests of CBS; John Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg, Felicity Huffman, and Mariska Hargitay as guests of NBC; and Sting, Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, and Eva Longoria Parker as guests of Time/People magazines.USA Today bought eight tables at $2,000 each, I've been told. Now, plenty of readers at Gannett's smaller community newspapers will be outraged; $16,000 would pay half a year's salary for a copy editor at The Ithaca Journal in New York, after all. But I think it's money USAT's got to spend if it wants to be a serious player in Washington. Those tables are mini billboards along the nation's political power corridor. I wish that weren't the case. But with a year of blogging under my belt, I've learned the value of marketing in an increasingly crowded space.
The New York Times would disagree. It's boycotting the event for the second year in a row, the U.S. News story says: "Times execs say the dinner is too oriented to currying favor with big shots and gives a bad impression of the media cozying up to administration insiders."
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I would have loved to attend something like this event. But none of the Gannett newspapers encouraged reporters or columnists to mingle with community power brokers in this way. In recent years, if whatever newspaper I was working for bought tables at charity events, the only way a reporter got to go was if someone in marketing cancelled. Or if we bought our own ticket.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't like to get dressed up and go to a party?
Not that I'd ever have the opportunity to go to this, but I agree with the NYT. The sight of those journalists yukkingit up with the people they cover, and in some cases making light of serious issues they cover, turns my stomach. All so you can say you sat at the same table as Sting.
ReplyDeleteWhores.
God are USATs guests lame or what?
ReplyDeleteI actually saw Richard Belzer in the halls of the Rosslyn location on 12th floor (Production) back around '97 or '98. I said something like, "I'm a big fan," trying to think of his name real quick. Belzer was always on the late night talk shows at the time. I wonder who he knew in the Production Department?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the future of journalism has tables. Like HufPo or Politico? This sounds disgustingly old school, and there's nothing quite as depressing to media innovation as old folks like Charlie Gibson.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteCan you help indentify the Gannett GMC members that will be attending the dinner with all these stars?
You realize that it is 16,000 for the tables, but you did not factor in the "pre" and "post" parties hosted by Gannett and USA Today. Those are easily 15,000 each!!!
Oh and did you factor in the expenses we have for getting these "stars" to sit at our tables?!? William Morrison agency is not cheap!!!
This is more than what you suggest! A lot more!!!
Shirley in Texas said...
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to attend something like this event. But none of the Gannett newspapers encouraged reporters or columnists to mingle with community power brokers in this way. In recent years, if whatever newspaper I was working for bought tables at charity events, the only way a reporter got to go was if someone in marketing cancelled. Or if we bought our own ticket.
Who doesn't like to get dressed up and go to a party?
5/08/2009 12:24 AM
Leave writing to the writers and marketing to the marketers. Things seem to work better that way.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you play fast and loose with the facts.
ReplyDelete1. A salary of $16,000 a year is $7.69 an hour, which is barely over minimum wage in New York state.
2. Your own informal survey shows this number to be ridiculously low.
3. There are no copy editors at The Ithaca Journal, which you have noted more than once in biased accounts.
Maybe you should hire one of Gannett's laid-off copy editors to check your copy prior to posting. It would be a better use of your money than a bodyguard.
Right on NYT.
ReplyDeleteYou are downplaying the total costs to GCI. Corporate offers freebie hotel rooms and transportation costs for Hollywood stars invited to this event, which can be really substantial given the standards of living these people demand.
ReplyDeleteIn Washington, these events are known as "dick swinging" events because newspaper corporations fight each other for gets to invite. It used not to be that way, and used not to be so Hollywood dominated. Some of these stars are a little thick to use a charitable word, and are of little use to reporters.
I'd like to know if Tara Connell and-or Kate Marymont attend this event. And if both do, if they sit at the same table.
ReplyDeleteAnd, reporters and editors are pressured by corporate to come up with these "guests." Nothing like groveling before a source for something so juvenile. Sort of makes a mockery of those ethics statements we were required to sign.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should double check YOUR facts, 7:26. Or learn to read all the words in a sentence.
ReplyDeleteJim clearly said $16,000 could be HALF the salary of a copy editor, not the whole salary. So we're talking about someone getting paid $15.38 an hour or so. Not great money, but a far sight better than what you're trying to paint.
Note: An early version of this post said $16,000 would pay a full year's salary; I've corrected that to "half year."
ReplyDeleteThank you for the correction and clarification.
ReplyDelete"But I think it's money USAT's got to spend if it wants to be a serious player in Washington. Those tables are mini billboards along the nation's political power corridor."Are you fucking serious? Good grief. Do the administration and congresspeople press flacks really look at who's got a table at a dinner and think to themselves "Oh, USA Today isn't here. They're not serious about covering the news. I'm dropping them lower on my call-back list."
ReplyDeleteJesus, I fucking hope not.
I've been to this and similar dinners, and I can tell you the money being spent on this one is for the benefit of the top executives, not the reporters and editors. If it was for them, they wouldn't get a tuna sandwich. Publishers and news execs come in from all over the country to go to this so they can go back home and brag about their dinner with the president and movie stars. Most reporters and editors would tell you this is a waste of time and money. The New York Times has the right idea. I wouldn't waste a dime on it -- at least not at a time when I've got hardworking news people, ad people, circulation people, etc., taking furloughs and losing pay and benefits.
ReplyDeleteSee if you can get a list of who is attending from GCI. That should tell the story.
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ReplyDeleteThese table buys are dictated by Susan Page. What would USA Today be without her? And USA Today's financial guy Myron Masloyski is the host of all the tables and not the new publisher Dave Hunke. What message does that send out?
ReplyDeleteAnd this is one more reason why USA Today got the Obama interview and the NYT did not. Wake up all you whiners. This is how the BUSINESS of journalism gets done. And also the BUSINESS of advertising with Brett Wilson which is throwing a big party tonight for the guests.
ReplyDeleteWhat crap is that about the Obama interview. You don't know what you're talking about. That was a bunch of hype that Hillkirk put out there that ended up not being true at all.
ReplyDeleteThere's no link between getting an interview and paying for tables at this outdated shindig. I've been, and outside the long-time industry hacks who show up, the bulk ofthe attendees have as much to do with reporting on the white house as your average house pet. Its a dog and poney show. Pure and simple. The Times was right to bail - and that wasn't for economic reasons. USAT should do the same, given the state of the business and what its done to its rank and file employees. I guess when you're shelling out a $875,000 non-performance bonus to the CEO, this seems like spare change.
ReplyDeleteI really don't care about this. It's boring. I don't give a damn where they spend their promotional money...as long as they spend it.
ReplyDeleteTim Daly for president in '16 -- woof!
ReplyDelete