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Monday, January 28, 2013

Publishing a Newspaper Is Now Freakish Enough to Merit Its Own Reality TV Show

Posted by on Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 11:33 AM

One day, some future generation will look back on this event, scratch their cranial shafts with their anterior data-collecting tendrils, and wonder aloud, "What's a 'newspaper?'"

Who knew that ink-stained newsmen and newswomen would be so eager to break into show business?

In the 10 days after NBC put out a casting call for small-town newspapers to participate in a reality television show, the network received more than 150 responses from newspapers across the nation. NBC executives say they’ve been inundated with all types of pitches, from newspaper editors talking about how they are struggling to survive to newspaper staffs eager to show off their talents, sometimes well beyond their coverage of school meetings.

The Pilot, based in Southern Pines, N.C., sent a video of its staff performing a “Call Me Maybe” parody, later updated to feature “Gangnam Style” moves.

Newspapers have been forced to dance Gangnam Style while lip-synching to "Call Me Maybe" in order to survive. This is the end of an era. In other terrible news for the media, it looks like Time Inc. will make a major round of layoffs this week.

 

Comments (4) RSS

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Will in Seattle 1
Actually, I seem to recall people in the typesetting and printing press rooms dancing to music quite frequently.

It's just televised now.
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on January 28, 2013 at 12:09 PM
stinkbug 2
Did you already post Portlandia's LinxPDX bit? I thought it might show up here.
Posted by stinkbug on January 28, 2013 at 12:11 PM
Posted by sjbrot http://jamesbrotheridge.tumblr.com on January 28, 2013 at 12:32 PM
4
Anyone who gives in to the "reality TV" craze and is willing to stage their daily work for the cameras deserves to fail much faster than the rest.
Posted by fuck infotainment on January 28, 2013 at 7:44 PM

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