> (grin) I leave the radio on 2CH (geriatric radio) and the lady
> with the magnetic underlay even goes so far to explain how it
> works (iron isn the blood is magnetic). She also states that
> taking anti-inflammatoriy drugs is bad for your health.

JT> As far as I'm aware, they're not even sure of the _exact_
JT> mechanism of how it works.

 That's because it doesn't work at all! In a double-blind test with a
sugar-pill, the sugar-pill usually gives a 10% improvement in symptom
reduction... even with cancer. The psycho-effect has to be factored
in.

> I'm tempted to write the the AMA as if I believe it, and abuse
> that lesbian doctor for not warning the public that magnets works
> so well while doctors are poisoning the public (Iheard it on
> 2CH). I suspect that might get a result, and get rid of a very
> annoying commercial... 

JT> Fat bloody chance. I remember a while back 2MMM had an ad that
JT> went "If you drink and drive, you're a bloody idiot, but it
JT> needn't be the end of the world". I called and wrote saying
JT> that it promoted drink driving, as they claimed it would reduce
JT> the penalty. No consequences for your actions means go ahead
JT> for many brain-deads.

JT> Two phone calls and a letter later, they were still playing it.
JT> Apparently, (I wasn't aware of this fact before hand- stupid
JT> me) sponsors are worth more money than whining listeners.

 (grin) It's a waste of time complaining to a radio or TV station,
FACS (whatever it's called now) or to the Broadcasting Control Board.
They just tell you to fuck off and hope you won't know how to *really*
stir. The easy way is through your Federal Member. They always
respond, they'll forward it to the Minister, and if it looks like a
good stir, they might even ask a question in Parliament. Even so, the
radio station would get a call from a Ministerial minion, and *that*
scares the shit out of them.

> Geriatric Radio is really interesting. They seem to think that
> anyone over 50 is an idiot, and it's a worry... advertising does
> work.

JT> They're gambling on one of two facts. No-one did high school
JT> science, or, they did, but it's that long ago, they've
JT> forgotten all about it. 

 It's not just silly-science. They also advertise "Did you think that
a return of 11.2% is impossible in the current financial climate?" and
then go ahead and expect you to believe them! 11.2% in my dreams...
the only possible way to pay that is out of your own capital, for a
little while, anway.

> There's another one after the Pan panic that states their pollen
> capsule has "never been near a laboratory." I'm tempted to write
> to my Member of Parliament that someone is selling stuff made in
> their back yard without any testing whatesoever... on their own
> admsission!

JT> From what I could gather, the large bulk of the Pan crop went
JT> towards "alternative medicines". And from what I understand,
JT> "alternative medicines" are exempt from the strict testing and
JT> controls that normal medicines are. The trade-off is that it is
JT> illegal to claim that "alternative medicines" can actually cure
JT> something, while legal to state that they _may_ do anything. 

 Yes. The loophole is that "alternative medicine" must be a
"natural"
substance and thus is listed as a food not a pharmaceutical. They got
to PAN because their "natural" anti-nausea pills were polluted by a
pharmaceutical in the processing.

 When you get a crazy situation like that, there is a simple answer
that makes perfect sense. A politician is being bought off to leave it
that way.

JT> Not really. It's important to be nice to the people who pay
JT> you. Ultimately, it's the customer who pays your wage. In the
JT> case of media, the sponsors are the customer, because the media
JT> sells advertising, the mediao (customer) buys it. The listeners
JT> don't actually buy anything from the media, they're just along
JT> for the ride.

 The Media is simply entertainment and the end-user is the listener
not the sponsor. The Media can exist without sponsors (ABC or Ch31)
but it cannot exist without listeners. That's why Singo paid so much
for Alan Jones... he brings listeners and the sponsors follow becasue
what *they* want is access to the listeners.

 Christ! The Magnetic Therapy lady is back! I just reached up and hit
the next button, btw. Jesus Christ! It's a talk station. Try again...
is there no music anywhere? Oh... it's AM. Hit the FM button...

 But advertsiing works. Otherwise, she would not be advertising on
2CH flogging magnets. What it means, is that she is not aiming her
shit at a person like me. She is aiming at a dickhead in pain. It so
happens as I sit here typing, that I have a sore toe (bloody red wine
gives me gout, but it's worth it)... but I'm not stupid enough to buy
a woolly blanket with a few plastic magnets sewn in. I use Xyloprin.

 That's the thing most people do not understand... advertising works.
If she's paying Singo $20K for her "infomercial" that runs for three
minutes, and if no one is listening because they're all on FM now
like me, then she does her $20K cold and will go somewhere else. It
doesn't matter a rat's arse how nice Singo is to the magnet-lady
(unless he's actually porking her), what counts is the increase in
sales income set against the increase in advertising outlay.

Regards,
Bob


      

 

--- BQWK Alpha 0.5