Great news!! for John McCain!!!
In a bad week for Sarah Palin, it gets a little worse.
TLC has declined to renew the reality show/Palin infomercial for a second season. The decision is strictly business: the show failed to maintain its 4.96 million total viewers launch (a mediocre 1.2 rating,) averaging 3.2 million over its season.
Note to TLC: People prefer zombies on cable.
Obviously the discussion at the moment is focused on the Gifford shooting and the associated issues. At the moment a lot of the narrative is very literal, but ultimately the important thing going forward is tone (and not using stupid metaphors.)
Here is a comment by "Penny" on a politico blog post:
It is not just a matter of "symbols", "metaphors" and "words". It is a matter of "role". Palin has adopted the role of "agitator". An agitator seeks to move to action those who are in agreement with him/her. Like the "Queen Bee" of a hive of "mean girls", Palin is an agitator seeking to move others to action, while retaining the appearance of non-involvement or "clean hands". So, as with Pontius Pilate's role or with anyone else who "lets slip the dogs of war", there Is a causal link, dripping with hypocrisy, between Palin's role, words and symbols and this killing in Arizona. Every one of us need to examine our actions to root this role from our own lives.
To me, the fact that TLC gave Sarah Palin a legitimizing soap box wrapped up in a "nature/reality tv" show was a problem. I'm glad she won't have this opportunity to spread her warped worldview further.
Update:
Rec list. Thanks all... appretiate being able to bring some good news.
Note that Mark Detroit diaried this yesterday, wherein it got understandably buried by Gifford news.
A little further light reading about how the business of tv works can be found at the excellent and unbiased TV by the numbers
P.S. Go Fringe! (if you haven't seen it.. watch it Friday Jan 21!)