TV Week is reporting that all the so-called "newsmagazines" (a misnomer for sure as tabloid spectacles are more to the truth of the matter) are going to try and fuel a ratings bump by promulgating Obamalot in a direct emulation of JFK's mythical "Camelot" years in office -- which in itself was another self-perpetuated media myth.
It’s a symbiosis in which shows such as “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” cover the Obama family like royalty, bringing back a Camelot mythology to the White House. In return, they are enjoying a ratings bump with unexpected staying power.
Admitting it up front, bald faced like this is all the more galling for its sycophancy for The One. But, worse, it shows the willingness to obscure reality and present a gauzy fairy-tale story to mislead the American public.
But why would politics change the downward fortunes of the ratings for these inaptly named "newsmagazine" TV shows?
Growing interest and coverage of the Obamas may reverse a ratings trend in the newsmagazines, as the genre, along with the rest of syndication, is down year-to-year. If viewers continue to tune in to learn about the Obamas, it might transform the president-elect into the standard go-to subject of newsmagazines, like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan.
Based on the latest ratings these TV bubblegum shows imagine that Obamalot will be a continuing ratings booster into the future. Perhaps they are right. If so, so much the shame for it.
