No surprise here. When I read the Fox News article about TV Guide snubbing Tim Russert in the wake of his untimely death, I wasn't shocked. Although TV Guide had ample time to make the Tim Russert tragedy their cover story, they instead went with a story showcasing Denise Richards, a reality TV star of questionable talent.
Keep in mind that this is the exact same publication that provides David Caruso's fugitive Austrian stalker, Gabriele Huber**, with a safe haven on their website where she is given virtually free reign to wage her hate campaign against the actor. Not only does Gabriele Huber (who posts as "Horatiolover") maintain a blog on TV Guide's website, she uses TV Guide's community forums to publish derogatory and disparaging comments to promote her obsessive dislike of both the actor and his hit television show, CSI Miami.
Roger Friedman of Fox News summed up TV Guide's decision to run with the Denise Richards' story as follows:
"If you’re under a certain age you might not believe this, but the pocket sized journal was once a powerhouse in publishing. But with many different owners, and the stupid idea to make it as big as every other magazine, the poor Guide has suffered. It may have a circulation of 3 million, but no one cares about it anymore.
The Russert incident cements this. The new editor, Debra Birnbaum, 37, came to TV Guide from Life & Style, one of the cheaper and more sensational of the celebrity supermarket tabloids. It was her decision, I’m told by sources, to put Richards on the cover, fluffed up in big hair and a miniskirt. The headline reads: "Reality TV Attacks!"
The Russert incident cements this. The new editor, Debra Birnbaum, 37, came to TV Guide from Life & Style, one of the cheaper and more sensational of the celebrity supermarket tabloids. It was her decision, I’m told by sources, to put Richards on the cover, fluffed up in big hair and a miniskirt. The headline reads: "Reality TV Attacks!"
In reality, however, the Richards story is not about TV at all, but an opportunity to put a tabloid celebrity on the cover. Birnbaum has evidently been handed a mandate by new parent company owner Macrovision Solutions Corporation to goose up what they think is a staid operation so they can sell the print part of the magazine business. I’m told — and it’s been reported in the New York Times — that Macrovision thinks it can somehow do that and hold on to the TV Guide Web site. Good luck."
I haven't bought this publication in years and in light of this recent debacle, I doubt that I ever will. In spite of scores of complaints about Gabriele's TVGuide.com pseudonym "Horatiolover", the website has turned a blind eye to the entire situation advising people who post there to simply use an "ignore" feature. Perhaps, if TV Guide would do the prudent thing and ban a woman who has not only stalked and threatened to murder an American actor but fled her homeland to avoid prosecution, then TV Guide could regain some credibility. Add the Tim Russert snub to the mix and it's highly unlikely.
** Gabriele Huber remains at large wanted for threatening to murder David Caruso. She is armed and considered to be extremely dangerous. Do not attempt to apprehend this woman. Contact your local FBI or Austria's Bundeskriminalamt at +43-(0)1-531 26-0.
No comments:
Post a Comment