Another corrupt dirt bag exposed..

[plextor guy]

Remember Corey Greenberg? Long time readers of audio and consumer electronics mags, the name will be familiar. Lately he's been a televised consumer electronics and audio 'guru' on the Today show and other programs. Turns out he's been accepting fees of up to 15K to talk about various products. Makes me wonder who else in this industry has been in the pockets of manufacturers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3110-2005Apr19.html

http://www.mediainfocenter.org/story.asp?story_id=69345004

[Pat D]

Remember Corey Greenberg? Long time readers of audio and consumer electronics mags, the name will be familiar. Lately he's been a televised consumer electronics and audio 'guru' on the Today show and other programs. Turns out he's been accepting fees of up to 15K to talk about various products. Makes me wonder who else in this industry has been in the pockets of manufacturers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3110-2005Apr19.html

http://www.mediainfocenter.org/story.asp?story_id=69345004
Awwhh gee! A guy's gotta make a livin', eh? Them consumers don't pay 'im nuttin!

Thanks for posting it, although the news is a little old.

[bikeman]

[QUOTE=plextor guy]Remember Corey Greenberg? Long time readers of audio and consumer electronics mags, the name will be familiar. Lately he's been a televised consumer electronics and audio 'guru' on the Today show and other programs. Turns out he's been accepting fees of up to 15K to talk about various products. Makes me wonder who else in this industry has been in the pockets of manufacturers.

Commericial television is one long informational. Good for Corey that he got paid. The media dosen't work the way folks think it does. That's one of the main reasons that it's so successful.

David

[plextor guy]

Commericial television is one long informational. Good for Corey that he got paid. The media dosen't work the way folks think it does. That's one of the main reasons that it's so successful.

Good for Corey? I hope you don't work in a profession or trade where ethics are critical. Lets be clear. Corey was pimping products without disclosing that he was being paid by the manufacturers to do so. How would you feel if you found out your broker or cpa was on the payroll of the companies you were invested in? How would you react if you found out your doctor was on the payroll of a pharmaceutical company that you just happened to have a prescribed medication from? Granted, iPods and audio products aren't in the same category of importance but this doesn't make Greenberg any less of a scumbag. The key is disclosure. If you watch an infomercial, you have the right to know that it's an infomercial.

[bikeman]

Commericial television is one long informational. Good for Corey that he got paid. The media dosen't work the way folks think it does. That's one of the main reasons that it's so successful.

The key is disclosure. If you watch an infomercial, you have the right to know that it's an infomercial.

You think you have a right but no such right exists. There are written standards for professionals like CPA's so that's not a good analogy. There are no such standards for commericial television. As I stated above, you think you have a right and "that's one of the main reasons that it's so successful." What Corey did is what most (not all) of the talking heads on TV do. He just got a few extra bucks direct from the source. His pay from the TV program may be relatively low. It depends on his contract with NBC. Not everyone you see on these programs is getting the big bucks. Sometimes you have to supplement your income.
Television personalities are entertainers, not educators. Keep that in mind and these things won't bother you nearly as much.

David

[plextor guy]

There are rights and then there are Rights. My right to know that Corey is a pimp isn't on the same level as my Right to free speech. However, there is an ethical responsibility for all journalists to be upfront about any and all conflicts of interest. If Corey prefaced reports about products from manufactuers he is being paid by with a discalimer, there wouldn't be a problem. The fact is, he didn't. Without ethical responsibility, there is no credibility. Whether or not others engage in this kind of subterfuge is immaterial. Corey used to be enjoyably irreverent and seemed to have some cred. My personal disappointment has to do with his becoming just another corrupt, middle aged tool.

[nightflier]

Maybe it's time that TV adopt the same standards. While some people will understand that TV is all one long infomercial, most people in this country still think of it as truth. And that is precisely the problem. It is an industry that needs more regulation. Maybe the nightly news should be barred from calling itself "news" since it really isn't.

And Corey? He should be considered a criminal, not just another guy who was smart enough to make a buck. If not, the next time someone will be praising the top brass at Enron for being that smart, too! Realising that Corey was corrupt and then applauding his skills in getting away with it, does nothing for this industry.

[N. Abstentia]

I remember Corey was an idiot when he wrote for Sound & Vision. Sorry to hear he still has a career. How sad.

[nightflier]

I remember Corey was an idiot when he wrote for Sound & Vision. Sorry to hear he still has a career. How sad.

I don't really consider S&V reliable info. Most of it is just another long infomercial (just like TV and cNet. I guess being at S&V is where Corey learned the ropes....

[Woochifer]

Never thought he was any different from the other reviewers out there, except that he was better than most at explaining things. I guess that's what made him the media darling -- being able to simplify things so that J6P could understand the new technology.

Too bad that he was on the take. I liked his recent series on DIY Network about building a home theater. Not much product shilling there, although that series did give a plug for the installers on that show and regurgitated the 10-15% guideline for cable budgeting.

http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=9464

BTW, all five episodes of this series run this week on DIY Network at 3:30pm EDT with one episode each day.

[JoeE SP9]

Corey Greenburg started as a writer for Stereophile. Back then he was at least always funny if not PC. Now he's not even funny.

[Worf101]

How would you feel if you found out your broker or cpa was on the payroll of the companies you were invested in? How would you react if you found out your doctor was on the payroll of a pharmaceutical company that you just happened to have a prescribed medication from?

Man if you don't know how late and wrong you are with this one Plex. The Attorney General of NY State has shown, at least to my satisfaction, that all the games are rigged. Wall Street, Insurance Industry, health care... it's all about the Benjamins and by that I mean how can the few, the powerful and the connected, separate as many poor middle class idiots from their hard earned caishe as possible. Eveyr week there's some new scandal where some insider steered folks here or acted improperly on inside information there... It's all one big ponsey scheme. Problem is now some folks know it. Many got burned by both Wall Street crashes... and the dot.com burst-out, so they've been sinking their money into propety and homes.. why you think the Dow's been hovering where it has for almost 2 years now. The small guy, as stupid as he or she often is, eventually got the idea that the Stock Markets were worse in the long run then Vegas. At least in Vegas I'm surrounded by pretty women when I get my monetary muggin'.

Da Worfster :mad:

[plextor guy]

Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, Xerox, Tyco and the list goes on. Pretty discouraging for the little guy. Regardless, there are still a lot of good people out there fighting the good fight. The day we take this for granted and do nothing about it will be a dark day for the USA.

[Mr Peabody]

What Corey done was a crime. It's no different than the Payola scandall that ended many a DJ's careers back when. It don't make it right, but let's face it, what do you think all our politicians do, the exact same thing. Every single one is a corporate puppet or whore, however you want to look at it. But because they are politicians it's legal for them. It's nice to make up the rules to the game, isn't it?

Some one needs a reality check, TV being held to a standard, some one actually believes anything they watch? But you do have a point about the news not being news, I watched the BBC news one day and was shocked at the stuff that is going on in the world that hasn't been reported on by the U.S. news networks. I guess real news don't bring enough ratings, lets hear about who Michael Jackson is accused of molesting or which Hollywood stars got divorced. If some one wasn't making money the crap wouldn't be there on TV which means we can complain all we want but there must be some one out there watching/supporting the crap. The only truth you can count on in TV is Professional Wrestling.

[bikeman]

[QUOTE If some one wasn't making money the crap wouldn't be there on TV which means we can complain all we want but there must be some one out there watching/supporting the crap. [/QUOTE]



Same reason we have spam e-mails. There are people who actually respond to the crap. It's hard to go broke underestimating the intelligence of the general public.

David

[shokhead]

I think the general public is pretty smart
1. 3rd grader hasnt been to school more then 5 days in a month. Get ahold of the parent and ask whats wrong. Oh,he doesnt get up on time.
2. 2nd grader comes to school with the same cloths all week. Get a hold of parents. We are concerned,what can we do to help? Give him quarters as i dont have time to get change.
3. 5th grader. Going to be held back because he is only reading at 3.1. We put in in special classes but little help. Mom comes in to meeting about being held back. She's skipped out on the 5 meetings before. She says no,you cant hold him back. My friends would make fun of me.
Yep,they got smarts alright.

[hermanv]

In spite of appearances the people who lie are exceptions not the rule. If everyone lied all the time commercial trade would cease, the economy would cease to function.

You couldn't eat the food for fear of poison, spoilage or contamination. You couldn't ask for directions. It would be impossible to buy a house you couldn't work without belief that you'd get paid. Your employer couldn't hire you because you might not do any work. Your car wouldn't actually run. And so on.

In order for society to function, we have to be able to believe most things we are told. People who abuse this whether they are the local grocer who sells non-organic as organic or the chief executive who lies about the true state of the world should be prosecuted as they are engaged in dismantling society, destroying trust for the sake of their own greed, advancement or power.

While it is certainly OK to have a different opinion or point of view about something intentionally telling a mistruth or leaving out a pertinent fact is lying.

So being on the pad is not just a social faux pas, it is in fact a crime against society.

In my opinion it is not OK to say "it's OK everyone does it". No they don't.

[bikeman]

hermanv]

So being on the pad is not just a social faux pas, it is in fact a crime against society.



You're confusing your opinion with fact. It is my opinion that it is not a crime against society.

David

[hermanv]

originally posted by bikeman
You think you have a right but no such right exists. There are written standards for professionals like CPA's so that's not a good analogy. There are no such standards for commericial television..

Iam forced to paraprhase, but the Communications Act of 1934 that established the FCC talks about public ownership of the airwaves, and use for the common good.

The standard may not be clear but content is covered, commercial televison is not a free for all. If there were no controls over content, Janet Jackson and CBS would not have paid the "wardrobe malfunction" fine. You can't say anything you want, it's rare but companies are sometimes forced to withdraw truly offensive commercial lying. Didn't I read most recently about the Prilosec Purple pill. There wern't any real lies, they just forgot to mention that their own medicine with the recently expired patent was cheaper and just as effective. That was an example of exceeding the boundaries of acceptable behavior, they were told to change the ads.

Shilling for a commercial vendor without disclosure is not for the common good, it is for the vendor. Infomercials are invariably preceded by a disclaimer annoucing the commercial nature of what you are about to see. "This is a paid annoucement" is displayed. If you were right, they wouldn't bother.

[thepogue]

So being on the pad is not just a social faux pas, it is in fact a crime against society.



I know it's a crime at my house!!

oh...oh...you guys are talkin about the other pad....sorry..

Pogue

[bikeman]

"The standard may not be clear"

If the standards aren't clear, they're not standards. There's a saying on some of the engineering newsgroups that says, "standards are great. There's so many too choose from."

"You can't say anything you want, it's rare but companies are sometimes forced to withdraw truly offensive commercial lying."

I don't watch this drivel but are you saying that NBC withdrew this segment?

"Didn't I read most recently about the Prilosec Purple pill. There wern't any real lies, they just forgot to mention that their own medicine with the recently expired patent was cheaper and just as effective. That was an example of exceeding the boundaries of acceptable behavior, they were told to change the ads."

Does the expression, "Ones best self interest" mean anything to you? Did they withdraw the ad prior to the all the adverse publicity or after?

"Shilling for a commercial vendor without disclosure is not for the common good, it is for the vendor."

That's your opinion. Mine's different. Opinions don't count in a court of law. At least not your's or mine.

"Infomercials are invariably preceded by a disclaimer annoucing the commercial nature of what you are about to see. "This is a paid annoucement" is displayed. If you were right, they wouldn't bother."

Informationals are what pays the bills. The only time they use a disclaimer is if the sponsor paid for the entire spot. If it's part of a regular broadcast (where multiple informationals are presented) there's no requirement. News is part of the entertainment divisions of all the networks. Why do you think Micheal Jackson and the runaway bride are news?

David