RSSNBC Analyst Admits Receiving Tech Payola
By Ed Oswald | Published April 20, 2005, 3:40 PM
Details of a payola scheme by NBC tech analyst Cory Greenberg surfaced Wednesday, in which he was receiving upwards of $15,000 a piece from technology companies to positively promote their products on NBC's Today Show. The news underscores an emerging trend of questionable review practices, both online and off.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story, Apple, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Seiko Epson, Creative Technology, and Energizer all had at one time paid Greenberg for his services.
Greenberg denied any actual wrongdoing, saying that companies looked to him as "a spokesperson who could talk credibly and understandably about consumer products." However, he said he would no longer take payments to promote products on television.
Following the report, NBC official said the company was not aware of the situation, and since has changed policies to ensure a similar incident does not happen again.
The subject of journalists receiving outside money for product reviews and endorsements has become an issue in recent months, and not only in tech.
In January, it was revealed that Armstrong Williams, a prominent African-American conservative commentator, received $240,000 from the Department of Education to promote the No Child Left Behind Act on his television and radio appearances.
This happens all the time. Lets say a company pays for a whole lot of advertising in a consumer computer magazine. This magazine then gives an "award" to the company. The company gets increased sales, spends more on advertising..
I have seen this happen.... get over it.
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http://www.broadcastingc...+News&referral=SUPP
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As if we needed ANOTHER reason not to trust the Main Stream Media. I guess the best that can be said is at least it's not CBS.
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and you know why not cbs, cause in general all you C is BS
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you know it would really be dirt if it was a PBS station, then i'd go :O - But NBC, CBS, ABC come on their all big business, and money is more valuable then integrity. So someone got caught with their pants down while trying to put on a "journalistic" act when in reality was a shameless plug. Wont be the last time and it certainly wont be limited to NBC. Next time they will just be more careful not to let it leak out and we'll all watch in wonder at the amazing networks' unbiased journalism and go OOOOO! just like we always do.
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Just think of it as an Audio-Popup for TV. The real story is that someone didn't get paid an overwhelming amount of money to run the AD and therefore they need to slap his hand. He must be somebody, because he did not get canned.
It is all about where the money is going.
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