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NEWS: National Public Radio Profiles Death Note


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suna_suna



Joined: 06 Sep 2005
Posts: 550
Location: Ohio
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:25 am Reply with quote
when i first saw the headline, i was worried that it would be bad. but the guy is very positive about death note. cool
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ohstalon06



Joined: 17 Apr 2008
Posts: 40
Location: Northern VA
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:07 am Reply with quote
I personally expected nothing but good things to be said about it. NPR is more trustworthy with articles like this rather than the slap-dash techniques used by mainstream media.
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DarkHunter6523



Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 96
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:13 am Reply with quote
God forbid, a professional looking onto pop-culture without xenophobic eyes of malice...

Maybe if there were a few more people like John Powers, then anime would finally be rid of the "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll" stigma.
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samuelp
Industry Insider


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 2248
Location: San Antonio, USA
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:05 am Reply with quote
<snarkiness> Great... Next we'll get to hear the praises of Lucky Star on Democracy Now. Maybe Tavis Smiley can interview Sevakis?
</snark>
Anyway, I'd be happier if Fresh Air were considered part of the mainstream media... Well, it's a start I suppose.
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britannicamoore



Joined: 05 Dec 2005
Posts: 2618
Location: Out.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:15 am Reply with quote
I think Travis Smiley interviewing Sevakis would make my life have more meaning. LOL.

Good to hear. I use to listen to a few npr stations, but I haven't lately.
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daxomni



Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 2650
Location: Somewhere else.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:27 am Reply with quote
It's too bad that funding for both PBS and NPR is under renewed attack by the current administration. Equally disappointing is that nobody seems to notice or care.
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melonbread



Joined: 09 Jan 2008
Posts: 317
Location: UK (London)
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:39 am Reply with quote
I hate the way that any anime that becomes slightly mainstream gets a comparison to a random non-anime franchise. Light isn't like Neo or Harry Potter at all... Nor is the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya like "Hannah Montana meets Heroes"...

Seriously, can't American audiences just pick something up without it having all these references to it?
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1685
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:50 am Reply with quote
I would love to be interviewed by NPR! Laughing

Actually, public radio isn't really in much danger. More of their funding already comes from private funds and businesses these days, and that trend will probably continue as their popularity rises. (In most cities they are now about as popular as a light music station, though it's hard to tell because most don't subscribe to Arbitron so they don't get ratings.)

PBS, OTOH, seems to have outlived its purpose (as BBC America, Animal Planet, Discovery, Travel, Nickelodeon, Disney, Bravo and A&E together all do a much better job of serving the same audience). Its future is somewhat in doubt. It's also much harder to do TV (especially HD) on a low budget.


Last edited by jsevakis on Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:06 am; edited 1 time in total
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ohstalon06



Joined: 17 Apr 2008
Posts: 40
Location: Northern VA
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:53 am Reply with quote
melonbread wrote:
I hate the way that any anime that becomes slightly mainstream gets a comparison to a random non-anime franchise. Light isn't like Neo or Harry Potter at all... Nor is the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya like "Hannah Montana meets Heroes"...

Seriously, can't American audiences just pick something up without it having all these references to it?


Such is what happens when you have to give background to those who normally wouldn't watch anime. I personally see no problem with that considering I prefer this to a show like Lost.
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OnanRulz



Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 132
Location: The MPLS
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:12 am Reply with quote
melonbread wrote:
I hate the way that any anime that becomes slightly mainstream gets a comparison to a random non-anime franchise. Light isn't like Neo or Harry Potter at all... Nor is the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya like "Hannah Montana meets Heroes"...

Seriously, can't American audiences just pick something up without it having all these references to it?

Sounds like someone didn't listen to the article. He doesn't compare the characters, he draws out the archetype. It's a common, cross-cultural phenomenon for a story to have a young hero with special powers who changes the world for good. John Powers wanted to stress that the twist of Light's moral choices makes him an antihero.
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daxomni



Joined: 08 Nov 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:25 am Reply with quote
jsevakis wrote:
Actually, public radio isn't really in much danger. More of their funding already comes from private funds and businesses these days...

At which point it ceases to be "public" radio striving to represent the "public" interest.

jsevakis wrote:
and that trend will probably continue as their popularity rises.

Just as the level of their investigative journalism has continued to drop.

jsevakis wrote:
Public Broadcasting System, OTOH, seems to have outlived its purpose (as BBC America [cable], Animal Planet [cable], Discovery [cable], Travel [cable], Nickelodeon [cable], Disney [cable], Bravo [cable] and A&E [cable] together all do a much better job of serving the same audience).

So people who can't afford cable should give up their only alternative television channel? Even if you were willing to pay their cable bill (yeah right) they'd still lose out on investigative shows like Frontline and Now. But then again, we all love to digest the same exact story regurgitated by every media outlet in the country, so why worry about alternative viewpoints?

jsevakis wrote:
Its future is somewhat in doubt. It's also much harder to do TV (especially HD) on a low budget.

The fact that their budget is being repeatedly slashed so that the top 1% can get another tax cut was precisely my point.
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57odd75



Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:46 am Reply with quote
daxomni wrote:
jsevakis wrote:
Actually, public radio isn't really in much danger. More of their funding already comes from private funds and businesses these days...

At which point it ceases to be "public" radio striving to represent the "public" interest.

jsevakis wrote:
and that trend will probably continue as their popularity rises.

Just as the level of their investigative journalism has continued to drop.

jsevakis wrote:
Public Broadcasting System, OTOH, seems to have outlived its purpose (as BBC America [cable], Animal Planet [cable], Discovery [cable], Travel [cable], Nickelodeon [cable], Disney [cable], Bravo [cable] and A&E [cable] together all do a much better job of serving the same audience).

So people who can't afford cable should give up their only alternative television channel? Even if you were willing to pay their cable bill (yeah right) they'd still lose out on investigative shows like Frontline and Now. But then again, we all love to digest the same exact story regurgitated by every media outlet in the country, so why worry about alternative viewpoints?

jsevakis wrote:
Its future is somewhat in doubt. It's also much harder to do TV (especially HD) on a low budget.

The fact that their budget is being repeatedly slashed so that the top 1% can get another tax cut was precisely my point.


Agreed.
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Goodpenguin



Joined: 02 Jul 2007
Posts: 457
Location: Hunt Valley, MD
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:06 pm Reply with quote
daxomni wrote:
Quote:

So people who can't afford cable should give up their only alternative television channel? Even if you were willing to pay their cable bill (yeah right) they'd still lose out on investigative shows like Frontline and Now. But then again, we all love to digest the same exact story regurgitated by every media outlet in the country, so why worry about alternative viewpoints?


Not to take things too off-topic from anime, but cable TV is not a service out of reach of many Americans, to put mildly. As someone who covers politics and media for a living, neither PBS or NPR represent the news choice of most Americans, and certainly not the working classes your alluding to. Both outlets find small, core audiences dominated by upper-middle class demographics, whose political tastes run heavily liberal/hard left. In a modern media world which presents a galaxy of political choices to viewers, public funding for media entities who no longer fill a void (and often feature niche ideologically driven coverage) doesn't make much sense. Frankly, not being exposed to Bill Moyers would be a bigger public service then the channel itself.
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Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 4463
Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:22 pm Reply with quote
I think I would have used a stronger word than misguided. Confused Smile Rolling Eyes
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daxomni



Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 2650
Location: Somewhere else.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:04 pm Reply with quote
Goodpenguin wrote:
Not to take things too off-topic from anime, but cable TV is not a service out of reach of many Americans, to put mildly.

It's a luxury, pure and simple. I know plenty of people who still don't have cable, including in my extended family, some of whom are teachers and former teachers who have very little discretionary income they can afford to put towards something like a cable subscription. The teachers I know who are still working are trying desperately to save enough to live through their future retirement and those who have already retired are still working full time jobs just to make ends meet.

Goodpenguin wrote:
As someone who covers politics and media for a living, neither PBS or NPR represent the news choice of most Americans, and certainly not the working classes your alluding to.

I never suggested most Americans get their news from either PBS or NPR. I merely said that PBS and NPR represent the last remnants of alternative reporting left in this overly homogenized trash-news sound-bite market where our media work around the clock to focus our attention on how well our presidential candidates bowl or how short their skirts are instead of how well their polices are likely to work and how they will affect us and those we care about.

Goodpenguin wrote:
Both outlets find small, core audiences dominated by upper-middle class demographics, whose political tastes run heavily liberal/hard left.

Anyone who wishes to make the case that most of today’s PBS or NPR content runs "heavily liberal" or "hard left" would be wise to provide examples of such a hard and heavy slant.

Goodpenguin wrote:
In a modern media world which presents a galaxy of political choices to viewers

Sorry but I simply couldn't disagree more. All we have now are "crossfire" reporters (toothless referees) who merely give two opposing sides a chance to lie to us and each other. In our modern domestic media world there is no effort to get to the bottom of any story. A (neo-) conservative and a (so-called) liberal are paired up in a dual reminiscent of a coliseum battle. Nothing is learned, nothing is gained. It’s nothing but childish entertainment masquerading as legitimate news.

Goodpenguin wrote:
public funding for media entities who no longer fill a void (and often feature niche ideologically driven coverage) doesn't make much sense.

If niche ideologically driven coverage doesn’t make much sense then how has Rupert Murdoch been able to build a world-wide network of hard-line partisan news outlets?

Goodpenguin wrote:
Frankly, not being exposed to Bill Moyers would be a bigger public service then the channel itself.

I’m sorry, but I don’t quite follow what it is that Bill Moyers has done to you or the country?


Last edited by daxomni on Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:09 pm; edited 1 time in total
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