Microsoft Ditches 'Family Guy' Sponsorship

Computer software giant Microsoft announced this week that they will be canceling their sponsorship of Fox's upcoming comedy/variety special due to concerns about the content of the special.

"Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show" is still going to be airing on Fox on Nov. 8., but will have a different sponsor that has not been named.

Microsoft planned to sponsor this special TV event. The show was going to be aired commercial free with Microsoft special advertising messages to be broadcasted in place of the commercials. This was going to be a chance to market their new operating system, Windows 7, but Microsoft executives decided that the show was not appropriate and tasteful enough to be supported by their company. Jokes about incest, deaf people, the Holocaust and feminine hygiene did not sit well with the execs.

Those who are familiar with the popular "Family Guy" show should know that the 30 minutes in which it airs are full of what many would call obscene and distasteful (yet hilarious) comedy. A Microsoft spokeswoman said, "We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of 'Family Guy,' but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,".

I can totally understand why Microsoft would not want their new software to be plugged during a show that features jokes on such sensitive subjects, but "Family Guy" is known for being bold and indecent. They should have known from the beginning what the program would entail.

Kabul Class of '09?

Viewers of the news may expect to see more coverage of the war in Afghanistan.

The Project for excellence in Journalism reported this month that for the first time in years Afghanistan has "emerged as the top story" for news organizations in the United States.

Richard Engel of NBC said that “It’s like the Baghdad class of 2003 is now the Kabul class of 2009,".

The recent expansion of coverage and the "deployment" of more journalists to the area may be due to President Obama's new strategies for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Another reason is because news companies are starting to take a closer look at the war in these regions because it is sometimes referenced as the "forgotten war".

Safety is of course an issue for all of the media that is going to be reporting out of these dangerous regions, and news organizations have increased the precautions for their staff.

It took reading this article for me to realize that I haven't really heard much about the war in Afghanistan in a long time. I do believe that more light should be shed on the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but that the staff of these news organizations should be very careful.

Coca-Cola Merges with Live Nation

Soft-drink giant Coca-Cola has formed an alliance with Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter.

Coke will become the "official soft drink of Live Nation". Their goal is to sell more drinks while promoting concerts and artists. Live Nation is the owner of 84 venues in the United States, and Coke will be served in 76 of those venues.

Live Nation is a very popular concert promotion company that sold 50 million concert tickets last year and who's website generated 70 million unique hits. They are also aligned with many artists which would introduce Coke to even more celebrity affiliations.

Coca-Cola has 12 million fans in their loyalty program. Russell Wallach, the president of national alliances at Live Nation, said that "we can tap into the 12 million fans and market our tickets and merchandise directly to their customers".

I think this is a win-win situation for these two large companies. Live Nation will benefit most, I believe, from this alliance with the exposure that they will get from teaming up with such a popular brand. It is also great for Coke's public relations since it will associate them with popular musicians and concert events.