Apparently, people forcing a bicyclist to fly over the handlebars and slam into the macadam is somehow funny. At least, that’s what the folks at Sling TV must have thought when they approved an ad touting their news service over traditional newspaper delivery.
We have no problem, of course, with Sling trying to convince people that newspapers are irrelevant. We obviously disagree, and for a lot of very good reasons, biggest of which is even with the dramatic changes in the business, it is hard to find any news source that covers local issues better than a newspaper that actually sends reporters to the crime scenes, court hearings, school boards, municipal and county governments sessions.
Of course, if they want to make light of a paper tossed into a cyclist’s front wheel spokes to send him flying into harm’s way, well, slapstick humor is probably as old as humor itself. Pratfalls have been used to comedic effect for centuries, some brilliantly funny, some cringe-inducing. At least the cyclist is wearing a helmet, so kudos to sending that correct message. And the man does get up and ride off while staying upbeat, so —
No, that doesn’t make it right, sorry.
But there are so many other things wrong with the ad that, frankly, Sling should be ashamed, especially if it wants to be trusted as a news source.
For starters, our industry generally doesn’t toss papers at every house they pass. They are meant to be delivered to those who subscribe. People in the ad throwing the papers back at the delivery man would have presumably asked and paid for the service. And even if they are getting papers they didn’t ask for, why be so mean to the messenger?
There’s also the fake headline on the rolled up paper. “Something important happened yesterday.” This ignores the fact that for decades printed local newspapers have provided (and continue to provide) a wide range of information relevant to the immediate past, present and future, including funeral arrangements, upcoming local live theater productions, school events big and small, and the issues coming up at meetings of local governments.
Lastly, there’s the couple angrily throwing the paper back (this is the one that causes the dangerous accident). She: “Nope, Sling gives us all the news we want in a quick and reliable manner.” He: “And at a wonderful price.” Perhaps someone needs to report to Sling that newspapers have maintained active websites for many years, providing regular live updates about developing stories. We could give numerous examples of our web reports on breaking news going back some two decades, but let’s single out one biggie:
We had reporters filing online updates from the courthouse during the historic “kids for cash” trial of Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella in 2011.
Dish Network unveiled Sling streaming service in 2015.
Oh, and we do not charge anything for reading our stories on timesleader.com.
One could argue that, because the newspaper in the ad is the “World Globe,” Sling is targeting bigger newspapers, like, say, USA Today or maybe the New York Times. Perhaps, but outside certain areas, big companies tend to deliver by mail. The use of a bicycle delivery person, as antiquated as that may be, is an icon of local paper delivery.
We and other local papers do not compete with Sling. We think they would be wise to revamp the ad so it targets whoever they think they are competing with.
And even if they are unwilling to do that, show a little decency and remove the bike crash completely.
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