All day today I couldn’t turn on my 50-inch HD flat panel television, flip to one of the several regular channels I watch for news headlines, and actually find news. All I could find was live coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial service.
Since Michael Jackson, the late King of Pop, died at a Los Angeles hospital where he was taken to by paramedics responding to a 911 call, nothing has been on any TV news program more than Michael Jackson. This evening, one news station quoted Michael’s brother, Germaine, as saying, “This event is just what Michael would have wanted as a farewell.”
Perhaps the late singer would have wanted such a farewell extravaganza, but the majority of CNN viewers responding to the site’s unscientific question of the day poll, 55 percent of the respondents said they were “trying to avoid” the Michael Jackson memorial. The service was broadcast all day on nearly every “regular” channel, such as all ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and other channels, not to mention CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and other cable news channels.
Michael Jackson, who amassed millions of dollars in riches from his singing – and lost most of those riches in a series of lawsuits, had coverage of his death that was unwarranted. He received more coverage following his death than a president receives. That is a pathetic statement aimed at all the broadcasters.
Around the world, Internet traffic was about 19 percent greater than normal, according to Akamai Technologies, a Massachusetts-based firm that monitors Internet traffic.
The only other issue I have with the Michael Jackson procession and memorial service is the cost and who is footing the bill. Right now, the city of Los Angeles seems to be on the hook for about $4 million for police and firefighters overtime to ensure everything went as planned.
Due to a mounting budget deficit, much like most other municipalities around the country L.A. doesn’t have the money in its bank to cover the costs. What to do? Simple: since the city cannot tax or bill local residents for the day’s police work, the city is asking the public at-large to donate money to pay for the funeral costs. In fact, the city has already set up a site where fans can donate. The city is hoping to recoup some of the estimated $2 million to $4 million it cost to have thousands of police and firefighters on hand in case of an emergency.
According to Matt Szabo, spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, providing security at the event was the city’s “obligation” and the city’s “number one priority.”
Since when did funeral costs and related expenses tied to the death of one of its citizens become the cost of a city government?
The Michael Jackson estate and Jackson’s family should be put in the same position that everyone else in America is in when someone dies: the bills are paid by the family. There’s no argument about who pays.
If I were a citizen of Los Angeles, I would be screaming to the high heavens about the bill, but also about the idea the city should bear millions of dollars of financial responsibility for costs related to the death of one of its citizens.
Now that Michael Jackson is dead and buried, and now that his memorial service has finished, is the 24/7 Michael Jackson coverage finally?
How did you follow the
Michael Jackson memorial?
| Watched it live | 29% | 1605 |
| Read about it afterward | 16% | 918 |
| Trying to avoid it | 55% | 3080 |
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Total Votes: 5603 |
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