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Lets talk media - READ ONLY

60 messages,  Last post on Sep 16, 2007 at 11:59 AM

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Messages Page 3 of 6

#21 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [scape2] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

May 24, 2007 (11:38 am)

Replying to: scape2 (May 24, 2007 12:09 am)
Journalists report the news...they can't make a bad car good I don't believe....but they can "tout" one car that is no better or worse than the others, that's true. If the Accord and the Camry are about the same quality and the press chants Accord Accord Accord and doesn't mention Camry, then yes, this will affect sales.
 
But if the Accord is a stinker and the Camry is good, the "word" is soon out on the street.....
 
And besides, the media loves to bad-rap a car. If the Accord were a bad car, the press would like to tear it apart. Dog bites man isn't a story, (far too common) but man bites dog is a story.
 
Yes there is hype...but the media can't make something out of nothing...even Paris Hilton goes to jail eventually.
 
MrShiftright
Visiting Host

#22 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [Mr_Shiftright] by gagrice

May 24, 2007 (1:07 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 24, 2007 11:38 am)
Journalists report the news
 
I would say at one time in America this was true. Tune into CNN, Fox, MSN, CBS etc and you will get a different bias from each journalist. It would be good if we got the news without bias. That does not seem to be what people want these days. Same goes for cars. Even though the difference in reliability may be very slight between two cars, by the time the writer gets done you think one car is worthless and the other should sell for twice the price. Very little truth and a lot of spin.

#23 of 60 If y'all noticed though by iluvmysephia1

May 24, 2007 (1:24 pm)

this bias started when we were 16 or 17 and a classmate would get a new used rig. He or she would either say the rig was "great" or whatever, or they would say it was nothing but a POS.
 
So there ya go, some may even remember this going back to your 9 or 10 year old ages during elementary school, but not for me quite yet. These interchanges of opinions really amped up when I got in junior high and high school. Then it became hog-wild, and of course one will notice it more if you truly like cars more than...ummm...sports or music, for instance. Or like cars just as much. Then you'll listen more to people's opinions on rigs.
 
But for me things change when I am really interested in a product. Then I want all the reading material I can find and no, I don't think it's smart to just read one favorite source. Look at many, many sources and be prepared to be able to cut through unbridled automotive bias in order to find more of the truth you can really put to use.

#24 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [gagrice] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

May 24, 2007 (2:12 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (May 24, 2007 1:07 pm)
If anyone has a theory about a really great car that was destroyed by media bias, I'd like to hear about it.
 
Me personally?...I think 99% of all cars get what they deserve, good and bad, without any help from the media one way or the other. It just takes time for all that to spin itself out. The mags see a new model, praise it, only to find out 6 months later it has defects; or they pan a car, only to find out people love it.
 
MrShiftright
Visiting Host

#25 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [Mr_Shiftright] by gagrice

May 24, 2007 (2:24 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 24, 2007 2:12 pm)
I can think of more that were touted as great and turned out otherwise. How many MT car of the year models were absolute flops. The first Cougar for one. Many people bought into the MT hype and found out the truth after they bought.
 
Then I still hold a grudge against Nader for his ignorance concerning the Corvair. I would bet there are more well kept Corvairs still running great than any Japanese cars from that era. I doubt that a 1964 Corvair would have left me stranded as many times as my 1964 Toyota Land Cruiser.

#26 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [gagrice] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

May 24, 2007 (4:42 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (May 24, 2007 2:24 pm)
Well there you go...kinda "proves" the point doesn't it...despite MT hype, the public found out otherwise. MT couldn't make a bad car good.
 
As for the Corvair, typical GM story---potentially great car that was underdeveloped, then abandoned. Nader just picked the biggest target, but he could have chosen any number of defective cars from any number of manufacturers, domestic and foreign. GM played that whole thing so badly, it's incredible. They gave Nader the power he needed on a silver platter by putting private detectives on his tail.
 
The media grabbed THAT one, you can be sure!
 
MrShiftright
Visiting Host

#27 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [Mr_Shiftright] by scape2

May 24, 2007 (8:56 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 24, 2007 4:42 pm)
Ok, lets say the media can't make a a bad car good.. How about the media making a good car seem better than it really is? or making a car sound so much better than its competitors when in truth its not? Or, better yet. What about the media taking the easy road to reporting? Just satisfy the masses and report only good stuff about the car that sells the most? The media plays a huge role in what consumers will even take a look at during the buying process.

#28 of 60 The above post is true by iluvmysephia1

May 24, 2007 (11:00 pm)

and it is a fact that the media plays a role in shaping car sales.
 
Case in point, Toyota's stock value of around $120.00/share right now. Yikes. When GM's is moving about around $32.00/share or thereabouts. Sales hype or real sales? Both.
 
Toyota is the media's automotive darling, but is it kind of over-rated? About 400% over-rated, even?
 
I mean, how often have you heard the press praise Toyota automotive products? And yet not talk about engine sludge issues or other blunders? How many times have you read comments like the one I'm making right now?
 
I agree, it's a broken record...but it wouldn't need to be made if the media scanned and researched and recast their fishing poles for better information. Truer information.
 
Less bias, more substance.These next few years are gonna be fun to follow in the automotive industry. More substance at all times, media types. Let's cut way down on the Toyota fluff and let's get down to brass tacks. There's a lot at stake...a lot of jobs... and a lot of history hanging on what eventually happens.
 
It's about time to get real, isn't it?

#29 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [gagrice] by lemko

May 25, 2007 (8:21 am)

Replying to: gagrice (May 24, 2007 2:24 pm)
What was wrong with the first Cougar? Wasn't it essentially just a Mustang with different sheet metal?

#30 of 60 Re: Lets talk media [lemko] by gagrice

May 25, 2007 (8:37 am)

Replying to: lemko (May 25, 2007 8:21 am)
From what I remember they had horrible resale value. I do not know the particulars. I thought they looked good. Never rode in one. Just remember a big hullabaloo over the resale.

Messages Page 3 of 6

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