Deconstructing Pop Culture

An article in today’s Los Angeles Times states that Knott’s Berry Farm will be sold to the private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $2.4 billion. While several other amusement parks and hotels are included in the transaction, the article made it clear that Knott’s was the main attraction.
Knott’s has undergone tumultuous upheaval since its [...]

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The golfer Tiger Woods recently has been the subject of considerable controversy as a result of a peculiar car accident and subsequent revelations of marital indiscretions.  The media of course have lapped this up like thirsty hounds, see, for example, a recent article by Sam Tanenhaus in the New York Times.  This leads to a [...]

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Anyone can sell their used books and CDs on Amazon.  Prices strictly are what the market will bear.  There is no point in being anybody other than the lowest-price seller.  This market –clearing price frequently is as low as $.01.  Amazon also provides for a modest shipping allowance.  After deducting Amazon’s commission and the actual [...]

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Here is a selection of annual reports from CBS. I post these to support articles I have written elsewhere on the www and as part of my on-going project to make accessible earlier reports from influential entertainment companies. The same caveats that pertain to the Warner Communications reports also apply here.
CBS 1970 Annual [...]

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Another recent pair of incidents illustrating the absurdity of objects and our relationships to them is the auction of Michael Jackson’s personal belongings and a legal action regarding the authenticity and attribution of Louis Vuitton handbags.
Michael Jackson’s financial travails have been well-reported in both the mainstream and tabloid press. In an April 14, 2009 [...]

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Here are the Annual Reports for Warner Communications; Time Warner; AOL Time Warner; and the Warner Music Group.  In some cases I have substituted what the Securities and Exchange Commission calls “Form 10-K,” which is a different version of the annual report (typically with more information).  Some of the ones from the 1970s are copies [...]

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William F. Buckley, Jr. died on February 27, 2008. This made me recall that I had advised him regarding a matter involving the news media, over 20 years ago. The project we were working on was confidential, and remains so. This is unfortunate, because it was interesting. Anyway, here’s a copy [...]

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I am hard pressed to say what I like the least about our home-town newspaper, the Los Angeles Times. “Like the least” being a polite way of saying, “detest the most.” I have been a dutiful subscriber for probably a quarter of a century, and seen various features and aspects of it come [...]

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This weekend’s coverage of Rupert Murdoch’s quest for the Wall Street Journal took a remarkable turn in tone. Some inbred New England clan called The Bancroft Family controls Dow Jones, mainly because the company has a bizarrely-antiquated two-tier stock structure, and they own a majority of the tier that votes.
Initially, they “reacted coolly” to [...]

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The purpose of retail advertising is to induce in consumers a desire to acquire goods or services. This being so, one might think of it as a subtle kind of art form: an announcement of availability, a delineating of features, perhaps a comparison with other brands, and a statement of the product’s suitability for [...]

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