Terror Alert In Boston

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Lonestar
Trade Unionist.

Just as bad, when you get right down to it.

I wuv you too, Lonestar

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by GePap


So?

It might explain why the reaction was different in Boston than elsewhere.

In related news, Turner Broadcasting has had to make further modifications to their PR campaign

http://www.scrappleface.com/?p=2479

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


Thank god we have a judge who knows what has happened without having to hear any evidence.

Wait for the civil suits. No need to prove intent there.

[Arrian]

Of course, had these things been dangerous in some way and had the authorities not reacted to it, they'd be raked over the coals.

I do think it's funny, and an overreaction (particularly the charges brought against the 70s hair guys), but I have sympathy for the Boston police.

-Arrian

[Guynemer]

Hmmm, no. No sympathy.

Near as I can tell, the Boston administration **** in their pants, and they want [adult swim] to wipe their ass.

[KrazyHorse]

Yup. The people who did this are not responsible for an unreasonable response.

**** the Boston PD.

[DinoDoc]

[Whoha]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


Thank god we have a judge who knows what has happened without having to hear any evidence.

Over reaction?? Let's see, electronic devices left scattered all over town, on public bridges, near hospitals, etc. Doesn't sound at all suspecious.

hind sight is 20/20.

Having the police blow up the mooninites was funny, but probably not worth what these guys will ultimately pay for it.

[Zkribbler]

In New York, it's been reported that all but two of these devices had been stolen. One was selling on e-Bay for over $1,000.

[Arrian]

Only in New York

-Arrian

[DanS]

Originally posted by DinoDoc


They'd be better off just trying to sweep this under the rug. It only serves to make them look more foolish.

There actually are repercussions to this. I think they settled for $2 million or whatever with the city. And the head of the network just resigned this afternoon.

To be honest, I thought the $2 million was worth it for the publicity, especially with a movie coming out. I expected to see Boston extract more because of that fact.

Cartoon Network Chief Quits
Over Boston Marketing Incident
By BROOKS BARNES
February 9, 2007 3:02 p.m.

The president and general manager of Cartoon Network resigned under pressure Friday following a botched ad campaign that resulted in a widespread bomb scare in Boston.

Jim Samples, who has spent 13 years at Cartoon Network, a unit of Time Warner Inc.'s Turner Broadcasting, will leave his position immediately. Until a successor is named, Turner said animation senior team members will report directly to Mark Lazarus, Entertainment Group president. "I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign," Mr. Samples wrote in an email to Cartoon Network employees. "I feel compelled to step down .. in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch."

Subway, highway and river traffic halted in Boston on Jan. 31 after 40 blinking electronic signs promoting the Cartoon Network series "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" were discovered near bridges and depots. Two men hired to install the guerilla-marketing campaign were arrested and arraigned on criminal charges. Turner and marketing firm Interference Inc. later agreed to pay $2 million to resolve any potential civil or criminal claims.

The Turner campaign isn't the first big promotion that has spooked or angered cities. Last year, a Paramount ad stunt for the movie "Mission Impossible: 3" involved placing devices with wires in them in newspaper boxes across Los Angeles. The devices played the movie theme song when people bought their paper. But after some citizens reported them, fearing they could be bombs, fire squads were dispatched, blew up one box and removed the other devices. A 2001 IBM ad campaign that involved spray painting sidewalks angered Chicago, and the city fined the company over graffiti violations.

[DinoDoc]

I still don't understand why Turner should be expected to subsidize the stupidity of the citizens of Boston and the BPD given the fact that no such problems were experienced in other cities.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I still don't understand why Turner should be expected to subsidize the stupidity of the citizens of Boston and the BPD given the fact that no such problems were experienced in other cities.

So if a someone phones in a phoney bomb threat to three different places, and the first two figure out immediately that its phony, and the third doesnt, and incurs major costs, theres no punishment for the phoney bomb threat?

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


So if a someone phones in a phoney bomb threat to three different places, and the first two figure out immediately that its phony, and the third doesnt, and incurs major costs, theres no punishment for the phoney bomb threat?

In this case there's an obvious felony being committed. What were these people guilty of other than nuisance charges, again?

The response of the authorities in Boston was out of all proportion to the threat. It was not a reasonable response, therefore the people responsible for the devices should not be asked to shoulder a significant part of the cost associated with the response. That's a well-known legal principle.

If I call somebody an ******* and he proceeds to engage in 10 years of psychotherapy to rid himself of the scars of our unpleasant exchange then I am not responsible for the costs he has incurred.

[KrazyHorse]

I remember living in a world where a lite-brite board left in a public area was not considered sufficient cause to shut down a city.

Maybe it's just me, but I preferred things that way.