Talk about your elaborate “Welcome to the neighborhood” gifts.
Seemingly moments after I received my Massachusetts driver’s license, The Boston Globe presented my DM-inquiring Yankee eyes with stories on the list industry, smack on the front page.
The stories, of course, were about the Public Broadcasting Service/political party list-swapping scandal.
Swap Slip
Here’s a recap for those of you who foolishly focused on something other than television during the summer heat.
As DIRECT reported last issue (“Cease and Desist,” Sept. 1, page 13), the brouhaha began in May when news organizations reported that WGBH – the Boston PBS station well-known for programs such as “Mystery!” and “Masterpiece Theatre” – had exchanged names with the Democratic National Committee.
After the scope of WGBH’s list swapping was revealed in July, other PBS stations subsequently admitted they too had shared donor files with political groups.
This is a no-no, argued folks like Rep. W.J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-LA) because it violates IRS regulations prohibiting nonprofits from favoring a political party. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting ordered stations to stop the practice immediately, fearing slashed or even eliminated public funding.
It’s an Outrage
The public’s reaction to the controversy has ranged from suspicion to sympathy. A source said the station’s switchboard has received calls from concerned viewers wanting to know if their name in particular had been swapped or rented.
But the station also has received calls like the one from a gentleman who patiently asked for a simple explanation of exactly what had happened. He listened, agreed with popular consensus that the station had messed up – and then made his annual pledge earlier than usual, because he figured ‘GBH could use it now.
Big Time
Who knew the lowly mailing list business – long hissed at like the village ogre by privacy pundits – could rattle the foundations of a venerable institution like PBS and draw the attention of Congress?
On Aug. 2, the Globe even featured a front-page story on the ins and outs of the list biz and how much money is generated by “junk” mail.
The headline – “Mailing Lists Proving a Booming Business” – may have been a shock to some laypeople. But if you’re reading this magazine it’s old news to you, because your livelihood likely depends, directly or indirectly, on the fortunes of the list industry.
Overall, the Globe’s coverage seemed fair and well informed. Sure, some of the reporting showed confusion about industry specifics, like the fact there’s a difference between a list broker and a list manager.
But let’s be easy on them. After all, who in DM can honestly say that they themselves have never been confused about something regarding industry terminology, especially when they were learning the ropes?
For the most part there seemed to be an objective understanding that list rental/swapping is a legitimate business exercise, not an evil voodoo rite practiced by scoundrels out to get the consumer. For direct marketers, this may be the most important and heartening element of the whole mess.
Think about it. A major U.S. newspaper covers the mailing list industry for several days straight, and the focus remains on the story at hand.
No, not on the misperceived notion that direct mail is a scourge on society. Not that PBS was wrong simply because it simply maintains and rents out a mailing list.
The focus was on whether or not PBS stations overstepped the partisan boundaries in its efforts to raise funds.
Sure, the old biases reared their ugly heads now and then (the use of the “J” word, for example). But while DM didn’t come out smelling like a rose, it didn’t stink either.
Considering the bashing the industry has oft received, that’s saying something.
Our Solemn Vow
Meanwhile, back on “Sesame Street,” PBS is still smarting.
Maybe the media could make this pledge to public television: In 2000, there will be a major story about PBS dealing with something, anything morepositive than list mishaps or the outing of a Teletubby.>CNPRINT & PRODUCTIO N
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