Weekly Wrap Up #12
1. POLL: Occupy Wall Street waning in popularity
Voters across the country are growing weary with the movement, according to a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling last week. Only 33% of respondents are supportive of the movement’s goals, compared to 45% who oppose them. While OWS loses ground with the public, voters continue to pay enormous attention to the Republican candidates for president, as noted by Crain’s New York Business columnist Greg David on his blog yesterday. The most recent debate among GOP presidential candidates, which took place in South Carolina last Wednesday and aired on CNBC, drew 3.3 million viewers, making it the No. 1 show on cable.
2. Penn State taps Ketchum for crisis communications counsel
If you thought this scandal couldn’t escalate anymore, Penn State’s new president Dr. Rodney Erickson announced this week that former university president Graham Spanier would be allowed to teach in a traditional faculty role, despite being fired along with head coach Joe Paterno last week. This may be part of the reason why the university retained Ketchum, who has about 50 crisis communications executives domestically, with several reportedly on the ground at PSU’s campus in State College, PA. The Bulldog Reporter elaborates on this story in Wednesday’s Daily Dog.
3. STUDY: Twitter predicts who’s winning the G.O.P. presidential race
A new study conducted by Twitter election research company 140elect found that political candidates do better in polls when they gain more Twitter followers, according to an article published by Mashable’s Zoe Green this week. Learn more about the new findings here.
4. MLB makeover intended to boost revenue
Major League Baseball is planning a series of changes to its division and playoff format, according to an article published in the Wall Street Journal this morning. MLB hopes to begin some of the changes next season, with an additional wild-card team making the playoffs in each league as part of an effort to generate more television revenue for baseball and give fans of mid-tier teams a reason to continue buying tickets and following games through the entire season. Their goal is to strike a deal with media partners to televise the additional playoffs, which could help the MLB achieve a 25-50% increase in annual rights fees after its current contracts with Fox and Turner expire following the 2013 season.
5. Goodbye, Regis Philbin
Yes, you read that correctly. The 80-year-old “Live with Regis and Kelly” host concluded his run with the talk show this week, according to an article posted on the WSJ’s Speakeasy blog today. While a full-time replacement has not yet been named, the show will continue with Jerry Seinfeld stepping in as the first interim co-host. Who do you think should be Kelly Ripa’s new co-host on the show?
Image via – Esquire Magazine
