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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2012)
Opinion Human Tragedy and Triumph “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor T ED B ANKS Advertising Manager J ERRY F OSTER Account Executive L ISA L OVING News Editor H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. I am always fascinated by the impact of human emotions on our consumer behavior – whether those emotions are inspired by tragedy or triumph. Two television broadcasts made ratings history recently, one because of a tragedy and one because of a triumph: the 54th Annual Grammy Awards on CBS and the contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, February 10, on ESPN. Nielsen research has proven Americans love sports and music programming. African- Americans are typically well-rep- resented in both. The Grammy Awards have been a viewing favorite. Research backs up the common sense notion that Blacks tend to gravitate to programming where there are larger numbers of people who look like us – but this year, the number of us who watched the Grammys was almost off the charts (no pun intended). The recent 54th Annual Grammy Awards attracted nearly 40 million viewers (39.9 million), which made it the largest Grammy audi- ence since 1984 and the second largest in the history of the broad- cast. Of those 39.9 million viewers, African- Americans made up 6.21 million. That means a whopping 60 percent more Black folks watched the Grammys this year than last (3.7 million out of a total viewership of 24.7 million in 2011). Some people like me may tune in to see who’s wearing what. How fabulous will our favorites be, or how outrageous? Others are true music aficionados. While the why for this year’s phenomenal success of the Grammys has not E-mail: info@theskanner.com N IELSEN Cheryl Pearson-McNeil yet been officially analyzed, I sus- pect that the tragic news of the sudden death of beloved music icon Whitney Houston the night before piqued the increased inter- est. If you were like me and my friends, we were reeling with dis- belief. Tuning into the Grammys seemed to offer a kind of solace and comradery in our collective desire to pay homage to a musical phenomenon who was one of our own. Now, in the interest of full dis- closure, the show didn’t hold my attention for long beyond the lus- cious LL’s prayer for “our fallen sister” (a very nice touch). But after his intro and having glimpsed the outrageous outfits of Nicki Minaj, Gaga and the sweet acknowledgements from Alicia Keys and Bruno Mars, I begged my Facebook friends to wake me ing open in disbelief. “Really, mom?! Seriously, you LIKE this country music?” (If he reacted like this to my Glen Campbell tribute, he does NOT want to be around when my sister, his Aunt Natal- ie, goes berserk over Kenny Rogers). Following Jennifer Hud- Blacks tend to gravitate to programming where there are larger numbers of people who look like us son’s moving tribute of “I Will Always Love You,” and after fighting back tears, I clicked off. On the flip side, Americans love to cheer on an underdog, a “Rocky,” a champion who rises from the ashes of obscurity to achieve vic- tory. In two words: Jeremy Lin. It was my basketball-playing son who turned me onto the phenome- non that was taking place with the undrafted 23-year old, Harvard- Americans love to cheer on an underdog, a ‘Rocky,’ a champion who rises from the ashes of obscurity up when they got to the Whitney tribute. Someone from Ft. Wayne, Ind. (my hometown) actually alerted me when Glen Campbell’s tribute came on. (You couldn’t grow up in the Fort without being inundated with his music back in the day). So I loudly and proudly sang along to the tribute. My son watched me with his mouth hang- between the Knicks and the Lakers on ESPN was the most-watched Friday night regular season NBA game on the network, so far this season - with just over 3 million viewers. On top of that, NM Incite (a Nielsen McKinsey company) educated Asian-American from California and his fortuitous match-up against the New Jersey Nets. Lin has averaged 27 points per game – launching him from bench warmer to global superstar. In addition to a 73 percent increase in viewership of Knicks games on MSG and ESPN in New York, nationally the February 10 game reports that social media buzz has also hit a frenzied pitch around the world since the first February 4 game. Even the phrase “LinSani- ty” has been coined. The online chatter about Lin has surpassed conversations about the Knicks, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant combined. Now, that’s powerful. And so are you. Because, if you follow these ratings stories, you know these surges in increased viewership are a result of people just like you and me tuning in. It’s great news for the networks as well as the advertisers. Those advertisers are dedicated to reach- ing us – the consumers. Which brings me to my mantra, “Knowl- edge is power.” The power is in your hands, and so is the remote control. Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is sen- ior vice president of public affairs and government relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsen- wire.com. World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 The Incomparable Whitney Houston The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2012 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds B illie Holiday was 44. Judy Garland was 47. Dinah Washington was 39. Michael Jackson was 51. Jimi Hendrix was 28. Janis Joplin was 27. Amy Winehouse was 28. And Whitney Houston lived only 48 years on this earth. I was one of millions of people around the world who were stunned to learn of the untimely death of pop- music queen, Whitney Houston last Saturday. Like so many other entertainers who died too young, Whitney was blessed with a divine talent but also haunted by a heavy load of troubles. Throughout much of the 1980’s and 90’s, Whitney Houston reigned as the undisputed queen of pop. With songs like “The Great- est Love of All,” and “I Will Always Love You,” she set a stan- dard as an octave-shattering virtuoso who brought both ele- gance and a gospel-tinged intensity to her work in studio and on stage. That was surely a natural outgrowth of her church choir roots and being the daughter of classy gospel legend, Cissy Hous- ton. Whitney got her start singing in the junior choir of Newark, New Jersey’s New Hope Baptist Church, where her mother has served as Minister of Music for decades. Whitney also undoubted- Page 4 The Portland Skanner February 22, 2012 T O B E E QUAL Marc Morial ly benefited from the influences of other great musical talents in her family. Dionne Warwick was her cousin. And Aretha Franklin was her Godmother. But, Whitney was a pure original. In addition to setting the music world on fire and influencing such performers as Mariah Carey, Bey- oncé and Jennifer Hudson, Whitney also excelled as an actress, and had starring roles in such movies as “The Bodyguard,” “Waiting to Exhale” and “The Preacher’s Wife.” Her final film, “Sparkle,” a remake of the 1976 is set to be released in August. It is a sad irony that Whitney Houston died on the eve of this year’s Grammy Awards. The win- ner of six Grammys herself, Whitney was preparing to attend a pre-Grammy party given by her mentor, the legendary music pro- ducer, Clive Davis. Her body was found Saturday afternoon in the ‘To me Whitney was THE VOICE. We got to hear a part of God every time she sang.’ — Oprah Winfrey bath tub of her room at the Bever- ly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. As of this writing, the exact cause of her death is still unknown. Like so many other entertainers who died too young, Whitney was blessed with a divine talent but also haunted by a heavy load of troubles movie about three sisters from Harlem who form a singing group, for the first time, some of the most intimate details about her troubled marriage to Bobby Brown, the deep feelings she had for her mother and her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and her struggles with drugs. She candidly admitted to Oprah that at times “It was too much. So much to try to live up to, to try to be, and I wanted out.” In her 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Whitney revealed Through it all, Whitney said she was constantly reading her bible and trying to get back to God. While we are all shocked and sad- dened by her death, I am hopeful that Whitney Houston’s life and incomparable musical gifts will inspire others to let nothing stand in the way of the full and healthy expression of their God-given tal- ents. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cissy, Bobbie Kristina and the entire Houston family. Marc H. Morial is the President and CEO of the National Urban League
