SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS

O.J. Simpson is clearly attempting to relive his stardom years, as he promised after the day he was cleared, by authoring a book and being featured in a TV special called, “O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here’s How it Happened.” This show was supposed to air on November during the sweeps period to discuss how he would have committed the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in 1994.

After News. Corp. received criticism from the public regarding their willingness to air this special on their Fox channels, they cancelled the show and apologized to their audience. The book has been canceled as well. Although this show didn’t cost the network much money to produce, it had the potential of losing a substantial amount in advertising. As we all know, advertisers try to enjoy a safe distance from potentially offensive programs, as they don’t want to insult their stockholders or deter their consumers from using their product/service.

However, it has been said that bad publicity is good publicity. With everyone condemning O.J. Simpson for his tasteless attempt at making a big return, would they have boycotted Fox or avoided the show? Is it inconceivable that people actually would tune in due to their inherent curiosity or to fuel their existent hatred?

It is increasingly becoming apparent that people like to be shocked. Despite the fact that “The Passion of the Christ” and “Fahrenheit 911″ sparked heated controversy, they topped the box office charts in 2004. So what if News Corp changed its mind, again, published the book and aired the show? Would people actually buy that book? Would the show boost Fox’s ratings (they are lagging this season), or leave lasting damage instead?

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