I don’t really expect commercials or skits of much substance to come on while I’m watching Fox NFL Sunday or Monday Night Football – maybe nonsensical and silly humor made by the football pundits (who, lets face it, aren’t really funny to begin with), of which I usually don’t mind. However, there was one skit that definitely didn’t make me laugh, but rather cringe in disgust.

During the pre-game coverage of the Dallas Cowboys – Kansas City Chiefs match on Sunday, Fox NFL Sunday and Burger King showed a rather tasteless skit that featured Dallas Cowboys players Jason Whitten and Marion Barber along with and the Cowboys’ coach, Wade Phillips in the locker room taking cheap shots at quarterback Tony Romo and his weak performance on the field lately. Except, all of the rips and insults had nothing to do with Romo, but rather about his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Simpson and her supposed weight gain.

I can see how some people would find this funny. After all, the target demographic of 18-34 year old men who are tuning in for football are going to have a fratastic sense of humor. But the bigger hilarity in this is not only the irony that Simpson’s weight is in much better shape than the majority of American women (and not to mention, most of Americans themselves), but the fact that a fast food chain like Burger King would even dare make weight jokes in a skit that is sponsored by them. Isn’t that a huge oxymoron? That’s not even funny – that’s just plain dumb.

You can watch a shaky version of the video on YouTube: Fox NFL Sunday/Burger King skit.

- Sabina for AMP3 Public Relations

Why I don't talk to anyone from 11pm to 12am...

Our daily media is filled with celebrity tidbits (divorces, marriages, babies, biblical dalliances), 13-year-olds getting paternity tests, pink dolphins (ed. that is actually pretty cool, but still…), Michelle Obama’s outfits and the like.  Then there’s also economic meltdowns, Obama press conferences, NYC MTA fare hikes AND service cuts, traditional media outlets folding….

Whether it’s good PR for the fluff or better PR for the real issues (enabling themselves to be masked by the Octomom is pretty impressive), the general masses are being led to faux-news as opposed to things that broadly and intensely matter.

But, then again, all legitimate new comes second to whether or not John Mayer was dumped for spending more time on Twitter than to his girlfriend.

At this point, I’m not really sure that we–the broad and general public–know (or care) what actual news is.

Perhaps that’s why show’s like “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” thrive.  In the 18-34 market (coveted by advertising and marketing camps), these shows deliver legitimate news content in a format fit for general consumption.  Sure, political leanings and personal feelings might be obvious, but with segments like “Mess O’Potamia,” “Clusterf@#k to the Poor House,” “The Word,” “The ThreatDown,” and “Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger,” otherwise complex political, economic, and foreign matters are broken down to be easily understood by anyone watching.

Since both shows film in New York, I’ve had a chance to attend both, and from a PR standpoint, I’m impressed with how they’ve managed to continue building influence while straying ever-so-slightly from the comedic intention of the show and tackling substantial issues.

It seems that Stewart and Colbert understand that their shows are powerful vehicles, and any negative PR they’ve gotten (people have been critical of Stewart’s Jim Cramer interview most recently) has been spun into positive press for the show.

While I don’t subscribe to the notion that any PR is good PR, I do believe that any unfortunate situation can be handled in a manner that can be positively spun.  And I think that’s the silver lining we have here: understanding that people don’t know what news is, and giving them the news they need to know in a format they enjoy is good for business.

To read more from the Huffington Post, check out “Young Americans See Colbert, Sterwart Replacing Traditional News Outlets: Poll.”

Jackie for AMP3pr.com

@JackieBrook