Posted on 10/04/2009 7:22:54 PM PDT by Saije
Keeping quiet about an apparent extortion attempt against David Letterman and “The Late Show,” CBS worked over the weekend to stamp out unauthorized copies of the late-night host’s televised explanation.
The network did not post official copies of the segment on CBS.com or on YouTube, proving that while media companies are now generally eager to distribute their material on the Web, there are still some TV moments they would rather not spread widely.
In a remarkable 10-minute segment Thursday night, Mr. Letterman told viewers of a Connecticut man’s suspected $2 million extortion attempt, predicated on evidence of Mr. Letterman’s sexual relationships with female employees. The suspect, Robert Joel Halderman of CBS News, was arrested Thursday and released on bail Friday.
Copies of the segment were uploaded almost immediately to YouTube by users, but many of them were flagged by CBS for removal, citing copyright claims. The network did not provide an official copy.
“It’s incredibly odd to see CBS sitting on viral gold like that, especially when you consider how they spew out dozens of official clips a day,” said David Burch, a marketing director at TubeMogul, which tracks online viewership of videos.
CBS appears to be more lenient about archival “Late Show” clips of Mr. Letterman and Stephanie Birkitt, a former assistant who had a relationship with Mr. Letterman and who has appeared regularly on the show over the years. TubeMogul said those clips have been viewed 600,000 times on YouTube.
CBS’s decision to withhold the clips online was prompted by a request from producers at Mr. Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6860149.ece
Birkitt was reported to be mortified that Halderman had allegedly obtained her private diary and personal photographs and reportedly used them to blackmail Letterman. An attractive blonde who often appeared on screen bantering with her boss, Birkitt moved out of Halderman’s Connecticut home after a row several weeks ago, and is not suspected of wrongdoing.
Nothing to see here ... move along ....
It’s called L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y!
Letterman’s chickens have come home to roost! He’s a hypocrite through and through!
Did Halderman "let people off the hook" if they paid up? Did he use CBS News to blackmail private citizens?
Did Halderman use CBS News investigative reporters to dig up dirt to blackmail private citizens? “ We won’t cover you, if you pay up”...
A couple of other (non-Youtube) sites where his confession can be found:
- http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=460_1254461193
YouTube is not the only video site on the Internet.
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