Posted on 05/07/2013 9:47:25 AM PDT by LibWhacker
Add another one to the man's list of prudent business decisions.
As relates to his previously documented loathing of Fox News, it's now known that the late Steve Jobs backed up his harsh words by wisely withholding Apple's advertising dollars, according to an upcoming book about the 2012 presidential campaign.
The book's author, Jonathan Alter, a Bloomberg political columnist and contributor to MSNBC, tells of Jobs "personally ordering that Apple ads be removed from Fox News," according to a blog post in the New York Times over the weekend. Alter's book, "The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies," is scheduled to hit stores June 4.
That the Apple co-founder held Fox News in low regard has been publicly known since the publication of Walter Isaacson's authorized biography in October 2011. Here's the key passage recounting a conversation Jobs had with Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp., which owns Fox News:
"You're blowing it with Fox News," Jobs told him over dinner. "The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you've cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy if you're not careful." Jobs said he thought Murdoch did not really like how far Fox had gone. "Rupert's a builder, not a tearer-downer," he said. "I've had some meetings with (Murdoch's son) James, and I think he agrees with me. I can just tell."
While there's little reason to believe Jobs was right about the Murdochs' reticence, his decision to protect the invaluable Apple brand from being tarnished by association with Fox News was one that others would do well to emulate today. A quick look at FoxNews.com shows the likes of Sprint, Nuance, Mercedes-Benz, Nstar and New Relic failing to take the same care with their corporate names.
And another Fox advertiser, curiously enough, is the Public Broadcasting System ... but at least PBS may have something of a valid reason to do business with an organization that is dedicated to seeing public television destroyed: PBS is advertising its upcoming miniseries called "Constitution USA" hosted by Peter Sagal. Now if only those who run and watch Fox News would actually watch.
(Update: An anonymous commenter on Reddit offers: "I'm a media buyer and I know that MANY blue chip companies have Fox News on their do-not-use list including a couple of Apple's biggest competitors.")
Pure marketing guy.
And now Apple begins to struggle with companies like Samsung. I guess it’s all to be blamed on the “destructive” forces at FoxNews. Apple will not succeed as long it is more concerned with its societal image than the quality of its products in a very competitive world. A typically self-destructive, “enlightened” mentality of the leftist Westerner, or a capitalist like Steve Jobs who forgets what delivered him to his current success.
I love my Apple products and routinely access Fox News with all of them!
“Was he even an engineer? Wasnt he just a marketing guy?”
Jobs WAS an engineer, just not a GREAT engineer. Most of his talents lay in other areas. Jobs was undeniably one of the greatest geniuses of his time, but he was also one of the biggest autocratic assholes that ever walked the face of the planet. He was self-aware enough to be aware of all of the above, but not enough to actually change his behavior.
Politically, Jobs was a total contradiction in that he was simultaneously the epitome of free enterprise and capitalism, and the ultimate performance-based boss, to the point of outrageous harshness to all but the top 5% of performers. The other 95% were “bozos” in his book, and he ruthlessly purged the “bozos” from Apple. And yet politically, Jobs was a complete leftist.
It’s possible if Jobs had lived longer, he might have delved into his political contradictions and figured out what was what. But then again, maybe not. No matter how old he lived to be, Jobs would probably have died with his boots on, never looking up from the workbench to examine anything other than the next multi-billion dollar blockbuster product he was designing for Apple.
Rush was discussing this the other day. Described the ad agency buyers as all young feminist women. Said they ignore the audiance numbers and demographics and guide their customers’ buys to only liberal media.
I admit that I’m posting from an iPhone. That said, it’s a stupid decision to cut your advertising from the largest cable channel over politics.
Steve Jobs US Files Provide New Details on Drug Use, Kidnap Worry
By Luis Martinez, @LMartinezABC, Follow on Twitter, Jun 11, 2012 2:41pm
Recently released Pentagon documents indicate that in the 1980’s Steve Jobs expressed concern that his daughter might be kidnapped in an effort to blackmail him. The documents also provide more information about the Apple co-founders drug use as a teenager as well as a previously unreported arrest in 1975 for having failed to pay a speeding ticket.
The new details are included in 1988 documents processed by the Defense Investigative Service that were obtained by the online magazine Wired through a Freedom of Information of Act request. At the time Jobs had applied for a Top Security clearance when he headed up the computer firm Pixar.
Exactly the kind of guy who would favor autocratic rule over a democratic republic. Kind of a Henry Ford in that respect.
We need 'em but we should never listen to them (outside their narrow spheres of expertise).
Steve jobs is dead. Microsoft is alive. Live long and prosper.......
When Obama is gone, and the truth comes out, people will realize that they have been duped by the MSM.
Look at Benghazi, and the utter contempt that Obama has for the American citizen, that he sent Amb Rice to lie on 5 different TV shows. Deliberate lies for political expediency, and this media swallowed it wholesale. Not a peep out of these cowardly toadies. They are useless, deceptive and unworthy of being called journalists.
Please review the trumped up race war by JournoList to reinforce this point of a media conspiracy.
In a democracy an adversarial press is a vital necessity to the well functioning of national decision making, and the mainstream media has turned itself into a Pravda to the liberal left that runs the Democratic Party. They have diminished this nation by their dishonesty.
Fox News a “Destroyer”? That is stupid and wrong! More like - MSNBC - an Operative! Pack journalism at its worst.
Finally - one news outlet offers the semblance of dissent, and the left can’t control themselves.
I want a news agency that has no fear in calling the Administration a liar, because that should be very easy to disprove, unless it is true.
And we see the wisdom of that decision by Jobs reflected Apples stock.
Yeah, by that logic he should have yanked his Ads from CNNCBSABCNBCPBS well before he started spewing about Fox. Fox has their problems, but the locked stepped marxist supporting 'other' networks are actively working to destroy our Nation. They don't 'vet frauds who run for office, and they actively seek to destroy candidates who support the Constitution - particularly if they are women, or their skin contains a large amount of melanin. They push Sodomites down our throats, and exult the modern version of Moloch worship (sacrificing babies on the alter of the god of convenience).
Steve Jobs. Just another in a long line of Lib hypocrites. I'd like to wish him RIP - he did a fine job with Apple - but based on his biography - he never sought (and therefore never found) the only person who could save Him - the Lord Jesus Christ.
THIS JUST IN:
Steve Jobs is STILL DEAD!!
And Alter, the alleged author of the book, was one of Stevie’s fellow socialists.
Well, he’s eating worms now
Glad that I don’t own a single Apple product.
You won’t find me defending Bill Gates!
In the Steve Jobs biography, Jobs told Obama that he was “headed for a one term presidency” because of Obama’s anti-business stance.
Jobs also criticized America’s education system saying it was “crippled by union work rules.” “Until the teachers’ unions are broken, there is almost no hope for education reform.”
Before that meeting with Obama, Jobs had insisted on a personal invite from The One. He never got it. There was a 5 day standoff before they met at the SF airport.
Jobs tore into Obama. He wasn’t impressed with him. Jobs was infuriated with Obama’s excuses on why things can’t get done. Even so, Jobs offered to make some political ads for Obama’s 2012 campaign, but that fell through because Axelrod wasn’t deferential enough to Jobs.
Another case of nothing getting done when two prickly arrogant a-holes meet.
Jobs decision about Fox News had a lot to do with the low information voters he sells his products to. Fox has a bad reputation among the LIV so he made a business decision to hawk his products elsewhere.
I just did a ‘System Restore’ on my 2005 HP computer.
I dreaded it because I am no computer whiz but after having gone through the procedure, I am thinking that I should have done it years ago.
Love my Windows XP. I don’t know what to do with my 5-month old laptop with Windows 7. Will use it as paper weight.
Bump to that.
“....people will realize that they have been duped by the MSM.”
.
Nah. Most people don’t read, can’t read or don’t give a shiite and don’t even know what the initials M-S-M stand for.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.