NBC y2k Movie web site

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

Sorry if this has already been posted: http://www.nbc.com/y2k/

-- Meg Moss (meg@y2k.am), November 08, 1999

Answers

I wonder if this movie will be allowed to air? Of course, everythings gonna work out, no problem, in the end.

Mike

====================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), November 08, 1999.


Link

 Y2K

-- Brian (imager@home.com), November 08, 1999.


Here's the storyline:

Nick Cromwell (Olin) is a complex systems failure expert, an independent consultant working on the government's "Z2" (think zero, zero) project to insure that the country is Y2K compliant. As the minutes tick down to the new millenium, a concerned Nick counsels caution, persuading his boss, Martin Lowell (Morton), who heads up the program, to ground all planes before midnight. As Nick watches and waits, clocks around the world begin to strike 12 a.m., bringing the United States closer to learning what the Y2K bug is all about.

As the millenium dawns in North America, most of the Eastern Seaboard suffers a major power outage. But the worst is yet to come. Nick must stay ahead of the unpredictable Y2K bug as it spreads across the United States threatening everyone, including his own family on the West Coast. While simple computer error is at the heart of the potentially catastrophic problems, Nick must use old-fashioned ingenuity if he is to save the day in this race-against-time action adventure.



-- Zach Anderson (z@figure.8m.com), November 08, 1999.

Did anyone read the synopsis? It sounds like they're having one man save the world from the bug in a single night. Pretty impressive. Perhaps all those IT people out there can pick up some hint

-- CD (CDOKeefe@aol.com), November 08, 1999.

Moral of the story? McGuyver rides again!

Unless the scenes depicting the failures and the public's reaction are convincingly distrurbing to the average viewer, this is just another episode of McGuyver. Just more televised mind-shrinkage.

This will probably HELP the Koskinen spin team because they'll be able to point to this claptrap and say "See! We told you everything would be OK and this proves it."

Another trip to Sam's is in order for this week. Gonna be spending time in the house for a little longer than first considered.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), November 08, 1999.



Has anyone read this article in today's Westergaard 2000 newsletter?

http://www.wbn.com/y2ktimebomb/media/bone9944.htm

I haven't read the whole article, but I saw this line leaping out at me:

[snip]

"Since I've not seen the movie yet I don't know what Y2K crises it projects. But you know as well as I do that the "average" TV viewer has a pretty low education level (is it still eighth grade level?), and these viewers could easily believe that these events could really play out. You understand my point. NBC understands this."

[end snip]

Oh, geez, I thought all the eighth-grade brainers would be watching wrestling that night. Silly me!

[snip]

"Once 2000 gets here and things really do start happening, and for sure get tremendous news coverage, the world is going to be thinking about your movie and will not deal with these events in a rational way. In other words, a single real event starting to unfold in January 2000 will not be allowed to play itself out normally and under some control that we have already planned, but that event will be directed, even propelled, to some end result based on what people saw happen in your movie. The public will expect that they know exactly what events are going to unfold because they saw this happen in the Y2K movie on NBC. "

[end snip]

Good golly!!! I had NO idea NBC had that kind of influence, did you?

In case you didn't want to look at it yourself, it's a letter from Warren Bone, a columnist for Westergaard.

look, here, I'll just cut & paste the whole thing.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

Open Letter to NBC By Warren Bone November 5, 1999 Dear NBC Programming Department,

Just this morning I read an article on The Kansas City Star's website (kcstar.com) about the made-for-TV movie "Y2K" that NBC plans to air Sunday, 21 November 1999.

I am a Year 2000 consultant in Nashville, Tennessee and was Year 2000 Project Manager for Gaylord Entertainment Company (NYSE: GET) for over three years. (Gaylord owns the Grand Ole Opry, Opryland Hotel, CMT International, WSM AM/FM radio, and about 60 other companies worldwide.)

I must say that I am strongly opposed this "suspense thriller" being aired, just because of the uncertainty that exists over Year 2000 issues worldwide.

The subject matter of this fictional movie is not like any other. In almost any other case, the viewing audience readily accepts the fictional aspect of the movie as what it is: fiction. However, even if your viewers tell themselves that "this is only a movie, it's only fiction," you could still find many people thinking to themselves, "I know that was just a 'movie,' but things like that could happen."

Since I've not seen the movie yet I don't know what Y2K crises it projects. But you know as well as I do that the "average" TV viewer has a pretty low education level (is it still eighth grade level?), and these viewers could easily believe that these events could really play out. You understand my point. NBC understands this.

Not just your "average" viewer, but all the rest of us in every demographic classification are going to be alarmed at the possibilities portrayed by the "fictional movie." (We know to dismiss all other movies and shows as just "movies" because our experiences and base of knowledge provide us enough information to process that fiction as just that, and we know the likelihood of "something like that" happening -- as in all the other fiction -- is quite low. Or we think, "If something like that should happen it won't effect me.")

If NBC does air this movie I am sure you will win the ratings sweeps. But I am afraid you are going to make a very bad situation much worse. Once 2000 gets here and things really do start happening, and for sure get tremendous news coverage, the world is going to be thinking about your movie and will not deal with these events in a rational way. In other words, a single real event starting to unfold in January 2000 will not be allowed to play itself out normally and under some control that we have already planned, but that event will be directed, even propelled, to some end result based on what people saw happen in your movie. The public will expect that they know exactly what events are going to unfold because they saw this happen in the Y2K movie on NBC.

Your movie could make the most extreme prognostications for post Y2K chaos self-fulfilling, and that is not what we want.

We do not want a movie to become the prophet and cause of unnecessary problems. We are going to have enough problems without that fueling the fire.

Please forward this to your president and executive committee.

Sincerely,

Warren Bone, MBA Year 2000 Consultant Nashville, Tennessee.

Tell me, please, does this offend only me? Am I the only one who likes to believe that people aren't quite THAT stupid? JHC!!! I'm hoping that this movie will get some people off their fannies & do something, better late than never & all that.

ARRRGGGHHHH!!!

-- Arewyn (isitth@latealready.com), November 08, 1999.


Has anyone read this article in today's Westergaard 2000 newsletter?

http://www.wbn.com/y2ktimebomb/media/bone9944.htm

I haven't read the whole article, but I saw this line leaping out at me:

[snip]

"Since I've not seen the movie yet I don't know what Y2K crises it projects. But you know as well as I do that the "average" TV viewer has a pretty low education level (is it still eighth grade level?), and these viewers could easily believe that these events could really play out. You understand my point. NBC understands this."

[end snip]

Oh, geez, I thought all the eighth-grade brainers would be watching wrestling that night. Silly me!

[snip]

"Once 2000 gets here and things really do start happening, and for sure get tremendous news coverage, the world is going to be thinking about your movie and will not deal with these events in a rational way. In other words, a single real event starting to unfold in January 2000 will not be allowed to play itself out normally and under some control that we have already planned, but that event will be directed, even propelled, to some end result based on what people saw happen in your movie. The public will expect that they know exactly what events are going to unfold because they saw this happen in the Y2K movie on NBC. "

[end snip]

Good golly!!! I had NO idea NBC had that kind of influence, did you?

In case you didn't want to look at it yourself, it's a letter from Warren Bone, a columnist for Westergaard.

look, here, I'll just cut & paste the whole thing.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

Open Letter to NBC By Warren Bone November 5, 1999 Dear NBC Programming Department,

Just this morning I read an article on The Kansas City Star's website (kcstar.com) about the made-for-TV movie "Y2K" that NBC plans to air Sunday, 21 November 1999.

I am a Year 2000 consultant in Nashville, Tennessee and was Year 2000 Project Manager for Gaylord Entertainment Company (NYSE: GET) for over three years. (Gaylord owns the Grand Ole Opry, Opryland Hotel, CMT International, WSM AM/FM radio, and about 60 other companies worldwide.)

I must say that I am strongly opposed this "suspense thriller" being aired, just because of the uncertainty that exists over Year 2000 issues worldwide.

The subject matter of this fictional movie is not like any other. In almost any other case, the viewing audience readily accepts the fictional aspect of the movie as what it is: fiction. However, even if your viewers tell themselves that "this is only a movie, it's only fiction," you could still find many people thinking to themselves, "I know that was just a 'movie,' but things like that could happen."

Since I've not seen the movie yet I don't know what Y2K crises it projects. But you know as well as I do that the "average" TV viewer has a pretty low education level (is it still eighth grade level?), and these viewers could easily believe that these events could really play out. You understand my point. NBC understands this.

Not just your "average" viewer, but all the rest of us in every demographic classification are going to be alarmed at the possibilities portrayed by the "fictional movie." (We know to dismiss all other movies and shows as just "movies" because our experiences and base of knowledge provide us enough information to process that fiction as just that, and we know the likelihood of "something like that" happening -- as in all the other fiction -- is quite low. Or we think, "If something like that should happen it won't effect me.")

If NBC does air this movie I am sure you will win the ratings sweeps. But I am afraid you are going to make a very bad situation much worse. Once 2000 gets here and things really do start happening, and for sure get tremendous news coverage, the world is going to be thinking about your movie and will not deal with these events in a rational way. In other words, a single real event starting to unfold in January 2000 will not be allowed to play itself out normally and under some control that we have already planned, but that event will be directed, even propelled, to some end result based on what people saw happen in your movie. The public will expect that they know exactly what events are going to unfold because they saw this happen in the Y2K movie on NBC.

Your movie could make the most extreme prognostications for post Y2K chaos self-fulfilling, and that is not what we want.

We do not want a movie to become the prophet and cause of unnecessary problems. We are going to have enough problems without that fueling the fire.

Please forward this to your president and executive committee.

Sincerely,

Warren Bone, MBA Year 2000 Consultant Nashville, Tennessee.

Tell me, please, does this offend only me? Am I the only one who likes to believe that people aren't quite THAT stupid? JHC!!! I'm hoping that this movie will get some people off their fannies & do something, better late than never & all that.

ARRRGGGHHHH!!!

-- Arewyn (isitth@latealready.com), November 08, 1999.


Rats. I hate when that happens.

-- Arewyn (isitth@latealready.com), November 08, 1999.

Now I know why they think i'm incapable of going without social security and medicare. What I'm wondering is how they think I learned to drive a car, operate a computer or operate a chainsaw.

-- gary (dumb@dumber.boob), November 08, 1999.

I say let's panic now while we still have resources, rather than wait and see what happens(which may put millions in danger in the middle of winter!)

-- citizen (lost@sea.com), November 09, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ