Expose:

Tom Green Takes on The World

March 12, 2009 by Kyle Brady
Tags: /b/, 4chan, Media, MSM, News, News Breaks, Tom Green, TV, TV Networks
As required by the FTC, a Full Disclosure is available - this piece adheres to the Code of Ethics

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With all the news of "old media" failing, Tom Green has apparently decided it's time for him to take over.

After 4chan's /b/ getting riled up recently about Tom Green, and a few misguided Anons trying to start memes over him (or was Tom trying to amuse to them?), he has reached out an olive branch - perhaps in response to getting raided recently in his chat room on his live broadcast.

It seems he wants to use the raiding power and nerd dominance of /b/ for his own purposes:

I am extending an olive branch to /b/.  Guys and gals at /b/...  Help me fight the good fight.  Lets take on the man.

Although he does know what he's talking about, and has obviously visited the board more than a few times:

Find the haters.  Search.  Destroy.  Fail.  Lulz.  :)

I think this is going to appeal to alot of /b/tards, since it not only incorporates making someone miserable, but an offbeat weirdo comedian as well.  It's a case of like-attracting-like if there ever was one.

Tom's goals aren't exactly clear, but it looks like he first wants to make himself visible in the public eye again, while simultaneously taking on all of the mainstream media and big networks in an attempt to ... get his live broadcast on a network? Tom's message back to me helps make things more clear.  He's not interested in "taking on the media", but rather distributing attention and wealth to those who deserve it, and not the networks.  Apply the concepts of music piracy, and how it doesn't actually effect the artists that much, to TV shows, and you'll get the basic point.

I agree that things could/should/would be done alot different, if the networks didn't have such absolute control, but there's a line- shows like "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" just simply wouldn't be the same if they were done on an independent budget.  However, I think the world would be alot better off with less network-controlled brainwash crap (American Idol or Survivor, anyone?)... the talkshow-type programs should leave the networks first, since they're easier to produce, followed by the more scripted/planned shows.  For example, Conan O'Brien could easily flourish in an online/independent format, as well as "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia", a cheap-to-produce comedy/sitcom.

I'm not sure this is the tipping point, yet, even though Tom seems to think so... but I think it's coming.  Between independent content creators/publishers and sites like Hulu that allow a more user-oriented viewing experience, change is coming.

And it's not just Barack Obama that's bringing it.

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Update (3/12/2009 5:40pm PST): I sent Tom a message after writing this and got a response back.  Details above have been edited to reflect his clarifications:

Thanks Kyle. I read your blog. Let me be a bit more clear. No this is not about getting my show on a network. This is about becoming the network. And giving all of you the opportunity to do the same. Most shows on TV cost a million dollars an episode to produce if not more. Why? Because the network has massive costs and overheard. Indy broadcasters don't have that. SO we don't need 50 million viewers. We can do really well with 1 million viewers. But if 50 indy broadcasters suddenly had a million viewers each, then this is going to cut into the TV ratings. SO the big biys are trying to keep The Channel down. They don't want this to work. All independent thinking rebels online should unite! Lets go after the big guys! Just like I get bigger lulz watching somebody prank CSPAN on the phone, then when they prank here. Because they really don't get it. I do get it. We have to go after the people that don't get it. This is about creating a business model for independent artists that works. Then we can all take our slice of the media, and end TV networks as we know it. All the networks control is the talent. But this is because they control the money. If the talent can go directly to the consumer, because of the ability to do so on the internet, then the big networks will eventually become obsolete. Just like musicians can now go directly to the consumer, this will end the big record companies as we know it. So here is the deal. We need to all collectively support people online who are doing non conventional independent stuff. You wonder why AOL Time Warner is attacking this website in the blogs online? TMZ etc? Because they don't want this web show to work. We get double the ratings of TMZ.com on our video downloads. People are downloading 40 million videos a month. They don't even come to tomgreen.com to do so. They are downloading and watching through embedded files all over the internet. This is the reason why Alexa has TMZ ahead of us, when really more people are watching video on The Channel. Alexa doesn't account for embedded downloads... This is our biggest viewership. Lets go after the big boys. We have them running scared!! If this works, others will copy. And they will lose control of the content. Then They will lose control of the media. This is happening fast now. Sorry if I am not being totally clear. The main point is this. Any blogger who works for the big broadcasters or media outlets who is trash talking little guys like me, well, they deserve to be schooled. They should do their research and stop stomping on the little guy when he is down. Ahhhhhhhh! Charge!!!! All skateboarders and rappers and punk rockers charge!!! Because at the end of the day! We don't give a FUCK!!!! This is the FU generation! So FUCK OFF!!!! TG

Expose pieces are irregular posts attempting to hold people and organizations accountable for their actions.
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.