Pia audience survey chart

[Aaron Gerow]

Mark,

> I'll let you have the last word, Aaron, as always. I've had my say on 
> this
> subject. Happy New Year!

Since you're being so gracious, maybe I should decline...  But then 
again...

> Finally, are the "man in the street" comments worthless? I suppose so, 
> if
> you believe that what ordinary fans think is of no importance. As a
> journalist writing for industry folks who make their living from those
> ordinary fans I think those comments can occasionally be of interest.

I never said that. I just said that such polls don't reflect the "man 
on the street," and even cast doubt on the search for such an entity. 
If Pia is creating an information commodity for sale--and not just a 
service--through these polls, it might in fact be this illusion of a 
"man on the street" or of "ordinary fans." Certainly, there are many 
practical reasons to seek out such average opinions, both from 
industrial and journalistic standpoints, but a critical point of view 
should also exist that warns against such constructions and the dangers 
they might pose.

I for one hope this is not the last word.

Aaron Gerow
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Film Studies Program
Assistant Professor
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Yale University
53 Wall Street, Room 316
PO Box 208363
New Haven, CT 06520-8363
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6764
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu