Turner Broadcasting - how STUPID! is STUPID?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I cannot believe that such a huge company - Turner Broadcasting - would pull such a stunt - devices planted all over the country - many cities - Boston has been in chaos ALL DAY!!! What an expense to these cities!! - AND what mental chaos for all the folks who live in this area - and all part of a PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN!!!</p>

<p>AND a college student has pics of 17 of these things planted in Boston area - not all found yet - they had to know how this would effect people - how scary!!!</p>

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<p>what did they do?? sorry haven’t watched tv today</p>

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<p>can you explain what you are referring to?</p>

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<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070131/ap_on_re_us/suspicious_devices[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070131/ap_on_re_us/suspicious_devices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’m guessing it’s this.</p>

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<p>All I can find is a little article about supicious packages in Boston that were a hoax but originally thought to be bombs that shut down highways and subways. What does Turner Broadcasting have to do with it? Sorry…not finding it.</p>

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<p>I thought it was Cartoon Network? Shows what I know. In any case, it was stupid, dangerous and irresponsible.</p>

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<p>I’m a former Bostonian, so I’ve been following this story.</p>

<p>The devices were these little Lite Brite type things with a character from Aqua Teen Hunger Force on them.</p>

<p>Here’s a picture of one in South Boston (lots of people are trying to view the photo, so it’s not loading right now): <a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/vanderlin/358742603/[/url]”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/vanderlin/358742603/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>One in another city: <a href=“http://www.the-agent.net/blog/uploaded_images/canal_moon_1-757724.jpg[/url]”>http://www.the-agent.net/blog/uploaded_images/canal_moon_1-757724.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>The city of Boston has been in a sense of chaos all day - roads closed - bridges closed - subway stopped/closed - river and Boston Harbor closed - many many agencies involved - Homeland Security situation - all the stops were pulled out to find these things - bomb squads worked very hard all day!! This stupid prank caused some real problems all day - and then to find out that it is also happening in several other cities as well?!?!?</p>

<p>BOSTON – At least nine suspicious devices planted near bridges and other spots around Boston forced the shutdown of major roads, a bridge and a stretch of the Charles River on Wednesday before authorities concluded the objects were not bombs. </p>

<p>Police Commissioner Ed Davis confirmed authorities were investigating the devices – which appear to be circuit boards with lights – were planted as part of a publicity campaign by Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network. </p>

<p>He refused to say more. </p>

<p>“It’s a hoax – and it’s not funny,” said Gov. Deval Patrick. </p>

<p>Turner Broadcasting released the following statement:</p>

<p>“The ‘packages’ in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim’s animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger.”</p>

<p>At 4:15 - CNN reported that Turner Broadcasting was responsible!!!</p>

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<p>I can’t get that link to open and all I read on Cnn.com was about suspicious packages thought to be bombs but turned out as hoaxes. What does Turner have to do with it and Cartoon Network? There is obviously more to it than I am finding.</p>

<p>EDIT…cross posted</p>

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<p>Cartoon Network is owned by Turner Broadcasting.</p>

<p>This went on ALL DAY!! Can you imagine the expense to the city of Boston and the state of Mass for this hoax??? Heads are certianly gonna be rolling - like bowling balls - the Chief of the Boston Police is pretty steamed - as is the Mayor of Boston - how stupid can a company be?!?!?</p>

<p>OK - Now I am really mad - they found one at Fenway Park uugghhhhh</p>

<p>AAHAAAA - now considered a CRIMINAL investigation!!! :)</p>

<p>Some publicity stunt - for a new cartoon!! WOW - somebody - or many somebody’s - are certainly gonna get hung out to dry for this one. 2.5 - 5 years in jail for EACH incident!!</p>

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<p>…hurry call CTU…where’s Jack Bauer…LOL! oh…different network…</p>

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<p>Mayor Menino has already got Jack Bauer on the case :D</p>

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<p>

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<p>Mayor Mumbles Menino steamed. That would be a sight. He can’t put together an intelligible sentence under the best of circumstances!</p>

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<p>OOOhhh please ID</p>

<p>You could actually see the slow boil going on during the press conference</p>

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<p>That’s really horrible - I feel for the people of Boston and any other cities impacted. Really, really bad decision…of course, the other side of it is the agencies get absolutely hysterical about anything that is even slightly out of the norm - perhaps the extraordinarily underwhelming response to Katrina has them overcompensating now?</p>

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<p>Wow…that’s all I have to say</p>

<p>And who knew a Lite-Brite could cause so many problems. I loved those things when I was just a little tyke. Still do occasionally :slight_smile: But if I saw one hanging from a bridge I’d probably freak too</p>

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<p>[An</a> ebay auction for one of these things](<a href=“http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320078002362]An”>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320078002362) and [the</a> auction owner’s blog](<a href=“Todd Vanderlin”>Todd Vanderlin).</p>

<p>The group behind these things is an “alternative marketing” agency.</p>

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<p>Okay…maybe I’m slow but why did this not cause the same level of uproar in all the other major cities where these little light signs were located?</p>

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<p>…A Turner Broadcasting source said the devices were a component of a third-party advertising campaign conducted by a New York advertising firm, Interference Inc. That company had no comment on the incident.</p>

<p>Turner said the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania…</p>

<p>…In addition, the Pentagon said U.S. Northern Command was monitoring the situation from its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but said none of its units were sent to assist…</p>

<p>LTS - I don’t think at all that this was slightly out of the norm - this could well have been for real - scary thought. One thing that is a positive was the rapid - and what I feel to be an appropriate - response by all the agencies involved. When a person sees battery packs/wires etc… I sure would consider it to be an explosive device - the bomb squad certainly did and actually blew up a few. I think the folks of the city of Boston are relieved that the response was what it was. I think of London and what has happened there :frowning: in the past.</p>

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<p>IDMOM - it was discovered in Boston - today - apparently they were planted in the past 2-3 weeks all over the country. Now the other cities are on alert to these stupid things.</p>