Discovery Moves To Bury Tomb

Well, the Discovery Channel, seems to be waking up to the blunder it made in getting behind James Cameron’s titanic fiasco about Jesus’ family tomb.

EXCERPTS:

Discovery Channel’s controversial James Cameron-produced documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" drew the largest audience for the network in more than a year on Sunday night, but the network has taken several recent steps to downplay the project.

Departing from normal procedures, the cable network didn’t tout its big
ratings win. The network also scheduled a last-minute special that
harshly criticized its own documentary, and has yanked a planned repeat
of "Tomb."

"This is not one where you necessarily beat the
drum, from a business perspective," said David Leavy, executive VP of
corporate communications at Discovery. "It’s not necessarily about
making money, or making ratings, or shouting from the highest office
building. Sometimes having some maturity and perspective is more
important than getting picked up in all the ratings highlights."

Although Mr. Leavy said the network stands by the documentary "100
percent," the company took several unusual steps in the wake of the
controversy that could be seen as distancing itself from the content.

Last
week, Discovery abruptly scheduled a panel debate to air after the
documentary, moderated by Discovery newsman Ted Koppel. Discovery’s
announcement of the panel emphasized that Mr. Koppel "has no connection
to the production of ‘The Lost Tomb of Jesus’" and that "the panel will
explore the filmmakers’ profound assertions and challenge their
assumptions and suggested conclusions."

When the panel discussion aired, guests criticized the documentary as "archaeo-porn" that played fast and loose with the facts.

The
day after the March 4 airing, Discovery yanked a planned repeat of
"Tomb" from its more hard-news-branded Discovery Times Channel.

When
the Nielsen ratings revealed that "Tomb" averaged 4.1 million viewers –
Discovery’s largest audience since September 2005 – the network
declined to put out a press release touting the numbers, as would be
standard practice for a highly successful premiere. The second-season
premiere of Discovery Channel’s "Future Weapons," for instance, earned
a media announcement for its audience of 2.5 million. A network
representative, however, insisted Discovery was not trying to bury
"Tomb."

The Discovery official issues a lot of spin trying to save face for the network, and they still haven’t done all they need to to distance themselves from this stinkburger, but the overall message is clear: They screwed up and they know it. Now they’re trying to avoid getting more egg on their collective face.

GET THE STORY.

OH, AND I WONDER IF THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.

They just got a new CEO two months ago, and the Jesus tomb thing was certainly in motion before then. If his new broom is sweeping clean, some of the execs who signed off on Cameron’s nonsense may want not to be swept away along with it.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

18 thoughts on “Discovery Moves To Bury Tomb”

  1. I emailed them, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. The lame Dear John they sent me kind of irked me a bit, but at least they got the point from what I’m sure was a large number of emails.
    Not sure what I think about the term archaeo-porn, however. I either love it or hate it.

  3. In the immortal words of Homer Jay Simpson. D’oh. I didn’t bother to watch that junk but did catch a bit of the post show. They ripped that poor director to shreds, I honestly thought he was going to start crying. You’d think Discover would learn from Sony, the spend millions on the DUhVinci cod and well we all now how that went.

  5. This is good news. Discovery decided at the last minute not to air it here in India because of protests from the Indian bishops and other Christian groups, but it was too bad that it aired everywhere else. At least the network has now “seen the errors of its ways” and is making restitution, somewhat. Better than nothing.

  6. The goal is to maintain Discovery’s leadership as the No. 1 non-fiction media company in the world…
    Non-fiction???
    Great start by airing the likes of that Cameron tabloid filth merely disguised as legitimate documentary, that could only be described as sensationlism — nothing more!
    How did someone put it — a Titanic blunder!?

  7. My first comment. Hi!
    Actually I am glad Discovery is taking steps in the right direction, even if only to save face. Lets them know they cannot get away with such things without a protest.
    But meanwhile, have you heard about this atrocity?

  9. Actually, it was the believers in “Joe A” and his tomb cult who sent all those e-mails.

  10. Adding “Joe A” to the list of the Christian “necessary accessories” .
    In order of importance:
    1. Pilate
    2. “Joe A”
    3. Paul
    4. Constantine

  12. “Joe A” is Joseph of Arimithea. “His tomb cult” refers to the Holy Sepulcre and the followers of Him Who was buried there. He was just spewing a little brimstone Screwtape gave him.

  13. The Discovery official issues a lot of spin trying to save face for the network, and they still haven’t done all they need to to distance themselves from this stinkburger, but the overall message is clear: They screwed up and they know it. Now they’re trying to avoid getting more egg on their collective face.
    Unfortunately, when watching the Discovery Channel yesterday evening, there was a ‘crawler’ that read that the The Lost Tomb of Jesus was going to re-air on March 28.
    So much for avoiding getting more egg on their collective face. =^(

  14. It is unfortunate that religion exists at all. Originally, religion served as the concience for the wild and barbaric ancestors that existed before made established REAL laws. Those barbaric ancestors of us didn’t fear repurcussions from society, but when the Gods were angered, they responded. Now we have laws and god still doesn’t exist. Now more people are killed for god than for the loathfulness of man.
    Sad isn’t it. Let’s how about you christians go kill some muslims and leave James Cameron alone in his insanity. It’s on TV, so it must be true… right?

  15. WOW! I’m amazed!
    That is THE MOST ORIGINAL IDEA I’ve ever heard in my life!
    The whole concept: “God Created Man”
    when actually: “Man Created God”
    and really: “God is Dead!”
    I could’ve sworn a guy by the name of Nietszche came up with the notion first!
    You are “Some Guy”!
    Now, go on with your abysmal morally-deprived existence by smoking weed, committing abortions, coming up with ways to justify murder and a homosexual lifestyle, gay marriages, and everything else that the world seeks to rationalize and make ‘okay’ all for the sake of humanity!

  16. Just a bigot on an emotional rant. No need to respond in kind, brutha. Everyone who reads said rant will be able to see that there was no thinking behind it.
    Besides, maybe it’s a disguised plea for prayer. I recommend we engage in it.

  17. Of course, his e-mail address explains a few things, epecially his need for our prayers.

  18. Of course, his e-mail address explains a few things, epecially his need for our prayers.
    As they say, people in Purgatory may need our prayers; however, people in Hell, it’s just about hopeless.

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