WALL STREET JOURNAL: GBTV ALREADY HAS MORE SUBSCRIBERS THAN OPRAH’S NETWORK HAS VIEWERS

Many people thought Glenn Beck might have been a little bit crazy (little bit?) to leave the safety and support of traditional cable television to launch his internet-based GBTV enterprise.  But the news from the Wall Street Journal today may cause even the critics some pause.

Beck’s GBTV broadcast will launch at 5PM ET this afternoon, complete with an all-new chalkboard!

Video: Say Hello to My Little Friend

The complete Wall Street Journal article, well worth reading, is restricted to subscribers, but here is one nugget :

Because Mr. Beck owns the show and the network, he could make substantially more than the $2.5 million salary he got each year at Fox. GBTV is on track to take in more than $20 million in revenue in its debut year, according to a person close to the company.

The television industry will be watching closely to see whether the TV host can preserve his popularity while migrating to the Web, where efforts to get consumers to pay to watch online-only channels are just beginning.

When Mr. Beck announced GBTV in June, the network had 80,000 subscribers. In the months since, GBTV subscribers have swelled to more than 230,000, according to people close to the network, even though Mr. Beck‘s show hasn’t yet begun.

The audience is far less than the more than 2.2 million daily viewers his program on Fox drew, on average, over its 27-month run, which ended in June after clashes with the network’s management.

But it is more than the average 156,000 people who were watching the Oprah Winfrey Network in June.

One writer at Forbes has looked at the numbers and done a little extrapolation:

Analyst Rich Greenfield of BTIG Research estimates that GBTV is already generating revenues of $27 million a year from subscription fees by monetizing a mere 1 percent of the total audience for his Fox show, his radio show, his websites (glennbeck.com and theblaze.com) and other outlets. Greenfield envisions Beck increasing that conversion rate to 5 percent, yielding a subscriber base of over 1 million. In that scenario, extrapolating from Greenfield’s current run rate estimate of $27 million, GBTV would be generating $135 million in subscription revenues.

The Forbes writer, Jeff Bercovici, acknowledges that those estimates might be optimistic.  But he posits that Beck is on course to the $100 million dollar earnings barrier “sooner than later” when you consider all of his media endeavors.

Deadline New York is running with a headline reading, “Analyst: Media Execs ‘Should Be Very Afraid’ of Glenn Beck’s Web TV Launch.”

Mediate looks at it this way:

While Beck’s online venture is still relatively new, it’ll continue to be interesting to observe the different trajectories GBTV and OWN take as they forge their way. Here are two networks, albeit on different platforms, begun by two individuals who are themselves highly recognizable mega-brands. One is gradually building an audience as another is still hoping to find its place on television, and both depend highly on the trust viewers place on their respective founding personalities. Could you imagine what an episode devoted to Beck’s “favorite things” might pan out? Sales of chalk could go through the roof.

Video: Beck Looking a Bit Shabby, Getting Ready to GBTV Launch, Appears on the O’Reilly Show – Explains GBTV

Source:  The Blaze

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Christmas With the Obamas

Many watched Oprah’s Special on ABC, billed as Christmas in the White House.  Many were disappointed because it was really a combination attempt to present a false front by the Obama’s through their friend Oprah to placate the 80+ percent of Americans who are Christians and the others who love the Christmas traditions because they are part of the American experience.

Oprah begins her show with the President in the Oval Office where they look at one of the Christmas Trees that surprisingly, like the cookies at the White House Christmas Party, was filled with ACORNS… Hmmmm… a secret (or not so secret) message??

We met Beau the dog wearing a Christmas Bell collar; saw how the White House Gingerbread house is made; saw the decoupage ornaments and cranberries in the red room and discussed how many of the framed photos in the White House were swapped out for holiday photos from former administrations.  There were tree lighting and Menorah lighting ceremonies this year, but the spectacular White House Nativity Scene, that was almost not put up this year, was nowhere to be seen and the White House is sending out Holiday Cards… not Christmas Cards.

It was reported in the pro-Obama The New York Times that the President Obama and the First Family were planning a “non-religious Christmas,” according to Social Secretary Desiree Rogers. Ms. Rogers reportedly told a gathering of former social secretaries that the Obamas did not intend on putting the Nativity scene on display – a longtime East Room tradition. (Now does this in anyway make sense to anyone, if the Obama's were Christians, even on practicing Christians... or apathetic Agnostics??... Of course it doesn't!!).

The account was reported in the Fashion and Style section of The New York Times. The White House confirmed to the Times that there had been internal discussions about making Christmas more inclusive – but in the end – tradition won out – and the Nativity scene is once again in its traditional East Room spot. 

Later after many complaints and negative press, Michelle Obama said, “It has been a part of White House Christmas decorations in the past, it is on display in the East Room for all to enjoy and it will continue to be a part of White House Christmas decorations moving forward.”

There was a discussion between Oprah and Obama about the President spending his first 10-minutes in the Oval Office alone and mention of a prayer, but no other references to prayer or the reason for Christmas were made.  Odd for a president to sold himself to the American People as a Christian; just as it is odd for a Christian President not to attend or even find a church in DC for himself or his family.  Church and prayer sustain most presidents during the difficult times in the White House.

The most time spent on “Christ” mas discussion on Oprah Winfrey's Christmas special from the White House was where she sits down with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle in the Green Room and they the Obama’s quibble about bad Christmas gifts.

In this clip (below) of Oprah Winfrey's Christmas special from the White House where she sits down with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle and they quibble over bad Christmas Gifts.  President Obama just comes right out and says - in front of Michelle:

"Here's the general rule: I give nicer stuff than I get." Michelle responds, "No way! I gave you good gifts last year." Obama then says, Ahhhh, come on. Please!"  And finally Michelle ends with, “You do give good gifts… Keep it up~”

After ‘the gift exchange’ when Oprah asked about family Christmas traditions, new and old, the Obama’s mentioned that they would be heading to Hawaii to celebrate.

“Unlike almost all Americans—including atheists—the Obamas do not give their children Christmas gifts. We know this because Barack bragged about this last year to People magazine. So it should come as no big surprise that he and his wife would like to neuter Christmas in the White House. That’s their natural step—to ban the public display of Christian symbols. Have any doubts? Last April, Georgetown University was ordered to put a drape over the name of Jesus as a condition of the president speaking there.  Obama said that Santa brings the girls and all of them gifts, but there was no mention of any true Christmas celebrations or traditions in the Obama home of family. (Even when their yearly ‘Christmas’ trip to Hawaii was mentioned, the discussion revolved around a talent contest… not church, prayer or even traditional gift giving.)  Even Oprah, who has been pushing new age types of religion made an odd comment on the special.  “I thought that (referring to a pearl necklace Michelle was wearing) had to be something more special than just Christmas.  Hmmm for Christians there are no more important days that Christmas and Easter.

If the Obamas want to deprive their children of celebrating Christmas, that is their business. It is the business of the public to hold them accountable for the way they celebrate Christmas in the White House. We know one thing for sure: no other administration ever  entertained internal discussions on whether to display a nativity scene in the White  House.”

At the end of the program Oprah asked what wish the President would leave on the the White House’s  Wish Tree for the American People.  He replied, “I would wish for confidence by the American People that everything will be alright.” Mr. President, if that is true… you are living far outside of the reality bubble…

And as far as church goes perhaps it is not a priority if you don’t want the American people to know your real religion?!?

Obama taking off his shoes and getting ready to worship with other Muslim men; not something a non-Muslim and especially a non-Muslim US President would do…

----------------

Obama leaves the gifting to Santa

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) tells People magazine in the issue out Friday that he and his wife, Michelle, do not give Christmas or birthday presents to their two young daughters.

Obama tells the magazine’s Sandra Sobieraj Westfall in a seven-page cover story that he and his wife follow the unusual practice because they “want to teach some limits.”

In the interview earlier this summer, Obama noted that they do spend “hundreds” of dollars on birthday slumber parties.

Michelle Obama told People: “Malia says, ‘I know there is a Santa because there’s no way you’d buy me all that stuff.’ ”

Wink.

The cover says: “THE OBAMAS AT HOME – EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS! – From piano practice and pillow talk to who does the chores (not him!), Barack, Michelle and daughters Sasha [7] and Malia [10] offer a rare look into their Chicago home.”

Westfall writes: “The girls may be irreverent, but they are also well mannered, slipping off their shoes before climbing on the velvet sofa. ‘There are downstairs rules,’ Michelle says later, like

no shoes on the furniture. But in the girls’ third-floor playroom the couch doubles as a trampoline. ‘So there are different rules in different parts of the house,’ Michelle continues.

“In the kitchen, where it’s the girls’ job to set and clear the dinner table, sunlight streams through a solarium-style glass wall, showing off black granite countertops—and dust collecting on an unopened bottle of Kendall- Jackson chardonnay. Michelle’s 71-year-old mother, Marian Robinson, is unpacking the family’s takeout lunch from Subway."

Here are the seven “Obama House Rules” listed by the magazine:

1) “No whining, arguing or annoying teasing,” says Michelle Obama.

2) Make the bed. “Doesn’t have to look good—just throw the sheet over it,” says Mom.

3) Set your own alarm clock. “They get themselves up, get their own clothes,” says Sasha and Malia’s grandmother Marian Robinson. “They’re very easy to take care of; there’s not much left for me to do!”

4) Keep playroom toy closet clean.

5) Allowance from Dad for doing chores: $1 per week. “I’m out of town all the time,” says Barack, “so Malia will say, ‘Hey, you owe me 10 weeks!’ ”

6) No birthday or Christmas presents from Mom and Dad, who spend “hundreds” on birthday slumber parties and, as Barack puts it, “want to teach some limits.” Says Michelle: “Malia says, ‘I know there is a Santa because there’s no way you’d buy me all that stuff.’ ”

7) Lights out at 8:30. “They got an extra half hour when they were ready to read on their own,” says Michelle.

I would say that this system of Christmas keeps them from addressing the actual holiday and meaning behind it; keeps them out of church, and keeps the Obama’s out of explaining their Muslim leanings.  Santa is more of a children’s cult figure and really has nothing to do with the true meaning of “Christ”mas or the religious based traditions.  (It is kind of like Jews who put up a Hanukah Bush/Tree and have Santa bring presents, so their kids don’t feel left out.  This is just the Obama Muslim version).

The question for America is, “When are you going to be tired of being had and lied to??  And are you going to stand-up before there is nothing left to stand up for or after they have taken your freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and the right to bear arms away from you… so that there is no way to fight back??

Merry Christmas and May God Bless and Keep America and her (His) People Safe!!

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White Guilt

50,000 lights and 180 channels of LOR. This display located in Lindon, Utah

Obama only names 110 White House visitors

Most guests still hidden; list includes Bill Gates, Oprah, Newt Gingrich

Update: White House Visitor List: Bill Ayers – George Soros – Jeremiah Wright – White House Claims They Are Not the Famous People We All Know… How many more lies are the America People going to accept?

I thought Obama barely knew Pentagon Bomber, Bill Ayers? Wasn’t he just “a guy in the neighborhood?”

The President now entertains radical Racists like Wright, and domestic terrorists that bombed our own Pentagon, in our nations Executive Manson.

How many more lies are the America People going to accept?

The White House on Friday released a small list of visitors to the White House since President Barack Obama took office in January.

No previous administration has released such a list, though the information out so far is incomplete. Only about 110 names —and 481 visits —out of the tens of thousands who have visited the Obama White House were made public. Like the Bush administration before it, Obama is arguing that any release is voluntary, not required by law, depsite two federal court rulings to the contrary.

Under the Obama White House's policy, most names of visitors from Inauguration Day in January through the end of September will never be released. The White House says it plans to release most of the names of visitors from October on, and that release is due near the end of the year. There are limitations there as well, including potential Supreme Court nominees, personal guests of the First Family, and certain security officials.

The names released Friday evening included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, actor George Clooney, former Sen. Thomas Daschle, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and John Podesta, a former chief of staff under President Bill Clinton who headed Obama's transition.

Other familiar names on the list: Religious Right leader Gary Bauer, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, former Sen. Howard Dean, JP Morgan's James Dimon, Sen. Al Franken, former Vice President Al Gore, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, civil rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, constitutional scholar Cass Sunstein, and actor Denzel Washington.

Msnbc.com has put the full list in a handy PDF file, and it's also available in an Excel file for those who like to sort.

The White House warns that many names that may appear familiar — and controversial —do not in fact refer to the most famous people to carry those names. Jeremiah Wright is on the list, but it's not the president's former pastor. Michael Jordan is not the basketball player. This Michael Moore is not a filmmaker. And William Ayers, who took a group tour of the White House, isn't the former radical from Chicago. The White House could have avoided some of that sort of confusion by providing more information on the visitors, such as an employer name and the city they hail from.

"This unprecedented level of transparency can sometimes be confusing rather than providing clear information," a White House special counsel, Norm Eisen, wrote on the White House blog

If you spot a name on the list that bears investigating, please drop us a note.

Limited release
Despite the accompanying White House claim of "transparency like you've never seen before," the Obama White House continues to take the same legal position as the Bush White House, arguing that the records are not public records subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Only limited "voluntary releases" are being made to settle a lawsuit filed by an advocacy group, though a federal judge has twice ruled that all the visitor logs are public.

Yet there are severe limitations to the transparency:

Most of the visitors from Inauguration Day to September will never be released by the White House under this voluntary disclosure — unless the public can guess their names. The White House policy doesn't allow members of the public or press to ask for "everyone who visited health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle," or everyone who visited on May 4, or everyone from the American Medical Association. Only individual names can be checked.

What was released Friday were just about 110 names with 481 visits. Those names were among those requested by members of the public so far, for visits during the period from Inauguration Day through July. Members of the public who used the White House online form to check names did not receive a personal reply indicating whether or not the request was received, or whether the name appeared on the list.

A request for all records from the first months of the administration, filed by msnbc.com, remains open. The news organization requested the names of all visitors to the Obama White House beginning with Inauguration Day. That request is pending, and msnbc.com has filed an administrative appeal with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service.

Besides Gates, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt are also on the list. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC. One of NBC's parents is GE.) Amazing that they are finally publishing any accurate but negative information about Obama.

By Bill Dedman - Investigative reporter - msnbc.com – contact at: Bill.Dedman@msnbc.com

The Campaign Spot… For the 2016 Olympics – Updated… Olympics go to Rio

And the winner is…Rio

Olympics 2016: Tearful Pele and weeping Lula greet historic win for Rio

Football legend Pele, right, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, celebrate with their delegation after it was announced that Rio de Janeiro has won the bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Photograph: Getty Images

The prospect of beach volleyball on Copacabana and sailing in the shadow of Sugarloaf mountain dramatically trumped Barack Obama's last-ditch intervention today as Rio de Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games.

Just two years after Brazil hosts the World Cup in 2014 and 120 years after the first modern Games, they will come to South America for the first time after IOC members overwhelmingly bought into Brazil's vision for expanding the Olympic movement into fresh territories and turbocharging economic development. Rio conclusively defeated Madrid, the third time in a row the Spanish capital has come close, in the final runoff by 66 votes to 32. (Full Article)

Obama's EPIC FAIL

Wow, this one is hard to explain. The President jetted off to Copenhagen to make his case for Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics. A move that the President shouldn't have been dumb enough to make if he wasn't fairly sure of the outcome. Chicago was the first city to be eliminated from contention for the 2016 games. A total embarrassment to the President--who is likely reaming out whoever it was that made the call to go to Copenhagen. Glenn reacts to the breaking news. ( Beck Radio Transcript )

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is seated with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey at the opening ceremonies of the the 121st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session and XIII Olympic Congress at the Copenhagen Opera House October 1, 2009. Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo are competing to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and the IOC will choose the winning city in a vote on Friday, October 2. REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool (DENMARK SPORT OLYMPICS POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT)

Michelle Says a Sacrifice for Her to go to Denmark for Olympics

The noble “sacrifice” of Michelle Obama; Updated: Chicago & Tokyo eliminated; Games over, prepare for recriminations; It’s Rio

The Noble "Sacrifice" of Michelle Obama

by Michelle Malkin

It's hard out there for a first lady of the United States. Take it from travel-weary Michelle Obama. On Tuesday night, she boarded a luxury 757 for Copenhagen. Think of the stairs she had to climb. Oh, the agony of the feet!

Upon arrival, Mrs. O, her "chit-chat buddy," Chicago-based talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey, and Chicago powerbroker/interest-conflicted real estate mogul/senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett immediately embarked on a grueling, grip-and-grin campaign to secure the Olympics for their hometown. Our smile muscles ache in sympathy.

You will be comforted to know that the gracious FLOTUS feels your pain for her pain. "As much of a sacrifice as people say this is for me or Oprah or the president to come for these few days," the first lady told a group of fellow Chicago 2016 boosters, "so many of you in this room have been working for years to bring this bid home." Translation: Thank me, thank you, for all we do.

Never has self-congratulatory gratitude been raised to such an art form, but there was no time for loyal subjects to dwell. The selflessly indefatigable Michelle Obama had to rush off for an 800-meter wine-and-cheese dash with International Olympic Committee members, followed by a rigorous aerobic Heads of State luncheon hosted by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and another high-heeled trek to the IOC Opening Ceremony at the Copenhagen Opera House.

Of course, it's not entirely clear which "people" out there are saying that the Obamas' jaunt to Denmark is a "sacrifice."

Certainly not the families of the 43 American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have died in Afghanistan since Gen. Stanley McChrystal called for more reinforcements.

Certainly not the families of the nearly 40 children and teens in Chicago who lost their lives on the out-of-control streets of the Windy City so far this year.

The first lady's slip of self-absorption reminds me of a useful passage in Washington Post writer Liza Mundy's biography of Mrs. Obama. After graduating from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, the bitterly oppressed Michelle Obama headed back to her native Chicago to join the high-powered law firm of Sidley Austin -- the ninth largest in the world. There, Mundy's book reported, the future first lady griped about having to do the duties of a second-year associate while she was a second-year associate -- demonstrating the trademark attitude of entitlement and inflated ego that led the law partner who recruited her to later describe her as "perennially dissatisfied."

Doing her first job was a burden then. Enjoying the perks of her current job is a "sacrifice" now.

Michelle Obama has a gift for selling special-interest business-as-usual as public-interest charity. Thus, the insatiable appetite of Chicago's polite elite for a massive Olympics windfall to crony developers is redefined as a do-good campaign for the children. Said Mrs. Obama:

"We need all of our children to be exposed to the Olympic ideals that athletes from around the world represent, particularly this time in our nation's history, where athletics is becoming more of a fleeting opportunity. … When we're seeing rates of childhood obesity increase, it is so important for us to raise up the platform of fitness and competition and fair play; to teach kids to cheer on the victors and empathize with those in defeat, but most importantly, to recognize that all the hard work that is required to do something special."

"Hard work," you know, like jetting off with your gal pals to schmooze other world leaders, famous athletes and celebrities for a few days on the taxpayers' dime.

In the Olympics of the aggrieved, Mrs. Obama gets a gold medal.

The Cost of Obama's Copenhagen Trip

A reader adds a few points to my back-of-the-envelope math on the cost of President Obama's trip to Copenhagen to lobby the International Olympic Committee and (probably?) witness the announcement that Chicago will host the 2016 games.

When I mentioned the cost yesterday, my aim was to note the financial, time, and opportunity costs for the president. I have a hard time believing Obama would take this trip halfway around the world if there was any chance he will be left standing as they announce that Rio is getting the games. I suspect the IOC has given the White House a wink and a nod, so to speak.

As to whether Chicago should get the Olympics, I'm undecided. I attended and enjoyed the Atlanta Games in 1996, but I also know hosting the games has enormous costs and headaches for the locals. It's a chance to shine on the world stage, but it also brings all normal economic activity in your city to a grinding halt for about a month. You end up building a decent amount of infrastructure that will rarely be used to that extent again; there's rarely enough ability to get around the city; and of course, you become a target for terrorism.

Bottom line, this seems like small potatoes for a president with a full plate. As Ed puts it, "Barack Obama has decided to put his international influence on the line not to push for more support in Afghanistan or sanctions on Iran, but to act as Salesman in Chief for Chicago and its Olympics bid for 2016."

The cost of Obama’s trip will not be close to $1 mil. It is well over $10 mil if it is a dime. The figures you quoted (accurately) are for flying a VC-25 (Presidential 747). Presidential trips require both 747s, as one is a backup. However, the costs soar when you realize that from the moment a POTUS indicates he wants to go somewhere, dozens, if not hundreds of people start preparing every detail. These details include security, communications, protocol, logistics that boggle the mind and transportation that most people never see. Several Air Force cargo planes of equipment are loaded and flown to the destination with armored limos, security personnel from the Secret Service and the relevant military branches, fuels specialists, etc. A National Airborne Operations Command Post 747 from Offutt AFB, NE will accompany him to keep POTUS in constant communications in case of national or word emergency . . . We are now up to three 747s, multiple cargo planes and costs for personnel who fly commercial ahead of POTUS. If FLOTUS flies separately, add a C-32 (757) for her and her staff, entourage, hangers-on etc, with attendant security, logistics, etc. Add a few more million dollars, though many personnel in Denmark will cover preparations for both POTUS and FLOTUS.

Air Force One is a perk for all Presidents and I hesitate to criticize their use and cost. Bill Clinton flew the wings off Air Force One, but I criticized him for his policies, behavior and attitudes toward what he considered the benighted peasants of this country. He is the head of his party and, all Presidents use AF 1 liberally, as they should. Moreover, we need to keep him safe at all times and in contact with whomever is needed. AF 1 is like the medieval king arriving to fanfares of trumpets and bringing the majesty of the office (however tarnished by recent occupants) to all destinations. Despite Obama’s words and best efforts, we are still the dominant country on Earth and any President is both head of state and head of government. Let the trumpets sound upon any POTUS’ arrival.

Obama’s trip to Copenhagen to bring the Olympics to my hometown is both stupid and unnecessary as half of Chicago does not want them. It will be the ultimate trough for the piggish politicians in Chicago to bury their collective snouts in corruption. However, I encourage all conservatives to go after Obama on the substance of the trip, not the cost of flying there. We shall soon have conservative POTUS and he or she will use AF 1. Let’s not justify the inevitable criticism from the lunatic left about use of AF 1.

Jim Geraghty Report

Related Resources:

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Olympics in Chicago… 10 Reasons Why Chicago Should Not Host the Olympics

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Culture of Corruption

Posted: Knowledge Creates Power – Cross Posted: Daily Thought Pad

Time Magazines 100 - The World's Most Influential People

In the annual TIME 100 issue, Time Magazine attempts do the impossible: name the people who most affect our world, or have in the previous year, including:  leaders, revolutionaries, builders, titans, artists, entertainers, heroes, icons scientists, writers and thinkers... even some villains.

In a stunning result, the winner of the third annual TIME 100 poll and new owner of the title World's Most Influential Person is moot. The 21-year-old college student and founder of the online community 4chan.org, whose real name is Christopher Poole, received 16,794,368 votes and an average influence rating of 90 (out of a possible 100) to handily beat the likes of Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Oprah Winfrey. To put the magnitude of the upset in perspective, it's worth noting that everyone moot beat out actually has a job.

Related

Graphic

The People Behind The People

TIME 100

The Most Influential People in the World

• 
  

Since moot launched 4chan.org in 2003, the site has given birth to Internet memes as diverse as Lolcats and Rickrolling. 4chan averages 13 million page views a day and 5.6 million visitors a month; by some estimates it is the second largest bulletin board in the world.

See the world's most influential people in the 2009 TIME 100.

For proof of moot's influence on the Web, one need look no further than the TIME 100 poll results. While Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao got a larger vote total (20,391,818), the runner-up for the title of World's Most Influential Person, Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim, received a mere 47 on the influence scale. Moot denies knowing about any concerted plan by his followers to influence the poll, though TIME.com's technical team did detect and extinguish several attempts to hack the vote. (See the full results here.)

Undoubtedly, many people will question moot's worthiness of the title World's Most Influential Person. TIME.com managing editor Josh Tyrangiel says moot is no less deserving than previous title holders like Nintendo video-game designer Shigeru Miyamoto (2007) and Korean pop star Rain (2006). "I would remind anyone who doubts the results that this is an Internet poll," he says. "Doubting the results is kind of the point."

See a video on the TIME 100 moot vs. Rain showdown.

See more video on the TIME 100.

Sources:  Time Magazine Online

Posted:  Ask Marion at Knowledge Creates Power