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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Regina Lewis
Aired August 03, 2002 - 08:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, certainly last week's stories of missing children were one of the hottest topics on the Internet. Which stories did Americans want to know the most about this past week?
From Washington, we're joined by AOL's online adviser, Regina Lewis, to tell us what you've been searching for online and what kind of comments you've been posting online.
Regina, good morning to you.
REGINA LEWIS, AOL ON-LINE ADVISER: Hi, Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Hi. What were the hot topics?
LEWIS: Well, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is a hotly debated topic online. There are over 40,000 message board postings surrounding very controversial questions like should the U.S. launch and invasion to oust Saddam Hussein? And those message board postings read like a "Crossfire" transcript, with people weighing in from all sides.
And when you read them, it really gives you a firsthand appreciation for just how difficult and divisive some of these issues are. We've got some examples. This one reads, "America is responsible, too. Wake up, America. Israel is not the only democracy gone bad. We're as responsible as any people on the face of the earth for the subjugation of the Palestinian people."
You see lots along those lines.
CALLAWAY: And in business news, certainly Vanguard topping the top story of the week, incredibly filing for bankruptcy rather abruptly.
LEWIS: Yes, and also abruptly halting business. So if you were holding a Vanguard ticket and went to the airport to try to find out what should you do with it now, their CEO was saying that's going to be up to the bankruptcy court. And I know you'll be covering this story in length a little bit later in the next hour, but a lot of airlines stepped in, most notably in terms of online traffic, America West and Frontier Airlines.
And one of the ways the Internet can be helpful when it comes to travel issues, which can often be complex, is even if you were trying to get someone on the phone for customer service, what about all the caveats and stipulations? Will they grant the ticket, but only on standby status? Will they grant it but not for use during the holidays?
A lot of those details are posted on the travel sites.
CALLAWAY: Yes, it's nice that people are sharing information out there.
What about health and beauty? What topics were people looking on?
LEWIS: Well, this is a new one, at least to me. But alternative medicine is always very, very popular online. There's something called air therapy, which is expected to really launch a whole new wave of oxygen bars. So think coffee bars for a second. These you would go into an oxygen bar, put on a mask and get a hit, if you will -- here you go, here's the mask -- of 40 percent oxygen.
CALLAWAY: Wow.
LEWIS: Now, a lot of people really, really curious about this. Proponents say it can give you an energy boost, keep you young, provide respite from pollution, even curb a hangover. So...
CALLAWAY: Wait a minute, Regina, isn't this what Michael Jackson did? Didn't he have a whole oxygen chamber, you know? Is this really that new?
LEWIS: Well, as a matter -- well, it's new online and when you see a spike it's interesting, because often trends, before they roll out -- look at these guys.
CALLAWAY: Oh, my god.
LEWIS: You'll see it kick in online. So when I saw this spike I thought, hey, you know, move over Starbucks, watch for one of these in your town.
CALLAWAY: This is amazing. Where have I been? I had no idea this was going on. I've got to wonder how good that is for you.
LEWIS: Well, actually a lot of the doctors have weighed in and said well, there are no, probably no long-term health benefits because your body can only absorb so much oxygen. It's kind of no harm, no foul. If it makes you feel good, go nuts.
CALLAWAY: Yes, that's right, go nuts.
What about music? Bruce Springsteen?
LEWIS: Yes, Bruce Springsteen really hit it out of the park.
CALLAWAY: He sure did. LEWIS: His album "Rising" debuted this week. But he had a very calculated online strategy with Columbia Records and AOL. They actually debuted four singles from the album in the six weeks leading up to the record launch. That means no radio stations have the cut. If you wanted to hear the songs, you had to go online. And, boy, people did in droves.
The numbers speak for themselves. Springsteen's songs in a six week period were streamed 2.1 million times. And so, of course, the question becomes, you know, what was the payoff? Did it help the record?
CALLAWAY: Right.
LEWIS: During that same period, the album remained number one or two on the CD Now sales charts based on advanced orders alone.
CALLAWAY: That is amazing.
LEWIS: So, it really is. So I think you can watch for more things along these lines in the music industry.
CALLAWAY: Yes, they're really using the Internet now to help market their CDs.
Is there anything else unusual you've seen on the enter -- at least on the entertainment side -- and we've seen the oxygen craze -- this week? Anything else breaking out there?
LEWIS: Well, speaking of a craze, "Big Brother," I've got to hand it to the CBS reality TV show. They've always been very progressive with their online strategy. When the show debuted two seasons ago, they actually have a 24 hour a day, seven day a week Web cast version. So if you can't get enough, you can watch this show -- you're laughing, but people do this.
CALLAWAY: I know. I just cannot imagine wanting my entire life -- I mean, it's, you know, it's bad enough when you do it for a living to at least, you know, give the news. But to have something in your home like that -- and people watch it. It's just amazing.
LEWIS: Well, people watch it and Hollywood loves it because it all adds up in terms of viewer loyalty. So if you miss a show, you go online and say hey, what happened tonight? If you want to catch action, you can catch it 24-7. The Web cam actually gives you four different angles. It's amazing.
Also, a lot of people looking to apply for these shows online. Fox's hit show "American Idol," you can actually apply to be on the next version of the show or be a participant in the live TV studio audience.
CALLAWAY: Larry, have you signed up yet for that?
LARRY SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: No, I haven't.
CALLAWAY: All right, what else? I know that Oprah is becoming more popular this week, right?
LEWIS: Oh, Oprah is such a big deal online. I've got to hand it to this woman, she does not miss a beat in any medium. She actually was the number 50 search term.
CALLAWAY: Really?
LEWIS: And to give you a sense of perspective on what that means, it normally takes tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of search inquiries to get into -- to break into the top 100. So to say that a few people were typing in her name is an understatement.
Now, her show -- she has something called After the Show on her Web site.
CALLAWAY: Right.
LEWIS: And her producers contend that the guests tend to open up a little bit more, be a little looser, if you will, when the lights go down. So she's got an archive there. They're really worth checking out.
CALLAWAY: Oh, I know. I have done that. I've dipped into that before. That is kind of interesting.
LEWIS: See, there you go.
CALLAWAY: I guess that's kind of a form of reality tele -- of reality, what it is, comcasting? I don't know what you would call that? Dot-com casting.
SMITH: Not out of her house, though.
CALLAWAY: Yes, but at least we're not in her home.
Regina, who knows, if she were to propose that, I'm sure it would be a huge hit.
LEWIS: I don't think Oprah is going to go there. I don't think she needs to. But one of the reasons I think she might have spiked this week are the tabloid rumors that she might be moving up her long awaited wedding and perhaps picking Hawaii as a spot.
CALLAWAY: Wow.
LEWIS: Nothing fuels online traffic around celebrities more than a rumor.
CALLAWAY: That's right.
Regina Lewis, thanks for being with us. It's always great when you're on. I love to hear what people are talking about out there. It's like the water cooler discussion of the week, you know?
Thanks, Regina. LEWIS: Thanks.
SMITH: But up next, I can see it now, oxygen bar, Internet, where you can surf Oprah after the show.
CALLAWAY: If you could surf and get oxygen at the same time.
SMITH: All at once. You've got to bring your own thing, though. It's got to, you know, I don't want a nose thing that 10 other people have had in their nose, you know, before me, while I have my latte.
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