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Valleywag
Richard Blakeley, the scamp behind Gizmodo's TV-turnoff stunt at CES, has been banned from attending the show. Here's the CEA's official response to the Gizmodo TV-B-Gone prank:
We have been informed of inappropriate behavior on the show floor by a credentialed media attendee from the Web site Gizmodo, owned by Gawker Media. Specifically, the Gizmodo staffer interfered with the exhibitor booth operations of numerous companies, including disrupting at least one press event. The Gizmodo staffer violated the terms of CES media credentials and caused harm to CES exhibitors. This Gizmodo staffer has been identified and will be barred from attending any future CES events. Additional sanctions against Gizmodo and Gawker Media are under discussion.
The employee in question, Richard Blakeley, is clearly credited, so it shouldn't be difficult to "identify" him, though both Portfolio and Silicon Alley Insider failed to get that essential detail right. Blakeley tells us that he has received "no notice at all" from CES about the banning. Though, seeing as how CES is over, we've got a year for this to all blow over. And Blakeley has a year to think up another stunt.
Comments
Honestly, i don't think this will last. The "additional sanctions" part is a joke, doubt anything will come of that. Trust me, Blakeley will probably be in Vegas this time next year shooting off bottle rockets in the Motorola booth.
Banning Blakeley, who doesn't normally write for Gizmodo, feels like a way to let both sides win. The CES people have just proven they need Gizmodo's coverage at least as much as Giz needs their press passes.
Ooooh, "sanctions." What the hell does that mean? They're going to take away their pencils?
Are you kidding me?
CES significantly underestimates its own lameness.
@slowreader: Seriously. Being barred is just an invitation to come back and do something even more awesome.
If it was a restraining order, well, that's another story.
Additional CES sanctions under discussion include:
- No protective sleeve for press room coffee cup
- Photo credential only allows you to take pics of booth dudes, not babes
- Shocks from a designer Taser anytime you roll your eyes at a vendor's use of jargon
- Must begin every press conference question with "I'm captivated by your new product or service and feel my readers will want to know all about it..."
- Mandatory lunch with Scoble and Calacanis. At Circus Circus.
shucks! this is a joke right?
Any chance he got banned from AVN, too? I'm pretty sure he'd be more upset if he received a lifetime ban from them.
@Mark Graham: Yes, I would be more upset about that.
Son is the YesMen of the vapid consumer electronix.
ragardless of how "lame" this slap on the wrist is, it was still a dick move to do.
lunch with Scoble and Calacanis? He'd be crushed by the egos, crushed I tells ya.
Hopefully they'll ban Gizmodo next year as well. As for those who think CES is overrated, the tech blog sites certainly disagree; they were falling all over themselves to get coverage. Look how much they've whined in the past that they are just as serious as any press and should be treated as such?
Look, the reality is the stunt was fresh! The coverage from that stunt is getting more then all the CES press combined.
Put away the 'Hateraid' everyone.
I think CES needs to combine it's show with AVN. Then don't give any passes out, let everyone bid, with the proceeds going to charity. Or better yet, let everyone drink and have tricycle races like on 'Revenge of the Nerds'.
The following posters need anal probes:
@dalejo
@scott
Kudos to @blakeley you showed the 'stiffs' how to have fun! You can have my pass next year.
@c0d3w12: No thanks, just because you like anal play doesn't mean anyone else does. It's a good thing you have no influence on CES or AVN because you clearly have no clue.
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