DID ALOHA RAISE $75,000 or $150,000?

[JRtherealJR]

At the rehearsal show Elvis announces that they had raised $75,000 and then on the 14th he announces again that $75,000 had been raised.

Some commentators tend to forget that the 2 shows together raised $150,000 and even the Wikipedia page for Aloha does not take into account the rehearsal show's takings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_from_Hawaii

$150,000.00 in 1973 had the same buying power as $796,489.41 in 2012.

This compares favourably to the benefit concerts given by Justin Timberlake and Friends which regularly raise an average of $1 million dollars a year (concerts which are longer than Aloha and which feature a number of headline acts).

(I notice that the Wikipedia page has downgraded the viewing figures for Aloha from over 1 Billion to "only" several hundred million).

[vivaelvis]

At the rehearsal show Elvis announces that they had raised $75,000 and then on the 14th he announces again that $75,000 had been raised.

Some commentators tend to forget that the 2 shows together raised $150,000 and even the Wikipedia page for Aloha does not take into account the rehearsal show's takings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_from_Hawaii

$150,000.00 in 1973 had the same buying power as $796,489.41 in 2012.

This compares favourably to the benefit concerts given by Justin Timberlake and Friends which regularly raise an average of $1 million dollars a year- concerts which are longer than Aloha and which feature a number of headline acts.

(I notice that the Wikipedia page has downgraded the viewing figures for Aloha from over 1 Billion to "only" several hundred million).

Where does it say "only several hundred million"? I don't even see the 1.5 billion viewer claim.

[JRtherealJR]

Where does it say "only several hundred million"? I don't even see the 1.5 billion viewer claim.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2ib1bmr.png

[vivaelvis]

Oh I see it now. But this is false. It DID reach 1.5 billion people worldwide. But that does not mean it was viewed by 1.5 billion. But to claim that only several hundred viewed it is false as hell. People need to quit discrediting Elvis for his remarkable accomplishments and accept that he was then and still is the most celebrated entertainer to ever walk this planet we call Earth.

MJ claimed that he sold over a billion records but record books show that he's not even sold 500 million.

[vivaelvis]

I took it upon myself to fix that error. No longer does that fool who discredited Elvis have it on there as I edited it out myself. You don't mess with the King and get away with it.

[Raised on Rock]

I took it upon myself to fix that error. No longer does that fool who discredited Elvis have it on there as I edited it out myself. You don't mess with the King and get away with it.

Hahaha... well done my friend! Thanks a bunch.

[debtdbruno]

Oh I see it now. But this is false. It DID reach 1.5 billion people worldwide. But that does not mean it was viewed by 1.5 billion. But to claim that only several hundred viewed it is false as hell. People need to quit discrediting Elvis for his remarkable accomplishments and accept that he was then and still is the most celebrated entertainer to ever walk this planet we call Earth.

MJ claimed that he sold over a billion records but record books show that he's not even sold 500 million.

:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy

[debtdbruno]

I took it upon myself to fix that error. No longer does that fool who discredited Elvis have it on there as I edited it out myself. You don't mess with the King and get away with it.

way to go Viva:lmfao::lmfao::lmfao::lmfao:

[Joe Car]

way to go Viva:lmfao::lmfao::lmfao::lmfao:

Well done Viva!

[JRtherealJR]

Oh I see it now. But this is false. It DID reach 1.5 billion people worldwide. But that does not mean it was viewed by 1.5 billion. But to claim that only several hundred viewed it is false as hell. People need to quit discrediting Elvis for his remarkable accomplishments and accept that he was then and still is the most celebrated entertainer to ever walk this planet we call Earth.

MJ claimed that he sold over a billion records but record books show that he's not even sold 500 million.

I agree with you 100% vivaelvis. And sincere thanks for correcting that i.diot's error on Wikipedia. (y)

He clearly is no Elvis fan & he has come up with this theory and posted it on Wikipedia as if it is a fact. There is no way of proving how many people did or did not watch the live broadcast- but there was certainly the POTENTIAL for over 1 Billion people to have watched it live that night. And me being an optimist I choose to believe that over a Billion people did indeed see Aloha- at least by the time it was shown on US TV anyway.

I was very dissappointed when I saw that the Wikipedia entry for Aloha had been changed like that in an obvious attempt to downgrade Elvis' achievement.

[KPM]

I agree with you 100% vivaelvis. And sincere thanks for correcting that i.diot's error on Wikipedia. (y)

He clearly is no Elvis fan & he has come up with this theory and posted it on Wikipedia as if it is a fact. There is no way of proving how many people did or did not watch the live broadcast- but there was certainly the POTENTIAL for over 1 Billion people to have watched it live that night. And me being an optimist I choose to believe that over a Billion people did indeed see Aloha- at least by the time it was shown on US TV anyway.

I was very dissappointed when I saw that the Wikipedia entry for Aloha had been changed like that in an obvious attempt to downgrade Elvis' achievement.
Thats the way I look at it-because of time differences around the world there was no way to show this event all at the same time-in America most were in bed when it was taking place. But I can tell you if they had scheduled it for midnight or later-many millions would have stayed up to watch it even at that inopportune time.

[rocknroll]

Never let facts stand in the way of a good story.

Anyway, I watched it when it was first broadcast and that's all that matters.

[T_J]

The person who wrote that wiki entry presented both claims. There was nothing i.diotic about it. Besides, the 1.5 billion stat that was in the early publicity was clearly false and 1 billion would also be. The idea that the claim refers to how many potential viewers were reached is odd to say the least. With that logic, we could say that American Idol reaches 300 million every week, because that number could potentially tune in. The reality is that there was some marketing hype surrounding the original broadcast and journalists ran with the stats because they didn't know better.

[T_J]

Thats the way I look at it-because of time differences around the world there was no way to show this event all at the same time-in America most were in bed when it was taking place. But I can tell you if they had scheduled it for midnight or later-many millions would have stayed up to watch it even at that inopportune time.

It wasn't shown live in America. Americans had to wait another three months to see it. It wasn't shown in the UK either.

[Brian]

It wasn't shown live in America. Americans had to wait another three months to see it.

I've always wondered why it was done that way.

I understand it not being show immediately but why wait three months.

Why not show it a week after Europe saw it.

[T_J]

I've always wondered why it was done that way.

I understand it not being show immediately but why wait three months.

Why not show it a week after Europe saw it.

Not sure really, although I think it did help propel the album to number one when it was shown in April.

The US had it better than the UK though. It didn't get a showing on UK tv until 1978.

[JRtherealJR]

The person who wrote that wiki entry presented both claims.

No, he did not.

[KPM]

It wasn't shown live in America. Americans had to wait another three months to see it. It wasn't shown in the UK either.
Yes thank you...that was my point-because of time zone differences there was no way to show it all on the same day-and NBC wanted a spring showing in the US to get the largest audience they could.
But if they had decided to show it in the US on the night it happened most fans would not have let the late night showing keep them from watching it ...but it probablycwould have kept casual fans or others from tuning in and NBC wanted everyone.

[T_J]

No, he did not.

You posted the screen grab that showed both claims were presented, so how can you say they weren't? It was clearly stated that some sources, including EPE, claim there were 1 billion viewers, but others disagree and claim a few hundred million. Now, thanks to the edit, only one view is included and it's the view that doesn't survive scrutiny.

Putting out the real facts isn't an attack on Elvis. It was still a major event and an impressive moment in the history of both television and popular music.

[vivaelvis]

You posted the screen grab that showed both claims were presented, so how can you say they weren't? It was clearly stated that some sources, including EPE, claim there were 1 billion viewers, but others disagree and claim a few hundred million. Now, thanks to the edit, only one view is included and it's the view that doesn't survive scrutiny.

Putting out the real facts isn't an attack on Elvis. It was still a major event and an impressive moment in the history of both television and popular music.

But let's be real. If that had been The Beatles or Michael Jackson, their marketing teams would have inflated those numbers too to build up the event and to this day would still be making that claim. The person who claimed that "only several hundred million" viewed it is absolutely a estimated claim on his part because the actual tallies were never officially known. The event was broadcasted (both live and tape delayed) to a reaching worldwide audience of 1.5 billion. Whether that many people watched it or not will never be known. But it's the number of POTENTIAL viewers for the special.

[JRtherealJR]

You posted the screen grab that showed both claims were presented, so how can you say they weren't?

The person who amended the Wiki page did not present both claims equally. He gave only a very brief mention to the 1 Billion figure and he did not show the evidence as to how that figure was reached- he actually DELETED these parts from the page!

He then went on to talk about his own theory in great detail AND he presented his own "evidence" to back up this theory.

He deleted the parts from the Wikipedia page which supported the 1 Billion viewership figure and that is clearly a rather mean-spirited attack on Elvis & his legacy.

[T_J]

The person who amended the Wiki page did not present both claims equally. He gave only a very brief mention to the 1 Billion figure and he did not show the evidence as to how that figure was reached- he actually DELETED these parts from the page!

He then went on to talk about his own theory in great detail AND he presented his own "evidence" to back up this theory.

He deleted the parts from the Wikipedia page which supported the 1 Billion viewership figure and that is clearly a rather mean-spirited attack on Elvis & his legacy.


I know you love Elvis, as do I, and I know you are coming from a good place in defending him. All power to you for that. I don't think those changes would have been an attack on Elvis though or in the least bit mean-spirited. Maybe that's because I don't think it really matters that 1 billion didn't tune in for the broadcast. More important to Elvis' legacy is that the facts of his career are correctly presented and preserved. And the most significant facts about Aloha are that it was an innovative and groundbreaking project that was pulled off in 1973 and is still popular among fans nearly 40 years on.

To be clear, the 1-1.5 billion figure that was originally predicted by Colonel Parker (and subsequently often spoken of as the live broadcast audience) was derived by adding together the populations of all countries that carried the broadcast in 1973, including the delayed broadcasts in Europe and the US. That would actually get us to about 1.3 billion if every single person - man, woman and child - had tuned in. Clearly that's impossible, eg in the US, approximately one-third of tv sets were tuned in. We'll never know the exact viewing figure for all broadcasts in 1973, let alone the live broadcast figure, but 1 billion or more isn't feasible. Several hundred million was still impressive though, particularly for 1973 when the world's population was half what it is now.

[Tony Trout]

Yes thank you...that was my point-because of time zone differences there was no way to show it all on the same day-and NBC wanted a spring showing in the US to get the largest audience they could.
But if they had decided to show it in the US on the night it happened most fans would not have let the late night showing keep them from watching it ...but it probablycwould have kept casual fans or others from tuning in and NBC wanted everyone.


I agree totally. This show was NOT shown to 1.5 BILLION total people on January 14, 1973.



I know you love Elvis, as do I, and I know you are coming from a good place in defending him. All power to you for that. I don't think those changes would have been an attack on Elvis though or in the least bit mean-spirited. Maybe that's because I don't think it really matters that 1 billion didn't tune in for the broadcast. More important to Elvis' legacy is that the facts of his career are correctly presented and preserved. And the most significant facts about Aloha are that it was an innovative and groundbreaking project that was pulled off in 1973 and is still popular among fans nearly 40 years on.

To be clear, the 1-1.5 billion figure that was originally predicted by Colonel Parker (and subsequently often spoken of as the live broadcast audience) was derived by adding together the populations of all countries that carried the broadcast in 1973, including the delayed broadcasts in Europe and the US. That would actually get us to about 1.3 billion if every single person - man, woman and child - had tuned in. Clearly that's impossible, eg in the US, approximately one-third of tv sets were tuned in. We'll never know the exact viewing figure for all broadcasts in 1973, let alone the live broadcast figure, but 1 billion or more isn't feasible. Several hundred million was still impressive though, particularly for 1973 when the world's population was half what it is now.


Also, here's what a former (I'm guessing?) TCB-World Australian poster named Getlo came up with as far as viewing figures for both the U.S. and the outside countries:

From "Getlo" (I miss him around here! Where IS he?)


The concert wasn't shown world-wide. Here are the correct figures:

The original telecast of Aloha was not watched by 1.5 billion people. Not even close to that figure.

It went out live to Hawaii and Asia, and two cities only here in Australia. And a few other countries.

It was beamed to Europe one day later, so viewers there cannot be included in the original total of viewers who saw it live.

The total amount of viewers who watched Aloha only ... and I repeat only ... comes near 1.5 billion when you add the viewers who watched in Europe one day later, and those in the US who saw it the following April.

I cannot say this any clearer.

More people watched the moon landing live in 1969 than Aloha live in 1973.

The moon landing was a one-off live event, with no significant edited versions months later, or a repeat one day later.

More people ... eventually ... watched Aloha than the moon landing - it just took a while. But that was not the case on January 14, 1973. Talk like this only serves to keep the myth going. It would be a lovely thing for Elvis to be remembered by, but it simply is not true.

I can't speak for other countries, but the Australian viewing total for Aloha has been exaggerated over the years as well. Something like 60% of TVs here were tuned into the telecast. Now, as I said, only two cities (Sydney and Melbourne) took the show live, the other cities dipped out. So it wasn't 60% of Aussie viewers tuning in at all ... only 60% of TVs in those two cities. Perhaps other countries' totals have been exaggerated over the years as well; I don't know.



There ya go, folks......

[debtdbruno]

I agree totally. This show was NOT shown to 1.5 BILLION total people on January 14, 1973.





[I]Also, here's what a former (I'm guessing?) TCB-World Australian poster named Getlo came up with as far as viewing figures for both the U.S. and the outside countries:

From[B] "Getlo" (I miss him around here! Where IS he?)


The concert wasn't shown world-wide. Here are the correct figures:

The original telecast of Aloha was not watched by 1.5 billion people. Not even close to that figure.

It went out live to Hawaii and Asia, and two cities only here in Australia. And a few other countries.

It was beamed to Europe one day later, so viewers there cannot be included in the original total of viewers who saw it live.

The total amount of viewers who watched Aloha only ... and I repeat only ... comes near 1.5 billion when you add the viewers who watched in Europe one day later, and those in the US who saw it the following April.

I cannot say this any clearer.

More people watched the moon landing live in 1969 than Aloha live in 1973.

The moon landing was a one-off live event, with no significant edited versions months later, or a repeat one day later.

More people ... eventually ... watched Aloha than the moon landing - it just took a while. But that was not the case on January 14, 1973. Talk like this only serves to keep the myth going. It would be a lovely thing for Elvis to be remembered by, but it simply is not true.

I can't speak for other countries, but the Australian viewing total for Aloha has been exaggerated over the years as well. Something like 60% of TVs here were tuned into the telecast. Now, as I said, only two cities (Sydney and Melbourne) took the show live, the other cities dipped out. So it wasn't 60% of Aussie viewers tuning in at all ... only 60% of TVs in those two cities. Perhaps other countries' totals have been exaggerated over the years as well; I don't know.



There ya go, folks......

I've often wondered what happened to Getlo, he was an astute guy

[KPM]

I would add to this thread the following, I totally believe that if "magically" the entire world could have had the same time zone during the Aloha live event-that a billion would have been easy...but even Elvis had to bow to the revolutions of the earth and the suns setting and rising.

[Snake Eyes]

I had this very same argument with the old man who could not accept a viewing figure of 1.5 billion, I lost that argument :D.

[T_J]

I would add to this thread the following, I totally believe that if "magically" the entire world could have had the same time zone during the Aloha live event-that a billion would have been easy...but even Elvis had to bow to the revolutions of the earth and the suns setting and rising.


It's not just about time zones. Most countries didn't receive it as a delayed broadcast either. 38 countries did, which is impressive, but that leaves more than 100 that didn't. To get to the billion viewers, you would need more countries taking the broadcast.