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.

[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.

[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

[Joe Car]

way to go Viva

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.

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.

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.