Y2K TV Movie Prompts Fears of Panic

By Lynn Elber

AP Television Writer

Friday, Nov. 19, 1999; 2:05 p.m. EST

LOS ANGELES  Can a television movie that depicts New Year's Eve as a Y2K nightmare short-circuit confidence in efforts to make America ready for the next millennium?

Some industry leaders fear the answer is yes, despite their multibillion-dollar planning, and they're urging NBC and its affiliates to ensure that viewers understand "Y2K" is a fantasy thriller and not a likely scenario.

In Sunday's movie starring Ken Olin as a systems failure analyst, a chunk of the East Coast is hit by power outages, medical equipment malfunctions and a nuclear power plant meltdown is threatened when computers fail to make the transition to 2000.

"We're concerned that if you take the film together with some of the other messages of alarm ricocheting around popular culture that people may get a wrong message," said Jim Owen, spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute, a Washington-based group which represents companies that deliver about three-quarters of the nation's electricity.

NBC already plans to air a disclaimer reminding viewers that the program is a work of fiction.

"We are confident the TV viewers are fully capable of distinguishing between news programming and entertainment programming," said Rebecca Marks a spokeswoman for the network.

But the Edison Institute asked network affiliates to reconsider airing the movie or to add further disclaimers. A letter from M. William Brier, the institute's vice president for communication, also suggested stations consider broadcasting a news report on local Y2K preparedness efforts.

"We understand the need for creative, exciting programming," Brier wrote. "But we also believe the importance of social responsibility at critical moments like the one we're about to enter."

The Y2K computer bug is a result of programming shortcuts that used two digits to denote the year. Experts have warned that systems could fail as a result of computers being unable to differentiate between 1900 and 2000.

At least one NBC station will go beyond the network advisory airing before "Y2K" and reminding viewers that it is fiction.

WHDH in Boston will broadcast additional cautions throughout the movie, said spokeswoman Ro Dooley. Asked about the electric institute's request for Y2K news stories, Ms. Dooley said, "our news has been responsibly involved with Y2K coverage. We'll probably do something after the film because it makes sense."

Other officials have expressed concern, or at least interest, about the film. The National Governors' Association asked for an advance look and the American Bankers Association called NBC to determine if it depicted any runs on banks. (No, the network said.)

Everybody relax, advises "Y2K" executive producer David Israel.

"I don't think there's any reason for them to worry. The public knows this is entertainment," Israel said. Those subject to millennial fears are beyond his reach, he contended.

"The people who are going to panic, who think the apocalypse is going to occur, are well into this already. They've been stocking goods, getting wood burning furnaces, building domestic caves in Montana for an awful long time," he said.

Olin, the former "thirtysomething" star, said the goal was to "make a fun movie, and I think we succeeded." Asked if he was taking any special Y2K precautions, Olin replied, "No, but I don't tend to be much of an alarmist."

The film could do some good, suggested Frank Martinez, executive director for Los Angeles City's Y2K project.

He said people might be inspired to take reasonable precautions, such as stocking up to a week's supply of food, water and flashlight batteries and compiling paper copies of banking and other important computer records.

"I don't believe, especially a month out, that a TV movie would have a panic-setting effect," Martinez said.

Joe Pawelczyk, spokesman for the New York Clearing House Association, which settles domestic electronic transactions for 950 banks on the East Coast and Puerto Rico, said he thinks Americans believe the country is Y2K ready.

"From the perspective of the major corporations and banks in the country, we have turned over just about every rock more than once to see if there's a Y2K problem under it," he said, adding: "I'm not too concerned about the movie."

) Copyright 1999 The Associated Press

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Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), November 19, 1999

Answers

All this press generated as a result of 'concerned parties' will have just this opposite effect that they intended. In other words, more people will watch the movie than would have prior to all these 'concerns' being voiced.

You simply can't buy advertising that is this effective.

There's nothing that make me want to buy a book or video more than if a group of people want to prevent me from seeing it.

I've still got my copy of 2 Live Crew's rap tape, "As Nasty As They Wanna Be". Not because I like their music - in fact, I'm more of Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, Moody Blues, Dire Straits, King Crimson type - but rather because a great number didn't think I should be able to purchase it. I've only listened to it once and the only impressive part was the riff they stole from Van Halen...

So what appears to be, at best, a "B" movie with a lot of cliches and inaccuracies gets a bigger viewership because 'concern' entities don't want it shown. If I were the producer of the movie and knew it was a dog, I might try to get some bankers and electrical utilities to voice their objections publically, then get the press to cover it, then.....

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), November 19, 1999.

1) Agreed. The electric companies and banks are providing great publicity!

2) banks know the system is fragile,

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), November 19, 1999.

Why are they worried about panic? Nothing else seems to light a fire under the general populace...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), November 19, 1999.

THIS IS IT!!! This is the big bogey: the fear of fear itself. Its' the fear of fear that generates anticipatory panic .....

-- SH (squirrl@huntr.com), November 19, 1999.

Heard on the TV news (NBC - so there might have been a bit of self-interest there) that the STATE OF CALIFORNIA is advising people NOT TO WATCH the movie. They then showed a clip of bankers (natch!) and electric co. guys saying how everything is fixed. Banker says your money is safe from electronic glitches at the bank (but if the power goes off they have no control of that).... followed immediately by the electric guy saying the power won't go off. OES refused to be interviewed or quoted one way or the other.. didn't want to give ANY publicity to the movie pro or con (smarter than the bankers dontcha think). What better advertising can you have than that the STATE OF CALIFORNIA is putting out a warning NOT to watch the movie?

Just standard practice right? They do that with all the disaster movies that might pertain to California, right? Like "Earthquake", and "Volcano".

The fact that the bankers are so scared they are making sermons and warning people against made-for-TV-movies, and the fact that they are so stupid that they think that those are effective plans, is enough to get anyone just a teentsy bit worried.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), November 20, 1999.

"We are confident the TV viewers are fully capable of distinguishing between news programming and entertainment programming,"

LOL. Doomer vs. Polly.

Tick... Tock... <:00=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), November 20, 1999.