my specific point was that the whole world new about Diana and Elvis dying (there was literally nothing else on the telly for days after Diana died).

In the case of my message board friend, there was nothing on the telly, the radio, or even on the web - except for a couple of sites where he was well known.

There was a Diana-esque atmosphere in the immediate aftermath of his death on this board - but it was completely and utterly removed from mainstream news.