The News...

[Sandy G]

I listen/go to sleep to "Coast to Coast AM". As most of you know, it is an overnite talk show that primarily deals w/"Off the Wall" type stuff-UFOs, Bigfoots, ESP, conspiracy theories, etc. They dutifully break approx every 15 minutes for commercials, & every 30 minutes for news. The news, which is delivered in my area by ABC Radio network, is repeated every 30 minutes all night long. And its by & large bullshit- 5 people killed in Afganistan by a roadside bomb, earthquake in Taiwan, aftershocks in Chile, politicos argy-bargying about healthcare-were ALL that was happening last nite, apparently. ALL night long. Who decides what "news" we get to hear, & by what criteria are the topics selected ? I'm sorry for those 5 wretches who got blown to smithereens in Afganistan, but honestly, it affects ME not a whit, & isn't there ANYTHING ELSE of more importance happening in the whole world that I MIGHT be a LITTLE more affected by ?!? And, OK, tell me about it once, twice maybe, but I kinda got the message...Now, go on to sumpin else...Even hearing for the umpteenth million time about how Shrub 'n' Karl Roadwhore are STILL manipulating the world price of oil on this magical computer that's in Shrub's office would be better than the idiotic, useless pap that's out there as it is...

[Charles]

Shrub's an oilman, didn't you know?

BTW, is Owl Gore still a major holder in Occidental?

Chas

[BlueStreak]

Leave any of the "cable" 24/7 news channels on all day. By noon-one o' clock you'll be tossin' your t.v. out the window. This is why I say 24/7 news, especially 24/7 political news is what's really ruining America. The constant repitition is driving us insane.

Regards,
Dave

[finnbow]

It's all about infotainment. The "news" nowadays on TV and Radio is more like "Inside Hollywood does current events." The masochist within me has me watching ABC Evening News with Diane Sawyer on occasion to see how far into the crapper news has fallen (and for some comic relief). Just watching her grimace, bob her head and sigh empathetically at every "story" is enough to make me hurl. That and the intro stating "From the worldwide resources of ABC news ..." make me wonder if this "news show" is being produced by a bunch of middle school valley girls.

[Sandy G]

...Oh, & they went on & on about how there were EIGHT PEOPLE HURT in the Stupendous Tragedy that is/was the Tie-One-On quake...So if I fly there, climb up on a soapbox somewhere, & ask all them Chingy-Pongs who was hurt, there'd be EXACTLY eight of the yellow swines to raise their paws ? (Assuming they still had paws to raise, of course.) I guess the Eight People Hurt story is the heart-wrenching Human Interest Angle-We're sposed to Relate 'n' feel empathy for 'em...But somebody effed up...They already ran their Human Interest blurb w/the 5 unfortunate Afgani towelheads who got blown to Kingdom Come....Tsk, tsk, tsk... Excuse my sarcasm, but its ALL so pap & packaged...Like that song "Dirty Laundry" said, "When its over, we haven't told you a thing..." Crap IS king....But the journalism majors I remember from college were almost all the biggest pot-heads, violent drunks, & partiers of 'em all...Made us frat boys look like pikers, they did...And I kinda figgered ever one of 'em would be dead by the time they were 35, from cirrosis of the liver, or the ulcers they'd surely get from their acidic, cynical personalities...

[Fast_Eddie]

Who decides what "news" we get to hear, & by what criteria are the topics selected ?

It's a more complicated question than you may imagine. There was a time when broadcasters considered anything called "news" an off limits island of journalism. They were making so much money elsewhere they could afford to give back to the community by supplying news. The FCC in fact mandates that broadcasters serve the public interest. News programs have always been touted as doing just this and justifying the licensing of public air waves for commercial interests.

But things got more complicated a while back. I can’t say exactly when it happened- before I got in the business, but at some point news programs became profit centers. I can tell you at many local TV stations, half their revenue comes from their late news. No, I’m not saying that wrong. The one half hour news program at 11:00 (or 10:00 Central or Mountain) accounts for 50% of their revenue.

As the business was changing, politics was becoming more and more divisive and people more and more vocal about what they perceived as “bias” in reporting. It comes from both sides (though it comes a lot more from the right). So we have a situation now where journalists are being used as profit centers and being told not to offend anyone. It’s difficult if not impossible to do quality journalism without offending anyone. There’s no intentional degradation of quality. Most journalists actually think they’re doing a pretty good job. But there is a net result. The actual journalism gets watered down.

By and large, people don’t care. They certainly don’t reward quality journalism. The “News Hour” still airs in every major market on a PBS station. But people do not watch in significant numbers. They vote with the remote every day. They would rather watch commercial news products that are built more as entertainment products than journalistic enterprise. Again, the news folks would disagree with that last statement, but I can tell you and you won’t be surprised to hear that decisions are made based on what will garner the best ratings.

As for repetition, they are keenly aware of audience flow. I’m not familiar with the program you’re talking about, but my guess is that most people don’t listen for the amount of time you do. So they repeat the “important” stories. If they don’t, someone who tunes in later than you do gets something other than the “most important” stories and may say “that’s a poor job of covering the news.”

Shoot, even what I just said isn’t completely accurate. The program you listen to sounds like a syndicated product. They buy it and program it based on cost and ability to generate revenue relative to everything else that’s available at that time. The news is part of a network deal. A way to get some news on the station without paying any journalists. You’re kind of running into the two of them where they meet. They almost certainly were never designed to work together. The Syndicated show formats news breaks, and the station has to fill them, so they use the inexpensive network service.

I can tell you this, as tough as it is for television right now, it’s double tough for radio. Don’t get me started on newspapers, they are going out of business. Just hope that’s not a look in the crystal ball for me. It’s tough times with the internet, cable, satellite, MP3s, instant downloads and such. Traditional broadcasting is literally being redesigned from the ground up. It’s fair to say we haven’t found a level yet. We’ll get there, but things may be very different than they are now.

Ug, sorry for another novel

[merrylander]

People get their news from the Internet these days, the problem is that it is 93% BS.

[westgate]

well, FWIW, right now on at least fnc and msnbc, they're having a great police/perp car chase in the 'police car chase center' of america, L.A. kalifornia!

i just love watching these chases, a nice respite from the usual political b.s. on any of those channels.

oh, oh, they all went into the tunnel under LAX and no one's come out the other side yet. chopper pilots obviously can't get in there. hmmm...

[Sandy G]

Another thing that chaps me is how the News Establishment gloms on to a story-Typically, it's about some dreadful thing that has befallen an insufferably cute child-The cuter, the better-And that's ALL you hear for weeks, sometimes months, until the poor kid's body is found, and/or the Dastardly Fiend has been apprehended. I mean, yeah, I'm sorry it happened, & I'd LOVE to have 5 minutes alone w/Dastardly Fiend-But I find myself yelling at the TV to just, for the love of God, GIVE IT A FECKIN' REST....I mean, I don't mean to sound cold & callous, but after awhile, I REALLY DON'T CARE...No, don't put me in the cell w/the Dastardly Fiend...Put me 'n' a baseball bat in the offices of the producers, writers, directors, et al, who spew forth this nonsense garbage at us, who decide that THIS shyte is all we're gonna hear as long as the almighty ratings will carry it....Grrrrrr....Is the value of a child's life reduced to the level of how many cartons of soap his/her rape & evisceration will ultimately sell ? If it is, God help us...Send in the Klingons, Romulans, or the Borg NOW, & I hope they destroy us soon...

[rickr15]

Another thing that chaps me is how the News Establishment gloms on to a story-Typically, it's about some dreadful thing that has befallen an insufferably cute child-The cuter, the better-And that's ALL you hear for weeks, sometimes months, until the poor kid's body is found, and/or the Dastardly Fiend has been apprehended. I mean, yeah, I'm sorry it happened, & I'd LOVE to have 5 minutes alone w/Dastardly Fiend-But I find myself yelling at the TV to just, for the love of God, GIVE IT A FECKIN' REST....I mean, I don't mean to sound cold & callous, but after awhile, I REALLY DON'T CARE...No, don't put me in the cell w/the Dastardly Fiend...Put me 'n' a baseball bat in the offices of the producers, writers, directors, et al, who spew forth this nonsense garbage at us, who decide that THIS shyte is all we're gonna hear as long as the almighty ratings will carry it....Grrrrrr....Is the value of a child's life reduced to the level of how many cartons of soap his/her rape & evisceration will ultimately sell ? If it is, God help us...Send in the Klingons, Romulans, or the Borg NOW, & I hope they destroy us soon...

Oddly enough this only transpires if its a cute cuddly white kid. Thousands of kids dissapear every year and you don't hear a peep.


FWIW I stopped calling it news years ago. As Eddie stated earlier its entertainment for profit. Cronkite must be rolling in his grave.

[Sandy G]

Oddly enough this only transpires if its a cute cuddly white kid. Thousands of kids dissapear every year and you don't hear a peep.


FWIW I stopped calling it news years ago. As Eddie stated earlier its entertainment for profit. Cronkite must be rolling in his grave.

Yeah, well, white people-SOME of 'em, anyway- carry this Insufferably Cute Kid gene that attracts Dastardly Fiends...Blacks 'n' Orientals DON'T have it...(grin)

[d-ray657]

Yeah, well, white people-SOME of 'em, anyway- carry this Insufferably Cute Kid gene that attracts Dastardly Fiends...Blacks 'n' Orientals DON'T have it...(grin)

C'mon, Gary Coleman made a pretty good living being insufferably cute.

Regards,

D-Ray

[Fast_Eddie]

Oddly enough this only transpires if its a cute cuddly white kid. Thousands of kids dissapear every year and you don't hear a peep.


I get hell for this all the time. Something bad happens to someone and it's news for weeks and weeks. Bad things happen to people every day. Why is it only news sometimes? Of course I do understand why, but it still bugs the hell out of me. I have to make the open to the show that says "news" on it.

[BlueStreak]

Oddly enough this only transpires if its a cute cuddly white kid. Thousands of kids dissapear every year and you don't hear a peep.


FWIW I stopped calling it news years ago. As Eddie stated earlier its entertainment for profit. Cronkite must be rolling in his grave.

Or if it's an attractive young white woman from a wealthy, connected family, you hear about it for the next five years. I think we all know what that is, there's no reason to spell it out.

Problem is if the news included every single shocking crime that took place every single day it would be non-stop, 24/7, on every channel. And all of the "It didn't used ta be like this." idiots would be committing suicide or digging bunkers. Which is why I think the answer is to report such things less, not more often. Unfortunately the human race has always been depraved and violent. Sticking it in our faces a thousand times a day isn't going to help anything, it'll just drive us insane.

Dave

[Sandy G]

Yeah, its made me jaded & cynical about it all. Its kinda like, "Oh, God...Here it comes, the Latest 'n' Greatest "Disaster-Of-the-Week"... And I think the "All (Fill in the blank w/Latest Catastrophe's name), All the time" unquestionably leads to copycat crimes. But as long as we're sellin' Sham-Wows !, insurance, Fords, or burgers by the bushel, its OK...

[finnbow]

Do the names JonBenet Ramsey and Natalee Holloway ring any bells? The coverage of these two girls' demise was despicable, to say the least. It cracks me up when the clowns who cover this shit refer to themselves as "journalists."

[Charles]

You know it's been a good day for humanity whenever the news consists of one journalist interviewing another.

No news is good news, always has been, always will be.

Chas

[Sandy G]

Do the names JonBenet Ramsey and Natalee Holloway ring any bells? The coverage of these two girls' demise was despicable, to say the least. It cracks me up when the clowns who cover this shit refer to themselves as "journalists."

Yeah. I remember the picture of Jon-Benet's lifeless hand stickin' out from under the sheet when they carried her out...And I thought, My God...What have we come to ? This HAS to be the lowest...Little did I know, the jackals were just gettin' warmed up...

[d-ray657]

It sometimes bugs my wife that I don't pay attention to the sensational news of the week or or celebrity marriages or celebrity deaths. She even beat me to the sports page to learn more about some golfer's infidelity. And she is not an uneducated doofus. She has a BSN and supervises other nurses. She can analyze medical and psychological situations very well, and she reads more books than I do. She is learning about management (and I try to keep her on the right path in employee relations:cool:). Nevertheless, this intelligent educated woman reads People Magazine and keeps up with the more sensational news. Do the networks purposely direct their programming to the basest part of our nature?

Regards,

D-Ray

[finnbow]

... this intelligent educated woman reads People Magazine and keeps up with the more sensational news. Do the networks purposely direct their programming to the basest part of our nature?

Regards,

D-Ray

I think you hit upon it indirectly, Don. Shows that normally attract the male demographic (news, sports) are doing what they can to also attract ladies' eyeballs. What else explains all the fluff included in the Olympic coverage as well as in the "news?"

[Fast_Eddie]

Do the names JonBenet Ramsey and Natalee Holloway ring any bells?

It's those Natalee Holloway stories that I can't stand. Okay, let me say, I feel terrible, just terrible for her family. No one deserves that, no matter what they do. I'm earnest in that sentiment.

However, is it really news that a young girl went on a party binge and ended up dead? It's terrible, but it's not like she was a Peace Corps volunteer digging and out house in the Sudan and was abducted by militia members, raped and beaten to death.

Again, not saying "she deserved what she got" just saying, no need to paint her as the hapless victim. We had one of those locally- drunk girl on prom night decided to jump out of a moving Hummer limo. Lost her leg. Sad and all, but you know, not news. Just sad.

[rickr15]

And I think the "All (Fill in the blank w/Latest Catastrophe's name), All the time" unquestionably leads to copycat crimes.

The copycat part of this bugs me the most. Some complete loser who would have lived and died with no more than a ripple in his community can now be a nationally known figure. If Columbine had not been so extensively played up we wouldn't have had 50 more attempts at a repeat over the last 10 years.

BTW it's gotten to the point locally that a kid was expelled for drawing a picture of a gun,:confused: Which of course made all the "news".

[BlueStreak]

Do the names JonBenet Ramsey and Natalee Holloway ring any bells? The coverage of these two girls' demise was despicable, to say the least. It cracks me up when the clowns who cover this shit refer to themselves as "journalists."

How about "Terry Schaivo", a tragic case to be sure. But the way the media pundits and politicians capitalized on that poor womans plight was utterly disgusting.

Dave

[merrylander]

Ratings, ratings, it's all about ratings. That's why we get shows like "Entertainment Tonight" the National Enquirer of the airwaves, or how about Survivor, or American Idol, or Dancing with the stars.

But let a show start getting a little adult humour in it and it gets canned - anyone remember Hollywood Squares?

[Charles]

Ratings, ratings, it's all about ratings. That's why we get shows like "Entertainment Tonight" the National Enquirer of the airwaves, or how about Survivor, or American Idol, or Dancing with the stars.

But let a show start getting a little adult humour in it and it gets canned - anyone remember Hollywood Squares?

It's amazing, but I've never seen any of the shows you've mentioned. At least, not for longer than 30 seconds.

Chas

[noonereal]

It's amazing, but I've never seen any of the shows you've mentioned. At least, not for longer than 30 seconds.

Chas

neither have I, however (sadly) I know about them as I am pummeled by advertisements for them. Same with those spoiled Hollywood kids who make mega bucks showing their day to day excesses on TV.

[Sandy G]

I avoid 'em like the plague. Give me a channel that runs "Twilight Zone", "Outer Limits", "Lost in Space", "The Untouchables", "The Man From Uncle", etc, 24/7 & I'd be happy. NO westerns, No Soapoperas, no repeats of the 1970 Orange Bowl, NO JAYZUS!JAYZUS!JAYZUS!!, maybe the old 1940s Tex Avery MGM cartoons, The Stooges, the OLD Segar Popeye series....

[noonereal]

I avoid 'em like the plague. Give me a channel that runs "Twilight Zone", "Outer Limits", "Lost in Space", "The Untouchables", "The Man From Uncle", etc, 24/7 & I'd be happy. NO westerns, No Soapoperas, no repeats of the 1970 Orange Bowl, NO JAYZUS!JAYZUS!JAYZUS!!, maybe the old 1940s Tex Avery MGM cartoons, The Stooges, the OLD Segar Popeye series....

that's my idea of a tv station too

[merrylander]

There is one on Comcast here called RetroMax or summat like that, they run all the golden oldies. Then there is tonight and the Britcoms.

[Sandy G]

Oh, yeah...An' TOP GEAR !! Memo to Aunty Beeb...Quit waitin' half the dam year to send us NEW episodes... An' I'd LOVE to see a piano get dropped on one o' them new Krautish Rollses...Mbwahahahaha...

[Boreas]

There is one on Comcast here called RetroMax or summat like that, they run all the golden oldies. Then there is tonight and the Britcoms.

MPT do the Britcoms?

John

[merrylander]

Both MPT and WETA. In actual fact those shows stopped years ago, both ladies from "Are you being served?" died just last year. I am seriously considering buy all the series on DVD from BBC America. There is one they do not run any longer called "Waiting for God" about the older couple who raise particular hell in an old folks home.

[Boreas]

Both MPT and WETA. In actual fact those shows stopped years ago, both ladies from "Are you being served?" died just last year. I am seriously considering buy all the series on DVD from BBC America. There is one they do not run any longer called "Waiting for God" about the older couple who raise particular hell in an old folks home.

Yes, I'm familiar with all of those. There are others as well like "The Good Neighbors" (with Paul Eddington who also did my favorites "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" with the wonderful Nigel Hawthorne*), "To The Manor Born", "Chef" and a bunch of others. They've all but stopped running those out here in Sodom on the Bay. Too darned bad.

John

*The title role in "The Madness of King George with another of my favorites, Helen Mirren.

[merrylander]

I undersatnd that they were going to call it just George III but they figured the audience would go looking for George I and George II.:rolleyes:

The co-star from Good Neighbors is in another series called "Rosemary and Thyme" Felicity Kendall if memory serves always liked her.

[Boreas]

The co-star from Good Neighbors is in another series called "Rosemary and Thyme" Felicity Kendall if memory serves always liked her.

Oh, yes! Felicity Kendal! Not in any sense a classic beauty but, man, did I ever lust after her!

She also did a film, maybe the first of those Merchant Ivory Productions, called "Shakespeare Wallah". Good flick. I just learned from good ol' Wikipedia that the story is loosely based on Kendal's life

John

[Boreas]

I remember spotting this when I watched the episode. Never realized it had become part of "net lore".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZAu5AvFdjY&feature=player_embedded# @2:55

It also affords an opportunity to get a taste of the spirit of this great show.

John

[d-ray657]

I remember spotting this when I watched the episode. Never realized it had become part of "net lore".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZAu5AvFdjY&feature=player_embedded# @2:55

It also affords an opportunity to get a taste of the spirit of this great show.

John

Sorry, but I found the laugh tracks extremely annoying.

Regards,

D-Ray

[Boreas]

Sorry, but I found the laugh tracks extremely annoying.

True, but the same can be said of sitcoms in general, both here and in Blighty, during the same era (mid-70s).

....... and of Sarah Palin's appearance on Leno.

John