Too Much News....
I've been off the Evening News routine for at least 5 years, actually it was the day that Bush was sworn in for President. I decided that to reduce my stress about Bush becoming Pres, I'd just not watch him. I've kept my word... except for a few times my wife had CNN on when I entered our RV.
I've been thinking a lot about the news. I do see a bit of stuff like Larry King Live, when my wife has it on, so I know a little about what's on. My feeling about the TV news programs is this: they are first, well-overdone, second, professionalized gossip, third, for the most part way too repetitious, even when the names of the victims changes, fourth, fear-inducing, nay-saying to the nth degree, and fifth (there are many more points), way too self-indulgent.
News is big business today. Not a way to inform us, but a way to provoke us and to sell us. Think about the last newscast you saw. Were you happy and content after watching it or did you want to strangle someone nearby, or send a package of white powder to the lastest power-grabbing corrupt politician? Did it inform you of the latest thing to beware of in your life, the latest reason to look over your shoulder, the latest scam to protect against and the latest chemical threat to your water supply that might happen... etc etc ad borum.....
The news scares us into buying things.. buying stuff for our homes to make it safer, buying things to carry with us to protect us in the event of a mugging, a person to hire to sue someone when they harm you, a person to vote for because he or she will protect you, etc, etc etc. We have a fear based economy. Just think about it, and look at the ads on TV to see which ones are based on rationale arguments for something you need, and which ones are just fear inducing.
I have a suggestion. If NBC wants to start to drag itself out of the rating doldrums, they should just give up the evening news and produce the best weekly news program possible, with a monthly one to summarize the months news.
Then, the little details of who shot whom, who cheated whom, what flood did what to whom where, etc would all start to sort themselves out into some reasonable priority.
Again, I have no hope that this would work. People generally want to hear gossip.. the more and the more often the better. It's better than engaging their minds in something creative and productive. Sigh... (again).
I've been thinking a lot about the news. I do see a bit of stuff like Larry King Live, when my wife has it on, so I know a little about what's on. My feeling about the TV news programs is this: they are first, well-overdone, second, professionalized gossip, third, for the most part way too repetitious, even when the names of the victims changes, fourth, fear-inducing, nay-saying to the nth degree, and fifth (there are many more points), way too self-indulgent.
News is big business today. Not a way to inform us, but a way to provoke us and to sell us. Think about the last newscast you saw. Were you happy and content after watching it or did you want to strangle someone nearby, or send a package of white powder to the lastest power-grabbing corrupt politician? Did it inform you of the latest thing to beware of in your life, the latest reason to look over your shoulder, the latest scam to protect against and the latest chemical threat to your water supply that might happen... etc etc ad borum.....
The news scares us into buying things.. buying stuff for our homes to make it safer, buying things to carry with us to protect us in the event of a mugging, a person to hire to sue someone when they harm you, a person to vote for because he or she will protect you, etc, etc etc. We have a fear based economy. Just think about it, and look at the ads on TV to see which ones are based on rationale arguments for something you need, and which ones are just fear inducing.
I have a suggestion. If NBC wants to start to drag itself out of the rating doldrums, they should just give up the evening news and produce the best weekly news program possible, with a monthly one to summarize the months news.
Then, the little details of who shot whom, who cheated whom, what flood did what to whom where, etc would all start to sort themselves out into some reasonable priority.
Again, I have no hope that this would work. People generally want to hear gossip.. the more and the more often the better. It's better than engaging their minds in something creative and productive. Sigh... (again).
posted by RVGuys, Newt Perdue at 5:44 PM
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