“Breaking News...”
This question, and the following answer is directed at our media friends.
When is “Breaking News” NOT, I REPEAT, NOT Breaking News?
When you've already “broken” it.
Listen people, once you interrupt the news with your so-called “Breaking News,” news, it's broken, give it up. Subsequent “Breaking News” interruptions are:
Neither news anymore, and certainly no longer “Breaking,” get it?
Good, now stop it with repeating yourselves over and over and over again with the same old, same old; it certainly doesn't do anything to enhance your attempt to look informed and intelligent, rather the opposite is what usually occurs.
And while I'm at it what's with the over reporting of weather? Weather happens and there's nothing that any of us can do about it, so let's not go 24/7 for rain anymore; quite frankly, the “overcoverage” makes all y'all look just a bit more stupid than your usually inaccurate forecasts already do...
Also, while I have your attention, what's with the local reporting of national stories, followed in the next half-hour by the Network guys/gals re-reporting the same stories all over again? Doesn't anybody local have a clue that the network people will probably cover the same stories?
Better yet, let the network people go first and follow them with ONLY the local stuff. And for God's sake let's dispense with the national weather forecast and yield the weather to the local people; they can mis-forecast the local weather much more authoritatively than you national guys can, and that's all anyone really cares about, THEIR weather, anyway.
Besides, that will give you another half-hour to expand/fill out your pre-prime time programming lineup with, another game show that nobody watches.
BTW, a very Happy and meaningful independence day celebration to you and yours ;-)
Enjoy while we still have some freedom left. . .
13 comments:
And that goes double for me!
Roland,
That rant was loooong overdue; I feel better now...
;-)
Sounds like you watch a little too much of Wolf Blitzer. That zero-value-added guy is worthless and needs to be taken off of the air (er ah, cable).
Well you did have one good idea in there: National news should come first and let the local news fill in the local stuff.
In our parts we have 3 back-to-back 30 minute local newscasts from 5:00 to 6:30 followed by the national news. Those 3 are basically the same stuff each time with the exception that sports is only done once (yeah!) in the last half hour. There never is 90 minutes of different local news to report, but the busy lives of people cannot always adapt to the TV schedule. So, they repeat. National weather makes sense for travelers, but in today's age of The Weather Channel and the internet it does not need to be done on a national non-weather cable network news program.
L0C0loco,
What's a “Wolf Blitzer,” some kind of parasite? ;-)
Yeah, putting the National news first would negate any reason for “the locals” to rehash the “everyplace else” stories.
Locally, I think that we have news from ~ 4:00 through the 7:00 hour, I may be misteaken though ;-) Certainly we have 5:00 to 7:00 covered solid though.
And I/we have Fox news, CNN, and multitudes of 24/7 cable “news” programs enough for just about any special interest/”fetish,” so no one can actually complain about not getting “the news.”
But, when the talking heads “break the same old news story as “breaking news” for the eleventy-seventh time, shouldn't the at least call it “Broken (many, many times over) Old News,” and stop interrupting truly new news stories with it?
But, I guess that would border on intellectual honesty, and we both know that there's no time/room for THAT in “the news.”
There, I feel even better now!
:-)
(Pesky typos..., I thought my fingers could spell better than that.)
hooda,
Thanks for giving TV News the pounding that it deserves. The constant breaking in with the storm stories did prove two things however:
1. Most of these people don't have enough sense to come in out of the rain.
2. One of the greatest inventions in the history of mass communications is ... the remote.
Happy 4th to you as well
Tim,
No problem at all. In fact, it wad my pleasure ;-)
You're also right about most people; if they were turkeys, they would drown :-)
And you're right about the fabulous remote..., My favorite invention of the last few decades!
I just wish that the writing on the buttons was more durable ;-)
Oh, God bless ya for your "rant." My husband and I joke now every time "breaking news" comes on because it is (a.) usually something ridiculous and (b.) as you said, repeated 10 times so that it is the farthest thing from "breaking." I was starting to get a bit paranoid about the weather and how bad it seems to have been lately, but then I just realized that it is the way it is so overcovered now. There has to be something else going on around Toledo, or maybe not...
toledo1,
"There has to be something else going on around Toledo...
Or, maybe it's a "hype contest" between too many stations...
All of that so-called news staff has to be fed, and the do live or die by their ratings.
A thought:
Some of those female news stars are becoming "mature," don't be surprised if you begin to see some new fillies in those local news stables; sex (appeal) still sells. . .
When "they" start referring to you as "venerable," it's almost guaranteed to be the kiss of death to your career.
Guys, not so much, but for the women, "hotties" are always "in."
;-)
OMG! It's the ol' "in-ies" and "out-ies" discussion.
I used to be an "in-ie" but now I am an "out-ie" --- ah, wait a minute, maybe, I'm mistaken. Let me take a look. Yep, I am mistaken; I must have been thinking politics, either the partisan type or the office type. That must have clouded my thinking process, or lack thereof. Because upon self-examination, I see that as I've gotten older and heavier my former "out-ie" is now an "in-ie."
Or, is that innie or inny or outy or --- What the heck! The aging process has gotten to me. Just put me out to pasture!
Roland,
Now you've gotten me confused.
Save me some of the tall grass, my knees and back aren't what they used to be ;-)
Oldie female news "readers" may be out, and new female news "readers" may be in.
But male oldies everywhere are forever!
ta-ta-dum.
Where's my Geritol? And what is Serutan? Why, it's natures spelled backwards.
NEWS FLASH
Breaking news story alert: John McCain is now the presumptive Republican Party nominee for President. Barack Obama seems to be winning the Democratic nominee spot.
Latest weather broadcast: Hot in the triple digits and sunny in Phoenix, Arizona.
Latest local news: Mayor Finkbeiner wants demolition of the now-closed and shuttered Southwyck Mall started this year. Larry Dillon has plans for Marina as well as Southwyck. And on the national front, we're still in Iraq. Osama Bin Laden still on the loose and possibly in (well it's not Iraq).
Breaking News: John McCain is now the presumptive Republican Party nominee for President. Barack Obama seems to be winning the Democratic nominee spot.
Latest local news: Red, White, Kaboom event held in City of Toledo.
Sorry, I just thought you might want to read about the very latest from our local television news media.
And, I'm sure you know I love them all .....
Roland.
Re: Male Oldies vs. newies (aka Female Hotties), that discrimination definitely exists, unabashedly; life and appearance, for the females is a definite factor/bias/preference reality; blame on the wiring of the male brain.
As for your "news flash/breaking news" outburst, I'm prescribing 1 hr. of daily intensive shock therapy, t.i.d. for the next 6 months.
And then, I want to see you again, in my office. My secretary/nurse will have the paperwork for you when you leave...
Check with her on your way out please.
Well, I see that our time is up for today..., good luck with the therapy!
:-)
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