Wild on TV

Fox said CNN did not cover Tea Party. No you didn’t. Yes I did.

Back and forth, both using precious air time (or maybe it’s no longer precious) to polarize the subject.

News coverage (or under-coverage) became the subject of news coverage. The camera turns to itself.

The clear winner obviously is MSNBC: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

CNN got a lot of black eyes lately: 9/11 false alarm on DC coast guard routine exercise, Tea Party, and Wolf came in last on a prime time game show.We have quite a situation here in “the Situation Room”.

When I majored in Broadcasting, the Network News were gods. “I am mad like hell, and I won’t take it anymore”. Pavlovian influence. Say it, people do it. Just like Wars of the Worlds radio broadcast in the old days.

Stimulus-Response. No space in between. Just a hyphen.

With more spectrum available for HDTV, we end up watching of all things, The Weather Channel (how many states would you like to know if it rains or shines?)

In “Amusing Ourselves to Death”, Neil Postman draws our attention to the fact that it’s not content, but sheer volume that distracts us from everything else . And he had written that book before all these left, right and center  CNN wannabes (which was in its invention, a disruptive force to the 3 major networks). Now everybody is watching how Jay Leno is doing, when he doesn’t test drive his automobile fleet.

Washington must have seen a lot in its days: this group and that demonstration. As long as tourists are coming into town, the hot dog stands are happy. The most secure job in Washington must be the janitorial job of the White House.  The American equivalence of  The Remains of the Day.

In fact, I venture to say that Cable News can learn a thing or two from the janitorial staff of the White House (who serve each incoming boss with equal determination and devotion).

I understand the advertising motif  i.e. to stir a debate, to draw attention to, to catalyze, to create a buzz, or a viral effect.

Sure enough, CNN took a bite, and fueled the fire at their own ( air time)  expenses.

The funny thing is, Generation Y doesn’t care much for Cable News to begin with. To them, it’s not timely enough, and doesn’t seem to resonate. Gen Y have tuned out a long time ago, even before the Wall Street debacle.

Adults came out with books like “the Dumbest Generation” (don’t trust anybody under 30). In fact, it’s the other way around. I would have worked for Google for free had they been around in my college days.

Instead, I took what ‘s available to me at the time: Children’s TV International, funded by Corporate for Public Broadcasting. I hope schools are still showing some of those instructional films, to get kids interest in various books without giving away the endings. I am sure the ending to Tea Party coverage will come soon.