Peter Jennings Death and the change of TV

I think with the death of Peter Jennings and with the recent retirment of Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, that television news has significantly changed and not necessarily for the better. One thing about growing up in the 70's that you could count on was Cronkite at 6 pm in the east and Carson at 11:30 pm. When Cronkite retired in 1981, the fabric of television and the news changed a little. I don't know the specific ratings, but Cronkite was the hands down leader in evening news. ABC was doing 3 talking heads from around the world, and I am not even sure who was on NBC at the time, but within a few years the big 3 came up and delivered the news for me growing up. While I was partial to Brokaw and NBC, I often reverted to ABC for a change of pace. In spite of my left leanings, I never really cared for CBS after Cronkite. CBS as a whole was skewed older and I could not relate to the stories or to Rather, not sure which.

In 1991, the first gulf war changed everything. CNN with Peter Arnet, Wolf Blitzer and Bernard Shaw were what to watch. They presented undigested, unedited, raw news. They often got in trouble for not fact checking and allowing bogus stories to run, but in times of crisis, everyone including the President (GHW Bush, Clinton) got his information from CNN. They kind of pushed the big 3 news to beginning of irrelevance. Soon after this the cable landscape began to gain dominance and out came the new big 3 of news CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel (FNC). The "news" became more about tracking OJ in the white bronco, and talking heads shouting at one another, which used to be reserved for Sunday mornings on the networks now was running every night, or it was celebrity style interviews with Larry King. Essentially, the dumbing down of "news" and the beginning of reality television. It is any surprise that we have evolved to where we are now?

Television news today has become too political, Fox News is too right wing, CNN is too left. The whole country has become polarized and it seems no one is left in the middle. I read an article in today's paper that talks about how the media has lost touch with America. It was by Ellen Goodman, talking about a teenager watching a baseball game and then cut to commercial for the gore-fest that is the Amytiville Horror. Ms. Goodman explained that the boys mother and grandmother were bothered by the fact that they could not shield this child in their home from inappropriate content in spite of watching a baseball game. Rick Riley in Sports Illustrated wrote a piece a few months ago about a similar scenario of watching a game with his son, who asked what erectile dysfunction was after seeing a Viagra, Levitra or Cialis ad, or maybe it was on one of those rotating advertisements behind home plate, which the networks will super-impose their own paid sponsors onto, rather than whatever the individual stadium has negotiated. His son was asking what these commmercials were about, and quite frankly I would not know how to answer my son at that age. Just because it is allowed, does not mean it is correct to advertise certain products on Television, but I suppose that is another rant for another day.

Basically, I don't trust any news source anymore. I don't watch news on TV, except SportsCenter, which has become a big Disney/ABC shill, such as Steve Levy reporting on Peter Jennings death last night. What is the sports angle there? No idea, but ESPN felt necessary to report it. I read Time Magazine weekly, but not sure I believe what I read. I scour the internet for news and ultimately I make my own decisions on what I believe about the world. I don't think Tom and Katie, have any impact on the world. I don't think Rosie O'Donnell or Sean Penn should have any influence over the political scene, but some how they do. Why did entertainers, become political spokes people? Just because your famous, does not make you smart (see Tom Cruise for exhibit A) and does not make you an expert in anything but acting, entertaining, singing, dancing, etc. I am interested in history, politics, economics, sports, but I am not an expert nor do I portray myself as anything but an interested party in those subjects. I am Information Technology Manager, and if some one asks me about that I can claim to be an expert since that is my vocation.

By the way, Mike Mussina outpitched El Duque last night as teh Yankees beat the Central leading White Sox 3-2. I doubt the White Sox will make the series with the Red Sox and Angels better teams. I think they will make the playoffs, and be satisfied with that accomplishment, and make a fast exit in the first round. I am off to the game tonight. Shawn Chacon vs. Jose Contreas. The pitching battle of the New Yankees vs. the old Yankees continues.