Speaking about wasting time in NewsTV : the weather.
The immense amount of time spent on the weather
in news broadcasts is an embarrassment to the editorial
staff's work ethic. We all understand the weather is not an exact science as conditions can change rapidly due to unforeseen weather patterns. In any case, most people have a weather app on their phone or computer. My Mac Book
Pro has the same thing as on most phones. This gives me an as reliable seven day forecast. It is as correct as the TV weather, but possibly more so. It is current and not dependent on a 9am, 12noon, 6pm, or 11pm time slot.
Why would I or anyone sit through someone ingratiatingly smiling, however personably, who tells me what I can see in seconds, for ten to fifteen minutes? Why?
I was discussing this with a friend of mine and she said:
"Weather is cheap". I suppose that is correct if one compares the cost to real journalism.
Next: three top stories. How is it all the local broadcasts and national broadcasts, more or less, have the same top three stories? How do they seem to pick the same three top stories every night? And while on this topic of NewsTV repetition, is there any reason we need so many networks? So many networks showing the same top three stories every night? If I go to Google news I pick the top 3, 4, 5, or 10 stories. Why should we have so many networks American and Canadian showing the same identical topic? Is this not a dreadful waste of our resources?
Finally I will point out my observation, which is by no means the last thing wrong with NewsTV, in regard to the very serious responsibility it must claim for polarization.
The intellectual oil slick depth of reporting suggests there is a plus side and a negative side, a conservative side and a liberal side, a white side and a black side. This is not an accurate portrayal of human contemporary life. Life exists in infinite shades of grey. There is not merely management's side and the union's side. This is the understanding of cretins. However it is a cheap and easy way to report the news if one is lazy.
You know me I am not one to complain, so that is enough about NewsTV. About television in general, infotainmentTV or simply network TV- they used to call
television the "vast wasteland", those pundits never saw television in 2017. The current level of programing, and
unreality TV, is really plumbing the most base and vulgar of humanity's activities, personalities and attitudes.
Unreality programs seem to promote the most venal and immature behaviour and consequently set it as some kind of standard. It should NOT be the standard for human behaviour -- we must set higher goals higher aspirations
than we see portrayed on current programming.
From what I can observe it is likely networks themselves that will fall. Not only for the execrable standards of today's TV but in addition for the desperate bid for advertising as viewership falls. Netflicks and Xfinity await.
The final guillotine stroke for networks, if you will allow a little literal hyperbole is:
In Program Ads. Also known as banner ads, those pesky annoying things at the bottom of your screen when your actual program is on air. This is the death knell for television networks.
How come? No one I talk to has been able to explain why
we must pay to watch commercials.
Most of you do not remember but when we first got TV in the 50s we had to have an antenna. It made perfect sense, then, that we got TV "free" because we had to endure noxious and sometimes creatively amusing advertising to see our favorite programs. So far so good.
When cable arrived we now had to pay to receive television broadcasts and advertising. We literally pay to watch advertising. Since the pvr arrived networks realized
viewers were fast forwarding through the ads, natch, and now they have decided to annoy the hell out of the viewer
by putting in distracting visuals, banners ads for the networks own shows and finally for products actually during the program.
Tetley tea?
I will never buy your fine product for putting in an ad in my favorite program- Elementary, though it is flagging and losing focus in its late third season.
Bong! -that's the death knell going off. This execrable practice of banner ads will accelerate the end of networks finally and irrevocably.
I usually find I enjoy a program very late. For instance I never liked Seinfeld until it was over, then in reruns I "got" it. They are all horrible, if hilarious, self centered people. Just awful people, like Patsy and Edina. So funny.
So when the Mentalist came on I missed many of the first
episodes. I made my first ever purchase of a TV series.
Mentalist first season then Fringe. I received the first season of Elementary for xmas. I was astounded totally when the brilliant actor Jonny Lee Miller's character used the word contretemps on television. Then the brilliant actor Lucy Lui's character did not ask what it meant or dumb something down for the audience. Look it up! These programs are part of the smart is sexy trend.
Person of Interest was brilliant and very lamented.
Yeah I enjoyed Downton Abbey too. But I miss Sibohan Finneran. What an amazing actor she is.
What a joy to watch TV programs on DVD! No ads at all, just a black screen where you knew the commercial break came. The way the "art" of television should be enjoyed.
In fact commercials have destroyed the artistic aesthetic of television drama. Most internet users won't be able to remember but TV started out, at least, having the same aesthetic integrity as theater and cinema.
So in the networks desire to promote themselves or their sponsors in banner ads they are committing suicide.
Consumers get tired of switching to new technologies not to mention the costs involved. This fact is preventing the wholesale lemming rush to Netflicks etc. HD, I observe,
as a visual delivery system is magnificent. Particularly for sports or nature.
Now they want you to upgrade to UHD, but there is very little on.
Ironic, that at a time when the delivery system for video
product has been refined to unprecedented picture quality the content has become increasingly dismal and unpalatable.
What is the future for network news and infotainment?
Perhaps the few remaining networks will become like radio did when TV kicked it in the arse. Public radio, in any case, has much more quality than TV presently.
Lately in my city networks have been having "support community television" open house days. This last ditch effort is akin to a weak Luddite attempt to stay the hands of progress.
No mechanical looms !!!!
Sad really, but as I say, I wish every one well, but we simply do not spin cloth with old spinning wheels any more---- new technology took over.
At least, that is from what I can observe.
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