Following up on this, this, an this, an industry veteran writes to TVNewser:
| An audience which has been served a never ending buffet of silliness and superficiality week after week shouldn’t necessarily be expected to stand up and take notice when, all of a sudden and just because it is sweeps, a sudden newsiness takes root within the ranks of the producers. Additionally, when you have anchors who perform silly stunts and skits and giggle and cavort day in and day out, why should the audience suddenly become riveted the screen and say, ‘Oh, wow — this is Diane (Matt, Meredith, Chris, Robin & co.) being serious… I better pay attention to this.’ |
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| Here’s my point — the morning shows produce hours of programming 52 weeks a year — much of it fluff, some of it more substantial fare. Many loyal fans watch pretty much regardless of what’s on for any given 2, 3 or 4 minute segment because, well – whatever is on now will soon be over anyway. Then — shazam! — they produce what is intended to be a truly significant news nugget – whether for ratings or out of news guilt — but it seems unrealistic to expect there will be a surge, a bump, a flocking of viewers or anything else for those mere moments in the annual total of content minutes. It is like a blip in geologic time — important to those who may have experienced the moment but totally unnoticed in the larger scheme of life & time. News never used to be produced for the satisfaction of anchors, producers, bookers or executives. It used to be produced because it was the right and responsible thing broadcasters did as part of their obligation to the audiences. Executives now — and including perhaps those who are commenting — seem more disappointed that their work wasn’t as noticed as they wished… They didn’t receive the attaboys they hoped for… They didn’t hear the rousing Huzzahs in the network hallways, and so instead they snipe at one another like school yard children boasting of their conquests at the apparent expense of the other. Maybe that’s what is really wrong with the shows, the producers, the bookers and the executives. |