Media Rant No. 1
One of the major justifications for hating cable television “news” channels has to be O.J. Simpson. Although we suppose O.J. shouldn’t take all the blame himself.
After all, no one is forcing CNN and the rest to keep showing almost every minute of his latest trial — and then piling on hours of “legal analysis.”
On the one hand, maybe it is fitting for the cable networks to pay homage to the guy, who, in 1994, single-handedly launched the celebrity news age by, many would agree, killing his wife and her friend in grisly fashion.
We wonder, though, who the producers of such garbage coverage think they are serving by showing it ad nauseum. If anyone with half a wit is watching the O.J. show, or Anna Nicole, or Britney or Paris, bet that it is only as they are looking for the channel changer or hoping that the network will air some real news — usually to be disappointed.
But shouldn’t the advertisers in that degenerating media wonder who such coverage is attracting? Primarily morons fixated by flashing pseudo celebrities and people screaming and about to flip the channel.
And advertisers, who seemed to be driving these lowbrow efforts, should give some thought to the type of consumers they are reaching — as opposed to those who would prefer an NPR or BCC style news format. Of course, if they are selling gadgets for the witless, then they are right on target.
— Jim Therrien