Here is one of those factoids that historians may find pivotal when they look back on this era (assuming there are historians: if Trump wins 2020, one fears for the very existence of such people, not to mention what unimpeded climate change may do to fate of civilization. But I digress). At one point in the late 70’s and early 80’s, two fundamental changes occurred in news reportage, and they were not unconnected. One of course was the advent of 24/7 cable news (CNN being the original). The other was the fact that network news came under the same umbrella as network entertainment. Prior to that, news departments in the Big 3 networks actually existed as independent corporate entities. ABC led the charge when Roone Arledge was promoted from managing sports to being the network head. He decided news should make money just like sports did, and the other major networks followed suit.
The main impact of that separation had been that news was NOT part of the ratings/commercial aspect of the networks. Before these mergings, network news organizations generally operated at a loss, which the networks felt was a reasonable expense. Given this freedom, they were not accountable to ratings and sponsors. And this allowed them to simply report the news. Period. They did not have to justify their existence by a ratings competition.
By combining them with the entertainment wing of their respective networks, news programs were suddenly in need of “ratings”. Meaning they needed audience share. News became entertainment. At the same time, CNN (and the subsequent cable news channels) had to justify a 24/7 coverage of news. You can imagine the challenge. Instead of audiences being content with the Today show and Good Morning America and then 30 minutes of the evening news shows, it was necessary to try and keep viewers watching ALL THE TIME. Only shocking, tittilating news would suffice.
So all the news outlets were, in one fell swoop, suddenly in the “business” of news. That, plus the daily deluge, and the immediacy provided by our global connectivity, has resulted in news being NEWS: it’s ALWAYS breaking, it’s ALWAYS on, and it’s ALWAYS trying to shout louder and to be more shrill. Naturally the end result is that we are now inured to horror, immune to shock, indifferent to disaster. And something like Fox “News” was able to worm its way into existence.
BTW: If you ever find yourself in Britain, watch the BBC news. The have what are called “news readers”. That’s what they do: they read the news. It’s amazingly refreshing. And purely informative.
“Where did you go, Walter Cronkite?
Our nation turns its bleary eyes to you, woo-woo-woo
What’s that you say Mrs. Robinson?
Cronkite’s dead and now we’ve gone astray, hey, hey hey.
Hey, hey hey.”
© 2019 Chuck Puckett