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thedrifter
04-26-05, 12:21 PM
Soap Opera News?


Before cable television was a gleam in the eye of an entrepreneur, network news was going tabloid. 60 Minutes pushed programming over the precipice. 20/20 and Dateline provided the Slip and Slide.

The Six O’clock News was America’s front door to the prime-time viewer’s home. Alphabet networks sold their straight, hard-news souls to retain the after seven o’clock viewer. Good, fair reporting gave way to the slick and salacious. Sex, murder, adultery and mayhem was and is the entrée served by luscious blonds. Dessert is always provided by the square-jawed Clark Kent look-alikes at the anchor desk.

Enter cable--bada-bing, bada-boom. CNN, offering twenty-four hour news, broke the antenna-hold of the Alphabets. CNN was left of the BBC, but what the hell, it was real news. The newcomer, Rupert Murdock, moved in next door. Fox News Channel debuted on cable and Ted Turner’s hair turned gray. Murdock’s format proved old fashioned. Fox reported the news of the day, facts minus a slant or editorial, then they suggested--you decide. The Alphabets, CNN, wannabes like MSNBC, and others found their ratings in the basement. Fox News focused on reporting and won the number one spot.

Now, in this observer’s opinion, Fox has lost its original focus. Fox has, like the net’s, sold its electronic soul. This viewer suggests Rupert Murdock consider a name change for The Fox News Channel. I believe, based on current programming, the designation Fox Soap Channel defines the format. The name change is apropos in that Fox now showcases clip loop and sound-bite re-runs in place of hard-news reporting. Quick peeks and the spicy sound-bite are designed, no doubt, to grab the Reality TV crowd. Increase commercials and revenues increase--works for Rupert.

Fox coverage of recent events brings to mind the hackneyed phrase, running it in the ground. The Scott Peterson trial, with stock clip loops running over and over, night after night, is a case in point. Panelists, yammering over each other, argued speculation and supposition. Meanwhile, stock clip loops ran back to back, every several minutes. Is this programming dedicated to news? Hardly. A copycat tabloid presentation designed to sell more dog food and toothpaste? That’s got my vote.

With Peterson convicted, Fox has treated viewers to unending tours of San Quentin and Death Row. We learned of the heart-stopping details of Peterson’s transfer. What Scott would experience on arrival. Will he read a book? Pant, pant--wow. I’m surprised Greta didn’t report on the estimated number of toilet visits.

Interspersed with these toe-tapping interviews, viewers watched Peterson escorted from the San Mateo County Jail and into a transport van. He bumped his head. The head bumper loop was re-run eight times in a five minute period. Perhaps a bored Director pandering to an audience assumed to be stupid? Maybe a lazy Director with no imagination?

Fox’s hard hitting reporting didn’t stop with hold-your-breath visuals. Viewers were treated to stirring guest appearances. Interviews with newsworthy intellects and prolific authors like Amber Frye were aired. Ms. Frye was attended by her faithful bottomfeeder sidekick Gloria Allred. Mind numbing questions for our hero Amber, and her equally pedantic answers, mercifully came to an end--we thought. But Fox, in its zeal for the underside of rocks, gave viewers a new hero. Another world class intellect and prolific author, Ann Byrd was showcased. Ms. Byrd was attended by her faithful bottomfeeder sidekick Gloria Allred. (Does that name sound familiar to you, too?)

When the atrophied bombshells of Ann Byrd puffed away, viewers got another dose of Amber. (To my knowledge, that's not a venereal disease.) A follow up and repeat of what we had already heard? Yes. Slow news day? Bored Director? Lazy Director? Assumed stupid viewing audience? All of the above? Ad naseaum.

The Terri Shiavo coverage was ad nauseam to the enth degree. In this case it was sad, demeaning ad naseaum. Interviews of and comments by people who didn’t possess facts. Sign jiggling dimmer’s who didn't want to know or hear facts. Sad, silly and stupid pronouncements by those who wanted and needed someone to hate. The circus sideshow again complimented with stock clip loops. The sad balloon in the air clip--Mother fluffing pillow clip--Mother changing pillow clip--Mother talking and kissing clip--on and on. The coverage was demeaning to Terri Shiavo. Demeaning to Michael Shiavo. Demeaning to the Schindlers. This Reality television fiasco demeaned all intelligent viewers who value individual and family privacy.

Recently Fox treated us to another round of Soap Opera coverage; the death of Pope John Paul II. Those who disagreed with this man in life no doubt concur he was gentle, a kind human being. He was given to good works, love of the human race and love of God. He was, perhaps, a sanctified and holy man. Most folks on the planet would empathize with those latter precepts.

Does day and night footage of the Vatican help us appreciate John Paul even more? Why inane interviews with anyone who might’ve been in the same room with him from time to time? I’m surprised a correspondent couldn’t locate the nun who washed his underwear. We could’ve used an exclusive Up Close and Personal.

Saturday, April 9, 2005, Fox covered the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. What could be more tabloid; more commercialistic than this farce? Here public air-time is used to glorify a man and woman who lied, cheated, committed adultery and God knows what else. Yet Fox, along with the other Alphabet networks, covered the lunacy and called it news.

Perhaps in the end it is the viewer, you and I, who are to blame for the baseness of today’s news programming. We have given credibility to the lowest forms of the human mentality, then we call it funny. We have given credence to stupid, risky behavior by tuning in on Reality TV.

How can we expect our children to honor Morality, Decency and Truth when news outlets give air-time to liars, cheats and adulators? We can’t. Our job is to bring media journalism back to square one. Report the news, editorialize opinion and leave the tabloid ad naseaum to Jerry Springer.

That’s my opinion. It’s the only one I’m qualified to give.
B. B. James


Ellie