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The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues

big kahuna

Jul 27, 12 14:16

Post #1 of 14 (743 views)

The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues	Quote \| Reply

To be fair, a great deal of the problem as it relates to the gradual decline of various cable news outlets and print news magazines is due to the change in technology and how our news, such as it is and when we want it, gets to us. CNN, which just announced that its chief was stepping down at the end of the year -- after several months of ratings that would turn a local community access cable channel red with embarrassment due to such failure -- and the once-formidable Newsweek, a print news magazine now looking to move to online-only in hopes of saving itself, look to be the latest canaries in the MSM coal mine. This is an unfortunate happenstance but almost entirely predictable in an industry that's suffered years of ratings and distribution declines, which apparently still haven't been enough to convince some execs and newspaper groups that they need to come up with a better model for what they do.

Also, to be even more fair, even the in-decline-themselves three major TV network news operations draw in millions more viewers than all the cable news network programs combined, but that's small comfort in a market in which segmentation and ever-evolving reading and viewing tastes have given the whip hand to a few big cable news organizations, the top dog being Fox News, of course. MSNBC (it's losing the "MS" part of the name, supposedly, because Microsoft announced it was pulling out of the lash-up the two created back in the mid-90s) comes in a respectable second, under certain performance metrics, but CNN -- especially in regards to its Anderson Cooper/Piers Morgan programming -- seems to be struggling to draw even a halfway decent breath these days.

That's seriously too bad, because it was CNN that truly pioneered 24/7 cable news. Sadly, it seems to have lost its way and can't decide if it wants to go full-on progressive (given that if there's even a single personality, producer or even towel boy in the operation that's reliably "conservative" chances are the network's in the process of brooming him or her) or attempt to continue hewing to its supposedly "down the middle" style of news delivery. More people than can be counted have pointed out the dangers of being "middle of the road" these days, with speeding trucks often quickly squashing such entities as fast as they attempt to straddle the center yellow line.

As to Newsweek; it used to be the somewhat leftish analogue to Time Magazine's somewhat rightish operation, back in the 70s and into the 80s, but with both "news" magazines now squarely on the left side of things, and proud to admit it, what's to differentiate them from the vast majority of the MSM and its news products? Mass ennui when it comes to Newsweek, even with Tina Brown at its helm (though why anybody thought she had any keen or penetrating insights when it came to running something like a news magazine), is the order of the day, it would seem.

So here's to you, MSM. Like many a dinosaur once did you stand there, dumbly chewing on the tall grass and wondering what that piercing, blinding white (and quickly descending) light in the sky is. It may be too late to figure it all out, though, and seek shelter, sad to say.

Gurudriver10

Jul 27, 12 16:46

Post #2 of 14 (696 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

But I do love to watch them act as though they are still relevant!

big kahuna

Jul 27, 12 16:59

Post #3 of 14 (685 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [Gurudriver10] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Gurudriver10 wrote:

But I do love to watch them act as though they are still relevant!

From what I understand the Anderson Cooper/Piers Morgan time slots were only pulling in less than 450,000 viewers, total, and that of those, less than 160,000 were in the critical 21-54 demographic (i.e. high-spending folks). The CNN advertising book has to be taking a beating over that. The network's mainly making its revenues through subscriptions bought by airports and cable companies more than anything else. Don't get me wrong, though: I don't want to see CNN dead, because it's been such a valuable resource since it was first started. But they better get their act together quickly or nobody's going to be watching them at all. On the bright side, though, if they bite it: Nancy Grace will go bye-bye. ;-)

Newsweek? Who cares about that rag? I haven't read it since the mid-90s and I don't know anybody else that does anymore, either.

AnthonyS

Jul 27, 12 17:25

Post #4 of 14 (674 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

The real problem is that the news is no longer factual but 100% opinion. If people want opinion, they can tune in to talk radio and have it in a better format with more interaction. People would read and or tune in for facts, but are sick of BS. Journalism is 100% to blame for making their own profession irrelevant. Journalists need to take their job seriously and start being impartial, and this problem will be solved. Until they do that, the public will continue to vote with their remotes, web browsing decisions and no subscriptions.

Journalism is the one single solitary profession that has dishonored it's roots even more than Law. Good luck beating either to the bottom of the scum pond.
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You will remain the same person, before, during and after the race. So the result, no matter how important, will not define you. The journey is what matters. ~ Chrissie W.

Gurudriver10

Jul 27, 12 17:27

Post #5 of 14 (674 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Right, and didn't Today Show just do a shakeup, getting rid of Couric and some other person? They've gone too far and lost credibility. I used to love CNN when they would just blast out the news rapid fire without all the extra ideology spin. Just facts!

Desiderata

Jul 27, 12 17:34

Post #6 of 14 (670 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [AnthonyS] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

AnthonyS wrote:

This.

__________________________________________________
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell

big kahuna

Jul 27, 12 18:00

Post #7 of 14 (646 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [Desiderata] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Desiderata wrote:

AnthonyS wrote:

This.

I don't have a problem with opinion journalism when it's open and up front about being opinion/commentary rather than straight news. It's when the straight news folks can't keep their opinions to themselves, or when they're obviously taking sides in a debate, that I get irked. When I want to listen to, read or watch opinion news I know where to go to get it. I'd just like one purportedly "straight news" newscast to be just that. They forget that admonition from that 60s CBS executive (or New York Times, I forget which) about reporting the facts as they happen and not getting caught up in trying to slant the facts. Also, this fad with "fact check" journalism, which is really nothing more than opinion journalism or criticism trying to masquerade as straight news, is another thing that's irritating more consumers of news than the MSM realizes.

I like it, though, when investigative journalism truly does its job: Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. Unfortunately, we see journalists -- all masquerading as straight news professionals -- doing their best to protect this or that favored politician or constituency. No wonder nobody trusts journalists to be impartial arbiters anymore. They're so plainly in the tank they're worth about 9 bucks an hour for their "craft," as far as I can tell nowadays.

DavHamm

Jul 28, 12 8:49

Post #8 of 14 (606 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

big kahuna wrote:

..... MSNBC (it's losing the "MS" part of the name, supposedly, because Microsoft announced it was pulling out of the lash-up the two created back in the mid-90s) comes in a respectable second, under certain performance metrics, but CNN -- especially in regards to its Anderson Cooper/Piers Morgan programming -- seems to be struggling to draw even a halfway decent breath these days......

To bad when you try to talk like an expert and screw up simple facts. MSNBC cable has been an NBC product for a while. MSNBC.com was still a joint venture and Microsoft is pulling out of that as they want to develop their own web presence and NBC wants to have the freedom to better link MSNBC cable shows and stories with MSNBC.com.
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Just Triing

Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.

big kahuna

Jul 28, 12 8:51

Post #9 of 14 (605 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [DavHamm] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

DavHamm wrote:

big kahuna wrote:

Whatever Dave. Hey, get over that I don't think GM's a great stock pick and that it should be shorted, because it should be. The point's still the same and you sound like you're drinking the NBC Kool-Aid more and more lately. Now, do you have a salient point about the MSM and journalism in particular or not?

Glade Runner

Jul 28, 12 10:12

Post #10 of 14 (582 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

"Towel boy? Does CNN need a towel boy?! CALL MY FUCKING AGENT!!!"
-Keith Olbermann

It's simple, but it isn't easy.

Glade Runner

Jul 28, 12 10:56

Post #11 of 14 (569 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I think a lot of the problem is that the population of media reporters and decision makers, are profoundly leftist/progressive/statist in their views, but they really don't believe they are. Their world is so insular and skewed, they think their views are middle of the road. Their world is dominated by New York, D.C., and L.A. group-think. That is, they are not a conduit for information, but part of the iron triangle that will help the flyover's save themselves from themselves. Walk up to any j-school student and ask them why they're studying journalism: virtually everyone will say something to the effect of "because I want to change the world." Because they don't get the first half of the equation, "Accurately document the world in an effort to implement change," they're boned. And so are their master's. This doesn't really have anything to do with technology, i.m.o., but everything to do with content. People don't trust the media. And because of that they're tuning out.
Pass the f'ng popcorn.
Also, the next time I see Tina Brown, I hope it says "Barista" on her name tag.

big kahuna

Jul 28, 12 11:14

Post #12 of 14 (555 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [Glade Runner] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Glade Runner wrote:

Almost every one of them, from Chris Matthews on down, when pressed to express a philosophy say that, at worst, they're "slightly moderate left." I don't mind that they think of themselves as protectors of the public interest but the issue is that many expect that the public's interests should align with their own personal interests. The journos and broadcast journalists I like best are those whose personal views you can't discern. I'm old enough and, hopefully, intelligent enough (apparently, that's being questioned here in the LR ;-) to make up my own mind about this or that issue of the day. I don't need a Chris Matthews or a Bill O'Reilly (a very unserious hour, in my personal opinion, on Fox News but I do often like his "Talking Points" thing, when he just lays out the issues) to tell me how to think or whom to believe. I think that whole personal investment phenomenon on the part of the MSM is what's either turning people off or making them yawn about the self-professed importance of the MSM.

Casting sunlight on things. When the MSM does that, and stays away from advocating for or otherwise pushing a position it's personally for, then it does well. When it strays from that course it just irks increasing numbers of people. No, the MSM doesn't know best. But it's great at reporting news and events. Analysis, though...any Joe Blow out there can analyze for himself, and should. Don't depend on O'Reilly, Matthews and the others to do that.

DavHamm

Jul 28, 12 11:41

Post #13 of 14 (545 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

big kahuna wrote:

DavHamm wrote:

big kahuna wrote:

Sorry dude, I guess I had forgotten what you said about GM stock and with what this new group of management is doing internally I don't think your idea of shorting is all that bad. On that front I hope Romney wins and dumps the stock, I think it will give us a bit of a bump, and maybe I can sell my 100 shares at close to break even, but I doubt it.

I have not clue what NBC Kool-aid your talking bought, I was just reporting facts (yeah I know something most Republicans want little to do with, nice move Mitt going to a Coach and Bus business to bash Obama for his comment about businesses needing outside assistance, a business that was able to start from low interest government subsidiesd loans.

What is MSM (oh main stream media?) I don't know what makes up mainstream media. I don't have cable and don't watch network news. 90% of my political current event knowledge comes from here. I don't subscribe to any newspapers so I don't know much about news journalism either. Sorry cant give you much on this topic except for the facts I do know.
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Just Triing

Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.

YaHey

Jul 29, 12 5:26

Post #14 of 14 (455 views)

Re: The Slow, Painful Death of the Mainstream Media Continues [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

So, if the media is moving the right wing agenda, then the media is biased? You realize that journalists have codes of ethics?

If the "mainstream media" (whatever that means) is biased, then who is telling the truth? A bunch of blogging hackers who somehow really know and understand what is going on? Give me a freaking break. It's like saying that your blogs are unbiased or even informed.

Here's the real problem - conservatives couldn't identify real news from faux news if their lives depended on it. Conservatives simply have no critical anlysis skills.