TV news is even worse than I thought


Since I don’t have cable, I do not watch the 24/7 cable news networks and from the clips that I do see on the internet, I know I am not missing much. While I do own a TV and can get the broadcast channels, I stopped watching those news shows a long time ago. The morning news shows especially were a wasteland, with inane chatter and frequent commercial breaks.

But this clip from The Colbert Report seems to suggest that the morning shows have become far worse than what I remember, something that I would not have thought possible. Why is it that these news shows think that in order to have greater appeal to young people, they have to be so shallow? It really is insulting.

(This clip aired on March 27, 2014. To get suggestions on how to view clips of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report outside the US, please see this earlier post. If the videos autoplay, please see here for a diagnosis and possible solutions.)

Comments

  1. moarscienceplz says

    “Why is it that these news shows think that in order to have greater appeal to young people, they have to be so shallow?”

    Apparently, you are unfamiliar with J. Fred Muggs .

  2. moarscienceplz says

    Sorry, borked the link and it’ too hard to do on my mobile, so just use Wikipedia.

  3. Trebuchet says

    I feel kind of bad for that woman half-my-age on GMA, whoever the heck she is. Not so bad for the suits who are about my age that made her do that.

  4. StevoR : Free West Papua, free Tibet, let the Chagossians return! says

    @moarscienceplz ! & 2 :

    Well I tried wikipedia and just got :

    An error has occurred while searching: The search backend returned an error:

    Dangnabbit!

    So .. A little help there please?

  5. moarscienceplz says

    @#5 StevoR

    J. Fred Muggs (born March 14, 1952) is a chimpanzee that was the mascot for NBC’s Today Show from 1953 to 1957.

    The show debuted in 1952, with amiable host Dave Garroway. The show was in trouble initially; the addition of J. Fred Muggs boosted ratings and helped win advertisers. Muggs, dressed like a baby in diapers, first appeared on the show on January 28, 1953, and became a regular feature on February 3, 1953.

    *end Wikipedia quote*
    Apparently, good ol’ J. Fred is still alive, which once again reminds us that chimpanzees must not be treated as pets.

  6. StevoR : Free West Papua, free Tibet, let the Chagossians return! says

    @ ^ moarscienceplz : Okay, that link works -- cheers.

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