The Network is Is Not News

The news is no longer news. What is it? It's entertainment. The popular culture has set the standard for amusing viewers and not informing them. Information, facts, are just too dull. We need color, big screen, hairstyles, fashion, and personality to tell is the latest news. Radio used to work because it was limited to facts. News is now performance art. Katie Courey looks like a vampire now as she reads the news from her perch at CBS. The cosmeticians and hair stylists go to work on her and she plops herself in front of the camera and disappears into the ratings race with a plastic look that asks old viewers of the old Katie Courey, "Who is that?"

When ANS Anna Nicole Smith died this week networks and affiliates rushed to the story like flesh eating fish and remained there until only the bones were left. Is this woman news? Is Hugh Heffner news? Is Tim Russert news? Is Libby news?
Is Donald Trump news?

America dumbed down below dumb. Demographics may have something to do with it. Networks are not a resource for the viewers. They are a business.They sell air time. They are losing traditional viewers to funeral parlor viewings. The segment of audience networks aim at is young and poor and old and poor. They insult their thirsty intelligence with pop culture and entertainment news. Scaring them and passifying them placed between car ads and heart attack prevention and acid reflux pills.If their focus groups say that detail in news is boring and images are important, we must look at the chest of ANS Anna Nicole Smith for 15 seconds under the non-news of the where and how of her death. Why? The focus groups are people with nothing to do and can spare endless amounts of hours helping the networks cash in on lowered expectations. Find out how dumb they are and call it news.

Perhaps the networks must continue this parade of glamour news until cable gets smart and does not emulate the newtworks.