Blog Archives
GOOD NIGHT CHET
For over 40 years I have been a loyal follower of NBC news. It began in the 1960′s with the Huntley-Brinkley report which I still consider the preeminent newscast of all time, better than both Walter Cronkite (CBS) and Howard K. Smith (ABC), although I had a lot of respect for Smith as a no-nonsense newsman. Chet Huntley reported from New York and his delivery was both authoritative and unbiased. David Brinkley reported from Washington, DC and possessed a slight yet charming North Carolina accent. He would also deliver quips that were both humorous and thought-provoking. The correspondents on the show followed Huntley-Brinkley’s lead and helped turn the show into the most credible and trustworthy news program of the day.
Huntley retired in 1970 to his beloved Montana, leaving Nightly News in the capable hands of Frank McGee, John Chancellor, and Brinkley. When McGee passed away prematurely due to cancer, the mantel fell to Chancellor with Brinkley offering commentary. Chancellor did a capable job until his retirement in the early 1980′s and Brinkley moved on to other projects. It was during this period that NBC News underwent a transformation as executives worried about ratings, and a new generation of news people began to emerge, which lead to Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams. Similar changes were also being enacted by CBS and ABC at this time, probably due to the advent of 24/7 news reporting as introduced by Ted Turner’s CNN. Whereas news had once been the exclusive domain of the networks, cable news turned it into a whole new ball game. Executives became obsessed with ratings and started changing the format and content of network news, and in my opinion, not for the better.
I should mention that morning news programs also started to change at this same time. Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, and Frank Blair anchored a Today Show in the 1960′s with impeccable trust, but as they eventually moved on to other projects, their replacements lacked their authority and credibility.
Then along comes Fox News in the 1990′s which, to me as a loyal NBC News viewer, was meaningless. I rarely watched it, but over the years I started to hear my friends and relatives mention they were watching Fox as they preferred its format and content. Again, as a loyal NBC News viewer, I stayed the course. Then, during this decade, I started to hear the “Big Three” snipe at Fox News, which began to pique my curiosity about the upstart. It was also at this time when I lost confidence in NBC’s ability to report news fairly. All of the news seemed slanted towards a political ideology. To me, it was no longer fair and balanced and, as such, they lost my trust and pushed me into the arms of Fox News which I now watch with regularity.
It is a sad day for journalism when we begin to think of television news as organs of a political party. Both Huntley and Brinkley would be spinning in their graves if they could see the state of network news today. I took great comfort in how they reported the news. I trusted and respected them. If they had something to say, I listened, and I miss this generation of newscasters greatly. I no longer trust network news, least of all NBC, not only have they lost credibility with me, I am now suspicious of the news they report. As a long time NBC viewer, this saddens me.
“Good night Chet. Good night David. And goodbye to NBC News.”
Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
Tune into Tim’s new podcast, “The Voice of Palm Harbor,” at:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/voiceph.htm
Copyright © 2009 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEWS OVERLOAD
For many years, we usually got our news from the morning or evening newspapers. This was then supplemented by radio, which we either listened to at home or in our cars to and from work. The radio was eventually replaced by television, with news either early in the morning, or at 6:30 at night. Ted Turner then introduced us to 24/7 news reporting, and the race was on to create whole television networks to report on the slightest development of anything. In the meantime, computers and the Internet were phased in with web browsers and e-mail which, among other things, allowed us to peruse news of interest at our leisure. This also allowed news alerts and feeds to be automatically generated about selectable subjects of interest, and distributed not only through computers, but through cell phones and other hand held devices.
If I ever need to know what’s going on though, I just ask my wife. She mans what I call the “Media Center” in our family room, whereby she scours the morning newspaper from cover to cover, and any other periodical that comes our way. Next to her is her morning coffee and cigarette, her cell phone, and the house phone. The television is tuned to a morning news program which, in addition to video, includes several scrollable news bars telling viewers what is going on in Tierra del Fuego. In front of her is her laptop which receives her e-mail and news alerts. She’s very informed. If she doesn’t know about something, it probably didn’t happen. Actually, I think the folks at mission control in Houston would be a bit envious of her setup.
Today we have more sources for news than ever before, thus establishing fierce competition for the attention of the consumer. So much so, it is changing our habits for receiving and digesting the news. It puzzles me though, with so many news outlets at our disposal, how can the American people be so uninformed? Think about it. In this country most of us now have access to publications, television, computers, and cell phones, yet most people haven’t got a clue as to what is going on (other than in the world of entertainment).
Maybe the reason is that we actually get less news today and more spin. Instead of “here are the facts” (and allow you to arrive at your own conclusion), we now have “here are the facts and this is what they mean.” In other words, hard news is sacrificed for analysis and hyperbole. Let’s face it though, news can be pretty dry and boring and, instead of putting their audience to sleep, the media moguls add glitz and controversy to spark interest from their audience (and continue to peddle their wares). The danger here however, is too much spin lends itself to brainwashing. It’s like saying, “Look, you’re too stupid to figure this out, so this is what it means and here is what you should be thinking.” I fear too many people have been conditioned to think this way, leaving the door open to politicians with the most money to sway voters as they see fit.
The answer is not necessarily to develop your own personal “Media Center” like my wife did, but to just pay more attention to what is going on and challenge what is being preached to you by the media. Just remember, honest journalism died with the advent of 24/7 news reporting.
Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For a listing of Tim’s Pet Peeves, click HERE.
Download Tim’s new eBook (PDF), “Bryce’s Pet Peeve Anthology – Volume I” (free) DOWNLOAD).
Copyright © 2009 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
