And I'm Not Talking Fox, I'm Talking The Good Old BBC

[poliphilo]

Sharon is "fighting for his life"- that's the reigning cliche. But how do they know? Sharon is in a coma; he's not doing anything- and if he is, it isn't visible to bystanders and certainly not to Our Special Reporter Camped Outside The Hospital (poor sod) or his Anchor. Maybe Sharon is longing to just get on with it and pay the ferryman and is furious with the doctors who are holding him back.

I don't know if the standard is getting worse or it's just that I've tumbled to their tricks, but I'm always catching myself shouting at the newscasters these days.

Comments

Re: Having recently come through this very situation...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Well no, the BBC is a publicly-funded broadcaster. And Channel 4- which I turn to for intelligent news coverage- is commercial.

I blame institutional inertia. People still watch the news programmes, because they have to get their news from somewhere- so why change a winning formula (even if it is lazy and cliche-ridden and dull)?

But I don't see why TV news can't be both popular and sharp.

Re: Having recently come through this very situation...

[jubal51394.livejournal.com]

"But I don't see why TV news can't be both popular and sharp."

And I don't see why car insurance agents can't be popular and sharp...
My presumption/assumption for both is that it must not be profitable... or they would be. Is it any different there?

Re: Having recently come through this very situation...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking that if someone came up with a fresh new way of presenting the news the public would switch over to it.

News programmes are so staid and dull. They all pretty much use the same formulae. Why do presenters have to sit behind desks for Heaven's sake? Why whenever there's a political story do the reporters have to be filmed in front of the White House or The Houses of Parliament? Why can't it all be more fun?

Re: Having recently come through this very situation...

[jubal51394.livejournal.com]

How did you get so old without getting cynical? I stopped asking questions like this 10 years ago. The answer is always the same. If it were profitable they would do it. Taking risks and doing creative things is financially risky. You and I and a handful of others out there might wish things were different by people like us are never part of their demographic. We just don't buy enough stupid stuff to make us a profitable group to cater to.

It's all about money and greed. It has been for a long, long time. Isn't it there?

Re: Having recently come through this very situation...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've led a very sheltered existence.

No, not really- but for some reason it's taken me a very long time to lose my faith in the basic decency of humankind.

Re: Having recently come through this very situation...

[jubal51394.livejournal.com]

Oh, I haven't really lost faith in the decency of humankind... I submit to you that what has changed is that "decent humankind" is no longer the majority... and majority rules. No?