What Has Happened to Television News?

Yes, I confess, I am one of those people. I turn on television news before my first cup of coffee, every day, rain or shine. I have an unquenchable need to know what is happening. Whether it is local, national or world news is of little concern, I just have to have my news fix. I have gone to great length to insure my addiction is satisfied, even subscribing to a service with multiple news channels. Unfortunately for me, recent programming changes with cable news services have me longing for fresh reports.

I suppose my problem started years ago when cable television introduced CNN. Then CNNadded interview programs and TV news magazines which were informative, but it wasn't the solid news that I needed. The addition of CNN Headline News into television offerings put me into nirvana. I was able to have the news every minute of every day! It wasn't long before I realized the programming flaws of Headline News. The same reports and stories were repeated every thirty minutes for several hours before being brought up-to-date.

The repetition was really of little concern to me personally but it was an aggravation to my friends and family. I would have the Headline News channel tuned as I cleaned house or cooked dinner. To me the sound of news in the background was like having the radio blasting the latest pop music that others enjoy. While I pretended to find satisfaction in the limitations of CNN and Headline News, I secretly supplemented my compulsion with other media.

I have a two newspapers a day habit and sneak magazines like Time and Newsweek into the bathroom. Sure, they get soggy when I read in the shower, but after a quick blow-drying, they are ready to consume while seated on the toilet. The reading material has saved me from the embarrassment of asking the cable guy to install a line into the bathroom.

When other television networks established news channels such as Fox News and MSNBC, I knew I was not alone in my news obsession. My fix was just a remote control click away at any time of every day. As I found the specialized news networks like ESPN handling sports news, CNBC with financial news and The Weather Channel covering disasters brought by wind, rain, snow or drought, I was certain my dependence on news would always be satisfied. I can vicariously survive hurricanes, flooding or even war with an assortment of news anchors and visionary correspondents.

Through the years I have packed on the pounds with my sedentary viewing of news broadcasts. If I could be in charge of television news programming, I would remove all the pundits, rid newscasts of bias reporting and limit the talk-shows. Just give me the news. After all, I am a news junkie - not a puppet ready to believe anyone's propaganda. But the one big gripe I have with news broadcasts is the lack of news, especially during primetime hours.

No longer can I tune to CNN Headline News assured to see a journalist actually reporting news. The tabloid format and TV newsmagazines have taken over. Flipping channels does no good, every network seems to have fired the reporters and replaced them with ex-lawyers, entertainment critics or political analysts. Then there are the repeats.

If I saw "Larry King" last evening, why would they think I would want to see the same program the following morning? How many times will MSNBC show "To Catch a Predator" to fill the hours without added expense? All of these programs seek to increase viewer numbers, but seem to have forgotten how to just report what is news. What has happened to the news anchors? I suppose I will have to reform and just quit watching. After all, I still have my newspapers and magazines - at least for now.