1 of 1- RadioActive
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Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
This is a commentary based on CKNW, the once preeminent station in Vancouver for reliable news. But it has great resonance for any market in Canada - or the U.S. for that matter.
My favourite part of the article:
"There are no filters left on our media. In the day news directors were challenged with what stories would actually make it on to the evening newscast. But now with 24 hours news outlets the amount of content one needs to stay fresh is staggering. Now virtually anything goes to air with no research or background checks. We need it, and we need it now.
"The other aspect of today's news organizations is the disclaimer of "Such and such other news outlet is reporting......" That sound you hear is of long gone news directors spinning in their graves. No self respecting news organization in days gone by would ever credit another new source. NEVER! If you watch the 6 o'clock news on any given day I challenge you to time out when the actual news is over. My unscientific market research leads me to believe somewhere between 5 after and 10 after the hours the News is over. Then it is a quick shoulder roll into, the Health Show, Sports, Weather, on and on and on."
I don't want to sound like one of those old fogies who get taken to task here regularly, but he makes a point.
They're Still Calling It News
- Old Codger
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Re: Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
'They' used to call it 'The News". Now they call it "our show".
Says it A L L.
- RadioActive
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Re: Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
If you really want to see an example of this on a higher scale, look no further than ABC World News Tonight, which airs on that network seven days a week at 6:30 PM. I’d say roughly 40-50% of the entire 22 minutes (when you take out the commercials) is devoted to a security video, cell phone video, police video or a still pic taken by a witness of some supposed “news” event.
That means a lot of “you gotta see how spectacular this fire in Podunk, Indiana was!” or “wasn’t that some great viz of a car accident in western Ghana that means absolutely nothing to you!” All of which translates into fewer reporters doing actual news and fewer camera people needed to hire, because "the public will do it for us."
It’s a terrible presentation and the sad thing is it appears to be working. While NBC remains number one at 6:30, ABC has closed the gap significantly by doing what I can only term “news porn.” (And to add insult to injury, I've read in numerous places that anchor David Muir is something of a tyrant when the camera isn't on him.)
If it’s only a story because you have video and you wouldn’t have reported it without the eyewitness cameras being there, than maybe it’s not really worth reporting on at all.
Just my 5 cents. (Would have said my 2 cents, but Canada no longer has the penny…)
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Thread Starter- Radiowiz
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Re: Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
RadioActive wrote:
Just my 5 cents. (Would have said my 2 cents, but Canada no longer has the penny…)
The digital penny is forever.
Pay for something that comes to $12.31 in cash and it's $12.30, but pay for it with a debit card (ie interac)
and $12.31 (exactly) comes out of your bank account.
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- RadioActive
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Re: Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
Just my 5 cents. (Would have said my 2 cents, but Canada no longer has the penny…)
The digital penny is forever.
Pay for something that comes to $12.31 in cash and it's $12.30, but pay for it with a debit card (ie interac)
and $12.31 (exactly) comes out of your bank account.
Ah yes, but I'm paying in cash!
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Thread Starter- Kilgore
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Re: Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
Has anyone thought of asking David Chesney, Editor & Publisher of the White Rock & South Surrey Sun newspaper how many full time reporters he has on staff?
- unclefester
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Re: Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
I don't want to sound like one of those old fogies who get taken to task here regularly...
Highlight of your post there gramps....
- RadioActive
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Thread Starter- pmcknight
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Re: Radio Guy Turned Newspaper Editor Laments The Medium's Decline
Dave Chesney is the fellow who wrote this. His father owned the Langley station and then he came to CKLG-FM (now CFOX) and helped with the building the foundation for CFOX. He's a good guy and I couldn't agree with more.