# CNN Headline News Ain't What It Used To Be (And Others) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 2, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-headline-news-aint-what-it-used-to-be-and-others/362907 "2006-07-02T02:00:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-headline-news-aint-what-it-used-to-be-and-others/362907/1 "2006-07-02T02:00:46Z")
I used to like Headline News. At any hour of the day, I could flip over and get a brief overview the latest happenings in the world. If I wanted in-depth analysis, I’d watch the main CNN channel (well, actually PBS, but you get my drift.) I\* liked\* that I could get a quick summary. I’d check the news two or three times a day this way, then if I wanted more info, I’d go to other sources. Now, it’s a rarity to turn to Headline News and see any news. Every time I flip over, there’s a talking head venting their spleen about celebrities, or muder trials, or the Controversy Of The Day. In vain, I surfed through the half-dozen or so news channels this evening, and not one had on _news_. Every channel featured their own version of “The Opinions of Talking Head #654.” They’re going MTV on us. I used to like the Weather Channel. At any hour of the day, I could switch over and see weather maps of the whole country. On occasion, I’d see the weather for Europe or Asia, which was just neat for curiosity’s sake. I could also know if I was travelling what the weather was going to be like at my destination. Now, it’s a rarity to turn to The Weather Channel and see any weather. Sure, they still have “Local on the 8’s”, which I appreciate, but the lion’s share of their programing time is devoted to “The Day My House Blew Down” or “What Happened to the Poor Fuckers Who Lived in A Town Which Flooded.” _When Weather Attacks!_ I used to like HBO. I couldn’t switch over at any hour and watch a movie because the evenings are devoted to soft-core porn, but you catch my drift. With five or so HBOs to choose from, I could usually find a movie to watch if I was so inclined. Now, like as not, it will be one of their series shows. Hey, I like _Deadwood_ and _Rome._ I really do. But it’d be nice if, say, they had those shows on their own seperate channel or only did one series at a time. They’ve got, like, a dozen of them now. I anticipate that one day, they stop running movies all together on their main channel. They’re not that far from it now. In keeping with this trend, you can imagine I wasn’t too thrilled to see that The Cartoon Channel was running _Saved By The Bell_ and _Pee Wee’s Playhouse._ ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-headline-news-aint-what-it-used-to-be-and-others/362907/2 "2006-07-02T02:46:51Z")
Hey, the other day I was watching my copy of _Trinity and Beyond_…which I taped when TLC ran it in a marathon. Hell, it used to be “The Learning Channel,” and they’d run _Great Books_ and _The Secret Life of Machines_ in the morning. These days…Tim Hunkin or boosted-fission bombs? Nope! Home remodeling for amateurs! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-headline-news-aint-what-it-used-to-be-and-others/362907/3 "2006-07-02T02:49:28Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > In vain, I surfed through the half-dozen or so news channels this evening, and not one had on _news_. Every channel featured their own version of “The Opinions of Talking Head #654.” Like I said a few weeks ago, CNN - although it’s not just CNN - is turning into the Howard Beale network.