Local news in Detroit is getting worse and worse. What the hell a chef cooking a meal has to do with news I don’t know. They cover practically nothing yet spend time cooking. They should include a laugh track. How they can chuckle at the vapid witticisms they banter back and forth amazes me.
But that is not my biggest bitch. It is the announcements that they use to hook viewers into watching later.
Big story the weather is turning dangerous and there are things you can do to stay safe. Story at 11.
Now we have one, The 4 pains you should never ignore. These are pains that could signal a life threatening condition. Story Monday at 11.
If peoples lives are actually threatened ,tell them. If a storm is going to kill us all ,I want to know now. Man that pisses me off.
Dude, if you live in Detroit, your local news is as follows. Every day.
-Man robbed at gunpoint
-Man charged with armed robbery pleads not guilty
-Woman robbed at gunpoint
-violent crime up, report says
-Mayor accused of _______!
-Gas station robber strikes again
-Ford/GM/Chrysler forecasts weak Xth-quarter sales
-Weather: cold with a chance of showers
Let me just jump right on this band wagon. I’m so with you on this.
I live 2 hrs from Detroit and watch Canadian local news but it’s just the same I assure you. I spend half the broadcast screaming at my tv; “How is this news?”
My favorite pet peeve at the moment is how drug companies produce slick newsy look alike features disguised as news of some medical breakthrough when really it’s just selling new drugs. And the tv stations run them, grrr. It’s very slick and well done, but you’ll know it next time you see it, I promise.
And world news? Not much, some days not any. WTF? There are wars, rebellions, open oppression and I’m hearing about a cat caught up a tree?
Bite me local news!
Beats Cleveland.
- Sex offender
- Sex offender
- Sex offender
- Protecting your children from potential sex offenders
- Sex offender
- Some minor thing about the Browns or Indians, even in the off-season
- EXTREME DOPPLER 3000 RADAR STORM TRACKER WEATHER CENTER ALERT: Cold, with a chance of showers. Highs in the mid-50s, low in the low-40s
Local news, by definition, will not carry news of wars, rebellions, open oppressions, etc. occurring a world away. Their focus is local.
I just wish that I would get some local news. It would be nice to find out who is running for local office, and what their stances are. Sounds like a job for local news. Instead I get a news copter over yet another fire, a tale about the day’s most interesting crime, editorials disguised as news, and cross-promotions also disguised as news. They’ve given up all pretense on the newscasters, and especially the ancilliary team, having the slightest bit of brains.
They also rum a segment showing the movie box office hit or TV program for our pleasure. The fact that the conglomeration that owns them also owns the station or movie studio is just coincidence. That is advertising.
Not true. Shitty local news will not carry such news. Halfway decent local news will devote at least one segment to national and/or international news, probably infusing it with a local flavor. For instance, “fighting was heavy in Blahgdad today, where the Fooian National Guard unit from Nearbytown is stationed.”
Hell - did you live through the agony during the Jimmy Hoffa gig? For weeks, every goddam night the news tease was “More on the Jimmy Hoffa disappeance”. For weeks every single goddam night. and every single goddam night, it would be the same, some reporter sticking the microphone into some ones face who then said “we still don’t know anything”.
Huh.
Wonder why they stopped? they could still use that same trick now.
I gave up watching all news on television, back before cable was ubiquitous.
D_Odds, have you considered picking up the local newspaper?
You know, there’s something to be said for progress.
At least nowadays when they decide to go all out covering a missing persons case, they usually pick a pretty girl instead of a burly union thug.
Every morning. Almost as bad regarding local politics, unless someone is having sex with someone they shouldn’t. One page once a week dedicated to local and state politics. Nothing on any local elections. But at least the stories they cover (bought from AP) have more depth than the news programs. Occasionally, the one remaining staff reporter will write something original and local.
Oh. Well, at least you get Sudoku.
That and Cryptoquip. Would be wasting my 50 cents otherwise.
Former news intern here.
TV news is essentially a vehicle for advertising dollars to reach the larger companies and corporations that own the stations. It can be quite lucrative.
My own theory on the universally poor quality of local news is threefold:
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T’ain’t much happening. Local news is essentially boring. Bored people change the channel, thus the old adage, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Violent crime, sexual misconduct and other raunchy material simply keep folks watching. It works on the same principle as so-called “reality” tv and interstate rubbernecking: it’s hard for most folks to not watch. Thus, higher ratings and more advertising dollars.
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The talent pool’s thin. Good reporters often end up in one of several different places: management, national news, or lucrative teaching positions. Local news stations, especially in the lower third of America’s markets, are constantly bringing in new reporters and camera ops. Good people move up and out and it leaves a big talent gap, even in big markets like Orlando, D.C., Detroit, etc.
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The “Ooooh, shiny!” mentality. No matter how fancy your graphics, no matter how sophisticated your radar, no matter how perfect your set is, the content of stories and personalities of anchors and reporters are what attract or drive away viewers. If stations spent a little more money on their video editors (or “cave dwellers,” as some say) and maintaining talent and less on graphics packages and unnecessary tools, then their product would likely improve. For example, Nashville doesn’t need to have a tv station with a helicopter reporter, but we’ve got one. Now we can see more pictures of poor bastards caught in traffic even though all the tv stations are linked up to the Department of Transportation’s highway camera system.
I, too, share the frustration with local news. It’s simply a cash cow for larger corporations. Thus, idiotic teasers for stories that rarely come close to representing their actual impact, high-falootin’ gadgetry that does nothing whatsoever to enhance the content of the news and little attention to talent and the quality of the product.
I never cared for the middle-class co-anchors as they report about higher gas prices, higher latte prices, the dead rattlesnake in the middle school toilet, etc. as “what’s happening in YOUR world,” while shootings in the 'hood or tornadoes in trailer parks are presented as vaugley disturbing yet exotic occurances among distant lifeforms. News as social reassurance.
Network had it right. They should have soothsayers and horoscope readers on. They accomplish nothing. Although the Freep did get the Kwame information out via the freedom of information act. But successes are few .
We do have complete coverage of Paczki Day though.I love that the onair people refer to themselves as newsman or reporters. They are news readers.
Just the opposite here. Our TV has TOO MUCH weather.
EVERY onset of precipitation requires a break-in and a shrinkage of the program image to half-size so we can look at a radarscope that shows us that there’s a piddling-small “green echo” (green being the color they use for mist or heavy dew)over the Omaha area. This is generally preceded by an annoying “boop-boop-boop” sound.
Additionally, nobody has ever told Omaha that Lincoln, Sioux City, St. Joseph, MO, and Des Moines also have TV stations now; and have had them since the '50s. We get “boop-boop-boop”-ed for stuff occuring 150 miles away!
As children,these idiots were obviously never read “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” by their Mommies and Daddies.
People become inured to excessive “boop-boop-boops” and could easily pass off a tornado warning as just more mist in Des Moines.
Two wild turkeys duking it out on an highway ramp!
I swear to you it was just now on the local evening news.
::::::::::very heavy sigh::::::::::::::
Up next on Fox 5 News at 10 - American Idol is down to three finalists! Who will be voted off next? Our celebrity panel of washed-up radio jockeys will give you their picks right after these words from our sponsors.
Heh. Here’s a blog entry of mine, where I rant about Fox local news: