# Why is CNN the standard tv station for public televisions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 26, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616 "2018-07-26T13:29:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/21 "2018-07-27T01:28:01Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > My assumption would be that in at least some of those settings, it’s contractual – i.e., that CNN (or Fox News, or whomever) pays the venue to be the exclusive channel on display. This ^^ CNN pays rent to airports to be the sole channel on airport televisions. Here is an [article from Atlanta](https://www.myajc.com/blog/airport/hartsfield-jackson-rebid-cnn-contract/4mNCSDvAs3BlSqqDBT4SLP/) noting CNN paid the airport $798,000 over five years for that privilege. The article discusses that contractual arrangement being subject to rebidding. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/22 "2018-07-27T04:09:27Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I had a conversation with the guy who cuts my hair, and has a TV on in his salon once; he originally had Bravo on (he’s a somewhat flamboyant gay man), and apparently one of his clients came in and had her child with her, and wasn’t too wild about the 10 year old watching one of the “Real Housewives” shows. > > So he decided to tune his TV to HGTV- there’s nothing controversial on there, and it’s something he likes to watch. I imagine CNN or most other news stations are similar- most are not controversial in their own right, and most people are interested in something they show- domestic news, international news, sports, entertainment, etc… > > And… stuff like sports is not something everyone likes, especially not the prime-time stuff. While I like sports, I’d much rather watch a half-hour of CNN than a cornhole tournament on ESPN. The TV in the waiting room at my surgeon’s office is tuned to HGTV, precisely because its content probably wouldn’t offend anybody. I once worked at a clinic with the pharmacy in a glass-walled side of the waiting room, and because so many of the patients were children and/or non-native English speakers, they kept the TV on the Cartoon Network. We couldn’t hear the TV, but we would laugh along with the patients! 😛 The only time anyone complained was when a woman asked us to switch over to her soap opera, and we refused. We did change the channel one time when a tornado warning was issued. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/23 "2018-07-27T04:23:30Z")
actually it used to be cnns "headline news " station because it was a nonstop loop of the same stories every hour ……after sitting in the er for 4 hours the same 12 news stories …people were glad to watch the flintstones ………. (I changed the channel to cartoons …no one objected …) my optometrist just leaves it on the game show channel or metv ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/24 "2018-07-27T18:00:19Z")
I imagine democrats would be more likely to complain that Fox News was on, than Republicans (Trump excepted) about CNN. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/25 "2018-07-27T18:27:30Z")
> [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](#): > > Is CNN really that spectacular? I’ve traveled all over Europe. It looks like I can watch CNN and/or BBC wherever I stay. They’re not 100% impartial and objective (which I sometimes find really annoying) but other broadcasters are even more biased, in my opinion, and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/26 "2018-07-27T18:28:47Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I imagine democrats would be more likely to complain that Fox News was on, than Republicans (Trump excepted) about CNN. This, I think. An airport that runs Fox News is more likely to get emails/calls of complaint than one that runs CNN/MSNBC/ABC. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/27 "2018-07-30T18:05:42Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The TV in the waiting room at my surgeon’s office is tuned to HGTV, precisely because its content probably wouldn’t offend anybody. > > I once worked at a clinic with the pharmacy in a glass-walled side of the waiting room, and because so many of the patients were children and/or non-native English speakers, they kept the TV on the Cartoon Network. We couldn’t hear the TV, but we would laugh along with the patients! 😛 The only time anyone complained was when a woman asked us to switch over to her soap opera, and we refused. We did change the channel one time when a tornado warning was issued. > [@nightshadea](#): > > actually it used to be cnns "headline news " station because it was a nonstop loop of the same stories every hour ……after sitting in the er for 4 hours the same 12 news stories …people were glad to watch the flintstones ………. (I changed the channel to cartoons …no one objected …) > my optometrist just leaves it on the game show channel or metv Why can’t they just leave the TV off? Or enable subtitles and keep it muted. Everyone has a phone these days to occupy their attention. I can’t remember a single medical appointment I’ve had in the last two years where I wasn’t subjected to garbage daytime TV or cartoons (plus commercials I don’t have to watch at home). CNN would be an improvement, but no TV would be ideal. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/28 "2018-07-30T18:40:44Z")
The situation in airports is different than in other public places, as has been kind of mentioned. CNN makes a special version of their channel just for airports, and they pay airports to show it. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/29 "2018-07-31T08:53:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Because a lot of people in an airport terminal don’t want to hear it. > > You can ignore the TV by not looking at it, and look at it if you do want to see the news (and there is usually a running text/caption). But if you play the sound all about, you (the airport management) will annoy many travelers who don’t want to hear it - especially travelers who are stuck in the terminal for hours waiting for flight. True-- some might not agree with what FOX News says, and if the sound of it is constantly playing (therein making those who are stuck in the terminal into captive audiences), those people might go crazy because they would probably think that they are being required to agree with everything that FOX says, and if they don’t, they’re to be considered wrong (maybe I’m incorrect, but that’s just what I’m guessing might happen). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/30 "2018-07-31T09:40:29Z")
If you have a brief layover, a few minutes of CNN will catch you up on any breaking news you may have missed. You may not hear the sound, but the crawls on the bottom of the screen plus the visuals are all you really need. Why CNN and not Fox or MSNBC? The latter two are offensive to opposite segments of the population. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/31 "2018-07-31T11:39:55Z")
I’ve only seen Fox News around here, and the captions are always on. When I go to a bigger city, sometimes it seems like they have some generic entertainment channel that they watch. And the Mexican places I go tend to have on a Spanish language channel, so I assume it’s more to give them something to listen to while also lending to the atmosphere. It’s how I know that those channels seem more risque than ours. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/32 "2018-07-31T12:15:59Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > You may not hear the sound …if you’re lucky. It’s more difficult to find a place to sit where you _can’t_ hear the sound IME. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/33 "2018-07-31T12:22:39Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Where I work, the customers who ask us to switch from CNN to FOX are usually polite. > The customers who ask us to switch from FOX to CNN are often rude. > > It’s less hassle to keep it on CNN. Really? The only time I’ve ever mentioned the TV, I had walked into a bar and sat down. The bartender asked what I wanted just as I noticed the TV was tuned to FOX news. I started to leave, explaining that I didn’t want to watch FOX. She quickly changed to ESPN or whoever was showing World Cup highlights and I sat back down. I never expected the station would be changed; maybe it was because I was the only customer there. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616/34 "2018-07-31T12:40:47Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Really? > > The only time I’ve ever mentioned the TV, I had walked into a bar and sat down. The bartender asked what I wanted just as I noticed the TV was tuned to FOX news. I started to leave, explaining that I didn’t want to watch FOX. > > She quickly changed to ESPN or whoever was showing World Cup highlights and I sat back down. I never expected the station would be changed; maybe it was because I was the only customer there. That was very considerate of her-- a lot of people who have FOX News on (or similar stations that certain people might not care for) will leave it there, lock, stock and barrel! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cnn-the-standard-tv-station-for-public-televisions/818616.md?page=1)