I don't know what it's like in the States, but here in Canada there seems to be a glut of non-content.
Did stations get their licenses to broadcast paid commercial programming for 20% of their air time? What is the result of those wonderful, broad statements of intent, made at application time? Re-runs. Infomercials.
The History Channel has run out of history. The Learning Channel ain't teachin' us much, any more.
Now and then, a pearl: a documentary, a story, an in-depth examination of a subject, perhaps with a bias you don't like. An outstanding movie, not mainstream, that you've never seen before.
OK, tastes vary. Everyone's needs must be accommodated. But how many reruns of "Gilligan's Island" should be offered in the name of content?
"When I turned the TV set on last night at around 7PM I found that the big three (CNN, MSNBC and FOX News) "ALL" had one-hour specials between 7 and 8 PM featuring this story about a weirdo who is accused of committing an ancient crime, which, it its own day, was enough to give the OJ Simpson and Lacy Peterson stories, combined, a run for their money."
News? OJ, Lacy Petersen, Lady Di, Michael Jackson, and that eternal mainstay, Elvis. More like an attempt to satisfy macabre fascination.
Or is it? How much air time is JonBenet's murder getting, in Pakistan? In Iran? In Tokyo? Maybe the focus of our "news" is intended to direct our attention away from other realities.
PBS, BBC, CBC, CNN can come up with the goods - but so does Japan Times, the Jang, Al-Ahram, People's Daily, and Gulf News Online - and they can present a healthy antidote to predigested viewpoints foisted upon us by mass media.
I read that an increasing proportion of the younger viewing population is spending more of their time on the internet, and less in front of the tube.
Good thing, that. See what the rest of the world thinks. Learn to think for yourself.
Not without its dangers, and rewards. Certainly, a viable alternative to the pablum that passes for content in today's electronic media, television and television news included.
Jim |
