908 Still More On Newswatchers
For those of you on the The Wessays News Diet we have a new proposal to help you stay on the wagon. But it will take the cooperation of the news cable and regular networks.
You watch TV, you know shows have ratings just like the movies. If you see that little black and white box in the upper left hand corner of the screen that says, say, “TV14” you know to get the eight year olds out of the room or switch channels.
As new stories start on cable or the morning or evening news programs, the networks could flash little boxes for each.
Blue would mean “regular” news, like firefighters getting a cat out of a tree.
Yellow would mean, maybe, a small crime -- something like a Ponzi scheme or maybe a stickup at the 7-11, or a farmer or store owner or home owner successfully restoring his or her property after a storm or an earthquake.
Orange would be reserved for bigger crimes, especially those in which people get hurt or killed, ATF raids on empty houses, or the actual onset of a natural disaster... say Hurricane Irene.
Blood pressure-spiking red would be reserved for politics. Anything political. Anything out of Washington or a campaign or your state or local legislature.
With these symbols, you’d be able to switch channels, turn off the TV or head for the refrigerator or the bathroom as needed because you’d get advance notice.
It’s more subtle than running an on screen lower-third “super” that says “John Boehner story next” or “tax news coming” plus you wouldn’t have to actually read words to know what to do.
Then, depending on where you are in your NewsWatchers diet, you could take appropriate action, perhaps switching to your TiVo library of Jerry Springer or “Fear Factor” re-runs. All the excitement and none of the calories.
The average Nightly News item runs from 90 seconds to about three minutes. Start that stopwatch you always wear but never look at and go back to the news program 90 to 180 seconds later, after the “red” warning passes.
Of course when CNN, Fox or MSNBC put up the red flag, just turn the TV off. Because once they’re onto a story, they tend to stay with it forever and a day. Or forever and a month.
Getting the networks and cable outlets to use the warnings is another matter. That will take some high level diplomacy, and, as a last resort, a military strike.
Shrapnel:
--Here are two examples of raging optimism. First taking out a 30 year mortgage at age 65. Second, being a bank which approves the loan.
--WestraDamus normally predicts only the past and generally gets it wrong. But here’s his look at the future. The ATT acquisition of T-Mobil will go through despite justice department opposition based on the original concept of de-regulation, lower prices through increased competition.
--Almost everyone else is jumping the gun. Not Wessays™. Our tenth anniversary 9/11 comment will be here Friday, September 9th.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com
© WJR 2011
For those of you on the The Wessays News Diet we have a new proposal to help you stay on the wagon. But it will take the cooperation of the news cable and regular networks.
You watch TV, you know shows have ratings just like the movies. If you see that little black and white box in the upper left hand corner of the screen that says, say, “TV14” you know to get the eight year olds out of the room or switch channels.
As new stories start on cable or the morning or evening news programs, the networks could flash little boxes for each.
Blue would mean “regular” news, like firefighters getting a cat out of a tree.
Yellow would mean, maybe, a small crime -- something like a Ponzi scheme or maybe a stickup at the 7-11, or a farmer or store owner or home owner successfully restoring his or her property after a storm or an earthquake.
Orange would be reserved for bigger crimes, especially those in which people get hurt or killed, ATF raids on empty houses, or the actual onset of a natural disaster... say Hurricane Irene.
Blood pressure-spiking red would be reserved for politics. Anything political. Anything out of Washington or a campaign or your state or local legislature.
With these symbols, you’d be able to switch channels, turn off the TV or head for the refrigerator or the bathroom as needed because you’d get advance notice.
It’s more subtle than running an on screen lower-third “super” that says “John Boehner story next” or “tax news coming” plus you wouldn’t have to actually read words to know what to do.
Then, depending on where you are in your NewsWatchers diet, you could take appropriate action, perhaps switching to your TiVo library of Jerry Springer or “Fear Factor” re-runs. All the excitement and none of the calories.
The average Nightly News item runs from 90 seconds to about three minutes. Start that stopwatch you always wear but never look at and go back to the news program 90 to 180 seconds later, after the “red” warning passes.
Of course when CNN, Fox or MSNBC put up the red flag, just turn the TV off. Because once they’re onto a story, they tend to stay with it forever and a day. Or forever and a month.
Getting the networks and cable outlets to use the warnings is another matter. That will take some high level diplomacy, and, as a last resort, a military strike.
Shrapnel:
--Here are two examples of raging optimism. First taking out a 30 year mortgage at age 65. Second, being a bank which approves the loan.
--WestraDamus normally predicts only the past and generally gets it wrong. But here’s his look at the future. The ATT acquisition of T-Mobil will go through despite justice department opposition based on the original concept of de-regulation, lower prices through increased competition.
--Almost everyone else is jumping the gun. Not Wessays™. Our tenth anniversary 9/11 comment will be here Friday, September 9th.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com
© WJR 2011
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