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I challenge ABC, NBC, and CBS to air a full 30-minute news broadcast nightly! Is that too much to ask?
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junebug
Jun 26, 2014, 11:33:47 PM6/26/14
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Every night the major TV networks (ABC,NBC,CBS) broadcast their 30 minute nightly news, as they have been doing for over 6 decades. In the past few years, this "30 minute" broadcast has morphed into 16 minutes of news, and 14 minutes of commercials selling erection pills, vagina cream, and various pharmaceuticals. Who wants to watch that--me and my wife cringe when those commercials air, especially if the kids are in the room. It's no wonder that young people today get their news from the computer or smartphone.
I hereby challenge one of these major networks to simply ELIMINATE commercials from their nightly newscast and give us a true 30 minutes of news each night. They would probably consider this a crazy, radical move. What about all that lost revenue? Simply consider it a service to the viewers whose public airwaves are being used to make them boatloads of money. Does anyone really run to their doctor and say "Is Xarelto right for me?" Really, how much would it cost the network? They could just add more commercials to their other shows like Meet The Press, Face The Nation, and who would notice?.
Let's say ABC suddenly announced that they would now be broadcasting their World News with NO commercial interruption. This would throw NBC and CBS for a loop. It would really shake up the industry. ABC would probably soar in the ratings, the publicity would be great, and there would there be a full 30 minutes to fully explore the important news stories of the night. These days, many stories consist of a short blurb and a few video clips--if you want any details you would have to log onto their web site or buy a newspaper. And then they waste precious air time by telling the viewers that after this short break, we'll be telling you about this and that, often showing more footage during that bumper than when they actually get to the story.
I remember a scene in "The Newsroom" where the Jeff Daniels character is explaining when the FCC first started regulating television, they included a rule that mandated that each TV broadcaster televise at least 60 minutes of news each day as a public service. The problem was, they didn't say it had to be commercial-free, and that was a big mistake. I would hope that one of the networks takes up my challenge as it would cause the others to follow suit.
I hereby challenge one of these major networks to simply ELIMINATE commercials from their nightly newscast and give us a true 30 minutes of news each night. They would probably consider this a crazy, radical move. What about all that lost revenue? Simply consider it a service to the viewers whose public airwaves are being used to make them boatloads of money. Does anyone really run to their doctor and say "Is Xarelto right for me?" Really, how much would it cost the network? They could just add more commercials to their other shows like Meet The Press, Face The Nation, and who would notice?.
Let's say ABC suddenly announced that they would now be broadcasting their World News with NO commercial interruption. This would throw NBC and CBS for a loop. It would really shake up the industry. ABC would probably soar in the ratings, the publicity would be great, and there would there be a full 30 minutes to fully explore the important news stories of the night. These days, many stories consist of a short blurb and a few video clips--if you want any details you would have to log onto their web site or buy a newspaper. And then they waste precious air time by telling the viewers that after this short break, we'll be telling you about this and that, often showing more footage during that bumper than when they actually get to the story.
I remember a scene in "The Newsroom" where the Jeff Daniels character is explaining when the FCC first started regulating television, they included a rule that mandated that each TV broadcaster televise at least 60 minutes of news each day as a public service. The problem was, they didn't say it had to be commercial-free, and that was a big mistake. I would hope that one of the networks takes up my challenge as it would cause the others to follow suit.
RichA
Jun 27, 2014, 3:12:36 AM6/27/14
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Local American news isn't much better. 12 minutes of news and 10 minutes of sports news.
Rhino
Jun 27, 2014, 2:25:23 PM6/27/14
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believe they give you a full hour and I think the only commercials are
the ones at the very beginning and end of the show. Or go online for
your news. You may not have to endure commercials on those websites but
you may have to get used to hearing your news from unfamiliar faces.
I doubt ABC, NBC or CBS will ever ditch their commercials unless the FCC
forces them to do so. I can't see the FCC forcing that unless there's a
massive change in attitude there.
Historically, I believe the news started out very much as you're
describing: a public service, not intended to make money and simply
trying to inform people. I believe the news started out as only a 10 or
15 minute program too. But then the networks discovered that commercials
which aired during the news increased sales of the products advertised.
At that point, news became a profit center and remains one. I just don't
see the networks weaning themselves off that revenue stream voluntarily.
It's like asking a heroin addict to give up smack but harder: a heroin
addict might decide to kick the habit because of the physical damage
he/she is suffering from the drug use but I don't think the networks see
a downside from the ads.
Let's be honest here: the networks are in the advertising business.
That's where they make the money. The only way they can get people to
look at their ads is to throw in some interesting programming so they
bring in just enough sports, news, reality shows or scripted programs to
get people hooked, then they throw as many commercials at them as they
can get away with.
The broadcast networks have ramped up the number of commercials per hour
steadily over the years as people built up a tolerance for the number of
commercials they would endure before switching off the TV. In the 60s, a
typical hour had 8 minutes of commercials in it. In the 50s, I think
there were even less. Today, we have something like 18 or 19 minutes of
commercial every hour.
--
Rhino
Barb May
Jun 27, 2014, 12:33:05 PM6/27/14
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junebug wrote:
> Every night the major TV networks (ABC,NBC,CBS) broadcast their 30
> minute nightly news, as they have been doing for over 6 decades. In
> the past few years, this "30 minute" broadcast has morphed into 16
> minutes of news,
Actually it's more like 22 minutes of news and 8 minutes of commercials
> Every night the major TV networks (ABC,NBC,CBS) broadcast their 30
> minute nightly news, as they have been doing for over 6 decades. In
> the past few years, this "30 minute" broadcast has morphed into 16
> minutes of news,
> I would hope that one of the networks takes up my challenge
> as it would cause the others to follow suit.
--
Barb
etjoh...@gmail.com
Jun 5, 2019, 7:10:38 PM6/5/19
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etjoh...@gmail.com
Jun 5, 2019, 7:10:58 PM6/5/19
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On Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 11:33:47 PM UTC-4, junebug wrote:
etjoh...@gmail.com
Jun 5, 2019, 7:20:48 PM6/5/19
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On Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 11:33:47 PM UTC-4, junebug wrote:
fourl...@gmail.com
Feb 19, 2020, 6:54:12 PM2/19/20
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I'm here in 2020 and it's worse than ever. They don't even try to hide it now they come back from a commercial do a 13-second something and go right back to commercial come back for another 15 seconds and go to another 30-40 second commercial back and forth back and forth until you realize the nightly newscast is a joke. Not to mention they're just regurgitating everything you saw on a 5 a.m. local ABC News cast which I'm sure applies to NBC and CBS. Walter Cronkite they are not.
David Lesher
Feb 20, 2020, 12:18:23 PM2/20/20
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fourl...@gmail.com writes:
>I'm here in 2020 and it's worse than ever. They don't even try to hide it n=
>ow they come back from a commercial do a 13-second something and go right b=
>ack to commercial come back for another 15 seconds and go to another 30-40 =
>second commercial back and forth back and forth until you realize the night=
I watch a 30 minute newscast at 11pm with no commercials: BBC's on PBS.
If home earlier, I also watch the P{BS Newshour, again none.
--
A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz@nrk.com
& no one will talk to a host that's close..........................
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
>I'm here in 2020 and it's worse than ever. They don't even try to hide it n=
>ow they come back from a commercial do a 13-second something and go right b=
>ack to commercial come back for another 15 seconds and go to another 30-40 =
>second commercial back and forth back and forth until you realize the night=
I watch a 30 minute newscast at 11pm with no commercials: BBC's on PBS.
If home earlier, I also watch the P{BS Newshour, again none.
--
A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz@nrk.com
& no one will talk to a host that's close..........................
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
kneue...@gmail.com
Apr 2, 2020, 6:59:43 PM4/2/20
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The other messed up thing is they always say “when we come back, we’ll show you this story”. Then they come back, and don’t even show it until later in the program!! How the hell is that allowed!???
lebm...@gmail.com
May 4, 2020, 12:45:34 AM5/4/20
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Yes, I agree. As of today, I have quit watching the evening news shows. It is too frustrating. The majority of the news is aired in the first 5 minutes, then the rest of the 30 minute show news is offered in 30 second sound bites interrupted by many commercials varying in lengths of a few seconds to minutes with all lasting longer than the actual "news" bites. Even then, the anchors are usually plugging the next news scenes before the upcoming ads so you are viewing ads within the news. Also, I have yet to see any news that I have not previously read on the internet.
RichA
May 4, 2020, 3:14:04 AM5/4/20
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On Monday, 4 May 2020 00:45:34 UTC-4, lebm...@gmail.com wrote:
> Yes, I agree. As of today, I have quit watching the evening news shows. It is too frustrating. The majority of the news is aired in the first 5 minutes, then the rest of the 30 minute show news is offered in 30 second sound bites interrupted by many commercials varying in lengths of a few seconds to minutes with all lasting longer than the actual "news" bites. Even then, the anchors are usually plugging the next news scenes before the upcoming ads so you are viewing ads within the news. Also, I have yet to see any news that I have not previously read on the internet.
Now it's nothing but drug ads for old people I see on newscast advertising.
> Yes, I agree. As of today, I have quit watching the evening news shows. It is too frustrating. The majority of the news is aired in the first 5 minutes, then the rest of the 30 minute show news is offered in 30 second sound bites interrupted by many commercials varying in lengths of a few seconds to minutes with all lasting longer than the actual "news" bites. Even then, the anchors are usually plugging the next news scenes before the upcoming ads so you are viewing ads within the news. Also, I have yet to see any news that I have not previously read on the internet.
arm...@gmail.com
May 4, 2020, 7:02:07 PM5/4/20
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I'm just glad that I get my television for free using an antenna. It would be upsetting knowing that I'm paying to watch commercials.
phil...@gmail.com
Jun 15, 2020, 7:02:51 PM6/15/20
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On Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 6:54:12 PM UTC-5, fourl...@gmail.com wrote:
> I'm here in 2020 and it's worse than ever. They don't even try to hide it now they come back from a commercial do a 13-second something and go right back to commercial come back for another 15 seconds and go to another 30-40 second commercial back and forth back and forth until you realize the nightly newscast is a joke. Not to mention they're just regurgitating everything you saw on a 5 a.m. local ABC News cast which I'm sure applies to NBC and CBS. Walter Cronkite they are not.
Heck yea, David Muir comes back from a 3 minute commercial break, reports just one brief story for some 15 seconds, then back to 3 minutes of commercials.
> I'm here in 2020 and it's worse than ever. They don't even try to hide it now they come back from a commercial do a 13-second something and go right back to commercial come back for another 15 seconds and go to another 30-40 second commercial back and forth back and forth until you realize the nightly newscast is a joke. Not to mention they're just regurgitating everything you saw on a 5 a.m. local ABC News cast which I'm sure applies to NBC and CBS. Walter Cronkite they are not.
John Power
Jan 20, 2022, 6:49:43 PM1/20/22
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