Posted on 09/07/2009 5:37:42 AM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
I happened to be flipping through radio stations when the thought occurred to me:
The lack of local news can in some ways be attributed directly to the growth of government.
Prior to progressive governance, as is constitutionally prescribed, local governments had the power. Therefore, local focus from media on local government made sense and was the focus.(and the laments from the left make it clear they actually do seem to miss local focus on governance in the news)
Now that everything is washington, everything in the news is washington too.
If it matters, I was listening to something on NPR; somebody was lamenting the lack of local news and I got tired of it and switched to conservative radio and got to thinking about things like localism and the attempts to shut down conservative talk radio by big government. They don't want everybody to know what it is that they are doing.
The irony is that it is they who have made themselves the primary focus in our lives, and the primary focus of the news as well. And they don't like being the primary focus of conservative viewpoints, so they want to force localism as a cure for the problem that they created; as a counter balance to the unintended consequence.
The imperative of localism and local news - Howard Owens http://howardowens.com/7343/imperative-localism-and-local-news
There is some good information and analysis in this link, but some of it is complete BS.
And of course there is H.O.'s complete lack of taking into account for both media liberalism as well as big government and the unintended consequences therin.
Newspapers are dying for several reasons, and much to the chagrin of many on the left that includes the liberal bias of the paper. I mean, think about it. Liberal newspapers have turned themselves into death panels for the whole truth. They are information rationing bodies.
It doesn't matter if we're dealing with local or national news, if the info doesn't fit the liberal agenda it's either spun or ignored.
And of course, considering the liberal media's love for big government; that's one more reason why the media would emphasize washington instead of the local issues.
You watchdog on the media a lot.
Am I way off base here?
Sorry, Howard Owens’ link isn’t clickable in my first post.
http://howardowens.com/7343/imperative-localism-and-local-news
The national news networks are doing such a piss poor job that I think a local news station could cover both local and national and put them out of business.
Both radio and TV (local or otherwise) are killing themselves with way too many commercials.
In my area the local outlets are just as liberal as any national outlet, and they do focus primarily on washington.
Simply because washington is so overbearing and so tied to everything in everybody’s lives.
Our local news people are pretty conservative. One of our local reporters interviewed Biden, and made national news with her aggressive approach. Kind of surprised Biden.
The best we have in the Detroit market is longtime weather guy Jerry Hodak on WXYZ, Ch. 7. He’s probably the best in the business.
I remember that. I think. didn’t that become a national story?
IIRC Jerry was doing the wx when I left Detroit in 1971.
Is Sony Elliot still doing wx on the NBC (?) affiliate?
Sonny Eliot has been retired for a long time...he and his huge piece of chalk! He’s occasionaly seen and heard from on the local channels..usually 4...and yes, we still get the Jerry “Kodak” Hodak weather picture here. The man has class and nobody ever blames ol’ Jer’ when it all turns to sh*t.
Local TV is suffering from lack of advertising to a greater degree than even the networks. Local newsgathering is expensive, so it gets cut. The same with newspapers. Local reporting requires folks to go to school boards, city councils, etc. Wire copy is relatively cheap, so it serves as filler.
I think the answer is citizen journalism. You are seeing more and more local blogging from folks who always attend the meetings, but were always frustrated because the newspapers wouldn’t print their letter to the editor.
That is what I am doing.
http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/
I think you’re right, citizen journalism is the key.
Am I right or didn’t public access television cease to exist as it was once known in the early 1990’s?
One problem as I see it is that people like to watch their local TV news at 5 or 6pm and then they just leave the channel on for the national indoctrination from ABCNBCCBS. Too bad FOX does not have a national half hour available for its local stations.
My local cable had a “public access” channel that used to carry city council meetings and high school football, but no longer. They simulcast a local radio station and sell ads. Cable isn’t the money machine it used to be either - satellite, telco competition, etc.
They don’t have the money to staff the events, I suspect.
Saw this blog one day last week. This is the future of local news, I believe.
http://abriefhistory.org/?p=811
Newspapers and local politics
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