ExSpook, wouldn’t it be even more shocking to watch a news show about the news, not personalities? When CNN launched, it was excellent at providing news all day long. Journalists at that time were literate. That was 30 years ago and a more dumbed down populace is in charge. Literate, factual, no ax to grind (too obviously) would be a thing whose time has come.
What ruined CNN (oddly enough) was the Persian Gulf War. Until then, it was—largely—a straight news operation, with most of the talent, producers and technical staff drawn from the ranks of local stations. In fact, about the “biggest names” on CNN in those days were Bernard Shaw and Don Farmer, who had been second and third-tier correspondents at CBS and ABC, respectively.
When CNN beat the broadcast networks with its coverage from Baghdad, it suddenly became part of the liberal news establishment. No longer derided as “chicken noodle news,” CNN began to act more like its well-established counterparts. A lot of the originals left, and were replaced by more retreads from the network. More “analytical journalism” (read: liberal opinion) than straight news. And it worked for a while, until much of CNN’s Middle America audience discovered Fox News.
Back in the day, when a major story broke outside New York or LA, it wasn’t unusual for CNN to simply carry the coverage of its local affiliate. I remember a night in the late 80s when an MD-80 crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit, killing all onboard except a young girl. Instead of speculating from Atlanta or New York, CNN just picked up the feed from one of the Detroit stations (WXYZ or WDIV as I recall). The local coverage was excellent, because the reporters, producers and anchors knew the area and had the contacts to provide timely, factual information.
These days, a cable net might briefly air a live shot from a local station, especially if they have a helicopter on the scene. But the network reporters and anchors, along with their speculation, conjecture and bias, will be heard, no matter how clueless they area. Attention must be paid to the cable net talking heads.