Damas y caballeros,
Hello
I'm talking about Ted Koppel.
I kind of feel like this is going to be a 2-dimensional entry. one praising ted and the other bashing the replacement version of his show.
I love ted koppel. I like the news, and have from a young age - it's what inspired me to go to college where i did and study broadcast journalism. so I'm into it. but today's news is garbage really. local has been garbage essentially my entire life. but national news, and national news programming outside of the last decade i felt was important. now it's very much slipping.
The last program of import was Ted Koppel's nightline. with his departure, I can only think of a handful of remaining broadcast journalists, and half of those are on pbs with the mcneil lehrer show. nbc has jim miklashevski and cbs has bob shaeffer, and then tell me who else.
what's sad about ted leaving - is that ted kicked everyone's ass. he would kick oprah's ass. now oprah is the leader of the press - and my friends that is not good news for the country. because oprah doesn't cover the news - she's like a glorified E! don't get me started. but sadly she draws - i guess she's what the public wants. and we don't the truth, and that probably is why ted is gone.
Ted was a not a yes man - he was and is a hard edge rock. but we're too sensitive. and we're afraid.
let me say this for nightline's anchor lineup - terry moran is terry moran, and he's growing. martin basheer - a little sensational, but investigate the heck out of stars, and actually his piece last night on Walt Pavlo - was good. i watched that and enjoyed it.
cynthia mcfadden however is a failure in this position. really disgusted with executives who made this decision - i don't feel or believe she is a real hard-line journalist.
I'm mad at the abc news execs - who have the shown the world they cannot see the forest through the trees.
nightline was the last real informative news program left on television - broadcast or cable. now it's "newsy" version of entertainment tonight. what about us - the public who wants the news. I'm 32 - i'm in the 18-34 demographic.
nightline will never win this audience, because that's what this audience is about - but the franchise had a loyal base - which now is left to wander. and the franchise will disintegrate altogether.
it's like abc news said to it's news consumers - go fend for yourselves. we don't have anything for you. if that's case - why bother with the nightly news. just run the george lopez show an extra half hour a day and you might leno and letterment at that slot plus the nightly news slot.
perhaps it's not the news makers fault with pressure from asshole, cut throat brand managers like rick moranis from the movie inc, way back in the day with judge reihnold - you remember.
This is what i'm picturing at espn disney abc. content is completely irrelevant. the 18-34m is watching espn regardless of the stuff they put out there. i always end up feeling bad when i think about the general movement of this country.
another rant, anyway.
just wanted to say i miss ted and that i don't know if we're going to have real journalism again - outside of the NY times.
that's sad for the country, and it is irresponsible by is the fcc? deregulation of the industry. I'm not sure right now.
because this country is not media savvy, i think that's obvious. or any savvy. we're seriously moving in the direction of a latin american style country with a 20/80 type populous.
gotta run folks, and get in that 20, know i mean,
peace
