Current round of "snow storms" = lead story

[billethkid]

on national news. Being from Erie, PA, I find it particularly amusing how what we used to have as a NORMAL winter, in this day of entertaining sensationalism news reading, is a lead story of national interest.

Cities, schools, airports, shopping centers, etc. have been closing for years when there is the occasional whopper storm. A 6' snow storm hardly made the news back in the early 50's.....of course we were blessed as there was no such thing as the 24/7 scare media back then. When it snowed 6-12 inches we didn't hear that it was "dangerous".

Just another example of how the media will fluff up a subject to retain viewers.
Musta been a slow news day in addition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder what the folks in the Dakotas and upper Canada think about such hype.

btk

[bluedog103]

on national news. Being from Erie, PA, I find it particularly amusing how what we used to have as a NORMAL winter, in this day of entertaining sensationalism news reading, is a lead story of national interest.

Cities, schools, airports, shopping centers, etc. have been closing for years when there is the occasional whopper storm. A 6' snow storm hardly made the news back in the early 50's.....of course we were blessed as there was no such thing as the 24/7 scare media back then. When it snowed 6-12 inches we didn't hear that it was "dangerous".

Just another example of how the media will fluff up a subject to retain viewers.
Musta been a slow news day in addition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder what the folks in the Dakotas and upper Canada think about such hype.

btk

BTK you are absolutely right. Here in downstate NY (Orange county) most of our news comes from NYC. The last couple of days we have been blasted with nonstop b.s. about the coming storm. UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW!!!
Ho hum, if you can't deal with a foot of snow in the Northeast U.S., you have a major problem.
People and businesses react to the media blitz to the point that businesses and schools were actually cancelling yesterday, before it even started snowing.
In years past, before the media took over the air waves to the extent that they do today, if we had a truly heavy snow, 2-3 ft. some businesses shut down but never because snow was predicted. If someone called in at work to say the wouldn't be in because it was supposed to snow they would have been laughed at....or worse.
As you say, it's a slow news day. Michael Jackson left us months ago, Tiger hasn't done anything especially newsworthy in awhile. I guess they have to talk about something. Too bad we react to such hype.

[jblum8156]

I have vivid memories of visiting my aunt's house near the shore in Erie Pa, with the snow coming up over the first floor windows and doors. This was in 1945-6. And she thought nothing of it.

[Hawkwind]

The local tv news out of Cleveland is not worth watching. One station does something and the others follow suit. It use to be that in a half hour newscast the weather would come on and in one time slot and you received all the information at that time. Now the same weather forecast is broken into 30 second to one minute segments and scattered thought the newscast.

Another thing they do over and over again is tell you what story is coming up. They spend more time telling you what is coming than they spend on the story. One of the latest things is to have viewers send in their storm pictures and they show them as if the end was in site. Also don't forget about the one minute spent on telling us "don't forget to all us to your friends list on Facebook and oh yes we are on Twitter".

In one newscast the announcers have their lap tops in from of them and want you to enter their chat room. Look the tv is in one room and the computer is in another. If I got to chat then I cannot watch the newscast or commercials. Doh!

Just today I was watching and one station equipped their camera vehicle with a dash mounted camera and the call into the station via Skype and broadcast the driver going down the interstate. Like we have never seen snow on the roads. Plus all the warnings of texting, using cell phones and now they have this. Yes there is distractions as there was conversation between the driver and the newscasters.

[billethkid]

30 minute national news yaking about the snow.

A whole new meaning to Chicken Little's perspective!!!!!!!!!

And unfortunately it is not limited to the subject of snow.

And very sadly the number of lucid Americans whose lives are governed/influenced by such mindless media catharsis.

btk

[18togo]

This has been a great winter for us snow wise. Even though I live in Northern PA, we have had little snow. This was our first storm in two months. We ended up with roughly 3 inches, most of it falling early Tuesday evening. However, thanks to all of the hype, the news programs, weather forecasts, etc, we canceled school. Oh well, at least I got my new garbage disposal installed. :thumbup:

[Talk Host]

I can add this. I have been in the radio/Television news business for 40 years. We always tried to report what the public wanted to hear. We report the stories that affect the greatest number of people in our audience. For example, a blizzard that shuts down the Federal Government.

So, how do you know what they want to hear? It's easy, don't report something and see how they "yak." We observe the ratings. Where do the listeners and views go to get their news? What is that station offering that we are not?

Now days, we get the ratings results "immediately" after the show. Immediately!

If station/network "A" devotes 2 minutes to a snow storm and station/network "B" spends 13 minutes and "B" wins the ratings, we are now guided for the next time.

For every person who says, "you spent too much time on that story," there is another person who says "you didn't cover that story adequately."

People like to demonize the media, using terms like "it must have been a slow news day." So, if you were a news producer on a "real' slow news day, what would you report? A blizzard or a garden party?

I can assure you that every day, news organizations around the country are trying to do their "best." I have never worked in any newsroom that had a hidden agenda. Never once was I told to go out there and do a "lousy" job or telegraph a political point of view. We always tried to do our best. If I ever got into trouble with my boss, it was because he perceived that a bias was visible in my reporting, or that I had poorly researched the story..................or that it was "too long."

I know there will be lots of people who will disagree with me, but I lived it. I know the anguish that goes in to trying to do it right, get the ratings, please the majority of the audience and above all, keep your job.

[zcaveman]

These are snow stories about areas that do not usually experience heavy snows. These areas are not really equipped to handle these types of snow falls. That is why it is news.

To us who live/lived in snow belts this is small potatoes. To these people this is a disaster.