Today Show + NBC

[Freed Roger]

Got some rare exposure to Today Show and the NBC lineup via my mother-in-law staying with us for a week.

Welcome to dystopia - news with a smile and pastel back drops, cross promos (Peter Pan!) and then back to Ferguson and NY protests, and a two-step around the racial issues, and over to Kathie Lee, and now with the local weather - a chance of ice! (no there isn't but let's just play it up anyway), and over to Al Roker and floods in California!, and another hostage with ISIS, and here's a great holiday recipe!

And did we mention Peter Pan Live!

And next week -Will and Kate! and pro athletes with protest slogans, and on it goes. Ebola!!!!!!

my mother-in-law is great, so this rant isn't directed at her - she stays above the fray -though it is a good insight on some of the things she worries about (weather here and way far away, flu shot effectiveness, new health studies etc)

[slide_into_first]

It is visual auditory high fructose corn syrup.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Remember when people used to worry about ebola? Good thing they solved the problem....oh wait.... http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/20 ... 35310.html

More than any other story I can think of, the ebola story proves just how much hysteria the media contributes/can contribute to society.

[JL21]

Other than the occasional NFL game, I can't remember the last time I watched anything on NBC. Last week, I DVR'ed the SNL Christmas special. And as I saw the ads and promos for the crap on that network, all I could think was, "Jesus, I'm glad I'm not in this target market."

[Jocephus]

[IMADreamer]

Our media is terrible.

[Freed Roger]

Strange thing is, I kinda indirectly like the show as a byproduct of liking my mother-in-law. Glad she has something she enjoys. I turned it on for her, even had some conversation about what was on.

But high-fructose corn syrup, as slide says best.

The odd day was last Wed I think - the main "news" story was protests and repeated clips of M Brown's stepdad story -with his reaction to GJ decision "burn this $%$ ...down!" I could hear her in the other room go "Oh my..." Then the local people come one with more stuff. And then they go for the knockout punch with putting ICE!* in the forecast. "Oh Dear!"

*how is it possible to ice when the lowest temps expected are mid 30s?

[jim]

Strange thing is, I kinda indirectly like the show as a byproduct of liking my mother-in-law. Glad she has something she enjoys. I turned it on for her, even had some conversation about what was on.

But high-fructose corn syrup, as slide says best.

The odd day was last Wed I think - the main "news" story was protests and repeated clips of M Brown's stepdad story -with his reaction to GJ decision "burn this $%$ ...down!" I could hear her in the other room go "Oh my..." Then the local people come one with more stuff. And then they go for the knockout punch with putting ICE!* in the forecast. "Oh Dear!"

*how is it possible to ice when the lowest temps expected are mid 30s?

As opposed to what though? Watered down and diluted with a touch of pompous from NPR? I think that's almost more dangerous, someone I work with has their car plastered with NPR and public radio and Obama stickers and one of the public radio stickers simply says "Informed"

No you are aren't. You are being fed the same diluted crap that everyone is - just a different spin. Don't pretend like you really know what is going on because you don't.

I'm really cynical in case you haven't noticed.

[Freed Roger]

Strange thing is, I kinda indirectly like the show as a byproduct of liking my mother-in-law. Glad she has something she enjoys. I turned it on for her, even had some conversation about what was on.

But high-fructose corn syrup, as slide says best.

The odd day was last Wed I think - the main "news" story was protests and repeated clips of M Brown's stepdad story -with his reaction to GJ decision "burn this $%$ ...down!" I could hear her in the other room go "Oh my..." Then the local people come one with more stuff. And then they go for the knockout punch with putting ICE!* in the forecast. "Oh Dear!"

*how is it possible to ice when the lowest temps expected are mid 30s?

As opposed to what though? Watered down and diluted with a touch of pompous from NPR? I think that's almost more dangerous, someone I work with has their car plastered with NPR and public radio and Obama stickers and one of the public radio stickers simply says "Informed"

No you are aren't. You are being fed the same diluted crap that everyone is - just a different spin. Don't pretend like you really know what is going on because you don't.

I'm really cynical in case you haven't noticed.

What makes you think I listen to NPR?

Ok, I do - but very randomly - and less and less each day. My commute isn't long. Can't stand their focus on political jabber and turn it. When Scotland was voting on breaking from UK, the round-the-clock yapping on that was a tell of their WASP-ish bent. Frank Deford's commentaries make me cringe. listening to radio- maybe 5% is NPR.

As for TV news - rarely.

[slide_into_first]

In the mid '90's NPR had a makeover and lost its independence. I don't listen to it much. There is a definite corporate crony capitalist slant. A human interest story about laid off north Dakota oil workers since prices have fallen. It is, as jim says, still a distraction.