TV networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS and even CNN are getting more and more into the reality programming craze to the detriments of air time to foreign news and affairs.
Reality TV is all the buzz these days. In fact, there is no lack of competition among the networks when it comes to this new breed of programming. You may want to say that whatever the public wants, they get from the giant network producers. Or should we say that whatever formula brings success to networks such as CBS with Survivor and ABC with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire gets imitated and fed back to the public. All of this is happening while less and less air time is given to international news and coverage of major foreign affairs. Some of the networks have thought that the first place to start cutting down during economic slowdowns is in the foreign services. They don’t want to be the first to cover a major international event any longer. Yet, it is not always the case when such events do occur. They will get there but a few days late.
Coverage of foreign affairs is important
A lot of industry observers are quick to point that the national market creates so much demand and appears to be craving more national events. It’s a big mistake that the networks make. No matter how huge the US market is, 3/4 of the rest of consumers live in foreign countries. It does not make sense to live in nutshell. And that’s where we have been living lately here in the United States of America. Despite our self-sufficiency in many areas, we still need to know how our neighbors think and what they are doing. The entertainment industry has understood this very well. So far, it has crushed many local markets. It’s not because it is a good thing for these national, local actors, producers, but it is a good thing that it has so large a distribution network. And they even recognize this side of the business. The international film releases are a major part of any movie’s success. More and more, we see countries such as France that try to defend its cinematography. There is a sense of national pride to have something one can ours. These countries don’t want Hollywood to have it all. I can bet with you that if the major networks organized themselves in such a productive way, they would not have to just jump on the bandwagon of reality TV to make money these days. The Cold War may be over, but information about foreign places is very important.
NPR is one of the few networks that is sticking its neck out there:
National Public Radio still covers major events with great details and analysis. While it depends on donations, grants and pledges for the funding of most of its programs, we can say that we are getting a good value for our contributions. I have been watching the station for a long time now. It has always gone where few rich, influential networks are willing to go. I am not talking about its articles on travel explorations. There appears to be a bureau in many major countries of the world. From the coverage of its correspondents spread all over the world, you can be sure to get the best news, all sides of it. By the way, the reporters, writers and journalists know how to tell a story. I think it’s one of the station’s great assets. Despite all the talking about owning more stations (radio or TV) by the established networks, we don’t truly see any variety of programming. Most of them dictate to the consumers what to watch and follow in some ways. What else to do? Consumers can’t do much most of the times. They have nowhere and no one to turn to to get the news. It is true some people who are interested in International news come to rely on the Internet. It’s high time to remember that even this may come to pass too. More and more news networks and search engines admit to being stunk by low economic growths. Their complaints may explain the numerous layoffs and retrition phases. They want to cut costs at all costs. They are running a business that needs more and more money for its shareholders. Search engines are a current headache. With the right person, they are making product placement and advertising deals. Which means the results of your search may be a bunch of disguised ads.
Let’s hope that more resources, money and time can be concentrated on maintaining and/creating a bureau in many hot spots of the world. After all, as consumers, we want to have the best news possible.