THE PROBLEM WITH TELEVISION IS TELEVISION

Summary

The article "The Problem with Television is Television" critically discusses the negative impact of television, particularly the disruption caused by commercials, the trivialization of news into entertainment, and the lack of acting skills in news presentation.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses deep dissatisfaction with the current state of television, highlighting the intrusive nature of commercials that interrupt programs every ten minutes, which is seen as detrimental to the viewing experience and emotional engagement with content. The piece argues that the visualization of news has led to its trivialization, with an emphasis on the appearance of news anchors over substance, particularly noting the theatrical presentation on channels like MSNBC and FOX. Additionally, the author points out that newspeople often lack the acting skills necessary for television, resulting in wooden and unconvincing on-camera performances that detract from the credibility and impact of the news.

Opinions

Commercials are a major issue, disrupting the viewing experience and potentially having a more harmful effect on viewers than the content itself.
The transformation of news into entertainment compromises its integrity and reduces the gravitas of important information.
The visual aspect of news broadcasts, including the focus on the appearance of newscasters, is deemed excessively distracting.
There is a lack of authentic emotional expression by newspeople, many of whom are not trained actors, which negatively affects their on-screen presence and the delivery of news.

THE PROBLEM WITH TELEVISION IS TELEVISION

COULD WE JUST START OVER?

It’s getting worse with every passing day. Where to start?

Commercials. One actually need go no further. They scissor their way — roughly every ten minutes — into everything. The degree to which this affects organized emotion is hard to say, but that it does is beyond question. I would even go so far as to say that the interruption of emotion by commercials has a greater likelihood of a deleterious effect than the actual picturization of the events the commecials interrupt. Watch and see for yourself. Just about the time you are to learn the new death count coming from Maui you may be urged to buy automobile insurance being sold by accomplished comedians. Then, back to Maui. Can you possibly think this sort of thing — repeated endlessly, hour after hour — has no effect? It’s like turning a light switch on and off, on and off, on and off, for hours at a time.

In consequence everything is reduced to entertainment, including what is called “the news.” Partly that comes also from visualization. I can remember a time when you could only hear the news. Seeing it adds a new dimension (literally) to a newscaster. Watch the station where I am most likely to be tuned — MSNBC — and see attractive, skilled women (I have several in mind) trying out new hairdos, brilliantly colored and clearly styled clothing, and superbly done-up cosmetically. FOX actually takes the cake with this one. “Distracting” hardly covers it.

A subdivision of Point 2: Newspeople are not actors, and working in front of a camera requires training. Watch any news program and you will see the problem that arises here. I am thinking of one newsman — he will remain anonymous — who, though trained as a lawyer and likely a pretty good one, is about as visually expressive as an empty coffee cup. Someone has told him to respond and, dutifully, he does so. And it looks just as mechanical as it plainly is.

I pause for a while, to collect myself. Later.