Interesting discussion going on on the sowny board. It's a site that lets people debate different aspects of the media. This one started with the title "the dumbing down of CBC'. At issue was CBC radio using Tiger Woods' return to golf as it's lead story on Easter Monday. 'Course you have to keep in mind that holidays are notorious for being slow news days so in this case the choice of Tiger as the lead may have been the best of the worst.
The argument is, Woods' return is sports, it's not news. I've had this discussion many times. If I had a sports story that I thought transcended my insulated world populated by jocks and jockettes I'd go see the news caster and say "your's or mine?" And there's the point. There are times when an entertainment story or a sports story is a legitamate news story.
My first taste of this came when Cassius Clay became a Black Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Most of us didn't know who the Black Muslims were. If a high end athlete did that today it's a footnote. In the early 60's it's a major news story.
The second time it happened? Guess who....Muhammad Ali again. He refused induction into the army as a protest against the Viet Nam war. The highest profile athlete in the world and certainly North America being stripped of his title for political reasons leapfrogs sports and lands in news.
Canada beats the US for the Olympic gold in Vancouver If it was just a game and just a gold medal then it's just a sports story. It was the reaction to the win that made it different. Millions of people pouring into the streets in every city in the country celebrating. The television ratings proved that this wasn't just a game to us. It was an event that deserved news coverage. You don't get this reaction if the Maple Leafs beat Nashville on a Saturday night.
And while we're talking Maple Leafs....if they win a Stanley Cup...okay this is a stretch because we know that wont happen...but humour me here...let's say they did win a Stanley Cup....news or sports? Given the history of the franchise and the fascination that comes with it for the fans and non fans I think it becomes legitamate news.
I've always decided on what my lead story was going to be on what item had the most interest to the greatest number of listeners. It's a subjective decision and this is what's happening to news. The death of Princess Diana was a major news story. Did it deserve the amount of coverage it got for the length of time it was given? Probably not. But at the time she was one of the highest profile celebrities in the world and the way she died was a lot more riveting than a municipal tax hike. I was outraged when, not long afterwards, Mother Teresa passed away. A woman of good works all her life, a woman who some thought was a living saint and she becomes a foot note in the news because of the coverage afforded Princess Diana. I didn't agree with it but I inderstood it.
The worst example for me was the 24/7 coverage given the death of Anna Nicole Smith. What was she? A c-list celebrity who had no right being a celebrity except that she married an old guy and inherited his money. The high light of her entertainment career was a few guest spots on Hollywood Squares where she didn't seem to understand the questions. I lost a lot respect for CNN because of it's wall to wall coverage.
A South Carolina senator who no one knows out side of his state runs off to Brazil to be with his mistress? Sounds more like a "Desperate Housewives" plot. News? Yes, The mid west "family first" congressman getting caught with a male hooker. News? You bet. The purists will hate this but if you work for a music radio station with a heavy emphasis on entertainment the winner of American Idol is a legitamate lead news story. You play to your listeners. I would bet the majority of your audience is far more interested in that than the Bank of Canada upping interest rates.
So, Tiger Woods return to golf as a lead story? Is that the dumbing down of the CBC? Considering the coverage Woods has been getting the past little while I'm sure it was far more interesting to more listeners than story no. 2 and the lesser of 2 evils.
AH Kids you have got to love them
We are a reflection of our parents