Mockingbird

Actually these days the headlines are on our cell phones and all over the net. Sure local is hard but even then you can see video clips of local stations on the net.

Piggie

Here is Don Henley's take on exessive news.

I posted in Music Videos, Internet - Share Your Favorite.

Music Videos, Internet - Share Your Favorites

In that post there is a link to the song. Lyrics posted as he sings to drill home his point.

bicker

We have a 24 hour per day local news channel, but it is available only on cable. So clearly the need for local news, when you want it, is there. So if you're an OTA-only consumer, and have that need, that's prompting local channels to try to serve that need. One way would be for them to use their sub-channels for this. However, there is a religious dispute about the use of sub-channels (for example, CBS O&Os won't), and even when there are sub-channels, the question is whether the news should be on the secondary channel instead of the primary channel. Surely, you wouldn't expect "excessive" news broadcasts to bump original, first run programming, but in the battle between syndicated reruns and live news, I think live news wins.

So I could see local news before the network news in the morning (let's say 6AM-7AM), then right after the network news (9AM-10AM), then at the lunch hour (12PM-1PM), after the soaps (4:30PM-5PM), dinnertime (5PM-7PM), and after prime time (11PM-11:30PM).

So I think six hours of live local news per day is about right. And then many an additional hour overnight to rebroadcast the late local news.

Piggie

The house fires, murders, burglaries, car wrecks will happen regardless if the news is there or not.

But politicians would apparently lie less if there was no news as there would be no one to lie to.

News is

Aries

Most news focuses on things people really don't care about. Remember Terri Schiavo? She dominated the news for what, a month or something? Yeah, let's ignore people dying in Iraq and let's focus our attention on some vegetable.

Aaron62

It's all supply and demand for networks and news. If people weren't watching the different broadcast times, networks would get rid of it. There are whole networks dedicated to 24/7 news, CNN, MSNBC. If you feel that it's too much...change the channel. I personally do not watch local news because to me, what they're reporting on are just bumps along the road that my state is travelling down. I'd rather hear about world and National news.

Piggie

I wish they would cover local real news. But they don't. Things that effect homeowners, citizens, now the cr@p they put on. I have found I can influence local level politics where I am just a number nationally.

bicker

I think different people have different priorities, and will consider different things "real news". For example, on our local news here today they covered the ethics reform bill. A lot of people would consider that "real news".

Piggie

I would consider the ethics reform bill real news, yes.

Here we get to find out whose house burnt down, who died in the ghetto, what the truck was carrying that crashed on the interstate. When those are real news, society admits to itself it more interest in soap operas.

Baskin

Its sure an overdose. The maximum I can handle is 10-15 minutes in the morning and about half an hour in the night. This will cover the entire day's happenings.