calum.org:~#

24-hour news channels

Tags: rants, news, tv, weather,

Added: 2013-07-19T10:28:33

24-hour news channels

The more I see of 24-hour news, the more I dislike them.

The BBC has always been fairly un-flashy when it came to TV news, which is great.
The "normal" news - i.e. not on BBC News 24 isn't cluttered with scrolling stuff, or flashing swooping things designed to keep the attention-deficient stimulated. Oooh look, flashing thing.

Give me the facts in a neutral tone of voice, and a couple of experts with differing opinions to give both sides of the argument, and that's it. I don't want the newsreader to make jokes, or opine, and I certainly don't care what random people on Twitter or emailing in think. I want to form my own opinions from the plain facts. Why would I care what Theresa from Warrington thinks about it?

But BBC News 24 are trying to ape the American style of news TV.
I always thought "breaking news" meant that there was something more important than the general news, but now every little bit of news is now referred to as "breaking news", with big "breaking news" banners plastered over the screen.

One of the problems of 24-hour news channels is of what happens when there isn't much news.
The channels start to dredge up "cutesie" news of skateboarding dogs, and random junk. I can look on YouTube, or watch You've Been Framed if I fancy seeing that sort of thing.
And if they don't have any of that, they start trying to generate news, by picking a topic, and trying to generate outrage.

Currently however, the UK is enjoying temperatures of 25-30°C - which is called a "summer". BBC News 24 is blathering on with "Breaking news" about Heat Wave level alerts, talking in grave voices about new levels being announced.
It's mental. When did we need heat levels? When does hot weather become a "National Emergency"?

Every year, roughly in the middle, it stops snowing, and gets warm, and - if we're lucky - it gets hot.
Surely people know what to do, and what not to do when it's hot? Have we all lost the plot?

posted by Calum on 2013-07-19T10:30 under

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