News

I am sort of a news junkie.  Cable TV and the Internet were the best things to happen to people like me who can't wait until 6:00 or 10:00 to learn what is going on.  It's kind of hard to believe that once during my lifetime, people would wait for the next newspaper to read about current events.  I remember when Kansas City had both a morning and evening paper.  The KC Times was waiting on the driveway each morning when we woke up.  The KC Star would be delivered around 4:00 PM each afternoon.

It was probably 30-40 years ago the newspaper became a single publication delivered only in the morning.  Then, people were satisfied to read about yesterday's news.  Not so much anymore.  Newspapers across the country are withering.  Many have already gone under.  Only old folks remain loyal to the print media.  I cancelled my subscription a few months ago, proving my relative youth.  A common question I hear whenever I am involved in a technology meeting is "How many still subscribe to the newspaper?"  In a room of nearly 100 people, only a handful of hands go up.  Five years ago, nearly every hand would raise.

My reasons to cancel the subscription were many.  First, the KC Star editorial board is very liberal.  They haven't supported a conservative local politician in years.  They are completely out of touch with the values of their readership.  Second, there was very little I would read in the paper that I didn't already know.  Dilbert and the obituaries were the only sections that would have new content for me.  I can now get that on the Internet.  Third, at $45 every 2 months just to read two sections and the Sunday ads, my tightwaddiness kicked in.  We still buy the Sunday paper at $2 per week.  I was shocked there was no attempt by the newspaper sales force to retain my subscription.  Are they giving up?

While the print media withers, cable news prospers.  Some of the best cable shows are news programs.  Fox News seems to lead the way, thanks to their center-right bias that matches the country's politics.  Occasionally I tune over to MSNBC or CNBC just to see what the libs are talking about.  Their bias is far more left than Fox is right.  A few nights ago I listened for 15 minutes and heard 3 different guests talk about how uneducated the right and their candidates are.  I think that completely discounts lib's charges of bias toward Fox News.

People listen to the news that best represents their values.  Fox News draws more viewers that most network shows during certain time slots.  I think that proves that America is not a centrist or left leaning populous.  We are center-right and moving to the right.  I know that I am thankful that Fox News is successful.  If MSNBC or CNN were the only news networks on cable, I would either watch far less news or vomit a lot more.