A good part of what's wrong with network news can be summarized in two words: "royal wedding."
Some time ago Brian Williams opened a story with a line that went something like, "Americans are all fascinated with the upcoming royal wedding...." Well, maybe NBC is, but I'm sure a lot of us don't really give a rat's behind about it. But it doesn't matter because as long as you tell viewers that they are, maybe they will be. Infotainment is certainly easier to cover than real news. Especially real news that your owner would rather you not cover, like the fact that GE (which owns NBC), despite making some $15 Billion last year didn't pay any US taxes! NBC News opted not to cover that story, and the fact that they didn't made it to the Washington Post in this story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/on-nbc-the-missing-story-about-parent-company-general-electric/2011/03/29/AFpRYJyB_story.html?hpid=z4
Locally, we have two words that our network affiliates love to cover, "Karen Sypher." Last night there was "breaking news" about where, and when Karen Sypher was to report to prison. I actually felt sorry for the "breaking news" reporter after he said for the third time she was to report next Tuesday to a facility in Florida. I kid you not, at least three times.
I'm guessing they love the story because of the voyeur aspect to it. And I'm beginning to think that the real victim of this story is not Rick Pitino, and its not Karen Sypher. Its the poor viewer who tunes into the local news for, well, news. Karen Sypher filing a new appeal is not news, and giving a television interview is not news.
But its what passes for news these days. Sad.
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