Are There Too Many Talking Head Shows on Sunday Morning?

[The Voice of Reason]

Meet the Press (NBC)
Chris Wallace (FOX)
State of the Nation- Candy Crowley (CNN)
This Week (on ABC)

I didn't include Charles Osgood's program on CBS because he (Osgood) does not sit behind a desk and interview people like the other shows do. Actually this is a unique program which I personally enjoy.

It appears, to me at least, that many of these talking head shows have the same guests on, which can be quite boring.

I'd be interested in hearing what other posters have to say.

 

[KeithE4]

Meet the Press (NBC)
Chris Wallace (FOX)
State of the Nation- Candy Crowley (CNN)
This Week (on ABC)

I didn't include Charles Osgood's program on CBS because he (Osgood) does not sit behind a desk and interview people like the other shows do. Actually this is a unique program which I personally enjoy.

It appears, to me at least, that many of these talking head shows have the same guests on, which can be quite boring.

I'd be interested in hearing what other posters have to say.

You forgot Face The Nation on CBS.

And the answer is "No." My guess is that they don't draw much in the way of ratings outside of Washington DC, but they do attract advertisers looking for a certain type of viewer - mostly corporations that are looking for wealthy investors and/or eyeballs from "important" folk in DC. Why else would a defense contractor like Northrop-Grumann advertise on TV at all?

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

It appears, to me at least, that many of these talking head shows have the same guests on, which can be quite boring.

I'd be interested in hearing what other posters have to say.

I would add to your list Bob Schiefer's FACE THE NATION on CBS.

There is another program that is broadcast in my market by PBS that like Charles Osgood is a different style of show... and that would be "Moyers and Company" with Bill Moyers.

I have set up the DVR to capture all of them. Seldom do I take the time to go back through all of them, though there were weeks during the election campaign that sitting through all of them was a priority.

Yes, it is a bit of overkill trhat can only be appreciated by a News Junkie.

I find these programs to be a good way to get the know the panel members so I understand where they are coming from and what is their style and/or prejudices when I read their print columns in the paper.

After 230 years of this experiment in self government, we are still learning how to make it work. Even people who choose not to listen to these Sunday morning programs benefit because facts and opinions come out that are sifted by other journalists and commentators and we get the digest of important information via the network news programs and the newspaper columns. These programs can squeeze an interview out of the "big boys and girls" that your hometown reporters can never get face to face with.

 

[landtuna]

These national shows may "squeeze out an interview" that the local boys never would get but there is virtually no significant to any of it and, at most, it repeats talking points and endless fluff.

For instance, John McCain has appeared an AVERAGE of two times per month on one or another of these shows over the past year yet he has nothing of importance or substance to say. He is a ranting old idiot and has been since the 2008 elections (and some would say long before).

These shows are the equivalent of the daily mid-afternoon gabfests hosted and attended by D-listers. Totally worthless.

 

[buster2]

You're welcome to your opinion about McCain or any other guest, but you're missing the point of these shows.

They have a small, limited, but influencial and generally affluent audience. But the actual point of the shows is to make news.

Sunday NIGHT is a heavily-watched TV night. If a guest on one or more of the Sunday AM talking heads shows says something newsworthy, it will get very good airplay later in the day and have an impact on public opinion. Think of the Obama Admin. sending Susan Rice to all the shows on the same day to give their spin on the Benghazi matter.

So, there's that, and it's nice to have some serious news shows that devote significant time to one or two important topics.

 

[landtuna]

You're welcome to your opinion about McCain or any other guest, but you're missing the point of these shows.

Actually, I'm not.

They have a small, limited, but influencial and generally affluent audience. But the actual point of the shows is to make news.

I am that "limited but influential and generally affluent audience" you're talking about and I have seen nothing of importance on any of these shows in a very long time. So long, in fact, that I no longer watch. And as for "making news".....no. At best the subjects are wound around what happened in the proceeding 2-3 days. Even if a guest is not a regular but is a nationally known figure like Colin Powell he will be asked about the latest inside-the-beltway faux pas.

Sunday NIGHT is a heavily-watched TV night. If a guest on one or more of the Sunday AM talking heads shows says something newsworthy, it will get very good airplay later in the day and have an impact on public opinion. Think of the Obama Admin. sending Susan Rice to all the shows on the same day to give their spin on the Benghazi matter.

News, in general, takes Sunday off. The network TV news shows on weekends are almost never worth watching and tend to be feature-rich baloney such as the continuing clean up of Sanday.

As for Susan Rice's spinorama....you are making my point. The administration could have, and should have spoken through their spin machine to simply say they did not have enough information/it was too early and an investigation was continuing. It would not changed a thing except given gasbag McCain no reason to open his trap with more BS. Virtually all of what Rice stated was either wrong (not news) or denial as to why the real reasons are not yet known - a waste of time.

So, there's that, and it's nice to have some serious news shows that devote significant time to one or two important topics.
[/quote]

 

[justpassingthough]

One side of me thinks these shows are DOA in the day and age of the 24 hour news cycle, and I never watch these shows for that reason.

On the other hand, there have been a handful of times over the past year or so, when someone important who has a leadership role like Sen McCain will say something that deviates from the talking points and warrants a shift in what the news is talking about- but again, this is only a handful of times.

If the number of these shows is reduced, I would think these same newsmaking events would still happen- just on another platform. I hear these social networking sites like Twitter are the rage these days (and I"m not equating Twitter's reach to the reach of TV news, I'm just pointing out that on an off news day like Sunday, there are probably even better ways to reach the American people than network television)

 

[johnnya2k6]

Up in Canada, there's Question Period on CTV, hosted by former Global National anchor Kevin Newman.

And if that's not enough, several local stations have their own Sunday talk shows, primarily covering local/state issues.

 

[landtuna]

If the number of these shows is reduced, I would think these same newsmaking events would still happen- just on another platform. I hear these social networking sites like Twitter are the rage these days (and I"m not equating Twitter's reach to the reach of TV news, I'm just pointing out that on an off news day like Sunday, there are probably even better ways to reach the American people than network television)

Twitter can be useful to notify one's followers of something they want to publicize but it cannot contain enough content to carry the actual message. Rachel Maddow uses it to publicize her leading stories and McCain uses it to publicize himself. My local TV news people are using it to publicize their stories and draw attention to shows on their stations.

I don't know how many Twitter users are "adults" but suspect the numbers would be disappointing to newsmakers as they seem to be still tied to Facebook. Twitter seems to be the new comm method for pre-teens to keep up with their idols.

My local Sunday newscasts are just as irrelevant as the national variety. They dwell on football games already played, the weather that has already happened and bunches of special-interest stories that do not qualify as "news". As the newspaper can be useful if it does in-depth coverage of important stories so much of it is wasted I've given it up as well. There are sites online though that do update their stories on weekends for the news junkies not otherwise occupied. That is, no doubt, where the future is - until the children of today grow up and no longer care about news.

 

[arnoldevns]

To answer the question posed in the topic of this thread: NO!

More often than not, these Sunday morning talk shows set the tone for news coverage for the rest of the week.
They are important for the news divisions of these networks. That's why Fox News Sunday is the ONLY news show on the Fox broadcast network. Indeed, if you add up Fox News Sunday's audience from the broadcast network with repeats on the cable network, it is a strong second place in overall viewership among these shows behind "Meet the Press" on NBC/MSNBC.

These shows do have a very high income audience that is hard for advertisers to reach any other way. That's why you see so many ads for financial services companies, defense contractors, etc.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Someone mentioned John McCain as a regular on these "talking head" shows. Let's not forget Chuckie Schumer. My God that man is on every program or newscast he can manage to be on.

As former Senator Bob Dole once commented; "The shortest distance in Washington DC is between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera."

 

[landtuna]

That seems to be true for the majority of Congresscritters and politicians in general.

 

[buster2]

You're welcome to your opinion about McCain or any other guest, but you're missing the point of these shows.

Actually, I'm not.

They have a small, limited, but influencial and generally affluent audience. But the actual point of the shows is to make news.

I am that "limited but influential and generally affluent audience" you're talking about and I have seen nothing of importance on any of these shows in a very long time. So long, in fact, that I no longer watch. And as for "making news".....no. At best the subjects are wound around what happened in the proceeding 2-3 days. Even if a guest is not a regular but is a nationally known figure like Colin Powell he will be asked about the latest inside-the-beltway faux pas.

Sunday NIGHT is a heavily-watched TV night. If a guest on one or more of the Sunday AM talking heads shows says something newsworthy, it will get very good airplay later in the day and have an impact on public opinion. Think of the Obama Admin. sending Susan Rice to all the shows on the same day to give their spin on the Benghazi matter.

News, in general, takes Sunday off. The network TV news shows on weekends are almost never worth watching and tend to be feature-rich baloney such as the continuing clean up of Sanday.

As for Susan Rice's spinorama....you are making my point. The administration could have, and should have spoken through their spin machine to simply say they did not have enough information/it was too early and an investigation was continuing. It would not changed a thing except given gasbag McCain no reason to open his trap with more BS. Virtually all of what Rice stated was either wrong (not news) or denial as to why the real reasons are not yet known - a waste of time.

So, there's that, and it's nice to have some serious news shows that devote significant time to one or two important topics.

[/quote]

If all your points are correct, then I guess every local and national newscast on Sunday - one of the most-watched nights on TV - should shut down. You're entitled to your opinion, but as an individual you are not the entire audience. The AM shows, despite your opinion do tend to make news.

 

[landtuna]

If all your points are correct, then I guess every local and national newscast on Sunday - one of the most-watched nights on TV - should shut down. You're entitled to your opinion, but as an individual you are not the entire audience. The AM shows, despite your opinion do tend to make news.

The Sunday AM talk (not news) shows do not make news but they do make talking points for lazy journalists who look for sensation behind sound bytes. John McCain said this..... John McCain said that..... It matters very little what John McCain says as he, and a good number of his fellow politicians have been proved to have said nothing of consequence in quite a long time. These are nothing more than opinion pieces - the same drivel as published in virtually every major newspaper and used as bird cage flooring after being ignored.

And I think you confuse yourself because you keep mentioning Sunday AM and PM in the same breath. They are not. Sunday AM are opinion talk shows. Sunday PM are supposed to be actual news shows although, as I've already stated, there is precious little actual news in them. I doubt the Sunday evening news shows are highly viewed, especially this time of year when football games are still in progress or people are returning home from their Sunday activities. I have found Sunday evening news programs to be virtually worthless over the years and that is true whether local or national.

 

[FRR]

Someone mentioned John McCain as a regular on these "talking head" shows. Let's not forget Chuckie Schumer. My God that man is on every program or newscast he can manage to be on.

As former Senator Bob Dole once commented; "The shortest distance in Washington DC is between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera."

Dole certainly got that one right!

 

[buster2]

.

And I think you confuse yourself because you keep mentioning Sunday AM and PM in the same breath. They are not. Sunday AM are opinion talk shows. Sunday PM are supposed to be actual news shows although, as I've already stated, there is precious little actual news in them. I doubt the Sunday evening news shows are highly viewed, especially this time of year when football games are still in progress or people are returning home from their Sunday activities. I have found Sunday evening news programs to be virtually worthless over the years and that is true whether local or national.
[/quote]

Nope. I did broadcast news for more than 10 years, and I know exactly what I'm saying. The Sunday PM news quite often uses a newsworthy quote from an AM show. If Susan Rice goes on five Sunday AM shows to help develop a message for the White House, there must be some effect. Radio news picks it up, internet news picks it up, the newspapers pick it up, and other TV outlets pick it up. If Susan Rice goes on Meet the Press to explain Benghazi, she is offering OFFICIAL Administration policy - not opinion. Sure, the shows may have opinion, but if the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee goes on TV and says he thinks taxes should be raised; well, that's his opinion, but his position influences policy decisions. It's news at 9 AM on Sunday and will be news for a while after that.

Maybe Sunday national broadcasts are thin on news, but I guarantee you local Sunday newscasts are among the highest-rated of the week. The stations find them valuable, if you do not. That's your right.

 

[landtuna]

I did broadcast news for more than 10 years, and I know exactly what I'm saying.

No. You are defending the news biz.

The Sunday PM news quite often uses a newsworthy quote from an AM show.

The definition of what is a newsworthy quote is the issue here. McCain was on one of the Sunday shows 22 times this year. Did he ever say anything newsworthy or is he the same ranting old fool he has been since Campaign 2008?

If Susan Rice goes on five Sunday AM shows to help develop a message for the White House, there must be some effect.

Turns out Rice wasn't speaking the actual truth. Whether it was spin or outright lying by the intelligence agencies or the White House is yet to be determined but it wasn't news.

Maybe Sunday national broadcasts are thin on news, but I guarantee you local Sunday newscasts are among the highest-rated of the week. The stations find them valuable, if you do not. That's your right.

I used to find Saturday morning cartoons among the most valuable of TV broadcasts. Turns out they were not important to the viewers at large either.

 

[JeeperOne]

As former Senator Bob Dole once commented; "The shortest distance in Washington DC is between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera."

The same can now be said about Senator John McCain & HIS TV apparances

Cheers & 73