Dumbing Down the News?

[mwebster]

All Access:
<blockquote>Bonneville Developing New News Format For Gens X And Y
Bonneville Int'l
BONNEVILLE INTERNATIONAL has announced a major initiative to develop a radio news product aimed at Generations X and Y.

The company, which previously announced that it will launch a separate in-depth news format with the WASHINGTON POST on its WTWP-A-F/WASHINGTON (the frequencies to be abandoned by WTOP in the shuffle that moved WTOP to 103.5 FM and 820 AM), is looking to deliver "a product that entertains, provides needed depth that currently might be found only on some public-radio stations, and provides news through the perspective of Generations X and Y." ... </blockquote>

 

[dampier]

Re: Like Ohmygod... Seriously, Did You See What Condi Was Wearing?

> The company, which previously announced that it will launch
> a separate in-depth news format with the WASHINGTON POST on
> its WTWP-A-F/WASHINGTON (the frequencies to be abandoned by
> WTOP in the shuffle that moved WTOP to 103.5 FM and 820 AM),
> is looking to deliver "a product that entertains, provides
> needed depth that currently might be found only on some
> public-radio stations, and provides news through the
> perspective of Generations X and Y." ...

Oh boy... another sign of the end times. Our local newspaper has produced a Gen Y newspaper (Gen X'ers like me don't trust establishment anything and certainly recognize commercial pandering when we see it so they don't bother with us) which is total fluff and garbage. What passes for news is what people are doing in Facebook and what to wear to draw attention at area clubs.

I can only imagine what kind of nonsense we'll get on the radio from this. Corporate media assumes that young people don't want real hard news, so they turn it into E! with a mix of MTV attitude. But it isn't news. The fact is, a large part of America isn't interested in hard news no matter how you wrap it. They don't vote, they don't care, and nothing you do will inspire them to suddenly become news junkies. When a story happens that interests them, they will seek you out.

Current, the cable TV channel, sort of has that figured out and has turned itself into a lifestyle video podcast channel. It's not news.

 

[SaltyDog]

They may "dumb it down" but there is a legitimate way to target Gens X and Y without doing so. It has to do with the story selection, not necessarily the way the stories are presented. Lots of things happen every day that are much more important than what many media outlets cover. "News" is whatever News Outlets say is news.

> All Access:
> Bonneville Developing New News Format For Gens X And Y
> Bonneville Int'l
> BONNEVILLE INTERNATIONAL has announced a major initiative to
> develop a radio news product aimed at Generations X and Y.
>
> The company, which previously announced that it will launch
> a separate in-depth news format with the WASHINGTON POST on
> its WTWP-A-F/WASHINGTON (the frequencies to be abandoned by
> WTOP in the shuffle that moved WTOP to 103.5 FM and 820 AM),
> is looking to deliver "a product that entertains, provides
> needed depth that currently might be found only on some
> public-radio stations, and provides news through the
> perspective of Generations X and Y." ...
> <P ID="signature">______________
"On average, drug prisoners spend more time in federal prison than rapists, who often get out on early release because of the overcrowding in prison caused by the Drug War."-Michael Badnarik</P>