Over the last 75 years NBC, CBS, and ABC have been the
primary broadcast television networks in the United States. Known as the “Big Three” of broadcasting, the
networks have always played a vital role in dispensing information about
American culture. Early television
distributed thousands and thousands of images of cowboys heroically “taming” the
wild, wild west. In the 50’s and 60’s
television reinforced the perceived cultural norms of white men as the head of
the nuclear family, and white women as the domestic counterpart. In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s broadcast television
became more diverse in its programming and talent as images of Blacks, women,
and ethnic minorities become more commonplace.
During all of these eras, “The Big Three” remained the primary source
for national news. The “Evening News”
was destination television, and viewers received a daily dose of what was
important and worthy of their attention.
Consider the impact of television news coverage on the Civil Rights
Movement and the Viet Nam war. The “Big
Three” didn’t just provide the images, they provided the commentary that they
believed best served the public interest.
As the turn of the century approached, network news
began to see some of its influence start to dwindle. The Internet and cable television were
emerging as influential, though not always accurate, sources for news. With cable television and the Internet,
access was on demand 24/7, so there was no real need to be in front of the
television at 6:30 pm. Additionally,
Internet and cable television news products focused as much on entertainment as
it did on news. This format was
appealing to many viewers and drew them away from the “Big Three”. In order to compete, the “Big Three” began
changing their focus from simply fair and accurate news to more entertainment style
reporting. Shocking stories about
misbehaving celebrities and politicians began receiving as much airtime as a natural
disaster.
Today, that trend continues. Broadcast news organizations seem more
interested in distributing controversy over facts, which explains why there is
so much coverage given to “The Chaos and Confusion Show” that is paralyzing
Washington, D. C. “The Chaos and Confusion Show” stars dysfunctional
politicians who spend most of their time complaining and dispensing false
information instead of working together to solve the myriad of problems facing
the United States. The “Big Three” news programs
give way too much oxygen to the nonsensical statements and actions of these
elected officials. Some might suggest
that the “Big Three” broadcast “The Chaos and Confusion Show” in an attempt to provide
balanced news coverage, but balanced news coverage does not require the broadcasting
of divisive and mean-spirited commentary.
The bottom line is that by broadcasting the ridiculousness of those who
traffic in chaos and confusion, the “Big Three” are complicit in creating
discord and divisiveness in our society.
I recommend that the “Big Three” make the conscious
decision to thwart the purveyors of chaos and confusion and cancel “The Chaos
and Confusion Show”. It is time to return
to presenting substantive news and leave the drama and ridiculousness of D. C.
politicians to the Internet and cable TV.
And while some might argue that the “Big Three” have to run “The Chaos
and Confusion Show” in order to compete with audience share, I submit that there
is still a very large and lucrative demographic who grew up on network news,
and have no interest in subscribing to what is offered on cable TV or the
Internet.
Make no mistake, even with continuous competition from
the Internet and cable television, the “Big Three” news organizations still
wield a lot of power. They are still
respected by the industry, and trusted by the public. Consider how often you hear ABC, or CBS, or
NBC mentioned as the source for a particular story that is distributed by
another news outlet. The sooner the “Big
Three” refrain from broadcasting the chaos and confusion, the sooner they will
be able to use their superpower to influence and encourage viewers to become a more
compassionate, respectful, and caring society.
S.A. Miller 11.7.2023
