Years ago, while working at a news/talk radio station, I remember the night something incredible happened, touching off a chaotic groundswell of activity as everyone rushed to cover the breaking news. As newsmen rushed in every direction, a petite female producer came running down the hallway, mumbling aloud to herself and no one else in particular, “Why don’t these things happen during ratings periods?”
That story has come to mind the last few nights. A week ago, there were all sorts of stories to write about and that were being covered on AC360. Balloon Boy. Airplane pilots allegedly sleeping during flight. Debate over an innocent man possibly having been executed in Texas. These stories and others were being covered a week ago, causing much discussion and much interest even if one tired of their omnipresence in the news.
This week, just the opposite is taking place. The highlight of last evening’s AC360 was Dr. Sanjay Gupta putting on a hospital gown to visit a local emergency room while covering the constant but unglamorous story of the swine flu malady. Beyond that, the show was filled mainly with uncompelling talk and barely-passable human interest stories in terms of newsviewer interest.
Such is the tendency of the news cycle. Some weeks, there is much more news breaking than seemingly can be covered. Other weeks are filled with a ho-hum “who really cares?” type of feel. In the United States, the big pressing story is the end of Daylight Savings Time for 2009. Tonight, we set the clocks back and gain an extra hour of sleep. Hopefully, that extra hour will help to energize the American populace once again and lead to a more active upcoming week.
Let’s hope so. – George Curcio
The News Machine
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