Traditional Media Continues to Shrink

Recently I was at one of my son's college football games visiting with him and his friends. In spite of our continued yelling for our side, they lost by a pretty significant margin and I had that sense that the game was over by the third quarter. So I focused more on conversation and talked to a bright and polite young man about his career future. "So, what are you planning on doing after graduation?" "A journalist," he said, quite innocently. Whenever people tell me this, I instantly want to laugh because I assume they are joking. Unfortunately, this was a very nice kid and he was ever so serious.

Being in radio and involved in a media news website, I meet young people virtually every day who are interested in journalism and are getting degrees in such. Where are their parents when they need them? Getting a degree in journalism today is like getting a degree in computer science when I went to college in the early 1980s. The only difference is that journalism majors should know better and so should their parents.

From the information I received in a recent Revolving Door Newsletter, it appears the traffic is going in one direction when it comes to media, and that is the exit door. The newsletter reports that "the axe fell at NBC Universal with 500 layoffs underway, including 30 from its sales staff. Elsewhere, CNBC laid off as many as 55 staffers and "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on hiatus." We also learn that "long-anticipated cuts finally came to Viacom, with 850 losing their jobs. Some 300 of those were from MTV, and top managers won't receive salary increases... Veteran CNN correspondent Miles O'Brien will leave the network, which is shuttering its science, space, and tech unit..."

In the book publishing world, Revolving Door reports numerous senior staffers at leading publications have left and "Simon & Schuster let go 35 people, including Rick Richter, president of the publishing company's children's book division... Thomas Nelson, the world's largest Christian publisher, laid off 10 percent of its workforce. "

From the magazine sector we learn that "Time Inc. is having trouble finding volunteers to take buyouts at its New York-based magazines. People completed its layoffs, while Sports Illustrated needs to hand out 20 pink slips. Elsewhere, seven staffers at Coastal Living, part of the company's hard-hit Southern Progress Group, will be let go. Time Out New York's investors put the magazine up for auction, hoping to get $40 million. Giving the timing -- terribly economy, advertising slumping, etc. -- you have to wonder just how bad things have gotten at New York's listings bible.

The list goes on. Traditional media is in huge trouble and is not only the victim of the Internet, but of its own inherent weaknesses. Solid journalism based on information and not opinion is hard to fine. If you want someone to tell you how they think about something, ask your next door neighbor. That is exactly what millions of people are doing by reviewing the 133 million blogs available on the Internet which operate on virtually no overhead. Another challenge of the journalism profession is that those who cover the stories of the day in every genre often have no idea what they are writing about. Journalism should be a double major accompanied with something of something so that they know how to cover that issue.

Unfortunately I don't see the industry changing. Instead, I see it continuously seeking scapegoats for its demise. Instead of being a worthy profession, I am afraid it is going to continue to slide down the track of being the butt of a bad joke.

Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Suze Orman Could Use a Lesson in Economics

Suze Orman, middle America's favorite financial Advisor, has become the poster child of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. She was on the Today Show on NBC singing the organization's praises and assuring Americans that the government is coming to the rescue in light of the current financial crisis on Wall Street. And it appears she is on the agency's payroll, since she dominates its' MyFDICInsurance.gov home page.

In light of the chaotic frenzy both Wall Street and Main Street are in, it would be nice to have a calming voice. That is exactly the role she tried to play, although I will say she looked extremely stressed out while trying to make her case.

My biggest concern came when the interviewer asked about the economic impact of people having their accounts insured. Orman pointed out that if you have $100,000 in a FDIC insured account, that money is safe. That statement is largely true. But the interviewer than asked "what if this leads to thousands of people needing to cash in on the insurance?" Orman's answer was something to effect that "Americans have nothing to be concerned about, the US Government has a check book and will pay for every account that is covered by the agency. Taxpayers will never have to pick up the bill." That was quite a mouthful.

First of all, that agency (like all government agencies) exists due to taxpayer funding. All taxpayers have already paid into it.

Secondly, and more importantly, is the high costs behind the "checkbook" she spoke so warmly about it. If the costs of accounts going bad exceeds the amount of money in the agency's budget (a very real possibility in light of our current crisis), the government will likely fund (at least) some of it through the simple printing of money. Essentially printing counterfeit dollars to pay for the program. As government prints new money, without an increase in productivity, the value of all money goes down. This is the definition of inflation, which is the worse tax program of all.

I have actually been a fan of Suze Orman and still believe she has advice that is helpful to many Americans. However, this interview on Today makes me question either the extent of her honesty (because of how outrageous her statements are) or the extent of her knowledge (because she should know better). At the very least it would make sense for her to get a basic refresher course in economics.

Kevin Price articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Death of a News Legend

Tim Russert of NBC's Meet the Press and a major piece of the MSNBC team passed away today at the young age of 58. Tim Russert reminded me of a great fighter with the personality of Evander Holyfield. Holyfield was noted for being one of the nicest people outside of the ring, including to fellow well mannered boxers, but ferocious once he entered the stage. "The ring" for Russert was the TV set where he tackled the nation's leading political figures. In that arena, Russert was unrelenting. Once the lights were on, there was no time for mercy. Furthermore, his interest was only things that related to governing. He didn't dilute himself with entertainment or sports; it was virtually always politics.

Although Russert gravitated to the left politically (maybe a tribute to his blue collar roots), it was often difficult to tell during an interview. He would take on people who were all over the political map. In spite the fighter analogy, Russert was always polite and respected the office and the office holder. He wasn't condescending or insulting, he simply held people accountable. A true class act.

In addition to his notoriety as a journalist, he was well known as a family man. In fact, the only books attributed to him were not about the greatest interviews he ever had or a famous statesman he knew, but about family. Wisdom of Our Fathers was not about John Adams or Benjamin Franklin, but "Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons". His other book, Big Russ and Me, was about one of the most important relations he has ever enjoyed -- the one he had with his father who, ironically, out lived him. It is all the more sad that he passed away on Fathers Day weekend.

I have done hundreds of interviews over the years. Congressmen, Senators, Governors, Presidential Candidates, best selling authors, etc. The greater the prestige of the trappings those individuals held, the greater the pressure I felt to be more accommodative and to throw the soft ball. I never saw that type of struggle when Russert conducted an interview. He was equally tough and equally polite, regardless of who was in his cross hairs. Very few interviewers today have that gift and ability. He was part of a dying breed that is greatly missed.

According to recent surveys on marketing, most advertising attracts sellers (others who want you to buy more ads) and not buyers. Do you want to know why? Email info@HoustonBusinessShow.com and put "marketing audio" in the subject line and we will get it to you.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

On the Today Show, Does More Mean Less?

For quite some time Matt Lauer and the rest of the Today Show team have discussed how the show is taking over much of NBC's broadcast day. In fact, some were beginning to call it the "All Day Show", beginning at 7 and ending at 11 AM. However, recent broadcasts are having me wonder if the Today Show is beginning to look like the "Recycling Show."

I say that, not because the show is only about environmental issues (it isn't), but because they show the same material over and over again. You get the impression that each hour is different, because they have several different hosts through out the day. Ann Curry is one of the few constants through out the show. But these hosts are reintroducing much of the same content through out the broadcast.

On today's program, Matt Lauer interviewed two families that were involved in a terrible car accident and the hospitals confused the child that lived with one of the children that died. A fascinating and heart wrenching story indeed. It was one of the longest interviews of the show (two or three segments) and they played it at least twice.

This is happening on Today for several reasons. It cost a great deal of time and money to put together programming such as this. It makes sense to extend the day because the show is the highest rated in the morning. There is a theory (and a sensible one, at that), that the viewers change often between 7-11. I'm sure it is true, since most people have a life beyond TV. However, the sheer volume of reused content might be chasing the viewers away.

Back when the show ended at 10 AM, there was very little reused content. In fact, I would argue that the show had more original content back in those good old days. Because of this, those rare days that allowed me to stay from beginning to end, I typically stayed. Now, I often leave around nine because of my concern of reruns. I don't think the network intended for this when they expanded their broadcast day.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Criticism of Today Show and Richard Cohen's Book

Media Bistro has pointed out that the Poynter Institute has come out swinging against the way the popular Today Show did a series on people fighting chronic illness. The problem? The book was by Richard Cohen who is also the husband of Meredith Viera, co-host of Today. That's the source of the controversy. Here's what Media Bistro Reported:

With the conclusion of Today's three-part segment on chronic illness, the AP's David Bauder reports that a Poynter Institute expert is questioning the ethics of the series, inspired by a new book by Richard Cohen, Meredith Vieira's husband.

Cohen, who has Multiple Sclerosis, has written Strong at the Broken Places, about people living with illness. Vieira, who stated on-air that Cohen is her husband, interviewed him Wednesday in-studio, along with some of the book's subjects.

The Poynter Institute's Bob Steele tells Bauer that Today could have given the story to Matt Lauer or Ann Curry. Bauer writes that "there's also the issue of providing Cohen with three days of publicity on the top-rated morning news show..."

Today Executive Producer Jim Bell tells Bauer, "In a way I think it would have drawn more attention to it if (Vieira) did not do (the story)."

Bell also says Cohen's book addresses important subject matter, of interest to viewers. "If the guy was writing a book on a topic we didn't care about, or if he wasn't an accomplished author or if it wasn't getting attention at other places, I think it would be an issue. But I don't think that was the case here."

I think this is ridiculous. The story was about people who courageously live with chronic illness. That is something Meredith Vieria does daily. She's a very solid interviewer and all the better because, in this case, she was also a very empathetic one. Instead of criticizing the fine work done by the Today Show in this case, we should be commending them by providing a quality story on an important subject rather than bringing us another Lindsay Lohan disaster headline.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

In the News: NBC becomes TSN

What if you woke up to the following headline: "NBC Becomes the Today Show Network?" Read more of this intriguing, if not authentic, story:

It's official, the National Broadcasting Network is becoming the Today Show Network. According to a spokesperson, the company's name is reflecting the realities of the network. On every evening after midnight NBC's airwaves are dominated by infomercials. At 7, the Today Show kicks in and continues to around lunch time. It is only a question of when, not if, the Today Show takes over the rest of the network...

It sounds silly now, but until a few years ago the Today Show was only two hours long. Slowly, it played around with a concept called "Later Today," but that was quickly shelved in favor of maintaining the continuity of the popular early program. Earlier this year they decided to extend the show to 11 AM starting in September. September is here and, true to their word, we have four hours of programming.

The Today Show works so well for NBC for several reasons:

* Personalities. Among the friendliest on TV and certainly with the best chemistry.

* Technical quality. NBC treats their morning show like a real program. They recognize that it provides a ratings bonanza and they honor such by making it very attractive, visually.

* Most important, it is a very high end infomercial to support the vast product line of its parent company, GE. Today belongs to NBC, which belongs to GE and its companies include iVillage, appliances, entertainment, financial services, aviation, etc., etc., etc. Virtually every hour has something from the vast GE empire and you will hear their disclaimer. Because of the shear promotion of product, Today can't help but make money.

Fortunately for NBC, the show has high ratings as well and is an excellent example of taking marketing to new and very creative heights.

Note: Order Kevin Price's audio program The Accumulators, which explains the impact that the Internet is having on marketing and consumer behavior. It is available online here for only $10 plus p and h. Receive the Houston Business Review e-zine free each week by clicking here.

I'm Mad at "Mad Men"

I love a good TV series based on historical fiction. For example, I use to think American Dreams was great. Sure, it was a little political, but it was full of great story lines. For weeks, AMC has been tempting me with a new drama called Mad Men, which is about the birth of the modern advertising agency.

Mad Men promised slick scripts, great costumes, cool cinematography, historical relvence, etc. I must admit, when I turned it on it was eye catching. The sets were very appealing visually and the costumes seemed to match the historical timeline. But then the characters started to talk.

According to the episode I was watching, Readers Digest recently did an article about the horrors of smoking and the Mad Men make a living selling this vice's virtues. "Bold, beautiful," you get the idea. Everyone in the show smokes. I'm expecting the cats and dogs to puff away. The medical doctor comes into an examination room with a patient waiting and decides to fire up.

All of the characters are sinister, they know smoking is harmful and they promote them knowing that they destroy lives. This world is very politically incorrect, with men suggesting that they show more leg and to have weaker morals. After a while, I almost thought I was watching a remake of Star Wars. "Come to the Dark Side" Readers Digest. The nifty suits could be replaced with a Darth Vader costume. The leader of this group of evil Jedi's was even trying to recruit one of its members to manage the campaign of Richard Nixon for President! Terrible!
This show simply has too much of an axe to grind. I'll give it a few more tries, but I don't see this show sticking with me. If it does, don't expect to write a retraction.

Beckhamania: You Have to Be Kidding

I just got home and turned on my computer and went to my favorite background noise, the TV. I glanced at the guide and found out that the program I was watching on NBC was "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America." The program was described as "Reality. (2007) From London to Los Angeles. CC, Special, Repeat." Beckham (photo) is attractive, but the fuss is really unnecessary.

There was nothing "real" about the show and I hope the London to Los Angeles includes a round trip. A few observations from the program:

* I think there may actually be too many channels. I mean, I expect stuff like this on the Reality TV Network, E, or even Bravo, but NBC? The garbage has gotten so excessive that it has now flowed over on "legitimate" TV networks.

* Recently I have noticed multi-hour car chases on all news networks. Some followed with even more scrutiny because of the low speeds they are driving, "isn't it interesting he/she is going so slow?" No, it isn't. It eventually has me looking for sharp objects.

* Television is in a desperate state, in my opinion. I am beginning to find myself longing for the era of rabbit ears and only a handful of channels. Only a few channels put a mandate on quality in the good old days, at least compared to modern standards.

* No wonder people are turning to the web for their video entertainment. True, they only add to the many options that are available, but people can essentially customize the type of video or whatever content they are seeking.

Any way, I'm depressed. I'm going to go watch one of my Movers and Shakers interviews found at HoustonBusinessShow.com. At least there I like the host!

Donald Trump Changes His Mind

Donald Trump, who announced a few months ago that he was "quitting" the Apprentice program he has had on NBC, seems poised to change his mind. True, the show has only around 1/3 of its original viewing audience from 2004. Also, it appears true that NBC had actually canceled the program a few months ago and simply hadn't formally announced it. In other words, Trump "left" before he was fired.

This being the case, would anyone be surprised that Trump would "change his mind" with the rumored interest on the part of NBC to bring the show back and the millions he will make in both salary and free exposure for his brand? That is the world of "the Donald." He's not fired, he quit; NBC didn't change its mind, Trump did.

With the program likely to come back, I have a few suggestions:

* As the show worked to become more like a circus and less like an interview, it lost audience. Instead of becoming more interesting, it instead became more ridiculous. I think it needs to go back to its roots.

* Cultivate an interest in what the apprentices are working towards. They have several seasons behind them; they should spend more time showing the world of the past winners to give the audience a taste of what people are trying to obtain through the show.

* Make the expectations more in line for a person who is suppose to become the President of one of Trump's companies. I don't think most people could care about the ability of the aspiring apprentice in promoting a car wash, but would like to know how he or she would create a new brand.

Regardless of what you think of Trump, you have to be impressed to a certain extent of his ability to always figure out how to land on top and make his down turns look like part of a "larger strategy."

Will Matt Lauer of Today Lose His Job?

Should Matt Lauer be fired for "hate speech?" Probably not and certainly shouldn't, but in the Politically Correct world in which we live in, anything is possible. In a brief discussion with guest, singer Enrique Iglesias, he asks the heartthrob about his love life. Iglesias admits "I'm difficult to live with." Lauer responded with something to the effect of "I understand that, you have that Latin thing going." There was a look of a little shock on Iglesias face, "what does that mean?"

You could see that Lauer was starting to lose color to his face, but he already stuck his neck out too far and went along with it, you know the "anger" issue, he said. Fortunately, Iglesias let it slide and went on to his next song, but I could almost hear Lauer catch his breath.

You know, of course, what I am going to say. If it had been someone who had a reputation of being Conservative, he would have had to apologize profusely and could possibly be fighting for his career and his reputation. Of course, the day is young yet, Al Sharpton may still be in California -- hours behind New York -- complaining about special treatment that Paris Hilton is receiving and he isn't up yet.

My mom was from England, she came right off the boat (a war bride). So I get made fun of for my choice of food ("meat please, hold the taste") and sense of humor (slightly sarcastic, to say the least). It is okay, I'm a white male, and I think there is room for humor at my expense (although I do have a very broad appetite for food). Furthermore, I'm not justifying anyone demonstrating bad manners to anyone else. But what I am saying is that we have all become a little too sensitive and need to take it light. Fortunately, it appears that Iglesias is willing to do just that, but I think the PC culture as a whole should take it down several notches.

Donald Trump Redefines "Intelligence"

Donald Trump was excited following the debate on ABC's "The View" between Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Rosie O'Donnell. In fact, Trump is convinced that Rosie is leaving early in humiliation because she was "beat up" by Hasselbeck.

On Fox News, Donald was looking punchy himself and it reminded me of a "post fight interview," in which a previous contender discussed how each round went. Trump filled the part perfectly, having had many rounds with Rosie himself. He tackled the subject like a middle school student "talking smack" about O'Donnell being everything from a "loser," to "fat," to "stupid," etc., etc., etc. My children are no longer allowed to watch Trump because he is a bad example.

When asked if he was impressed about Hasselbeck's performance, he was as or more harsh towards Elisabeth than Rosie, telling Fox News "Elisabeth is not a very smart person, she’s one of the dumber people in television. To see that she supports the war, and she’s solidly behind the war, give me a break.” At first, Trump said O'Donnell won because of her position on the war, but later he said she had to of lost or she wouldn't have quit like she did. This is quality television!

Donald Trump is now the protector and definer of intelligence. If you are against the war, you are stupid. I can't even begin to say how "stupid" that sounds. In my experience, intelligent people are not threatened by views that are different than theirs to the point of resulting in name calling. Intelligent people like passionate debate and counter it with sound argument, not insult.

It is hard to believe that a few years ago this guy was being mentioned as a possible Presidential candidate. Now the only people who would ever discuss such are the David Letterman's and Jay Leno's. But even comedy has to have a certain amount of plausibility, which is why we don't hear them joking about it any longer. That's good news, because a Trump presidency would be far more scary than humorous.

Who to Blame at Virgnia Tech?

People are trying to figure out who to blame for the tragedy that took place earlier this week at Virginia Tech University. Korean-American organizations are all strongly condemning what took place at the University and are expressing concern over the possibility of retaliation because of what happened. The university is under intense scrutiny for failing to shut down the school after the first incident (see time line) and the police are answering tough questions as well about the fact that he was under legal scrutiny because of past offenses, but no one could seem to do anything about him.

Fingers are pointing every where, except where they belong -- at Cho Seung-Hui (picture), the perpetrator of the crimes. Most people seem to be participating in a similar type of "blame game" that the murderer was playing. The murderer, in his multi-media package that he sent to NBC, blamed everyone but himself for the murders he had already done and those he was about to do. The murderer went so far as to blame all of us for the crimes he was committing. To listen to the media, the culture, and all the other chattering voices, there is a great deal of collective validation of his views. The "blame game" is pervasive in our culture. It differentiates the winners (those who own responsibility for their behavior) from the losers (those who always blame others).

We shouldn't play the game of losers such as Cho Seung-Hui. Let's put the responsibility on him, where it belongs, and let us work at developing approaches to prevent such tragedies in the future. The first step in that process is appropriately assigning blame where it belongs.

What I Learned About Morning Television at the YMCA

I make an effort to go to the YMCA 3 or 4 times a week about ten weeks a year. Seriously, I go fairly often, but rarely in the morning. It is usually between 9 and 10 PM when my younger kids are in bed and the older ones are available to watch them. When I do go during the day it is usually after 9 or 10 AM because I have a hard time getting going earlier and I hate the pre-work crowd. This morning I found myself dressed for the gym at around 7:15 after dropping off my kids at school and a very busy day in front of me, so I decided to go ahead and get the Y behind me or I wouldn't likely be able to go at all.

These days I am focusing on the treadmills and as soon as I walked in I noticed that the long line of treadmills had many more bodies running, walking, and fainting on one side of the room over the other. I kind of felt left out, all that was left for me was the five empty treadmills at the end. I reminded myself that I should be happy I could get in at all and went straight to work. When I looked up at the TV screens I noticed that the channel nearest me was CBS (The Early Show), the channel after that was ABC (Good Morning America), CNN was next, and then finally, where the huge crowd was I found NBC. The ratings companies have said that the Today Show dominates the mornings, I began to think I had evidence of this on a very personal level. Almost everyone, even the poor soul next to me who looked like she was going to need to see a chiropractor from straining to watch NBC, was focused on Today.

I used my time to see what CBS and ABC had to offer. The first thing I noticed is that these shows are now virtual clones of Today. They have somewhat similar personalities, Harry Smith (photo above) from CBS seems to now be using Matt Lauer of Today's tailor. When the Today Show is outside with the crowd, so is CBS and ABC. When the Today Show team is on the couch, so are the the personalities at ABC and CBS. If I were one of the personalities on ABC or CBS, I would take it very personally. The only difference is that CBS puts a much stronger emphasis on local news than the others, other than that it looks like "NBC and the Wannabes."

Something I noted that was interesting is that Good Morning America is trying to incorporate Web 2.0 ideas into the show itself. They showed a video of some kid riding a skateboard inches from a police officer on a handrail. That police officer pushed the kid in the bushes near by because it wasn't safe for either one of them. The question, posed on the Web of course, was whether the response was appropriate. The hosts asked a guest to weigh in and they wanted the response of the audience to his comments. It was an interesting way to encourage audience interaction and it appears to be one that is used fairly often. It isn't, however, enough to make me stop watching Today.

I have said before, I don't really understand the attraction. I use to be a strong Good Morning America fan for years. Until I figure it out why I like Today, I'm going to either have to get to the Y early or make sure I go after the Today Show is over. With the continued expansion of the show through out the day starting in September, I might develop a huge weight problem.

Do Blogs Hurt Journalism?

I'm not much of a fan of the editorial bent of PBS, but I do love how thorough it is in its coverage. Tonight I saw a documentary on its program Frontline, where it discussed the impact that the Internet was having on journalism (it is significant and the network actually did a fine job demonstrating such). Over all, the future is very dim for paper and ink of newspapers in particular, according to the first episode in a series.

You would think that liberals would be thrilled because of all the ink that won't go into polluting the environment and all the trees that would be spared. Furthermore, since the blog is the new force that seems to be replacing traditional media (according to the program) and it is dominated by liberals, you would think PBS would be dancing in the streets! PBS seems to have a very different view.

Frontline argues that the only serious journalism is in traditional media and in newspapers in particular. For years the front page of the New York Times has provided the lead stories of the nightly news programs at CBS, NBC, and ABC. If newspapers keep getting smaller and editorial staffs keep getting leaner, who will write the truly "serious" stories?

Yet, the program pointed out that some of the most serious stories of the last year became that way because of blogs. In particular they mentioned the incredible story of former Rep. Mark Foley and his potential inappropriate relationships with young pages that many believe contributed to the huge problems Republicans faced in last November elections. There is also the story that CBS News' anchor Dan Rather had a deceptive and politically motivated source on his broadcast about the military service record of President George Bush that was driven by a blog. That story was so damaging that the veteran newsman was forced to resign after four decades at the network. These stories were powered largely by "unprofessional" bloggers and not the major media.

I'm not convinced that traditional journalism is any where close to dying at the hands of blogs. However, if they do die, I am actually very optimistic about the ability of the bloggers to find the stories that were covered by traditional journalism. Real people who live where the stories happen, not typical academicians who are often politically motivated and unschooled in the real world. Sure, the vast majority of the bloggers are ideologues. But at least their readers know it since I have seen very few who hide behind the mask of a so-called "objective media standards."

As a strong believer in the free market, I'm not at all surprised by the decline of the press at the hands of the Web. Newspapers had been taking a beating for years with the rise of Conservative talk radio in the 1980s. Before most had ever even heard of the "World Wide Web" newspapers were being sold and merged, left and right. When I was growing up it was common for their to be a morning and evening edition every day. We haven't seen those for years. The market provides what the people want. And, although disheartening to the liberals out there who really believe they know what is "best" for us, I believe that the market will also provide what we need. A largely unpaid and volunteer army of journalists that is committed to the truth as they see it; yet honest enough to admit when it is merely their opinion. If "professional" journalists had done that, they may not be on the brink of extinction today.

The "Today Show" Prepares to Become the "All Day Show"

We were recently informed that NBC's popular Today Show was about to add a fourth hour and, if it keeps it up, make take the rest of the day time programming (that is wild speculation on my part). The show consistently (as in years) remains the most popular each and every quarter, and since its parent company (GE see photo) has interests in virtually every type of business, the show is actually a very elaborate infomercial (an idea I discussed in the past), why wouldn't it move to all day? Millions sitting there being sold the latest product or service from the mind of GE, how can they not love such?

But they are getting prepared for the next hour by doing something I have never noticed as a regular Today watcher -- they are replaying stories later in the program from earlier in the show. They are recycling content. They may have done such before, but it flew past me. I guess they figure that, if we are willing to watch hours of infomercial, we might want to see the same things repeatedly on the same program. Those people are brilliant!

In the 1990s Today tried an idea called "Later Today" and it was a complete wash. In fact, I think it only survived a couple of months. The program was an hour or so after Today ended and had completely different personalities. Obviously, if the extended Today is going to work, it is going to have to be seamless. It is already the longest daily morning show of the networks, the bet is that it can be longer still and successful. This is something we will have to wait until September to see.

Newsweek Shamelessly Exploits Troops

While US forces continues to fight terrorism in the Middle East, Newsweek Magazine waged a war of exploitation on our troops. The above 12 American soldiers -- well trained volunteers who were defending our country in Iraq -- were killed when their helicopter was shot down in the conflict.

Without regard to the personal opinions of each of these people or their families, Newsweek has made them the poster children of the horrors of this war. The magazine explains the profound personal impact this lost has in its slow continuous drum beat against this war. This is just one more example of how irresponsible the media is and how consumers of the news needs to hold them accountable. In truth, people are doing just that by continuing to vote with their remotes for more conservative channels such as Fox News. Meanwhile, NBC, the recently deemed "most liberal" network by many conservative watch dog organizations, has seen a nose dive in its ratings with ABC's Charlie Gibson over taking the long popular Brian Williams of the Peacock Network in recent ratings.

I hope people keep taking a stand for our troops and against terror. I hope they are conscious about every media decision they make.