Lou Dobbs abruptly quits CNN

[30A Skunkape]

You're not necessarily contradicting what I heard on NPR. CNN is trying to regain the high ground and not present it's news like a circus show. Lou was increasingly becoming becoming a clown/clone of the typical Fox commentator. Do you really watch a news show because of its ratings? Curious...

Honestly, I watch TV to be entertained. I grew up in a CBS news family. I vaguely remember Walter Kronkite (sp?) but came of age with Dan Rather. The 'news' certainly has changed since the old Dan Rather days. Anyway, we watched the news every weeknight pretty much without fail. As far as I know, there are no 30 minute newscasts worth watching now. My news routine is usually to wake up and listen to NPR while getting dressed, catch WWL out of New Orleans on the drive to work (or the local sports station:roll which is a CBS radio affiliate, internet and CNN while at work then when home I like watching the talking heads. I enjoy Bill O'Reilly. Campbell Brown is hit or miss. Hannity is unwatchable. I can't take Olberman or Maddow (apologies for name butchering) because they have a delivery akin to an ESPN automaton that irritates me. With the above said, I usually only invest one hour or so in the evening talking heads then swith to History Channel or whatever Rapunzel wants to watch. I don't care about ratings or peer popularity, I watch what I enjoy and vote with my remote control.

 

[Lake View Too]

You sound pretty reasonable. My TV is usually on CNN as a default position. When I'm actually watching and become bored, I check out Fox, then usually switch to AMC or FX for decent movies. Really bored, I scan MSNBC, which has gotten silly (but I think Chris Matthews is alright) I listen to NPR alot of the day, but it gets repetitious. The History channel does comes up with good stuff. Discovery channel has gone downhill. Occasionally, PBS comes thru (Ken Burns' National Parks Series: Wow!). But the reality is Fox is entertainment, and that's why it has good ratings. I really think CNN is making a conscious effort not to go there.

 

[Here4Good]

Honestly, I watch TV to be entertained. I grew up in a CBS news family. I vaguely remember Walter Kronkite (sp?) but came of age with Dan Rather. The 'news' certainly has changed since the old Dan Rather days. Anyway, we watched the news every weeknight pretty much without fail. As far as I know, there are no 30 minute newscasts worth watching now.

I'll watch NBC Nightly News sometimes, and Jim Lehrer on PBS.

 

[30A Skunkape]

I'll watch NBC Nightly News sometimes, and Jim Lehrer on PBS.

I have said before on this forum that Lehrer's program is the sober news program we lament the lack of. It is broadcast on free TV, yet the ratings are nil;We may as well admit the fact that as a society we enjoy entertainews with handsome anchors, debates, fearmongering and cute graphics. I'm certainly guilty.

 

[AlphaCrab]

I only listen to NPR all day. After watching the NBC evening news pablum, I then watch MSNBC every weekday night to make sense of it all.

 

[Here4Good]

I have said before on this forum that Lehrer's program is the sober news program we lament the lack of. It is broadcast on free TV, yet the ratings are nil;We may as well admit the fact that as a society we enjoy entertainews with handsome anchors, debates, fearmongering and cute graphics. I'm certainly guilty.

I can't find current ratings numbers, the last ratings I can find for Lehrer are about 2.7 million; which puts it ahead of all of the prime time cable shows, but not O'Reilly.