i recently got live tv from spectrum.

[barbtries]

it gives me cnn, no fox (thank heavens) and no msnbc (thankful for youtube). My question to DUers who routinely watch cable tv a lot is, does CNN ever bring on democrats, or democrats without an opposing right wing talking head?

i was just watching Jake Tapper briefly, and first it was Jeff Flake and then Rand Paul, and then I'd had enough.

[Submariner]

1. CNN is Fox-lite

Tapper is a right winger from ABC who is one of the Reagan era young republicans.

Don’t waste your time.

[Kirk Lover]

2. I strongly disagree with you. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. I respectfully disagree with you. I doubt Tapper is a Republican.

CNN tries to play it down the middle. That is why CNN is the target of Trump's ire and not MSNBC. He knows CNN has more influence among those without strong political leanings in any direction.

[Submariner]

7. Tapper and Jonathan Karl regularly sparred with each other

at ABC trying to out right wing each other. Tapper is/was a Bush regime lover in his ABC days. He is a rightie.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. Tapper auditioned for the Colmes role in Hannity and Colmes.

Tapper slapped Hannity around so badly in the auditions Ailes went with Colmes.

[Kirk Lover]

10. And you know what...like who cares 'what he is' all I know is he is speaking out NOW about this

shitbag of a Prezident. And who needs tRUMP calling CNN terrible and fake etc...when you can come right here and see the same type of comments...right here in this thread! It really gets me ill.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. He dated Monica Lewinsky

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13014731/i-dated-monica-lewinsky

[Kirk Lover]

12. He seems like a decent guy. He was mostly complimentary in the article.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. Yeah. There is literally nothing in his history that suggests he's GOP.

[Kirk Lover]

15. Thank you for being armed with the facts as I had no idea about Tappers history.

All I can judge is from what I'm seeing now and CLEARLY he is NOT in the tank for the right. CLEARLY.

[Dem2]

22. Ahhh, the internet

I come here rarely watching CNN, but many here do.

I find it odd, but I never for one second considered CNN "Fox-lite".

That's really over the top IMO.

[Submariner]

30. I assume you were not watching CNN during Shock and Awe when their ratings started tanking

as the FNC warmongers ratings skyrocketed, and CNN went to the Bush regime saying they will go far right so they could get interviews with the Bush regime war machine. It was a sickening sight watching Wolf et al sucking up to Cheney and the rest of those war criminals.

They regularly had racist birthers on during President Obama's terms, and that little twit Anderson Cooper insulted President Obama with a Fox-like question in 2016 "are you going to take all the guns away from the republicans" which totally disgusted Obama, and then Cooper insultingly laughed in Obama's face as Obama strongly objected.

I was so pissed off watching that on TV I have finally tuned out CNN. If I was in the live audience that day I might have socked that little bastard Cooper right in the mouth.

I know Fox-lite when I see it.

[lame54]

29. CNN definitely has it's problems but it is not FOX

[mcar]

32. That is simply not true

I watch CNN at least several hours a day M-F. It is far from Fox Lite.

[Kirk Lover]

3. Yes they interview plenty of elected Dem's. Keep watching and you can judge for yourself

if it's Fox light...which is one of the most ridiculous things I've read in awhile. But we each have our own opinions and that is mine.

[pangaia]

5. Forget it all. They're entertainment shows run by rich right-wing white guys.

Posing as news outlets.

Just come here instead.

[Kirk Lover]

13. You would consider Fareed Zakaria GPS as right wing entertainment? That's what's on now.

[pangaia]

18. Eh, probably not...... maybe the word I used,ALL, is not a bit hyperbole

I don;t watch much TEE VEE any more..... just gave up.

You know what, now don't wack me here. ok.. .. I can not stand to watch to Maher, it's ....it's just HIM.
I remember years ago when he had that earlier show--- I forget the name-- he in the middle and 2 opposing views to his right and left... I would watch it and then just got tired of it... I watched REAL TIME occasionally, then... blechk.... it's just, I don;t know.. to me it is childish...

In fact, I got tired of watching Rachael, if you can believe that, just because of her stichk-- in spite of the great work she does... She is wonderful in that regard...

Same with Amy Goodman,. I used to listen to her often, but then just got tired of the..'presentation,' is that the right word? Perhaps.
A friend of mine who is as strongly progressive as I am used to listen to her also. Then one day, over lunch, years ago, he called her show "The To Hell In A Hand Basket Show."

They DO do great work and bring what should be brought to public attention..

I just can not watch them. And I can get all the info I need from the great posts and discussions here, as well as a few international news outlets.


PS. Somebody may well smack me in the head for saying something not nice about those people I mentioned. Things have.... 'changed' here a bit...

[Kirk Lover]

24. Great post. Nope I think it's perfectly fine that it's not your cup of tea. The issue I have - and

perhaps it's only because of the current times - is Dem's knocking the news like CNN etc. I'm not saying there are not instances where they deserve to get knocked, but this broad brush of they suck and are as bad a faux news.....REALLY?AND, this mentality is exactly what this trashbag wants. For that reason ALONE, I would not trash outlets that he is!
We have to deal with this CNN etc hate from nuts on the right - it upsets me seeing it here and so often.

So I ask...even if you want to broad brush knock media outlets that are really on 'our side'...I ask you hold your fire for now. Just until after this tRUMP stuff is over. I know wishful thinking...but in the end I notice when a news outlet breaks something...everybody is in love with them anyway, so I try not to worry too much!

[pangaia]

26. Whew!! I'm still alive. :)))) Thanks..

I think I rarely say anything here about Cable News. Just because I don't watch it..
And for sure CNNNN and MSNBCBCSNSM are nothing like fookkicks. Not even an issue..


OOPPS I better be careful, I just posted a long one elsewhere about cable 'news'....about me at the YMCA gym....

[Kirk Lover]

28. I know...I try not to get into to much back and forth on any kind of controversial

subject. What I think are innocent comments seem to get me into trouble on occasion.

[barbtries]

35. i have the same issues

i don't watch democracy now even though they do great work, and Rachel has some "rhetorical" devices that drive me apeshit. but i learn more from watching her than anywhere else, i think.

i also subscribe to WP, Newsweek, give to other media outlets too many to mention, and DU is my virtual home on the web.

[pangaia]

37. Similar here... I use mostly DU, BBC, The Guardian,

Le Monde, and then English or translated versions of South Korean and Japanese news outlets.. a few others...


PLUS, and this is quite a contentious point here, I use Facebook a LOT. But NOT for news or politics. I have friends and professional acquaintances around the world and it is the best way to stay in touch with them as well as happenings in the field of classical music.

[barbtries]

38. my extended family and friends are on FB

i switched to twitter for political posting, but i still follow media matters, mother jones, moveon, gun control groups etc. and i still repost a lot of statistics about gun violence and the occasional true story about trump/republicans. plus local (to NC) stuff.

i would not get the chance to know my far flung family without fb.

[barbtries]

16. well it's on my computer

so i always have DU open in a different window. but i like watching too.
this morning i watched Rachel on youtube for a good long time. She's basically my favorite because everything is couched in the history.

it's a phase, i'll get over it. my son says i'm addicted but right now, i think it is imperative to be well-informed. our democracy is on the line.

also, speaking of DU: I was "forced" to get active on twitter because so many posts here are reposts from there. but it plays havoc with my computer slows it down, error messages, pain in the ass. on the other hand i do get pleasure from going there and addressing the president directly.

i have to find away to make this knot in my stomach go away, but am not sure i can until the republicans lose the majority and trump is out of office.

[pangaia]

21. I can understand. Rachael is very bright, diligent and on the right side of history.

Humm,. I have no problem with twitter posts... but quite a few people seem to. ( I do not have a twit acct, BTW, and never will. LOL )

".. i think it is imperative to be well-informed. our democracy is on the line. "

I could not agree more..

[Sherman A1]

6. I just switched to Spectrum from U-Verse

and this is what I have found.

The video and audio quality is superb. I am very pleased with what I am receiving and while I am still trying to figure out some of the features, it looks pretty good to me.

As to CNN or any of the cable news channels, I have to limit my intake to about 10 minutes. It's not so much news as it it Infotainment, between the ads for a variety of medications that I never knew I needed, medicare supplements and chair lifts. I find CNN useful, but in small doses as not everything in this world is breathless "Breaking News". I much prefer the PBS News Hour, some local news, CSPAN and NPR. I may not agree with what they present, but I am not being screamed at by several talking heads repeating and repeating minute points on a topic that while likely interesting doesn't need to be beat to death.

[pangaia]

25. CHAIR LIFTS

"... between the ads for a variety of medications that I never knew I needed, medicare supplements and chair lifts."



tell me about it..

The ONLY time I EVER even catch a glimpse of those cable news stations any more is my 45 minutes on the elliptical at the Y several times a week.. 6 monitors up on the walls -- three on sports, 1- CNN, 1 MSNBCBSCSN, and the other varies weather, fux, etc.
It always looks to me like, maybe CNN especially, it is the same thing over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over . With crawlers, and signs at the bottom..
NEVER, EVER any international news or anything original, nothing requiring any thought or attention span....

We have a great YMCA-- big workout room lots of stuff, so I can usually choose machine #4 for my first 45 minutes of life-prolonging exercise..., it has the weather up on the wall I mean how can one possibly get bored looking at the weather?? Actually I once kinda feel asleep and almost fell off the machine.. Seriously.

Time to move on to weights...

[PoiBoy]

9. We have the Spectrum TV app...

...and we get a limited lineup of channels (no MSNBC, etc.) when connected via mobile, but we get all of the channels on our subscription when we connect via our wifi...

[barbtries]

17. that's interesting.

maybe i'm doing it wrong, because i don't even use the app, i only watch from home while seated at my computer.

[Kirk Lover]

19. You can use both. Some stations I can't get on my tablet so I have to use the

computer. Some stations don't run on my phone I use the tablet. Between all 3 devices I can get everything. It's done through the app on tablets and the phone. You can also get a roku or similar device for your tv to 'convert' it and you can watch tv that way through apps, through the roku device via the internet.

Another thing about CNN - they also have other programming that you can access. Like a documentary on the Kennedys is out right now. They did one on Putin, the pope....they have a lot of programming. Even parts unknown the anthony bourdain show is good and it's informative! So I take exception when folks want to lump CNN in w/ Faux or that they are not credible. That's really helping out the fake prezident too. No they are not the NY times or the post...but they're not supposed to be.

I can also rifle off a host of GREAT pundits that CNN has employed. Many more that lean right than left. MANY MORE.

[barbtries]

33. i actually really like a woman who's on during the week

but her name escapes me right now. i do use Roku and even on that i go to "Live TV" because i think, or thought, that that was all the programming i signed up for. but i'll check it out. thank you!

[hlthe2b]

20. there are some good shows on CNN and good interviewers...

but, yes, it is annoying that they so often include some extreme RW wackos on the panels. Even if the Dems on the panel "eat their lunch" it is still annoying and a waste of time.

[GulfCoast66]

23. They are the most balanced of the cable networks news channels

I keep in mind that for some people on DU even presenting conservative arguments equals being Fox.

They want purity in their news source.

[LeftInTX]

27. Too many commercials!

I watch it for a few minutes and then there is a slew of commercials. Life is too short!

CNN is the best at news coverage when there is a big story. They will cease ads for hours. When they resume regular broadcasts, they stuff it full of commercials.

I find them to be balanced.

I get most of my news from NPR. I also subscribe to the Washington Post.

I'm not keen on MSNBC because it gives me too much "false hope".

[mcar]

31. CNN almost always has only Dems on these days

That said, I don't watch the Sunday shows, just during the week.

[octoberlib]

34. You think MSNBC has no Republicans?

Malevolent toad Hugh Hewitt has his own show. And the editor of Breitbart, National Review etc have been on there quite a few times.

[barbtries]

36. fortunately i missed those.

i don't watch as much as many people do. i have seen republicans on MSNBC but generally they were part of a panel so their BS was readily refuted.

[Demsrule86]

39. I got regular spectrum for free and I use the app...they offered it to me for just the cost of the

internet...I had cancelled it...it hit over 200 a month...that was it...then I changed my ATT wireless plan and they gave me $10 cable and HBO for life...I cancel things and the retention center ether fixes it right away or calls you in a couple of weeks. There are streaming options which carry all different channels ...and cost little. Sling, Playstation vue, Philo ,NetFlix, Amazon...one that has sports. Hulu is great for network TV and they have a service also...there is so much out there now. I like some pretty silly channels like Destination America (love ghost stories watch them and eat popcorn and then sleep with the lights on) and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries (don't judge me!) And they are always in the top tier. I use playstation vue now to get them...the other stuff is free. I pay less than $ 50.00 a month.

[barbtries]

40. i have options i haven't even taken advantage of yet.

Spectrum live tv costs me $20/month. but i also have netflix, amazon prime, and hulu commercial free. their live tv is like $40/month not worth it to me.

i hate commercials. the live tv i should get rid of, but i don't. I can get Netflix from my cell company, haven't made that change. i'm just throwing money away and it's still less than i was spending 10 years ago when i had cable.

as i write i'm watching Have I Got News For You on youtube. always free.

i go to sleep every night watching something on amazon, hulu, or netflix...usually true crime or animal stuff, or british police procedurals. don't judge me! lol

i turn out the light though and keep a candle burning along with my rock salt lamp.

[Demsrule86]

41. sounds awesome! Yeah it is good to have choices. I have free tv right now...with Spectrum cable and

Direct TV now...which will get a cloud DVR sometime this year...in beta testing.