Rooney: An Idea For CBS News

[cal04]

I've worked for CBS for 55 years now. You get loyal to anything you're involved with for that long, whether it deserves it or not. But I like CBS News, and I don't feel real good about it these days because of the questionable documents that were used on the 60 Minutes Wednesday broadcast in the story about President Bush's National Guard service.

I want to make a suggestion to Sumner Redstone, the chairman of the board of Viacom, the company which now owns CBS. You're one of the richest people in the world, Sumner, if I may call you Sumner. People say you're one of the smartest, too. If I seem to be sucking up to you here, it's because I want to sell you an idea.

How about this for re-establishing the credibility of CBS News?
Turn our Evening News With Dan Rather into a one-hour broadcast seven nights a week. Provide it as a public service in exchange for the license that CBS has to make hundreds of millions of dollars from the entertainment shows that Les Moonves puts on.

The Evening News is 20 minutes long -- nowhere near long enough to tell Americans what's going on in their own country, let alone anywhere else. One of the reasons America is hated around the world is because we're ignorant of everyone else's problems, and that's partly our fault. Television provides too little foreign news. So, send a bunch of CBS reporters to other countries, too, so we give viewers an idea of what's happening somewhere other than here. If CBS News was on the air every night for an hour, it might make people forget this mistake.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/01/60minutes/rooney/main646807.shtml

[Adams Wulff]

1. Wait a Damn Minute with Andy Rooney

I love it! the whole idea!!!

[mark0rama]

2. I used to freakin' hate Andy Rooney

but lately I like what he says. This isn't a sign I'm turning into a cranky old man, is it?

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

5. Yes. It does.

Embrace your inner curmudgeon!

[bvar22]

3. Saw it!

Loved it!
Support it!

[seasat]

4. I like the idea and would add...

also do investigative journalism!!! The TV news has dropped the ball on investigative journalism giving over to sound bites and herd mentality. The country is starving for a TV media group that will actually work to get the truth behind a story without relying on talking heads debating.

[MissMarple]

6. Exactly! Investigative journalism, tell us what the facts are.

Tell us what the tax policy George&Co pushes on us is really doing and how it is actually taking money out of middle class pockets; why No Child Left Behind is underfunded and won't improve our schools; why our roads and bridges are crumbling; why hunger is a growing problem across America, and why noblesse oblige no longer applies to those who have benefited the most from this country.

Inform the American people, arm us with facts, so we can do our jobs as citizens and vote those corporate opportunists out of office. Government is supposed to promote the prosperity of all, not just friends of George's.

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. You have to admit, how can local news be an hour

and national news only be 30 minutes (or 22, with the commercial time deducted)?

However, don't other news shows fill in the gap? Isn't 60 Minutes still one of the highest rated shows on TV, and they found they had enough news to cover that they added 60 Minutes II? CBS also has 48 Hours. You can't MAKE people watch the news. The people that want to be informed watch these programs, read the newspaper and read news on the internet.

The big problem is the people that don't pay attention to the information that's out there. If I hear another person say "I really don't know what Kerry's plan for Iraq is" I'm going to pinch their head off!

[CitizenRob]

8. hmm

48 hours is a stupid name for a show. What's up with THAT?

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. Orginally they followed a story for 48 hours

It was still investigative journalism, but on a tight timeline. It might be 2 days in the investigation of a crime or a trial, it might be 2 days during a political campaign, 2 days in a health crisis, etc. I don't think they stick to that any more, but that's where the name came from.