Modern computer technology has allowed the broadcasting industry to maximize profits by cutting staff and automating many functions of broadcasting. The argument could be made that technology has allowed financially marginal stations to survive in a competitive arena.
However, when listeners hear two or three commercials, one on top of the other, in morning drive, or on the weekend hear Rush Limbaugh and an investment guru selling snake oil simultaneously for an hour...one has to question what price stations pay for appearing to be incompetent.
A Media Maven reader experienced an issue and expressed an opinion to a local radio broadcaster. The reader graciously has allowed the Maven to share the exchange.
This is typical of media. Blame the technology hoping the listener will accept the explanation and simply go away.
However, the explanation is a lie. Consider: if the technology "failed" as the station representative explained, then listeners would hear nothing. If, however, the sequence of program events were entered into the automation system incorrectly, the result is often referred to as a "train wreck" on the air.
The issue that media needs to understand is that their audiences are not quite as gullible or ignorant as they presume. And one turn of the knob or punch of a preset button is often the result of their malfeasance.
Let's call it what it is: laziness. Just like the news department that promotes itself as a cutting edge news leader that is too lazy to generate its own news content and relies on others, i.e. "our partners in news" to do the work. Then when it's reported, it's riddled with errors (unless they are reading from the press release)...not to mention their top story is most likely days old, stale recycled stories.
ReplyDeleteFWMM:
ReplyDelete--- I have to agree with FWA...because with so much technology DOES come laziness, as if all of it can run itself indefinitely and without a hiccup at all.
That's a wonderfully arrogant stance (imho).
Sadly, the media is not the only culprit here.