THE MEDIA BIG NAMES GAME
Let's
illustrate a case: Every time, Ms Greta van Susteren asks her guest a
question, particularly on legal matters and socio-political issues, the
correct answers were already provided in her polite and eloquent silence. For,
we know that Ms. van Susteren already knew the answers, being a lawyer
herself. However, she allows her guests to give their opinions without
interrupting them. The French call this "Le Beau Geste". Ms. Monica Crowley
is blessed with a brilliant analytical mind, a high level of education and a
captivating persona. Those qualities are a rare commodity in the world of
American media. Dr. Crowley is currently hosting a very successful radio
show in New York "THE MONICA CROWLEY SHOW" and millions of viewers and
watchers are benefiting from her impressive experience and wisdom. But, she
does not have a show on national television. None of the TV networks in the
United States offered this bright young lady a deal on the wheel!
Occasionally, she "sits in" for some anchors and hosts at FoxNews. How do you
explain this phenomenon?
Another
brilliant mind is Anne Coulter. She is the author of several
authoritative and informative books on politics. Occasionally she appears on
national television. So far, Ms. Coulter does not have her own TV show.
Brilliant minds are kept in storage. Silly big mouth hash-hash anchors and
hosts grab the spotlights. And they are doing fine. They don't need to be
intelligently analytical, well-informed, highly educated with a broad vision
of world affairs. What they have and need to do is to be either aggressive,
talkative, agitators or silly. Silliness is like hot bread. You eat it when
it is hot. You eat it when it is cold. It depends on how much and how bad
you need that loaf of bread. Almost 87% of the American tube viewers tuned
unconsciously to their TV sets. And 82% of American TV watchers flip their
remote control every 4 minutes. Since, there is no continuity and logical
synthesis in the commentaries of the anchors and show hosts, changing
programs and constantly flipping stations would not affect the quality nor
the importance of "chronologically following" the news and listening to the
commentaries. So, keep on flipping and changing stations. You are not going
to miss a thing!
Photo: Jeff Greenfield: means depth and integrity.
Probably, the most interesting and intelligent figures of the American TV cable networks are Judge Andrew Napolitano, Monica Crowley and Jeff Greenfield. Unfortunately, they are rare birds. Their commentaries are well presented, their analyses are well founded and their "persona" enjoys credibility. They never steal the show. Once again, one primordial question arises: "Why Judge Napolitano is kept in the dark?" He just appears on the screen when another talk show host is "required to do so" or badly needs a legal advice. A "Judge Napolitano Show" would and could be a great asset and a great "BOOM" to FoxNews. Helas! Nobody is paying attention. The viewers are glued to their sets. Do not let them think. Bring the popcorn and Kentucky fried chicken boxes, sit and enjoy the show. Don't think. Just eat! TV programs are not meant to be cultural, educational and informative in the United States. Unless, you are watching Public Television, A&E, The Learning Channel, The Discovery Channel and the History Channel. TV programs in America are "entertainment". For now, we are 50% lucky, as long as the cable networks keep on bringing Bill Schneider, Jeff Greenfield, Catherine Crier, Judge Napolitano, Deborah Norville, Chris Matthews, Gretta Van Susteren and Monica Crowley.
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