Yes Senator Murphy! Yes! A thousand times this!!!

[OldBaldy1701E]

28. The late seventies to early eighties.

The stations were being taken over by those who only saw numbers. So, they decreed that their news programs, which they used to do solely because the FCC 'suggested' they had to do a certain amount of 'public programming', meaning news, or other community assistance. Then, the corporations that were buying up these stations and conglomerates decided that their news shows must have ratings like any other television show. SO, they thumbed their noses at the usual practice and made their news programs vie for ratings like any other show.

Now, how is a news program going to compete with Hollywood?

By being as 'Hollywood' as they could be. Of course, this has a detrimental effect on non-bias as well as presentation, because someone standing and dryly talking to the camera is not as exciting as a reporter charging up and sticking a mic into someone's face whether they like it or not and asking questions that no sensible person would ask at that time.

But, I don't blame the news programs, really. They fell into the new 'format' quickly enough, but they were also fighting for survival. However, the practice of letting the news not be dictated by ratings was removed and that led to the mess that we call 'the news' today.

The internet came along after than, but that is another story, and another reason why the news is not what it used to be.