so the weather now gets more time than the news on the morning shows

[moof]

Usually don't watch the morning news shows but since the Enron revalation on CBS wanted to see if it got any coverage this morning on the other stations.
So sitting at the keyboard and the news starts at the top of the hour and no sooner than the tv gets full attention they are on the weather. Look at the clock, it's only a few minutes after the hour.
OK musta been daydreamin.
Now the next time around full attention from the start with stopwatch in hand.
NBSC Today show, Ann curry ? doing the honors, six stories in 1 minute 22 seconds, and that included some more garbage about the guy accused of killing his wife, yes hold the presses, man held for killing wife, this may change the path of civilization as we know for all time to come.
Anyway now to you Al Roker with the weather. When Al said back to you Ann he had consumed a minute 48 seconds. So the weather got nearly a third more time than all the news that's ok to expose the sheep to.
So destroying the enviorment, war in several places, leadership that has no clue and is killing two soldiers everyday, price of oil going up for no good reason, Enron corporation caught on tape discussing stealing money, yes important topics, but not as important as informing the sheep on that all important life and death decision about taking an umbrealla with them today.
This was the nBSc third hour, it will be interesting to time the " real news" tommorrow on the first hour, if the opportunity to leap off a tall building doesn't present itself in the mean time.

[malatesta1137]

1. The corporate media has BILLIONS of dollars

tied up in licenses with the FCC. And they know they can't upset who controls the FCC, Powell's son, another member of The Bush Crime Family.

The media will do their best to reelect the Chimp.

[displacedtexan]

2. Usually, there are 4 main headline stories per newscast...

If you watch Network evening news broadcasts, the 4 (or 3 if there's a REALLY BIG story) biggest stories are the 'teaser' before the intro music.

If the weather is the second lede, I usually think someone is trying to cover up something (choking a story out in the first 14 hours usually dilutes it significantly).

[teryang]

3. Political subjects are bad for marketing

The advertisers get pissed for two reasons, a political story they don't like is controversial and pisses off the viewers, who are then in a negative rejecting mood. They will either shut the tv off, pay no attention to it, change the channel, turn down the volume, etc. Then the advertiser feels he didn't get anything for his money.

Political news in general makes viewers non-receptive to advertising or other marketing efforts. If the story gives the spin the advertiser likes, then it isn't controversial, like a pro-Bush apologia or puff piece or a pro-war story.

Marketing studies show that the weather "story" is the most conducive in the "warm up" to selling. That is what tv is about, selling ad time to sellers.