Ted Turner calls Headline News "unwatchable"

[Still Sensible]

Stating the obvious, the founder of CNN says:

“Headline News used to be straight news anytime you wanted it. It’s unwatchable now. It’s heartbreaking.”

http://www.ajc.com/business/70-years-of-ted-94738.html

[rvablue]

1. It is heartbreaking. When Ted ran the store, you'd turn on CNN and actually

be able to get news from around the world.

Before the proliferation of the Internet, it was the place to go to learn about things that didn't fit on the evening news.

Sad, indeed.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

2. It is. The nail salon I go to has it on all the time. It's all tabloid crap.

[Hannah Bell]

31. last time i saw the european version of cnn, it wasn't tabloidy. i wondered why the difference.

[rvablue]

44. The difference is CNN International has to compete with the BBC in a lot of markets.

So they actually cover real events.

Another reason, IMO, is that the International version is broadcast into many different countries/regions of the world, so it ends up being much more substantive as there has to be something of relevance to each group/country on every broadcast, hence you get more broad coverage of world events.

I know it's available to some here in the U.S. who have satellite dishes, but I'm not in the category.

[liberalhistorian]

39. When he sold out to Time Warner, I remember thinking

that they were going to turn it into the TV version of a combination of People and the National Enquirer. I was wrong, however, it's much worse than the worst of my imagination. I sure wish he'd find a way to buy it back.

[FarPoint]

3. Now I bet Clark Howard might be

an exception. Clark, he is like the Mr. Rogers of money for the every day grunt like myself.

[zonkers]

25. Been listening to Clark for years in L.A. Very entertaining guy.

[gmoney]

53. It does sort of bug me though

Guy probably makes $1,000,000 a year at LEAST doing his show, plus books, TV, appearances, web ad revenue, etc. but yet he's always poormouthing how he can't afford this or that, or is saving up to buy a $100 item or some such shit. Maybe he is a miser, but he sure as shit ain't BROKE or dealing with an "average" income stream.

Sort of like how guys like Rush and Hannity pretend they're just "working Americans" and how the hard times are hurting them, etc, when they make millions. And they criticize the "Hollywood elite" and such, even though they probably make MORE than all but a handful of Hollywood types.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Ted, it's all unwatchable, and some of that is your fault!

But thanks for noticing.

[pretzel4gore]

11. Turner got $8.7 billion; if i recall correctly...

when times/warner, or whoever it was, bought CNN from Turner, Turner's payoff was 8.7 billion, or some silly number like that (jane fonda got $87 million- which should have prevented the freeper goof from spitting in her face a few years back, but NOOOO!)...i remember Turner saying the feeling was undescribable on learning how much money he got. But that was a pittance compared to cost of bush admin. and the corruption of ruling class (see $700 billion bailout, Enron, worldcom, auto giants, war in Iraq, military spending/patriot act/global warming etc)

[JPZenger]

34. Turner got paid in stock, not cash, went down the toilet

The merger of AOL and TimeWarner was one of the worst moves in corporate history. Turner's stock value went down the toilet.

Ted Turner said he was the only person who was named Man of the Year by Time Magazine, and then was fired by TimeWarner.

[spanone]

5. i think that could apply to most of the 'news' channels 24/7

[Skittles]

6. CORRECT

it's tabloid trash

[bdamomma]

52. most news is unwatchable

it's infotainment, it's their way of continuing the dumbing down of Americans.

[EFerrari]

7. He's right. They should change the title to Junk. n/t

[valerief]

10. LOL! Lots of channels could be named that! Junk1, Junk2, Junk3, ad infinitum.

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

16. I was trying to be nice.

:rofl:

[burning rain]

8. Well....

Robin Mead is watchable.

[valerief]

9. Does anyone actually watch that crap? To me, it's just like another stupid infomercial. Something to

flip by.

[Kceres]

17. They ALL are! It's all Info-tain-ment now.

The "Today Show" is like one long commercial: stupid mini make-overs and fashion shows, "new products" segments, weddings, "Eat This Not That", movie critiques, concerts, etc. The later in the morning it gets, the more the blatant the advertising. It's insulting.

[elehhhhna]

48. wHY DO ANY REPORTING WHEN YOU CAN SIMPLY READ CORPORATE

PRESS RELEASES? That's ALL the MSM, print included, does anymore.


lol sorry about the caps

[opihimoimoi]

12. The Tabloid Generation demands trash news...things they can relay to friends for shock value

this is series

pubs take full advantage of astuteless masses

if ya can fool

ya can rule

[Maccagirl]

13. Amen.

n/t

[lib2DaBone]

14. CNN is one big INFO -MERCIAL......

That being said... Ted was the man with the vision back in the 60's to see satellite and cable TV potential. He knew what he saw.

It's not his fault that ABC and Disney and AOL have whored out the technology.

As I recall.. Ted Turner supported Ross Perot and he tried to tell the American People about the "GIANT SUCKING SOUND OF JOBS LEAVING THE UNITED STATES", thanks to NAFTA.

Yet, the news channels made fun of Ross Perot, made him out to be a crazy man.. we all laughed, and we went head-long into the flame of Globalism.. like a moth to a flame.

Now that flame of Globalism is burning bright... and we are left without food, clean water and jobs for Americians.

I ask.. who is laughing now?

[liberalhistorian]

40. I'm sorry, but H. Ross Perot was a fucking joke and would have

made an absolutely horrible president, ESPECIALLY in regards to domestic policy. You think he wasn't part of the wealth class scrambling to bury and screw workers and flex his social darwinism theories and beliefs? LOL.

[gmoney]

54. Funny thing about Perot... made all his money off Medicare and Medicaid.

EDS was a big gummint contractor, and he made his money processing medical "handouts" ...but hey, he's a self-made man!

[JPZenger]

15. I don't turn on news to read emails from schmucks

I particularly hate when the CNN anchors are forced to spend half their time reading email and twitter messages from schmucks. I watch the news for information from knowledgeable people. If I want to read opinions from Jim in Cheyenne, I can find that elsewhere.

[malletgirl02]

20. Televison news

I know how you feel. It's like if I wanted to here from idiots on twitter I would log on to twitter. I don't like watching television news. I get my news mostly from the internet. I like alltop.com. My parents on the other hand watches it all the the time, and the mad at me when I ask them to change the channel.

[City Lights]

18. He's right.

It's not just CNN's Headline News though. I don't find much of cable news watchable anymore. MSNBC's evening line up is the only cable news I even consider watching.

[Captain Hilts]

19. The women appear to be computer-generated. nt

[Buns_of_Fire]

36. Perhaps they are. Remember Ananova?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananova

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek-g5A0YTkw&fmt=18 (Warning: Not for the bandwidth-challenged.)

Unfortunately, since that scandalous affair with Max Headroom, Ananova has been "resting" at an undisclosed location since 2004. The new owners of ananova.com have said that the software to bring her back is "under development," but I'm not holding my breath. :cry:

[SoCalDem]

21. Maybe ole ted needs to start up a NEW news network

NBS network

no bull shit

I'm guessing that he'd actually get some real news people who would be eager to report some news, instead of the canned/scripted/crappola

[Liberal In Texas]

33. Someone ought to. If someone started a real news channel, they might be shocked

at how well it does.

(And by the way, they could lose about half the animated graphics and sound efx. too.)

[bumblebee1]

22. That's what I liked about Headline News.

I could watch a half hour segment anytime of the day or night. You didn't have to wait around for 6:30 p.m. for the networks to show the news.

[Phentex]

37. It was sorta the news back then wasn't it?

I remember wishing for a newspaper in the same format: news.

[depakid]

23. He's absolutely right

So is regular CNN.

They're both programmed off of my TV. Right along with Fox, and the fundy and spamm channels.

[roamer65]

24. All we need is the "BBC World News" channel.

That channel is real, hardcore news...therefore it is basically shunned by dish and cable operators within the USA. Obviously, the channel is shown in Canada.

[Sebastian Doyle]

51. You can't even get the watered down BBC America channel in the US

At least not without paying over $100/month for some ridiculous digital package.

[Monk06]

26. This from the man who colorized Laural and Hardy and refused to rerelease the B&W originals. Phttt

[Elwood P Dowd]

28. Well, that settles it.

The man obviously knows nothing about real news if he colorized Laural and Hardy, the breathtaking news team that preceded Huntley and Brinkley.

[Monk06]

30. Hey this is Laural and Hardy we're talkin about, a line in the sand beyond which we do not go.

[liberalhistorian]

41. ROFLMAO!

Snap!

[Captain Hilts]

42. I didn't go for that either but understood his attempt to get folks that won't watch B&W to

watch them.

[PretzelWarrior]

27. a few months back, I was wondering what he thought of that crap

thanks for the link. I'm not disappointed to find he, like most thinking Americans, felt a continuous loop of half hour chunks of headlines was a GREAT idea for travelers, checking in at lunch....maybe the internet killed serious Headline News too.

[voc]

29. Always knew

Ted was a genius.

[ThomWV]

32. He's dam sure right about that.

[Toucano]

35. It would be great if they were made to read this story on air.

Or even put it in the scroll.

"We are unwatchable!"

[Phentex]

38. and what bozo came up with HLN?

It should be HN as in Headline News. It's not Head Line News. With Rob Bin Meade.

Did three syllables need to be "shortened" to three letters?

[Wednesdays]

43. K&R

:kick:

[Romulox]

45. Has he not seen "Larry King Live"???

[Arkana]

46. Probably because Nancy "Waste of Flesh" Grace hijacked it.

[progressoid]

47. Well, duh.

[Joanne98]

49. Nancy Grace. Major pollution.

[MichiganVote]

50. So long as corporations run our "democracy" we're going to get junk.

[yy4me]

55. If it is not in the Boston Globe or here on DU, I miss all of the news

now. Dropped Extended Basic Cable last year, now get only local channel for news at 5PM. That is the extent of my TV watching.

There is no point in yelling at the TV, it just raises my blood pressure and at my age, I'd rather not.

I don't need to read or hear tabloid trash, and that is all TV news is now.