The Viewer Has The Final Say, But At What Price?

by Elise Meyer

As television first entered the American frontier, viewers didn't have much choice in what they watched. There were three channels, and at six thirty every night, Americans made a date with their television in order to get the news. To our generation, this may sound absurd. We are used to having a myriad of channels offering a plethora of shows. We can tune into the news at any time of the day. The viewer, which in this day and age means just about anybody, has total say in what he watches. At first this might sound like a great exercise of one's individual rights, but has this freedom taken a toll on our minds? After talking with Tim Russert, news anchor and TV journalist for NBC's Meet the Press, a unique diamond in a rough of an increasing number of sensationalized news shows, one might begin to think so.

Today, with literally hundreds of shows to watch and stations to choose from, competition for the viewer's attention is at an all time high. What makes The Today Show different or more desirable, or unique than its competitors? What about The Morning Show? What must a television station do to attract viewers? Tim Russert suggests, "You must bring a uniqueness, bring a sense of excellence to your program...you have to offer context, perspective and insight." This sounds reasonable, and this philosophy, perhaps, is what makes Tim Russert and Meet the Press so respected.

Meet the Press is a news-talk show on which mostly well known individuals are invited to discuss and often defend their platform. Displaying journalistic fairness, Meet the Press was the only program on TV that offered a forum for Ralph Nader's first international interview. Additionally, it was also the only major news program to have Harry Brown, the libertarian candidate, Howard Philips, the candidate from the Constitution Party and John Haeglin of the Natural Law Party as guests.

Clearly this program, and its pursuit to present all sides to a controversy and all platforms, is abnormal. Civilized intel-ligence is a rarity as compared to other talky news shows that feature the more outrageous, shouting, and basically, more volume from news-talking heads. One might contend that the current trend in talk-news shows takes the "low road" to success. Viewers saw Al Gore plant the famous kiss on Tipper time and time again, thanks to 24 hours news, while little emphasis was placed on Gore's actual issues. It would seem as if Temptation Island tactics have been tempting broadcasters' views on delivering a more sensational, less noteworthy brand of what news is exactly.

Tim Russert from NBC’s
Meet The Press