Media Tuesday

One of the definitions of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome.  Every morning, when I get in the car, I punch in 590 AM on my car radio.  Every morning, I hear nothing.  The station has been off the air due to transmitter problems.  There's no word if and when it will return.

I've watched journalists calmly report from war zones in Syria, Iran, and Iraq.  Many have risked their lives to venture into Ebola ridden areas of Africa.  And, The Weather Channel goes hysterical when Bemidji, Minnesota gets an inch of snow.

The FOX Sports baseball team of Buck, Reynolds, and Verducci got generally good reviews during the World Series.  I like Joe Buck.  Always have.  I can do without the other two.

You knew that Honey Boo Boo clan would eventually self destruct.  They got their 15 minutes of fame, and then some.  They made my skin crawl, and I'm glad their gone.

I'm not disputing his heroism, which is considerable.  The former Navy SEAL who shot bin Laden is making the media rounds, saying "it's not about me."  It doesn't sound that way.

CBS Sports Radio is dropping John Feinstein's 9 AM -noon show.  Mistake.  Literate and funny-- a rare combination in sports talk radio.

The Wall Street Journal is dropping its radio division.  I frequently listened to The Wall Street Journal This Morning at 5 AM.  It wasn't stodgy at all-- world news, national news, business news, consumer news...  It was a solid hour, and it will be missed.   The end comes December 31.  WSJ's editor says radio doesn't fit in with the company's growth plans.  One of the trades reported yesterday that a company called Compass is interested in filling the void, and it's already been in touch with many of the people who work on The Wall Street Journal This Morning.  Outside of major cities, and some syndicated offerings, news on the radio is hard to come by.  Running a newsy format is expensive, but you can attract upper socioeconomic groups, with nice incomes, and you can sell the commercials at a premium.

I stopped watching the Blacklist because it got too creepy and violently disturbing.  I've cheated a bit and watched some clips on YouTube.  I was saddened to see the Alan Alda character, Alan Fitch, get killed off.  It wasn't pretty.  Collar bomb.  The Blacklist is clever and well acted.  It doesn't need the gore.  Yet, producers seem content to shove it down our throats.  That's why TV's come with "off" switches.

Alton Brown says he won't produce any more of his Food Network series Good Eats.  He says the shows were too much work.  I understand.  They were a lot of work to watch.