The News

[Zerlina]

Basically in order to allow the airing of a new news program called Sun TV (a TV extension of a newspaper here) the CRTC is changing its policy on misleading news, in order to allow  more "American" news style programs like CNN or Fox.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/922697--crtc-may-ease-ban-on-broadcasting-false-or-misleading-news?bn=1
http://www.torontolife.com/daily/informer/mediaocracy/2010/11/26/“fox-news-north”-is-a-go-crtc/

To be fair this kind of news is a bit more entertaining than our usually half hour and (comparatively) bland news programs, but I can't say I'm very happy about it. What do you guys think? Should news be informative or entertaining? (Or both?)

(And you know what to be honest I actually enjoy watching CTV and CBC news even they seems less "exciting," I still think the traditional style of news is engaging, and less annoying than the alternative)

[Cerebus]

Yeah. When I watch news, I want news. I'm well aware I won't be laughing or having an amazingly good time, and it should be this way. It's informations, not entertainments.

[Prpl_Mage]

Death and bad economy will never be funny.

Also, if the entertainment is what decides what people know at the end of the day - we live in a mad world.

[fruckert]

Is it weird that I actually, when I want to, get a share fair of my news from The Daily Show?

[Archem]

Nope. Best source of politics and humor going.

That, or The Colbert Report.

[X_marks_the_ed]

Honestly, you're better off getting your information from either of those shows than "American-style" news. It's actual news, not 90% celebrity gossip and football.

EDIT: Oh god the football.

The football.

[Zerlina]

Daily Show isn't a news show, though, isn't it a comedy show? I always thought it was a spoof of the news like Canada's This Hour Has 22 Minutes but in a different style.

[Archem]

Humor, yes, but it's definitely got news. Real news. With humorous outlooks on the news.

[drenrin2120]

Fox news is god awful and bias. No one should ever try to emulate them. Even cnn or cbs. "American" news sucks.

[SaiKar]

Yeah, informative. If I wanted entertainment, I'd be watching sitcoms. Which's the only thing I watch on TV, to be honest. But when I want to watch news, I just want the facts. Not supposed to be fun.

See the problem here thought? You say you watch the news for the news, which is fine, but you also say that you only watch sitcoms and don't watch the news very often. I'm the same way. A lot of people are. For whatever stupid reason, news shows are rated like normal TV programs, so if they don't get enough ratings they won't sell advertisement space well and they'll be on the chopping block for cancellation. Networks realize this and are trying to find ways to get people to watch the news so they feel they have to spice it up a bit. After all, news TV is in direct competition with news internet, and it's a heck of a lot easier to check a news website whenever you want than to plop in front of a TV and hope you pick up something interesting in between the local charity drives and commercials.

I don't watch much TV period so I'm a lost cause, but the majority of Americans watch a lot of it (early 2000's study: average free time an American has per week: 36 hours; average time they spend watching TV per week: 30 hours) so it's a real big issue for them.

[drenrin2120]

xD

That's a ridiculous statistic. And not ridiculous as in "I don't believe you", but as in sickening.

And yeah, I'm at a loss as to why news channel's are rated for entertainment. It's why the Weather Channel sucks now. Local on the 8's has become "Local on some of the 8's", so they can air their stupid shows like "Storm Stories" and "How Weather Changed History". Damn it, you're the weather channel, if I want history, I'll go watch the HISTORY Channel.

I mean, I'm not that broken up about it, but it's just a bit dunce.

[Cerebus]

Well, still, News should remain News, not entertainment. I suppose you are right that not a lot of people watch the News since it's not as entertaining as sitcoms or such, but I'm pretty sure most people who watch the News expect it to be informative, not entertaining. At least it's the case for me. As Prpl_Mage said, Death will never be funny (though his post in the Real Super Heroes thing proves it could be) and I see way more Negative news than Positive.

I'm pretty sure Biographies (books) sells less then Novels or Comics. Will they try to make them more entertaining so they sell more?

[drenrin2120]

I'm pretty sure Biographies (books) sells less then Novels or Comics. Will they try to make them more entertaining so they sell more?

I wouldn't put it past some people to exaggerate their stories so it's more interesting. Look at "A Million Little Pieces". It was suppose to be a 100% true story about this recovering drug addict. Oprah put it on her "OMG BOOKS" thing, and after the guy made a killing off of it, it came out that it wasn't true at all.

[Cerebus]

Oh well I suppose it was done already, then. Though this one is some kind of auto-biography, so it's easier to cheat. It just sucks.

[Valiere]

I wouldn't put it past some people to exaggerate their stories so it's more interesting. Look at "A Million Little Pieces". It was suppose to be a 100% true story about this recovering drug addict. Oprah put it on her "OMG BOOKS" thing, and after the guy made a killing off of it, it came out that it wasn't true at all.

And Misha: A Memoir of the Holocaust Years where 10-year-old Misha stabs a Nazi rapist to death and gets adopted by a pack of wolves!