Downing Street or Abbey Road?

I don't often watch the network news much. In that way, I'm not unlike a lot of Americans, who have, over the past twenty years of so, abandoned the "main stream media."

But I think my reasons are different than theirs.

I don't watch, not because the anchors are old and stuffy (until recently) or because the news isn't "relevant" enough to my "lifestyle," but because the networks do such an absolutely horrendous job of actually covering the news. The real news. The important news. Tonight was not exception.

While hearings were being held in DC over the "Downing Street Memo," and the word "impeachment" was being bandied about, NBC News thought they should use their oxmoronically named "In Depth" to cover the loss of oldies radio stations across the country. While I love an old Beatle's tune as much as the next guy, I think Downing Street trumps Abbey Road in this particular case.

This used to be almost funny, or, at a minimum, it didn't seem to matter that much. If the networks were going to become clones of the local news clowns, no big deal. But with the rise of the right and the anti-media onslaught it has brought, there is no longer anything humerous about the networks being anything less than solid, trustworthy purveyors of news. And nothing but news will do. No more infotainment, no more trashy features. No more celebrity suckups.

If the networks were to return to the thrilling days of yesteryear, I bet they'd be surprised...'cause I bet the ratings would start inching up again...