Network News Is Dying... So Why Not Charge People To Watch Old Clips Of It?
from the brilliant-business-strategies dept
It seems that fewer people are watching the major TV networks these days, and the network news programs know that they're increasingly battling (and losing to) the internet as the place where people get their daily news. So, what's a network TV programmer to do? Apparently, if you're CBS, it's come up with the strategy of letting people buy custom made DVDs on Amazon with 90 minutes worth of old news clips. Yes, that's right. Order now! For only $25 (plus another $3 in shipping) you can get an hour and a half of old news! That'll show that internet thing who's the boss of the news business, now won't it? If you happen to be a CBS News exec, we'd suggest that you might want to skip over the news concerning a recent study that found the half-life of a news story to be approximately 36 hours.
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I think if anything, why not. They've already made the show, why not make some more money off content you already own? I dont believe thats their answer or it ever was to getting better ratings but its just another way to get some extra cash flow with a low over heart cost
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Every now and then there are important events that change and shape our world and have directly affected my life. Being able to organize them onto a dvd to show my kids or grandkids one day would have some novelty.
What I would REALLY like, though. Is if they got smart and created a searchable database of their entire news archive and allowed me to subscribe and watch online or download and save clips I want to keep.
It would be a useful tool for people doing research and entertaining for history junkies.
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ha!
actually i think this a good idea, after all its not like your being forced to buy stuff, as long as no one tries to outlaw taping the news off the back of it i'm all for it.
wish the bbc would do the same. 90 mins of two jags... could win a comedy award that.
oh yes... third... yeah (joke)
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Almost there!
"What I would REALLY like, though. Is if they got smart and created a searchable database of their entire news archive and allowed me to subscribe and watch online or download and save clips I want to keep. "
//agree
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Within about a week, I noticed three differences. 1) I was sleeping more soundly, 2) I did seem to be a bit more optimistic and upbeat (probably from better sleep), and 3) I was generally better-informed than my colleagues that got their news from TV.
I have concluded that TV news is not an information source, but a sink. It uses up time that could have been used doing something more useful, like reading. And watching the talking heads that don't really have anything to say, but insist on saying it anyway (right after this announcement from our sponsor...), is depressing. On the rare occasion that I can't avoid seeing a snippet of TV news, I marvel at how moronic it has become.
And radio news isn't much better.
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Re:
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Reduction of TV time...
About two years ago, I stopped watching evening television, and started recording/playing music. The time I used to spend "winding down" in front of the television is now spent enjoying creativity.
I am considerably happier than I was two years ago, despite the fact that we have had some difficult times and issues of late. The music I create/listen to is a great deal more entertaining and uplifting than the standard fare of most network news programs.
I read news each day from major internet sites (and my local stations' sites), and occasionally listen to NPR news via my local public radio station. I do keep informed of major events, but I don't spend hours of time absorbing (generally) dreadful news.
On another subject, as was said in another post, I'd gladly pay a reasonable fee to be able to download news snippets - based on a search engine that allows me to pick and choose what news I wish to purchase.
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Old news
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Like Time Life and other networks DVDs
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