Erg! Why is NBC News so obsessed with health news

bluestateguy

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 05:56 PM
Original message

Erg! Why is NBC News so obsessed with health news

Every night we have to sit through the latest "Life Line" or "Your Health" segment, while real events going on the world are going unreported. Wouldn't this stuff be a little more appropriate for the morning shows on slow news days, or the daytime talk shows? Often times it's not even news, it's more like advice from Mommy on how to stay healthy.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

SemperEadem

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 05:59 PM
Response to Original message

1. sounds like a consultant has been at work

full of bright ideas...

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

SoCalDem

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 06:01 PM
Response to Original message

2. The sharks have been lazy ...

It's "easy" news..and cheap to report on.. They just assign people to clip articles and then they weave them together to scare you...just before dinner..:(

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

ikojo

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 06:02 PM
Response to Original message

3. It appeals to the baby boomer demographic

they covet for the advertisers.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Frederic Bastiat

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 06:10 PM
Response to Original message

4. Obesity is at epidemic proportions in the U.S

Someone has got to get the word out!

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

jpgray

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 06:13 PM
Response to Original message

5. I'll answer you after all these Pfizer ads, when the news comes back on

Hey wait a minute. :D

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

WilliamPitt

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 06:16 PM
Response to Original message

6. What are all the commercials for?

Pills, for Boomer-age people. NBC News' advertising revenues come from the pharmaceutical industry, so they cater the news to them. I've got what? Wow, good thing that commercial with the cure for what I have was just on.

NBC is owned by General Electric. Other General Electric businesses:

GE Aircraft Engines
GE Commercial Finance
GE Consumer Products
GE Industrial Systems
GE Insurance
GE Medical Systems
GE Plastics
GE Power Systems
GE Specialty Materials
GE Transportation Systems

http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/ge.asp

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

nadinbrzezinski

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 06:32 PM
Response to Original message

7. Bowling for Columbine, there your answer

one more thing to be afraid off

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

lostnfound

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 09:24 PM
Response to Original message

8. A lot of it is no-cost, pre-packaged "news" (aka advertising) by PR firms

Edited on Wed May-26-04 09:30 PM by lostnfound

made to LOOK like the news. "Video News Releases" or VNRs. http://www.freepress.net/news/article.php?id=1553

There's a video John Stauber did about it. Ad firms pay some authoritative figure -- a university professor or researcher, for example -- to give a report on the anticancer properties of blueberries, for example. They package it as a "news segment" but really it's paid for by the blueberry growers council.

Your Health can be improved by..
drinking wine
eating certain foods
taking certain vitamins
etc..

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

lostnfound

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 09:31 PM
Response to Reply #8

10. More on video news releases

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Video_news_releases

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

seabeyond

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 09:29 PM
Response to Original message

9. because it is our responsibility to make sure all stay healthy

Edited on Wed May-26-04 09:30 PM by seabeyond

clone us now. my 6 year old came in to tell me women have two different heart health issues. and there is a distinct woman and a man heart disease. told him i would have to look into it. keep us fearful at all times, if not the terrorism right, then health, left. but then there would be some on this board this is their job for all the idiots that dont follow their directives.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

LizW

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed May-26-04 09:39 PM
Response to Original message

11. It kills me when the local affiliates tailor their "news" stories

to their network programming. The Fox station is doing it right now. They haven't stopped talking about American Idol yet. They have local reporters all over the US getting reaction.

The lead story on our CBS local news at 10 is ALWAYS a missing person story on Thursdays. Sometimes it's a 20 year-old story, but Thursday just happens to be the night the drama "Without a Trace" airs, dealing with missing persons.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Thu May 09th 2024, 04:21 AM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.