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You are here: Home / Politics / Media / Predictability

Predictability

by Michael D.|  November 12, 20075:10 pm| 34 Comments

This post is in: Media, Popular Culture

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Whenever I watch certain news broadcasts, I just know what the main topic is going to be for the night. For example: Tonight, on Lou Dobbs, we’ll take a look at the socio-ethnocentrists (Read: Mexicans) who are trying to blah, blah, blah…”

I actually liked Lou Dobbs before he realized Hispanic people were ratings gold! Of course, I used to hate Jack Cafferty. But there ya go. Leave your own examples in the comments. There’s gotta be plenty.

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34Comments

  1. 1.

    softwareNerd

    November 12, 2007 at 5:34 pm

    There used to be a time when Dobbs was a cut above the other business shows. More measured, where they were focus on the rise or drop of the day. I think he learnbt, from O’Reilly and the rest, that strong opinion sells. I can’t stomach the show anymore, and it’s put me off CNN too; but, I assume the ratings must be good.

    Most of the commentators are predictable in the stance they’ll take on an issue; but nobody beat Dobbs in being predictable about the issue he will choose for the day.

  2. 2.

    scarshapedstar

    November 12, 2007 at 5:35 pm

    Glenn Beck: So-and-so says I’m a racist and an asshole. C’mon! I’m just a lovable rabble rouser! My sky-high ratings prove it!

  3. 3.

    Punchy

    November 12, 2007 at 5:40 pm

    When I watch Hannity, I can predict the topic will be Teh Stoopid.

    When I watch ESPN and Steven A. Smith, I can predict the topic will be some angry outrage over nothing

    When I watch Man V. Wild, I can predict that, based on some of the just unpossible camera shots, there’s just no way they didn’t plan these angles and views ahead of time, making its credibility zero.

    When I accidently turn on the Howie Mandel game show thang, I can predict rampant thoughts of suicide and/or TV destruction.

  4. 4.

    scarshapedstar

    November 12, 2007 at 5:48 pm

    Ooh, the Situation Room!

    Wolf Blitzer: And now we’re going to interrupt the Democratic primary debate again with an important message from President Bush, who’s promised us several bold new initiatives in his first of many “Sprint To The Finish” addresses..

    Bush: My fellow Americans, I know that some folks say there ought not be freedom. I. Strongly. Disagree. In other words, the American people understand that there’s gotta — it’s important for people to be free. But the Democrat Congress decided this week that the Iraqi people, uh, maybe they want to have their freedoms taken away by an Iran that threatens the world with nucular… (etc, etc)

    Wolf Blitzer: Well, those were certainly some strong words from President Bush. Let’s go now to Democratic strategist Howie Klein. Howie, what did you think of President Bush’s speech?

    Howie Klein: Well, Bush is definitely playing offense, and the Democrats really need to work on getting their message out there that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make a bipartisan consensus with President Bush.

    Wolf Blitzer: I agree. The Democrats just aren’t very good at getting their faces out there in the media. Now we go to Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut…

  5. 5.

    cleek

    November 12, 2007 at 5:57 pm

    hey, no fair, sss raised the bar too high!

  6. 6.

    D-Chance.

    November 12, 2007 at 6:12 pm

    Punchy Says:
    When I watch ESPN and Steven A. Smith, I can predict the topic will be some angry outrage over nothing

    And he’ll do so with that over-the-top, Howard… Cossell… Voice… Pattern (volume level 8.5)!

    When I watch Man V. Wild, I can predict that, based on some of the just unpossible camera shots, there’s just no way they didn’t plan these angles and views ahead of time, making its credibility zero.

    Or, if it’s Survivorman, I can predict that if he’s near any body of water, he’ll try to create a fishhook… and yet never catch a single fish. Some survivor, by the end of his seven days in the wilderness, he’s usually gone seven days without eating.

  7. 7.

    maxbaer (not the original)

    November 12, 2007 at 6:12 pm

    If it’s examples of pundits, etc whom we have changed opinion on… When I was much younger, I hated Charlie Reese. I now read his column frequently at Lew Rockwell and enjoy it immensely. It’s great that he became more sensible.

  8. 8.

    scarshapedstar

    November 12, 2007 at 6:18 pm

    Er – Howie Kurtz, not Howie Klein. Howie Klein is OK in my book.

  9. 9.

    Teak111

    November 12, 2007 at 6:20 pm

    Law and order, McCoy wins again
    Football, NE wins again
    Myth Busters, something will blowup again
    Everybody Love Raymond, Ray is an idiot again
    CBS Evening News- Katie is soo cute, again
    Oberman, over intectualization of politics, again
    Flip that House, wall patch and paint makes you 75K again
    The Wire, when is String going to pop Avon!
    Can’t stand one second of fox or CNN, or, Horror of all horrors, Glenn Beck or that Nancy chick.

  10. 10.

    SenderC

    November 12, 2007 at 6:23 pm

    When I accidently turn on the Howie Mandel game show thang, I can predict rampant thoughts of suicide and/or TV destruction.

    My mother-in-law loves that show, so I see it every so often. I get angry and start yelling about probabilities, greed and magical thinking.

    Sometimes I think ESPN hired Stephen A. Smith to lessen the pain of watching Stu Scott. They’re both such phonies, they make Beano Cook look hip.

  11. 11.

    caustics

    November 12, 2007 at 6:33 pm

    Dobbs, Cafferty, Beck – whatever. CNN is crap lately. Who cares.
    My personal take(hope) on this political wrangling over immigration and “teh border integrity” is that it will ultimately be remembered as the Little Wedge Issue That Died.

  12. 12.

    Ted

    November 12, 2007 at 6:36 pm

    Well, Matthews never fails to bring the “HAH!!” and the sexism. If the story’s about Hillary, Matthews will work in the ‘shrill’ and ‘horrible nag’ angle somehow.

    On the flipside, I actually like Pat Buchanan’s work on MSNBC now. He keeps the crazy under tight wraps most of the time, and provides surprisingly unbiased horse-race type of political analysis. I would never have predicted it.

  13. 13.

    Ted

    November 12, 2007 at 6:43 pm

    Howie Kurtz

    That guy’s hilarious. He has his once-a-week half hour show on CNN, and he hosts it like it’s his golden prized possession. While doing so, he interviews blogging luminaries; such as the lovely and dainty Charles Johnson, the pleasant and charming Ms. Malkin, and the mechanical and glennocidal Glenn Reynolds. Sometimes he even has on John Cole’s favorite blogger Dan Riehl!! ;)

  14. 14.

    Grace Nearing

    November 12, 2007 at 6:45 pm

    I remember way back when Lou Dobbs’ hour-long program was about business. Then he discovered MEXICANS! I remember when Neil Cavuto focused on business, and then his show morphed and started to cover whatever slop is deemed important at FOX tht day. You can’t get a single unadorned piece of info out of Kudler (constantly shooting his cuffs) or Cramer (talk about bells and whistles!)or Maria (fold it like a man!) Bartalamino (sp?). My point is that none of the cable news shows has any calm, methodical, and systematic coverage of business, and I suppose there’s a reason for it. Which is why I am now turning to the English-language versions of Bulgarian news dailies for my business news.

  15. 15.

    JasonC

    November 12, 2007 at 7:04 pm

    O’Reilly: Far left hate group Media Matters is after me again… blah, blah… left-wing extremists Moveon.org is at it again, folks.. George Soros is trying to have me killed…

  16. 16.

    Demdude

    November 12, 2007 at 7:06 pm

    Joe Scarborough. Every once in a while he goes off the reservation, but most of the time he’s your basic wingnut.

    This morning he and his crew (a collection of folks with the depth of a small soap dish) were discussing the Valerie Plame Affair. Typical uniformed discussion with nothing but wingnut talking points.

    I agree about Buchanan. He comes off as fairly reasonable. (Unless you bring up teh gays or Jews.)

  17. 17.

    Chuck Butcher

    November 12, 2007 at 7:10 pm

    Hannity and Colmes – insanity opposed by blandness

  18. 18.

    Ted

    November 12, 2007 at 7:20 pm

    O’Reilly: Far left hate group Media Matters is after me again…

    It’s truly awesome the way wingnuts hate that website. Quoting them when they say something…interesting…providing context in the form of transcripts, videos, and audio, it truly enrages them. I’ve never seen so much anger directed to a site that’s 90% comprised of simply quoting people. It’s like O’Reilly feels he has a guaranteed right that what he says ‘privately’ to his own radio show audience should not be allowed to be repeated to anyone else.

  19. 19.

    The Other Steve

    November 12, 2007 at 7:23 pm

    For comedy gold, you need to read Ann Althouse this week. :-)

  20. 20.

    UnkyT

    November 12, 2007 at 7:23 pm

    A Tim F post with a commenter mistakingly accusing John of writing it. Then John trying clearing it up, then someone else makes the same mistake, John chimes in again etc, etc. But it doesn’t matter because at the least John is guilty by association, especially now that he is a dem.

  21. 21.

    Dreggas

    November 12, 2007 at 7:27 pm

    I hate bush even more now does that count?

  22. 22.

    HyperIon

    November 12, 2007 at 7:33 pm

    Or, if it’s Survivorman, I can predict that if he’s near any body of water, he’ll try to create a fishhook… and yet never catch a single fish. Some survivor, by the end of his seven days in the wilderness, he’s usually gone seven days without eating.

    but at least it’s authentic whereas that prissy Wild guy is bogus in the extreme. besides Survivorman is a very nice canadian fellow who does not need a film crew. and he does occasionally catch *something* (but never a fish) whereas Wild just suddenly turns up with a dead rabbit or bird. provided by his entourage.

  23. 23.

    Dreggas

    November 12, 2007 at 7:38 pm

    but at least it’s authentic whereas that prissy Wild guy is bogus in the extreme. besides Survivorman is a very nice canadian fellow who does not need a film crew. and he does occasionally catch something (but never a fish) whereas Wild just suddenly turns up with a dead rabbit or bird. provided by his entourage.

    Wasn’t that guy caught staying in a Hotel when he was supposed to be going “vs Wild” or was that some other show?

  24. 24.

    Ted

    November 12, 2007 at 7:39 pm

    I hate bush even more now does that count?

    Along those lines, these pictures are both touching and enraging to me. Touching in that I hope the event brightens their day, enraging because I can’t believe the man has the balls to go down there and face them at all. I wouldn’t, if I were him. I guess he’s got a completely solid rationalization for it all, in his mind at least.

  25. 25.

    Dreggas

    November 12, 2007 at 7:46 pm

    Ted Says:

    I hate bush even more now does that count?

    Along those lines, these pictures are both touching and enraging to me. Touching in that I hope the event brightens their day, enraging because I can’t believe the man has the balls to go down there and face them at all. I wouldn’t, if I were him. I guess he’s got a completely solid rationalization for it all, in his mind at least.

    What pisses me off about this even more, he went to this sandwiched between two fundraisers, one for that asshat cornyn and another for the Texas GOP. If that wasn’t enough I bet he did this, not just as a photo-op, but because he was able to write off a good portion of the trip to the taxpayer and didn’t have to charge the fund raisers much, In other worse they got to keep more money.

  26. 26.

    incontrolados

    November 12, 2007 at 8:22 pm

    I completely second TOS about reading Althouse — I almost can’t look away. She the most self- engrossed person I’ve ever come across.

    The thing about Bush coming down here and Cornyn et al not having to pay for it reminded me of what I read about Molly Ivins’ posthumous book. What they did is no different from all of those townhall meetings Bush had the government pay for, but then wouldn’t let just anybody in.

  27. 27.

    The Other Steve

    November 12, 2007 at 10:44 pm

    Who on earth can write prose better than Althouse?

    I’m trying to put on a necklace and to fend off a tsunami of possibly doughy Clinton sycophants.

  28. 28.

    Jeffrey Kramer

    November 12, 2007 at 11:11 pm

    Re: changed minds, I’m so old I remember when Jeff Greenfield was a smart and funny commentator.

  29. 29.

    OxyCon

    November 12, 2007 at 11:17 pm

    I used to be a big Dobbs viewer, but I can’t stand watching him any longer. Ever since he came back from getting his tonsils taken out, it seems as though the only reason to tune in to his show is to see whether or not he dies on air from either a stroke, heart attack or grand mal.

  30. 30.

    Pooh

    November 13, 2007 at 12:42 am

    I feel that every post on Althouse’s blog slightly but perceptibly devalues my JD, and I went to school in the next state over…

  31. 31.

    heywood jablomy

    November 13, 2007 at 4:25 am

    Olbermann: “In tonight’s sputtering, overwrought Special Commentaty: Is Resident Bush dumb or just stupid? Neither! Your are Satan, Sir. Satan.”

    And I really miss the crikey guy. He was always good for a few crikeys

  32. 32.

    kim

    November 13, 2007 at 10:31 am

    Only those with extreme positions garner good ratings in the cable wars. That is why a show like Bill’o’s is the ratings king, Olbermann follows, and CNN brings up the rear.

    Hardball used to be hardhitting, but now Matthews is reduced to daily anti-Hillary rants, which are monotonous and unbalanced (he’s been waxing on and on about her gaffe in the last debate for 2 weeks!) I’m wondering if MSNBC muzzled him after he got too close to the VP’s role in the Valerie Plame scandal??? Cheney did complain to the network about him, and ever since he’s talked about little but the ’08 race.

    Tucker is a predictable nutcase- selectively enforcing his libertarian views to excuse misdeeds by Larry Craig and David Vitter, while lambasting Bill Clinton for HIS past misdeeds. At least he’s at the bottom of the ratings heap.

    Hannity and Colmes has been reduced to liberal bashing tempered by a timid defense by Colmes. The guests are usually flaming right wingers like Newt, Ann C, and Michelle Malkin, and Hannity seems to pick all of the topics. Still, its fun to see Colmes deflate egotistical zealots from time to time.

  33. 33.

    Evinfuilt

    November 13, 2007 at 11:31 am

    Or, if it’s Survivorman, I can predict that if he’s near any body of water, he’ll try to create a fishhook… and yet never catch a single fish. Some survivor, by the end of his seven days in the wilderness, he’s usually gone seven days without eating.

    Which is realistic :) At least he doesn’t mind eating raw sea weed. And when he does catch something, it usaully looks nice and tasty (outside of the scorpion kabobs.)

    Man vs Wild is all about grossing you out. Sometimes he does stuff like you should, the rest of the time he’s just doing stuff to make you go ewww, or WTF!! Why would you jump into a mud pool, again. How many times has he purposefully jumped into mud, just to show you how to get out. Come on.

    Oh, and the episode 1 where he was supposed to be sleeping in an Ice Cave, but instead was in a cabin/chateu. Or the Mexico episode where he conviently runs into the natives, who were in fact guiding his entire journey since jumping in.

    At least, he’s taken the criticsim/flak for all the staged incidents and works with it. Last weeks Sahara episode he confronts a cobra and comes right out and says “You’ll rarely run into one of these, so we flew this one here for this.” So finnally Man vs Wild is becoming, dealing with wild (in a preset environment.) Still hearing how his camera crew were dropping like flies from heat exhaustion gets the point across, its hot. But the whole hour he never runs across a major source of water, but is getting by (ie, his crew is helping him on the water this time.)

    And if we have to see him piss on his t-shirt again, or drink it… ewww

    Survivorman, lost at sea episode, one of my favorites :) Then his last episode abandoned on a lush beach, that he didn’t want to escape from.

    Compare that to Man Vs Wild stranded on an island, then escaping on a boat just to jump in the water with sharks around (and yes, he pee’d himself.)

  34. 34.

    montysano

    November 13, 2007 at 1:47 pm

    Tucker Carlson: “Tonight, we’ll have a substantive debate about pressing issues, but you won’t notice because there’s just something about me that makes you want to punch holes in the wall.”

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