The Elm Student Newspaper
Bob Faw discusses future of TV news
Eliot Caroom
NBC correspondent Bob Faw lectured on
network news.
Courtesy of College Relations
National television correspondent Bob Faw began and ended his speech Wednesday, April 18 with harsh words for network television. He admitted pessimism for the future of network news and bashed his own network, NBC.
But this isn't what made his talk, "The Future of Network News," a good one. That was done by his overwhelming candor.Faw, a national correspondent for NBC since 1994, according to the program for his lecture, has covered wars, famines, and racism, and has also won two Emmys. His talk was part of the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs, and took place in the Hynson Lounge of Hodson Hall.
"In my business, everything is for sale," Faw went said. "Now, we're in the business of delivering [not news but] audience. It's an atmosphere so supercharged that [cheap shows] sag in the ratings."
Faw added, "Obsessed with scandal and the cult of personality, we have puffed up and dumbed down everything."
He also noted that in 1975, 75% of Americans reported watching the news in the previous day. In recent years, that number has sunk to 55%. The audience is fragmented now that more options are available than the networks.
A point Faw stressed next was that a frenzied competition for money has led to a reluctance to take the high road in news. Media is losing its autonomy and must increasingly play by the corporate rules.
"News managers are salesmen, not journalists," Faw said. "Television is their only frame of reference. Existence is defined by ratings. Ratings are broken down minute by minute to see what worked in the news cycle."
TV news reporters are now picked for beauty, not brains, and the content is getting more frivolous as well, said Faw. He stipulated that the amount of foreign news has gone down drastically in the last twenty years and government news has decreased in quantity by 24% in the last 23 years.
"There is a bias in network news, but it has nothing to do with ideology; it is for drama," Faw said. "I may be an alarmist, but potential is being squandered."
One of Faw's main complaints about contemporary network news practices is that anchors and correspondents are tested for appeal by audiences who wear electronic sensors on their hands to test their physiological reactions.
According to Faw, the variation in appeal is often a matter of story topic, not anchor.Faw then told a story about a man who goes to his tailor to have his suit adjusted. Each time, the tailor berates him for being lazy and tells him to adjust his posture so the suit hangs on him differently. At the close of the story, the man is walking down the street in contortions, and a friend who sees him remarks, "The suit looks great, but boy does he look horrible."
Faw compared this story to the market-stroking act of network news: "While the role of the trained observer goes down, along with the importance of the written word, we too will be left with something that fits well but is grotesque."
As for advice to those who care about watching intelligent news, Faw said, "Watch what you think is intelligent and keep watching it. Tell them you appreciate it and why. Just support the guys who fight the good fight."
Freshman Christine Garrett enjoyed Faw's lecture. "I thought the lecture was very well-given, in a very articulate and organized manner.
He covered just about everything in the network news. I was very impressed."300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782