Broadcast news will increasingly integrate a political perspective into its programming.
It must be an epiphany! But I've come to the conclusion that in no large part due to the Internet people will continue to seek out news which integrates their political perspective. I came to this conclusion recently after reading this statement from CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves who was angered by former CBS anchor Dan Rather's comments about CBS choosing Katie Couric as anchor of the broadcast.
Moonves said he "absolutely" had confidence in Couric and the direction that CBS's evening was going, saying it was imperative to reach younger audiences. Evening news broadcasts couldn't continue to have audiences that are mainly over 60, Moonves said, otherwise "the evening news will die.
I don't think the evening news or for that matter "any news" would necessarily die if it catered only to a "60 year" or older audience. Actually, what's happening to news dissemination today is that the news "audience" is seeking out news that conforms to "it's political perspective."
How many Daily Kos readers watch the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric?? How many "over sixty" Kaily Kos readers watch the CBS evening news with Katie Couric??
I would bet it's a minority. Broadcast news needs to recognize now more than ever, that the diet for news and information has become increasingly fragmented and those with a hunger for daily news and information will seek out their sources who share their political viewpoint.
If CBS broadcast wants to cater to a younger audience because it thinks that this is where the future of the news market lies, then it needs to integrate a much more "liberal" perspective into its broadcasts.