Thursday, January 17, 2013

Talking Heads Don't Say Much

This blog is about communication and I usually stay well away from political commentary.  There are plenty of well-paid talking heads to get you all fired up about politics.  And that is exactly my point for today.

As I've said before, the danger of talking about anything political these days is that there is a lot of talking going on with little communication taking place. Sadly, I see that happening again.

All of us should remember that no matter what the topic, the folks on television and radio earn incredible salaries by making sure the ratings stay high. The more controversial and the more outrageous their statements, the more viewers and listeners they attract and, subsequently, the more advertising dollars are generated. Remember - television and radio are businesses.  Making money is what they are supposed to do.

Think everything you hear is the truth? Maybe. Maybe not. You have absolutely no way of knowing how these people vote in the privacy of the voting booth. Talking about issues is their job. They get paid based on how well they do that job and ratings are the measure.  Keeping viewers and listeners emotional about a topic maintains ratings. So, regardless of the topic, no matter how simple the issue, there can be no agreement or compromise from the talking heads because, if that happens, there is nothing to rant about.  Ergo - no viewers or listeners, no big paychecks, no fat bottom line and no gigantic corporate bonuses.

So, as yet another battle rages on our airwaves, please step back long enough to hear what is being said. Some of it is very strange indeed; it makes no sense at all no matter what side of the issue you stand on. 

What we are hearing is not communication. It is noise.

1 comment:

Doug M.Cummings said...

But if it's on the Internet it's true, right? It even says that on TV!