Film @ 11

November is sweeps month in TV land. That's why you don't see any reruns, and newscasts are chock full of sexy stories to make you tune in... So they can charge more for commercials that will usually prompt you to change the channel. It's a vicious cycle, but somebody's making money from it, so they stick to it. Anyway, I found this list of sweeps stories from a stations in California.

"Would you let a registered sex offender into your house? You might without even knowing it!" (Channel 3, KCRA) Are they going to show us the secret handshake to identify them?

"I'm Pallas Hup. This summer I went to prison. No, I wasn't convicted. I was on assignment. Behind the Barbed Wire!" (Channel 13, KOVR) I bet he's going to say that jail is bad. Maybe they'll show him getting raped in the shower. Pixelated of course.

"Cruise Crime! Your safety on the high seas may be highly compromised!"
(Channel 3)
PIRATES! ARRR!!

"What online predators can do to your kids. Tonight at 11!" (Channel 3) I think people are well aware of what predators can do to kids, but thanks for giving rookie pedophiles some ideas!

"Your doctor could be battling a drug or alcohol problem. ... But don't expect anyone to warn you." (Channel 13) Why would I? Is the report going to give me a list of doctors on the pipe?

"Any station can bring you a story about crime. But only KCRA's Crime Tracker can keep you from being a victim." (Channel 3) Are they going to stand outside my car and make sure no one steals the radio? Maybe they should be with the reporter in jail to make sure he doesn't get shanked in the yard.

"The crime scene! The clues! The invasion! Dave Bender tracks killer storms!" (Channel 13) I've suspected those storms all along!

"In five days, we're breaking into one of these homes -- live! Will it be yours?" (Channel 13) Not if you don't want a lawsuit.

"Born again virginity: Why are these 20-somethings giving up sex?"
(Channel 3)
They're ugly.

"A weather pattern that makes you feel sick!" (Channel 13) Ask anyone with sinus problems and allergies... All of them make you sick.

"Never pay taxes again! All you have to do is become your own religion!"
(Channel 13)
OK this one I want to see.

"Your most private information posted on the Internet, all because you ordered a pizza?" (Channel 13) In their defense, it was a very good pizza.

"Uses and potential abuses of nanotechnology." (News10- KXTV's Cristina
Mendonsa)
We are Borg. Resistance is futile.

Men's body image, featuring a bunch of six-pack abs. (Channel 3's Adrienne Bankert) Yeah, thanks for the help.

"Salvation Navy": A reporter poses as a fake charity worker outside Ikea. (Channel 13's Tony Lopez) Been done 50 times in every market. How is giving to a fake charity any different than giving money to the bum on side of the road who needs a dollar to "get back on his feet."

The bottom line, local news stations are up against a wall. Get ratings to sell more ads so the news budget can grow so you can do better reports that will get better ratings to sell even more ads so the news budget can grow even larger and so on... All this while the budget is being cut back and the staff is being cut back and there's another
station that's trying to do the same thing and take your viewers. The
end result is that the viewer gets screwed because the real journalism is left to newspapers and cable outlets which has more time, and money, to delve deeper into topics. How deep can you get when you're looking for mold at the local Moe's Burritos?