Seriously Missing

By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/23/2005

For the past few weeks with hundreds of people being killed in Iraq, the “nuclear-option” threat from Republicans on judicial nominations, and an uncertain world economy, NBC's “news” magazine Dateline has chosen to focus on snake-handling religious sects, visions, revelations and other mystical religious subjects.

Why? Because the network needs to boost its ratings fortunes and it is sweeps and the show leads into a miniseries, Revelations. Or at least that's what it looks like from here.

NBC points out that it has some serious news specials in the works, including a Tom Brokaw take on global terrorism and a hidden-camera report working condictions in Bangladesh, but admits it would be “a missed opportunity on many levels not to take advantage of the time period” and the Revelations lead-out opportunity.

OK, but we are still troubled by the escalating trend toward prime time news that flacks for other entertainment programming and by story choices driven by synergy rather than news.