Television – Doug's Views

February 20, 2017April 18, 2020

Presenting Milo Yiannopoulos As A No-Talent Clown Doesn’t Work If You Don’t Actually Do It

Bill Maher and Milo Yiannopoulos on ‘Real Time’ 02/17/2017

Milo Yiannopoulos is an Internet troll who gained ‘fame’ for being a gay Howard Stern. He has many fascist fan boys and men’s rights cry babies in a swoon because he says nasty things about minorities. He has had several appearances at colleges shut down due to protests or security fears. Milo Yiannopoulos is a no-talent clown but to tell liberals to not worry doesn’t work since another no-talent clown was put in the White House.

Yiannopoulos had the biggest stage of his short career when he was booked as a guest on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday night. Maher doesn’t like it when liberals refuse to give a platform to trolls like Yiannopoulos. Maher claims to support free speech.

September 8, 2016April 18, 2020

Political Horse Race Reporting Is Hurting Democracy

Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail

I hate watching election news on TV or reading it in certain publications. It makes me angry. In a futile quest to make elections interesting, the drummed up fake balance reporting is in fact hurting our democracy.

From Media Matters:

August 17, 2016April 18, 2020

Morning Show Host Misses The Point On Journalism During Elections

Morning show host Robin Roberts talking about journalism

One thing that grinds my gears every election season is the lack of effort from the members of the national journalist class. Basically most of them turn into stenographers – just repeating what political people tell them. Robin Roberts, a morning show host who thinks she is a journalist, knows what her job should be but misses the point of what it is suppose to do.

Summer repeats of TV shows are a nice time to come across things like an interview with Good Morning America host Robin Roberts on the Ellen DeGeneres show from back in February. She is asked about the 2016 Presidential election:

September 19, 2015April 18, 2020

Toledo TV Stations Pimp Popepalooza In Philadelphia

Northwest Ohio has a large Catholic population and at least two of the Toledo TV stations fall over each other promoting the Church and their events. Most of the time it seems like they act like PR agencies rather than news reporters. Both stations plan extensive coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia. Those plans made me wonder who was paying for it.

Next week the Pope is visiting the US with time spent at the World Meeting of Families Congress in Philadelphia and WTOL and WTVG are planning on having full news crews traveling with Toledo area families going to the event. WTOL also had a 2 part sit-down interview with the Archbishop of Toledo and it was so fluffy my teeth hurt from the sugar.

November 27, 2014April 18, 2020

Where Did My Thanksgiving Parade Go?

Jack Lord hosting the Aloha Floral Parade in 1979 on CBS

So I got up earlier than usual on Thanksgiving morning specifically to watch the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I turn on the TV to watch but where is the parade? It is suppose to be on two networks and I see bits of the parade in the background but the hosts act like they are somewhere other than a parade. When did the Macy’s parade become just an advertising vehicle for NBC and CBS? Where did my Thanksgiving Parade go?

Watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade was a ritual growing up. It would be on at Grandma’s house as we kids tried to pass the time before we could eat. We would sneak cheese from the cheese plate as we watched the floats and balloons go by.