Springer Saga Is Wake-Up Call

Regarding the rebellion by WMAQ-TV news anchor Carol Marin over the Chicago station’s hiring of syndicated talk-show host Jerry Springer as a commentator (“A Line Is Drawn in TV Newsroom,” Calendar, May 3):

In itself, this widely publicized affair is not terribly important. But it could turn out to be a rather valuable and potent eye-opener for the broadcast journalism industry here in Los Angeles, as well as everywhere. It matters little that Springer, seemingly stunned by the publicity over his new post, changed his mind about staying with the NBC affiliate to air his views--as he has in Cincinnati for some time--on favorite subjects such as incest, infidelity and prostitution. What this incident reveals is that television news has reached a new low, even for television news. Just watch the Springer show one time and see what I mean.

Since many people don’t read so much anymore--especially the younger folks--and depend heavily on radio and TV for their “news,” the ultimate and predictable effect has been a worsening of our culture and quality of life.

Run a test on a bunch of 15- to 20-year-olds, and I’ll bet you’ll find that maybe 1 out of 10--if you’re lucky--will know anything much about President Clinton’s Mexican trip; about NAFTA’s effects on employment on either side of the border; about the dramatic changes that are taking place in Asia and how economic power is shifting across the Pacific Rim; about how England is about to change under the new Labor Party government or, for that matter, about any of the day’s major developments in Washington.

Why? Because television news, at the local level, is dominated by a flood of reports--early evening as well as late--emphasizing drive-by shootings, auto accidents, men kidnapping their biological children from the clutches of straying ex-wives (or the opposite) and Hollywood sex stories. So what if Eddie Murphy decides to pick up a prostitute and drive him/her home? Who cares about the freeway chases of druggies and drunks?

Or all the latest, unproved cancer cures. Or stray dogs and cats.

Or weight-reducing plans that don’t work.

Or scenes from the umpteenth disaster movie.

So much garbage. So much garbage.

I highly commend Marin for quitting her highly prestigious and well-paid job over the hiring of an obnoxious talk-show host by her news management.

Perhaps some good will come out of this. Perhaps TV and radio managements will be more careful when it comes to hitching valuable news time to the likes of a Springer. Wouldn’t it be great if some high-level broadcast executive would threaten to quit unless he or she were permitted to make some newsroom policy changes that would benefit our damaged society? And as any intelligent professional broadcast journalist will tell you, you can do that without being dull. There is a hunger for knowledge and improvement out there--and that hunger can be satisfied with interesting reporting and news production.

In my years in local radio and TV, I was often ashamed of our product, of our promotion tactics and our lack of commitment to upgrading our audience’s level of knowledge and well-being.

The sleazy talk shows that preceded or followed our newscasts were just as disgusting. And it wasn’t just the Springers. Oprah and Geraldo are often not much better, despite efforts by their public relations people to make them seem more substantial.

It should be noted that I used to say in my film reviews that there is really no such thing as a bad movie. There are only bad audiences who buy into such garbage, week after week. And the same is true for television and radio news programs.

The profit motive governs everything.

And no one seems to care about our kids and how they’re affected by this flood of effluent.

We’ll reap what we sow. Garbage in, garbage out. And not just in the computers. It’s in those young minds, too.