Team Coco
1 HN recommender · recommended in 4 months, 2014–2020
2:35 · 2.4M views · Dec 17, 2013
A Conan segment compiling local news anchors who all read the same scripted copy during the holiday season. It highlights how homogenized local broadcast news has become.
Used as the go-to illustration of corporate-owned local newscasts reading identical scripts.
5 comments from Hacker News
The MSM means the stuff every local tv news outlet repeats word for word verbatim: Conan O'Brien has some great segments on this: this video They also do this for serious political stuff, repeating the same phrases over and over again, but posting those video compilations would just invite downvotes.
Reminds me of the old Conan segment that highlighted this behavior. Here are some clips from 2012-2014. Twinkie Trouble [LINK] Could this be the end of email overload? [LINK] I scream, you scream, you know the rest. [LINK] Enjoyed from a desk or the couch. [LINK] You don't need us to tell you that gas prices are back on the rise. [LINK] Economic factors may take some spring out of the Easter Bunny's step this year. [LINK] A child's happiness is priceless, especially on a birthday. [LINK] Mike Myers says "Yeah, Baby." [LINK] It's okay, you can admit it if you've bought an item, or two, or ten for yourself. this video Don't worry, be happy. [LINK] Those with a special someone may look to their mobile device to help them say "I love you." [LINK] Frank Ocean tells a major fast food chain to buzz off, and which celeb peed in a glass jar? [LINK] Is it time for dogs to have a social network of their own? [LINK] The final days of the campaign can get a little salty. [LINK]
Anyone who has been actively listening to the radio or watching local TV broadcasts for the past 10-20 years can probably already attest to the bland homogenization and conspicuous corporate take overs (I immediately think of this video this video it seems like this is the next logical direction for them. Personally I detest this and miss the flavor each city brought to its local media, instead of the same stations playing the same 30 songs repeatedly, but with phone music streaming becoming so popular I cannot see a lot of people being outraged by this.
CNN is in the business of orchestrating local news, though the local station is arguably 'subscribing' to those stories/policies. One of Conan's recurring bits is anchors reading prepackaged scripts.[0]. They're all packages by CNN for local affiliates,[1] one of several similar services (including Fox). [0] this video [1] [LINK]
Reminds me of this Conan O'Brein piece. this video Basically, 100s of local newscasts are all using the exact same script, even on trivial human interest stories where they could improvise.