In Search of Responsible Broadcasting Pt.1

October 16, 2008

By Dr. Rus

Whatever happened to responsible broadcasting?

There was a time when broadcasters were looked up to. A time when everyone wanted to meet the radio announcer or TV personality. A time when you knew they were truly giving you, the listener, information you could use. Unbiased information with no agenda of swaying you one way or another. I remember meeting my first radio announcer. It was with a sense of awe and intrigue as I suddenly watched the voice behind the microphone, spinning the tunes and talking during a gas station remote. The guy I listened to playing the Top 40 Rock n Roll every night, suddenly came to life right before my eyes.

The first announcer I saw inspired me to become an announcer myself. The second announcer I met, inspired me to do a good job, and have fun while doing it.

Many broadcasters have influenced me through the years, and there’s really too many to name. But a few that do come to mind are people such as John Henderson, the Program Director who decided to hire a 17 year old as a weekend board operator. Randy Quinn, the evening rock and roll DJ that said, “Just have fun.” Peter Thompson, who constantly reminded me that “It ain’t brain surgery. Be honest, be true to yourself, and be true to the listener.” And Paul Laing who let me board op for him night after night to learn how to mix music.

In my college days, professors such as Brian Onley and Larry Glover jump to mind. They taught me the craft of broadcasting. The late Larry Glover, who worked during the heyday of the CBC in Canada, taught me things to say, and not say. I still remember his class of “You don’t say” aspects of radio.

Those were the men who taught not only broadcasting, but responsible broadcasting. Where are they now? Or maybe a better question is…

Does anyone today really know what responsible broadcasting means?

These days producers are more concerned about entertainment than anything else. True news media outlets are few and far between. Instead, it’s all about looks and fluff. Case in point, when CBS decided to hire Katie Couric as the anchor of the evening news.

Dan Rather probably put it best when he commented on the Couric hire saying — “Stop tarting up the news.”

It’s all about ratings, and the sad state of news broadcasting has producers scrambling to do anything they can to tart up the news. Of course we all know how much of a ratings bomb the Couric decision has been for CBS. The sad thing is, they’re into a big money contract and Couric, even though she knows she’s pretty much a joke in the news business, stays put.

Gone are the days of responsible broadcasting. We find ourselves on the slippery slope of a news starved nation, scrambling for news anywhere they can find it. Instead of depending on recognized news media outlets, many turn to the instant gratification world of Internet news. However, that opens up another world of issues and problems. But then again, who can blame the news consumer for turning to the Internet. It’s a true sign of the times that usual news media outlets are no longer trusted.

In the next few posts I’ll cover a wide range of topics when it comes to the Search For Responsible Broadcasting. I’ll look at things like;