I love watching the local nightly newscasts but thank goodness we have 3 channels to choose from at 5 & 11. There are certain news stories I TUNE OUT, meaning I will switch the channel to another newscast. My TUNE OUTS are:

Political Campaigns [They're just ads.]
The President [Pro or Con report, I don't care.]
Series Show Hype [More ads.]
The Current War [Never was for it.]
Sports [At least they bury it at the end.]
Soldiers Killed [SO SAD, I can't handle it.]
Weather [It better be interesting or I'm gone.]

What do You TUNE OUT?

Craig, great thread! I agree with most of your list, but I do sit riveted on stories of our local troops and watch the names of the soldiers who have fallen. My stomach tightens, I get angry, and I vow to never forget them.

Here are my tune-outs:

Anything that was obviously produced or written by/or for a sponsor. (e.g. the endless Krispy Kreme hype, a visit to a new spa, etc.)

Anything having to do with a celebrity except charity or death. (and only if the celebrity is/was incredibly talented)

Anything pretending to be a breakthrough tied to information about a great new medicine. (see my first rule)

Anything referencing another show on the network. (unless it is a news program)

Anything that is not locally focused. (there is a national news program for that)

Anything that is an obviously canned evergreen story. (big red flapping lazy flag)

There is absolutely no such thing as a slow news day -- just a slow news department.

Two words that describe what I tune out;

Katie Couric

tune outs:

celeb news.

bystander's opinions.

neighbors' commentary.

anchors passing judgement (shaking their heads)

stories about materialist things.



I tune in to:

political news

war news

bush news

major world news

Skep: Good thing we don't share the same remote!

I will tune in to any story about chemtrails!

Yeh! When was the last time you remember Chemtrails being on the 5 O'Clock News?

NEVER!

I tune out:

"Meth Watch"

"Now let's go live to the courthouse/scene/West Hills..."

"Dirty Dining"

Any story that involves a first-person POV steadicam tracking shot - especially through the bushes surrounding the crime scene.

A live report from an empty parking lot or field where something happened hours or days ago -- a frequent sight on Eugene newscasts.

Something happened in Eugene?

I don't even watch TV news anymore. I've set up my my.yahoo.com page as a news reader, get RSS feeds from a bunch of places, and can scan what I'm interested in anytime I want, in whatever depth I have time for.

Now, when I'm channel surfing and pass by the bimbos and himbos who read teleprompters, I can't imagine spending a half-hour listening to some folks tell me what they think is important.

I'm wondering, with all those "tune outs", what do you really "tune in" to? That's about 98% of the news content you all described.

I tune out the following:
anything that includes a mug shot.
any mention of "watch".
"sting" type stories, like the predator stuff.
weather anywhere else but here.
Britney "news"
Paris Hilton "news"

How about those incessant teases of a story coming up "next". It rarely is "next", and usually you've seen most of the whole story in the tease anyway.

How about "next" when it is something very important and time sensitive, like a missing child, or fugitive in a neighborhood, or a big chemical spill? Sure, I can keep my eyes peeled, wait with my baseball bat and hold my breath through another break. No, go right ahead, do what you need to do. Most television news is so pathetic, it is almost comedy.

We will talk for three minutes about the dangers of drugs, then our sponsors will talk for three minutes about the benefits of drugs, then we will talk for another three minutes about a dangerous drug recall, then our sponsors will talk for three minutes about a very similar product from a competing company.

*click*

Littlesongs observed:

>>We will talk for three minutes about the dangers of drugs, then our sponsors will talk for three minutes about the benefits of drugs, then we will talk for another three minutes about a dangerous drug recall, then our sponsors will talk for three minutes about a very similar product from a competing company. <<

Beautifully put. Sad but true.

I very rarely watch news on TV. However, I will watch the Weather Channel from time to time, mostly for Local on the 8's.

If I really want to watch, it's usually channel 8 - KGW. Very occasionally, I will watch Democracy Now, which is on one of the access channels. But usually, if I decide to listen to Dem Now, it's either KPSU (who broadcasts it every morning at 9 a.m.) or I go to the website.

I usually read the paper.

I cannot STAND Katie Couric. Never could.

I LOVE watching "Predator Stings". What a bunch of LOOSERS!

I usually tune out when any of the following come on:
* The Nth story about car wrecks
* The Nth story about drugs
* The Nth story about any event that doesn't seem to contain newer information than previously reported stories
* Sports
* Human interest stories that aren't that interesting, especially those that contain information that I could not conceivably use in any way

Warner, that's it exactly! I've not watched a newscast in quite a while. When I do, it's just on and I happen to be there.

Fox "News"?

Yeah I agree the predator stings are awesome! Love those. I also love the dirty dinings.

I quit eating at a place because of Dirty Dining.

Me too. The Republic. Nope. Never again.

I had to quit eating at the Peking Moon and now I can't even listen to "Cat's in the Cradle" anymore either!
http://www.superlaugh.com/1/chowmein.swf

One thing about fast food chains is that the stores are relatively clean (franchisees HAVE to keep em clean or Ray Kroc will pull their franchise!).

Want to be a part-time solution to the television wasteland?

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/tfr/326858315.html

I hear it's hard to keep your nuts working for Fisher. :o)

I prefer the raw and unsalted varieties.

"Ray Kroc will pull their franchise!"

Neat trick, as Mr. Kroc passed away in 1984!

Through the magic of TV, Orville Redenbacher is back; so Mr. Kroc, Mr. Walton, Mr. Ed or Wendy's Dad might not be far behind.

That would be Dave.