Evolution of News

 I grew up in a rural area in the 1960s/1970s.  For decades prior to that period....you got your news via the local newspaper, maybe an occasional Nashville paper, and the regional AM stations.  Total content?  In a full day....maybe 30 minutes of value.

For my era?  You had three network news groups (ABC, NBC, and CBS).  We were mostly a NBC-user.  Besides the local radio station....on a good night, you could get Nashville and St Louis radio news.  Time, Newsweek, and a couple of oddball news magazines...would drift occasionally into the house.  Total content?  Maybe between 30 and 60 minutes.  

As I left for the real world....I had two sources of news in my first two years of military life in Germany....AFN-TV/Radio  and Stars and Stripes.  The S/S crew gave you just enough material to read through in 20 minutes.  

1990s?  Things evolved.  You now had talk-radio, NPR, CNN and by 2000.....you had various internet sources trying to cut into the TV news pattern.

Since 2010....more evolution.

If I measured things today?   Via Fox, CNN or the TV empire folks....there's probably less than 20 minutes of a week that I give them.  I watch various TV news from the UK and Germany.  

Podcasts?  I can add up a typical week and admit that I watch information pieces or hear conversational discussions....adding up to 20 hours a week now.  

Me engaging into muting?  Yeah, there's various talks or topics that once I hear who the guest is, or the path of the 'talk'....I'll hit mute without much thought. 

If you asked where things are going?  I'd question how the NY Times, WaPo, Newsweek, Time or CNN folks survive in the next five years.  Local TV news?  If the Chevy/Ford/Toyota/GM folks sink because of slowing sales....the primary folks who pay for the local nightly news will go away.

My skeptical views?  It's double what it was a decade ago.  There's forty-politicians (from both parties) that I mute on a regular basis.  I don't really want to hear their message or BS.  There are governors now....that I have zero respect for and mute without much discussion.

Just news alone?  No....sports reviews/news have fallen into the same spiral.  

Twitter having caused some of this evolution?  Oh, there was tons of contributing factors way before Twitter came along.  

The odd thing to really consider....the evolution was fairly slow and moderate through each decade.  In the past five years?  I'd now say that evolution of news is at  pace where we will see AI creating/writing half of the news within five years.  If you wanted a particular brand/message or theme....you will be able to sign up for some service where you get the right voice, the right words, and the type of news you would accept.

Paul Harvey-2030 brand is likely to be re-created, compliments of AI.

I'm not saying things will be better....just more evolution. 

Note: My top twenty-odd podcasts?

- Danny Jones (lot of crazy interviews, some science stuff)

- Soft White Underbelly (interviews with people who've fallen into the dark pits of life)

- I Allegedly (lot of economic, banking and commerce news)

- Girl With The Dogs (for some reason, I like watching her wash/groom dogs)

- Royal Rogue (mostly anti-Prince Harry stuff)

- Robert Sepehr (history stuff)

- Valuetainment Clips (lot of commerce, business chatter)

- Metal Leo (does walks around SF and shows decline)

- Joe Blogs (economic analysis)

- A Word on Westerns (Cowboy movie talks)

- Sepentza (blunt China discussions)

- Godfrey Bloom Official (business chatter over UK)

- Zeihan on Geopolitics (business and stability analyst)

- Uneducated Economist (talks a good bit over US economy)

- Matt Walsh

- Trigonometry (two Brit comedians who take on serious topics)

- The Randall Carlson (science stuff, collapse of civilization)

- Voice of North Korea (Yeonomi Park, 1st class analysis of events there)

- Conservative Twins (two black guys who have a mix of humor and politics)

- 1420 (Russian university student who asks questions on the streets of Russia)

- Peter Boghossian (master of debate and reason)

- Lex Clips (Lex Fridman, science stuff)

- Sabbatical (guy on a long journey)

- Brent Pella (California comedian, does a 4-star imitaion of Gov Newsom)

- News for Reasonable People (real estate expert, talks over the decline on the west coast)

- Doctor John Campbell (medical stuff for the normal human being)

- Darkhorse (science, political chatter from a husband-wife duo....very insightful)

- Joe Rogan