Kudos to Fox News, because they (Your World with Neil Cavuto) gave venerable Dan Rather eight minutes to elaborate on how he feels about the state of televisions news. Rather had been hammered by CBS honcho Les Moonves for saying that CBS had “tarted up” the Evening News. Rather makes the point several times that his comment had nothing to do with Katie Couric’s gender. This gives me the chance to dig up a draft entry I wrote up a few weeks ago, which I was intending to title “CBS Evening Snooze with Katie Couric”. But I had decided that no one cares about the state of the CBS Evening News. I’ll stick that in here after the video clip. And, yes, I’m well aware of the irony of Fox News airing a discussion of how the line between news and entertainment has been blurred; but give them credit where credit is due.

…

(from the Friday before Memorial Day)

Hmm…I’ll check out the evening news, one of the network news shows, maybe the one with Katie Couric that’s getting such lousy ratings.

Lead story: (paraphrasing) “Word that there’s a vehicle that could save countless American lives in Iraq” (MRAPs)

Gee, sounds like this is breaking news. Too bad I heard about this on NPR a few months ago.

6:37 “And they’re off!” Katie says to introduce Memorial Day travel

WHO THE %&#^ CARES?
Interviewing a guy from the FAA to explain who it might be cheaper to fly than to drive. What a waste.
Couldn’t they just recycle this story from Christmas? Or Thanksgiving? Or Memorial Day 2006? 2003?

6:40 “Pain at the Pump”
Middle-America woman trades in SUV fro Crossover vehicle. Ooh! SUV sales have dropped 17% from 2004 to 2007. Compact cars up 12%. My reaction: that’s it? That’s it? It should be 50%.
The cost of milk is going up! oh no!
“…there’s no escaping…the pain…at the pump. Byron Pitts reporting…”
Geez, what a clever wrapper for your report.

I can’t stand it any longer. To think that anyone might use the evening news broadcast as their primary source of information is appalling.