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Attack of the Local News Promos!!!!
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It's sweeps month, and you know what that means: FOX is rolling out new super-twisted reality shows, Jimmy Smits is back from the dead, and the local TV news is getting more shameless than ever in their efforts to get you to watch. We've come to expect the undercover Spring Break analyses and shameless exploitations of wedge issues like gay adoption around this time of year, but KNBC's latest may be a new low. Amid terrifying images of the March 11 Barcelona train bombings, we're reminded of how vulnerable the Southland's rail lines are to terrorist attack. But don't fear, Angelenos, because Paul Moyer is on the case!
The problem, as we all know, is that NBC and its terminally inept anchor aren't really seeking answers. They're seeking ratings, otherwise why save the report for eight months after the bombings actually occurred? Suddenly, they're reopening old wounds and claiming to be looking out for our best interests in a report titled "Train Terror". We saw plenty of reports of the sort in the immediate aftermath of the bombings, and it's a valid topic to revisit now. But any credibility the report itself may have is undercut by the sensationalism of promos that show images of dead Spaniards set to the backdrop of horror movie music, and by the obvious timing of the report to draw in an audience so the network can raise its advertising rates.
So why not skip KNBC's news for the rest of November? That way, you'll be playing into their real fear.
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