Entertainment

Local news 2011: Shills and no thrills

Who’s the “Biggest Loser”? We all are.

It’s not just the big-time athletic departments, those directing the deeds and indulging the misdeeds of coaches and, cough, gag, cough, “student-athletes.”

Throughout academia, America’s colleges and universities are daily committing fraud, accepting millions of dollars in tuition to allow idealistic, unrealistic young men and women to major in a career pursuit now based in fantasy — journalism, specifically the perceived glamour end, broadcast journalism.

Journalism, as a means of making an honest, noble living is trending dead. These students may as well be majoring in home ice delivery or pay phone repair. Or studying something useful, such as Obedience Within Corporate Culture.

Mamas would be better off if they let their babies grow up to be cowboys.

Consider that in the world’s media capital, last month, the biggest recurring “news” presented on ABC’s Disney-owned WABC-Ch. 7 News was the latest from ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” Such weren’t presented as tail-end throw-in stories, but as hard, top-of-the-telecast news.

Fox-owned Ch. 5 News, last month, was less eager to replace the reporting of real news with hype about “The X-Factor,” but it was still plenty eager.

I know; nothing new. Not for any commercial New York newscast. But it’s growing worse, more shameless, more corrupted by the day. And for those with a sense of what freedom of the press — now news media — has meant to this country the last 235 years, that should be frightening.

Just as commerce here, in 1770, was designed to serve the British throne’s financial well-being, TV news here is now designed to serve the parent corporation’s financial interests. Anchors and reporters have become feudal operatives in high-def.

Even the warmest of American traditions and customs have been infected and laid low by shameless exploitation.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, an 85-year-old, family-rich ritual, is now corrupted by NBC, which abuses its coverage to turn the parade into an NBC shopping catalog.

This year’s “cast” again was loaded with NBC prime-time performers — “30 Rock’s” Jane Krakowski, Lauren Graham and Peter Krause from “Parenthood,” Elle Macpherson of “Fashion Star.’’ Yep, all your favorite Thanksgiving Day Parade performers!

And Al Roker, as usual, dutifully ended these chats with the sole reason they were seen and heard — to give the day and time their shows are on NBC. It wasn’t enough that the regular commercial time was loaded with NBC come-ons.

The Thanksgiving Parade was even exploited to shill for an NHL game that would appear on NBC, the next day, Matt Lauer providing a pleasing backfire by telling us that “the Boston Brewers” — it’s the Bruins — would be playing.

Among the attractions NBC introduced as the “extraordinary family entertainment” to come, the Thanksgiving Day Parade performers included Cee Lo Green. His hit song is entitled “F–k You.” Perfect!

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In September I wrote a column about a security breach I plainly saw at a Newark Airport screening port. The breach was ignored by security personnel, or at least those wearing clothing that identified them as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) representatives.

I received a call from an NTSB spokesperson who told me I was surely mistaken because: 1) NTSB personnel don’t work at airport security checkpoints; and 2) NTSB personnel don’t wear uniforms or clothing that identifies them as NTSB.

I suggested to her that people now commonly wear FBI and FDNY caps who are neither G-men nor firemen. She told me that such is not the case with the NTSB.

Recently, within NatGeo channel’s documentary, “Alaska Wing Men,” an NTSB investigator appeared. He was wearing a cap, coat and shirt, all of which carried lettering that clearly read, “NTSB.”