As many of the TB2000 forums old-timers know, I am this forum's resident Tee Vee journalist.

Drew Parkhill at CBN used to contribute in the old days, but vanished about the same time I did, with regard to posting threads on a regular basis.

Similarly, Declan (pronounced DEE-clan) over at ZDnet used to post here occasionally. I seem to recall that the last time Declan posted here, he was totally flamed. Havent seen him since (except on C-Span, etc.). I believe he has moved on to other stories, including Internet privacy and taxation issues.

I suspect have been other journalists who have posted anonymously to this forum along the way, but few who identified themselves honestly as such. Those who did, made guest appearances, with regard to posting.

I also suspect there may be more than a few journalists lurking here lately.

If so, this message is for them--and of course the rest of you-- "The short, the tall, the doomers, the pollies, the trolls, etc," whom I thank for your daily collective wisdom over the past year+ and to whom I wish the best in 2000 and beyond. Regardless of your outlook, this wish and prayer is from my heart.

On to the point: As we all know, with the proliferation of cable television, cable subscribers now have many choices regarding news sources.

All of the television news organizations are now promoting their coverage of the rollover.

Maybe we can flip back and forth between all of them. For those without power or cable tv access, however, the choices pretty much remain the same:

ABC, CBS, NBC and whatever station has been designated as the Emergency Broadcast Network in your area. I believe all of these can be received via antenna.

Having said that, I watched the evening news tonight on NBC and CBS. I did not watch ABC, because in my time zone it airs at the same time as CBS (I must also admit I am having a problem with one of my televisions. Its either co-axial cable or the tv itself. One way or another this particular television, which I view while preparing dinner for my family, will not pick up ABC). Regardless, what I viewed from these two powerhouses of reporting reaffirmed what I already know about these networks.

NBC (With anchor Tom Brokaw--who I cannot help but love not only because of a 1982 studio photo of the two of us together at NBC that hangs on my office wall, but because he is the salt of the earth when it comes to reporting. He was always my mentor.) did two in-depth stories tonight.

CBS (A network I will always love because they did not abandon their older reporters during the NBC purge of the 1980s when NBCs older reporters were offered a buyout based upon their years of employment at the network, multiplied by their age, which equaled the amount of money they would receive if they voluntarily retired) dedicated the first part of its programming to Y2k. It was thorough. I even recognized a name I knew several years ago. Schlesinger. Obviously one who is related a previously famous correspondent at that historic network which brought us Walter Cronkite, another mentor of mine.

Bottom line is this:

For what it is worth, in my opinion:

NBC will give us good coverage, particularly because the network has embraced the Internet, via MSNBC.

ABC has traditionally been the global network. Since the days of Roone Arledge (sp) it has always focused its attention globally.

CBS, however, will give us the poets. Make of that what you will. Blessings.

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), December 29, 1999

Answers

You aren't going to get the entire truth out of any of the major networks because they all have parent companies who will dictate what is reported. But, I guess we have to sort out the "crap" and do the best with what we get.

-- Rob (maxovrdrv51@hotmail.com), December 29, 1999.

Enjoyed the analysis FM. Oh to have Mr Cronkite back eh? For me, that would definitely take all the guesswork out of which channel to watch.

Best to you and yours,

-- CD (not@here.com), December 29, 1999.

FM --

Well, so far, you're the "most trusted" journalist here (I guess I should put R.C. in a dual-award status with you, if he considers that his profession, too).

Wouldn't it be nice if some others de-lurked (and identified) themselves?

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.uni), December 31, 1999.