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--Sometimes I sit here at the beginning of another week and I wonder what I could comment on. Weeks like this one, however, I wonder what I won’t comment on. Where to I begin?
--It was announced last week that Mr. Scott Pelley has been replaced as the anchor of The CBS Evening News broadcast. Good. I’ve mentioned in these pages before I thought there was a better way to accomplish what he was trying to do by ridiculing the apparent chaos in Trump Administration. News anchors on other networks found a better way to do this without the open ridicule element. They simply reported the facts as they saw them and let the viewers realize for themselves how crazy it all was. I believe this is a better method because I believe that newscasts are supposed to be primarily informational as opposed to confrontational.
When it began, I supposed it was Mr. Pelley’s idea to improve the ratings of his broadcast which was at that time rated third out of three. I imagined that the top brass at CBS agreed to the gamble. I either imagined wrongly, or the brass saw it wasn’t working and withdrew their support. Regardless of which, they made a change. Good. So Mr. Pelley leaves the broadcast with fewer viewers than it had when he started and with the broadcast still rated third out of three, but now a lower third.
Scott Pelley still has a job at CBS as a contributing reporter on 60 Minutes. Good. Everybody should have a job. And I do believe that Scott Pelley is better cast on a magazine show which editorializes and slants the news for entertainment value instead of on a nightly news broadcast which shouldn’t do those things. Remember, on 60 Minutes all you really need to do to get ratings is to make someone cry on camera. Go for it, Scott.
--I read a radio industry editorial last weekend which stated, “Sean Hannity’s Struggle is OUR Struggle”. To that I say ‘Rubbish!’. You may know that Mr. Hannity is the latest nationally syndicated talk show host to get in public trouble. I’m sorry it happened to him, I don’t wish bad luck on any person. But let me just say that I believe anyone who does a radio talk show should care more for the opinions of the listeners than for his/her own opinion. Also, that anyone who serves themselves at the expense of others will always lose in the end. It’s in all the history books, over and over again. Read it for yourself.
--One last thought before I go. We were talking yesterday morning on our Coffee An’ program with General Manager of The Call and The Times, Paul Palange about the current rash of terrorist attacks and other conflicts in the world today. The president of our country took the occasion of the London Bridge attack to sound the claxon for his travel ban against people trying to enter the United States from places where terrorists come from. The Prime Minister of Great Britain called upon the governments of all democratic countries to band together to control information on the Internet which aids terrorists in recruiting and their other foul deeds. Both are controversial ideas, and I’m sure both people are doing what they think is right. But…….
I have an idea which is far less controversial than theirs and far easier to implement. And it’s not even my idea. When things get crazy like this I always think of my dear old friend, the late Salty Brine. For all the many years Salty was on the air he would sign off each broadcast on radio or TV with “Brush your Teeth and Say your Prayers!”. And, while this was a show-biz friendly thing to say, and could be dismissed as just another catch-phrase, if you took the time to think about what those words truly meant you can see that Salty put a lot of wisdom into them.
The way he explained it was “you should take responsibility for yourself and the things you can do something about, and what you cannot do something about should be placed by you into the hands of your God.” No suggestion was made as to which manifestation of God he was referring to, leaving the choice of Deity completely to the individual.
I can’t imagine a simpler or wiser thing to say at any time, but most especially when people have cause for concern in their lives, as they do today. So I recommend we remember Salty’s saying at times when we just don’t know whom to trust. Trust in yourself. Trust in your God. Set an example of self-respect and positivity for others every day. It’s a simple recipe for a good life, well-lived. And I say if everyone did this the world would be a better place for everyone to live.
--That’s what I think. What do you think? Comments to: dave@onworldwide.com or postal mail to Dave Richards, WOON Radio, 985 Park Avenue, Woonsocket, RI 02895-6332.
Thanks for reading!
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