Letter: Image is everything in television news

Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006 | 12:31 p.m.

I have been living and working for several months in Nevada now, and I found Ted Koppel's Feb. 1 column interesting, "The rise and fall of television news," which was reprinted in the Las Vegas Sun.

Mr. Koppel did not, however, mention newspapers, which remain the best way by far to learn about our world.

Whenever I catch the news on the idiot box, I'm amazed at how little news copy is involved. Attention to hair, now that's another story; very important. Those who seek information through commercial TV news would seek nutrition from a Zagnut bar.

Mr. Koppel also is naive to think TV advertising is about selling products. Ads are about luring consumers into long-term spending habits. That's why advertisers target the young - they haven't locked into their purchasing habits.

It's not that we old-timers don't spend, it's that we don't much experiment with our spending. TV executives well know this and the TV is, above all else, a sales machine.

There are fine TV journalists, of course: Bob Schieffer and Jim Lehrer come to mind. But most are talking heads with $200 haircuts.

I pray ABC anchor Bob Woodruff survives his recent misfortune with his faculties intact, but you can bet you've seen the last of him if he is disfigured. That's the harsh reality of entertainment/news. It's showbiz, baby. Here's to newspapers.

Bill Fallon

Ogdensburg, N.Y.