When should networks break into programming?

[UrbScotty]

John: Oh, Karen, I love you.
Karen: I love you too, John.
John: Perhaps it would be nice if-
Announcer: From ___ News, this is a special report.
You think: Oh, now what?
-------------------------------------------------------
Imagine that's what happens during your favorite TV show: You reach a good part in a show, and they break in to let you know that something has happened. You've seen that happen, right?

I wonder how networks determine what to do when something happens? As I see it, they have three options:

• Break into programming
  
• Put a 'scrolling marquee' on the bottom of the screen
  
• Wait until the evening news
  

Now, some stories are important enough that, unfortunately, they just have to break in. Such stories include, obviously, deaths of famous people, i.e. a world leader or a former President; tragedies, like September 11, 2001, or the Columbia breakup; and <cough> the beginning (or end) of a military campaign. It’s also important for local stations to report on local emergencies, i.e. chemical spills, severe weather, etc.

If a well-known actor or actress dies, i.e. Gregory Peck, or if it’s an election night, such as a Presidential primary or a midterm election, they might have a scrolling marquee to announce that important information. (Obviously they cover Presidential general elections from 6:30 on Election Night to the next morning.)

I found it to be ridiculous when the local NBC affiliate broke in to show a press conference about a police standoff. After that, they had to, of course, analyze what was said at the conference, talk about the suspect, ask the anchor why he is wearing a green tie instead of a red one, etc., etc. (Just kidding about the tie.) Well, guess what? I have a program I want to watch! Besides,, they have a newscast in just over an our and a half! What’s so big about this that they had to interrupt Family Feud just to talk about it? :mad:

What more, all 3 networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) broke into their programming to talk about the recent affirmative action rulings! Hello? Can’t they just put the important information on a marquee on the bottom of the screen? Those who really care about affirmative action should read what the scroll says; those who don’t care can continue watching the show and ignore the crawl.

What do you think? When is it legitimate to break in? When should they just have a scrolling marquee? When should they just wait until the evening news?

[unluckythirteen]

1. It's kind of sad when...

People care less about the affirmative action ruling than a game show.

I'm not saying you're a shallow person, but I think to some extent it should be interrupted because something important happened. When did it happen anyways? If it happened during the day, it's probably a lot better to interrupt.

[revcarol]

2. IMHO, the editors (or whatever name those jerks are called) show extremely

poor judgment almost EVERY TIME.

The only time I remember that it was important that they interrupt was the assasssination of President Kennedy.

AND TAKE THAT DAMN CRAWLER AWAY. SAVE IT FOR SEVERE WEATHER INFO.

[UrbScotty]

3. The thing is...

I care about both. But, I would rather watch my game show and have the network put a crawling marquee on the bottom of the screen, to let me know what happened. Then they can say, "tune in to the evening news or go to the network's website."

BTW, it did happen during the day.