Yeah, and ABC interrupted the f***ing football game to show a 5 minute bio of him! WTF!!!!!! He would still have been dead 10 minutes later! And honestly, it IS NOT NEWS!!! Everyone knew it was coming!
You DON'T (if you value your viewers) preempt a LIVE event for a death announcement, unless it was an assassination or bombing!
Hey look, it's an hour later, and the guy is still just as dead, and it still has just as little immediate impact on us!
As has been pointed out by several folks answering your comment, this single event has frighteningly immediate and VERY far-reaching implications. The death of Chief Justice Rehnquist will most likely mark an EXTREME shift in the politics of the Supreme Court. No longer are we looking at a mostly moderate approach to law, but an active conservative shift appointed by one of the most blindly partisan presidents most of us have seen in office. Supreme court appointments are FOR LIFE. There is no term limit. There is no popular vote. The president picks his nominee and then bribes or bullies the congress into approving the appointment (provided that the background investigatoins come up mostly clean). Bush has hade Roe v. Wade and the separation of church and state in his sights since his first term. It is now very likely that he will get one of those if not both. Basic freedoms and principles are at stake here
( ... )
You've still missed the point. I'm not arguing the importance the death of a justice will take on over the next few days, weeks, months and years. But cutting to a 5-10 minute biography during a scheduled event is not a good TV decision. What was said in that time was not NEWS, it was a series of small facts (like where he was born) and quirky anecdotes over still images. There was no analysis or learned commentary on what importance his death might carry. The appropriate action would have been to issue a less than 2 minute statement of his death to announce "a special report to follow the game." And the special report should have been lengthy, with multiple commentators, and preempted any local news.
And arguably, Rehnquist's death isn't important still today. The politicians as much, no more than, anyone else are on holiday today. TOMORROW, his replacement will be the most important issue in American politics in years.
You will have to pardon those of us who don't see a sporting event as having any more importance than a background piece on a deceased member of the highest court in the country. I'm sure the network would have been much happier to air an extra commercial break in it's place. It would have taken about the same amount of time and been much more profitable.
However, as the real gripe here seems to be with ABC and their programming priorities: (from the ABC website)
How do I contact the ABC Television Network? Mailing Address: ABC, Inc. 500 S. Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521-4551 Phone number: (818) 460-7477
For ABC's Primetime and Daytime shows, as well as our Movies and Specials and ABC Sports: Audience Relations Department at netaudr@abc.com
We're talking about it here. It's a very sad thing, one whose repercussions are wide. Currently tapped into my dip chats, and they made some references about Article III.
Soon it'll be a 6-3 court. Tomorrow Roe vs. Wade, next week, prayer returns to schools...
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You DON'T (if you value your viewers) preempt a LIVE event for a death announcement, unless it was an assassination or bombing!
Hey look, it's an hour later, and the guy is still just as dead, and it still has just as little immediate impact on us!
Reply
Reply
And arguably, Rehnquist's death isn't important still today. The politicians as much, no more than, anyone else are on holiday today. TOMORROW, his replacement will be the most important issue in American politics in years.
Reply
However, as the real gripe here seems to be with ABC and their programming priorities: (from the ABC website)
How do I contact the ABC Television Network?
Mailing Address:
ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551
Phone number: (818) 460-7477
For ABC's Primetime and Daytime shows, as well as our Movies and Specials and ABC Sports: Audience Relations Department at netaudr@abc.com
Reply
Reply
Soon it'll be a 6-3 court. Tomorrow Roe vs. Wade, next week, prayer returns to schools...
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