MIA. (Courtesy: USA Today)
Don't know about you, but I really enjoyed that "Grey's Anatomy" repeat last night, and the "CSI" one too. And Omarosa? Can't get ENOUGH of you, girl! So what that political history was being made in Iowa? So what that Obama was crowned and Hillary bowed, and Huck moved to the front and Rudy to the back? If it's drama you want, head to the repeat channels.
My point, if not obvious by now, is this: What happened to the formerly three major networks last night? To watch only them, as doubtless millions did, was to live in a bubble of boob-headed ignorance commingled with boob-headed commercialism. It was as if Iowa didn't exist. There were news breaks at the top of the hours - at least I caught one on CBS - but they moved by so fast that to blink was to miss everything. One thing now seems terribly apparent in the post Rather/Brokaw/Jennings world - that news will henceforth be confined to the 6:30 ghetto, and God forbid something happens outside that gated confine because, well, it just won't get covered. (A legendary Pakistani leader assassinated? Not one - not one - of the major anchors breaks stride during vacation to get on the air to at least plant their flag and thereby draw more viewers and more coverage.)
Last night was a disgrace.
Other quick points:
Fox News: The most easily trashable network at times was easily the best last night, at least when Brit Hume and Gang were on. Hume's superb - whether you like the channel that surrounds him or not - and brings a political news gravitas that the formerly big three don't even attempt any longer, except in the Ghetto, and Sunday mornings. MSNBC and CNN were very good too, but the presence of Tom Brokaw on screen only served to remind you what had gone missing on the main network.
Oprah: I listened but did not hear - but best I could tell, no one gave her at least a scintilla of credit for the Obama victory. Why? I can't imagine, unless everyone forgot that the single most influential cultural figure in the U.S. threw her support behind him last fall. Whatever. Here's credit, and better late than never. Oprah helped. Boy, did she help.
