Email FOX News (Comments on Content and Coverage)

[jonalvy44]

My email to Comments@foxnews.com

Dear Fox:

I'm a huge fan, but you have to clean it up a bit. You're dropping the ball on your coverage.

1. Most of your viewers do not want up to the minute coverage of Kobe Bryant. He's not that important to us. Just deliver the verdict. Same with Laci Peterson. Spare us the tabloid-like coverage.

2. Cover the important stuff. We want to know what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.

3. Profile our brave troops. Focus the spotlight on these heroes, as well as the police, fire, medical personnel. These are the true heroes who deserve the spotlight, not Kobe Bryant.

4. Cover the election of 2004. This is key. We want to be informed of what is happening, etc.

5. Tone down Arnold TV. We don't need the constant loops of who he is shaking hands with. Californians are crazy, we know that. Just stick to the highlights. See point #1 above.

We love your fair and balanced reporting. However, you're starting to stray from what's made you #1 in cable TV. Stop being CNN and be FOX. Americans don't want the trash, just the substance. Please, make it happen.

Jon Alvarez
Syracuse, NY
PABAAH: Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood
(Letting Our Wallets Speak For Us)
http://www.PABAAH.com

[rrrod]

agree

[Elkiejg]

Good points -- since Brit Hume is head of news dept. I have been sending him emails echoing your thoughts.

[OXENinFLA]

P.S.

Make your banner at the bottom of the screen smaller or don't cover up the footage you deem so important, I just love viewing 75% of my TV screen.

[Huck]

Most of your viewers do not want up to the minute coverage of Kobe Bryant. He's not that important to us. Just deliver the verdict. Same with Laci Peterson. Spare us the tabloid-like coverage.

I wonder what the ratings say about it. I am with you. I don't follow show trials, but a lot of folks do.

[alnick]

The only positive thing that I can say about the Kobe coverage is that it distracted them from the Scott Peterson coverage.

I'm starting to wish that they'd start talking about Scott Peterson again if it would get them to shut up about Kobe Bryant.

[Inspectorette]

I agree - the banner should only be used for breaking news (REAL breaking news!). It's distracting, and it's long outlived its usefulness.

[Orangedog]

Make your banner at the bottom of the screen smaller or don't cover up the footage you deem so important, I just love viewing 75% of my TV screen.

Time to start Operation Windex"...the campaign to clean a lot of the crap off of the tv screen on FNC!

The only reason why they keep doing this is because whoever came up with the idea is dating one of the execs, because I know for a fact that they have been freeped on this before.

[Orangedog]

I wonder what the ratings say about it. I am with you. I don't follow show trials, but a lot of folks do.

FNC has spent the past 18 months ramping up to cover the show trials. Just look at their who they have hired...Gretta, Jerry Rivers, Napolitano...they have reserected Team-OJ!

IMO, FNC has taken it's conservative base for granted in a bid to get the soccer-mom and Springer demographics. I'm beginning to feel that they are getting the attitude of "so where are you going to go, CNN?!" I find that I'm spending a lot more time on PMSNBC and CNBC than I used to in the past few months.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

I agree with you on every point. And when they start talking about K and P, I turn off the TV. I'm sick of the Aw-nold coverage. FOX has become boring.

[Huck]

I just don't watch much news at all, cable or otherwise. I listen to news in the car.

[cyncooper]

They certainly have strayed. Some recent examples:

Adam Housley, reporter in California, recently described Arianna Huffington as a conservative pundit.

Last night Housley told Greta that if Davis quits the recall election could be called off. That is not the understanding I had from reading reports. (Perhaps Housley is correct on this except he and Greta did not proceed to explain why, so I am left to think he was incorrect).

And yesterday morning Claudia Cowan reported that Arnold Schwarzenegger had been against social services for immigrants even though, Claudia added, he was an immigrant himself. David Asman did correct her to say that proposition had been directed to illegal immigrants, but then even he went on to say "although it was widely perceived as anti-immigrant".

[cyncooper]

And I'll add, the yellowcake/Niger/16 words brouhaha erupted when Brit Hume was on vacation. We were treated to reporters telling us about the "false statement" and so on. It was terrible.

[Hatteras]

The excessive graphics is what caused me to stop watching FOX during the Iraq bombing. Unfortunately, only one station, MSNBC was slightly better. Not by much, but definitely better. I ended up tuning out and getting my dirt exclusively from FR.

[cyncooper]

The only positive thing that I can say about the Kobe coverage is that it distracted them from the Scott Peterson coverage.

Actually, Bryant knocked yellowcake off the radar.

Peterson case is making a come back because of activity in the case.

[pointsal]

Yes indeed! This is guy is right on target!
Too bad Sean Hannity or Sheppie the preppie are not reading this.

[steve50]

Well, at least it keeps the voting machine stories off the air. Haven't heard another word about the government forces arming Phillipine terrorists and staging attacks with aid from outside forces either. That little tidbit got about 30 seconds airtime.

These little fluff stories serve a purpose.

[OXENinFLA]

And another thing FNC.....if you break LIVE to a press conf. don't spend 2-1/2 min., voicing over the news conf., explaining to me what the news conf. is about and who is speaking I can figure it out for myself.

[kenth]

I turned off FNC in disgust the other day as they were anxiously awaiting Kobe Bryant's appearance in court - all the while discussing this all-important matter.

[ReaganRevolution]

if you break LIVE to a press conf. don't spend 2-1/2 min., voicing over the news conf., explaining to me what the news conf. is about and who is speaking I can figure it out for myself.

Thank you! that irritates me to no end. Also, when they have FOX ALERTS for hours on the same subject. Case in point was Saturday they had a FOX ALERT on a little disruption amongst the protesters in California. 3 hours after the fact is not breaking news.

[Conservative til I die]

Gee, that's really great.

[conservativefromGa]

Fox and Friends got scamed this morning by The Regular Guys, morning talk show hosts in Atlanta, They called in using a fake Arnold Swazazagger sp? It was hilarious. They bought it hook line and sinker

[zerosix]

I couldn't agree more, however, just as in the Laci Peterson case, I am assuming that they are watching their poll numbers and balancing their coverage accordingly.

Again, as in the case of the Laci Peterson exploitation, I simply quit watching whatever FOX shows concentrate on what I consider tabloid exploitation, especially ALL things Hollywierd.

[CedarDave]

This morning Fox and Friends got whacked by a caller claiming to be Arnold, with accent and all. ED caught on and said on air to her director "tell me you got a return phone number". They didn't and when "Arnold" said something about them needing to listen to their cohorts in Atlanta, the interview was TERMINATED. They tried to make light of it, but were clearly embarrassed and apologetic. I was LMAO at the incident.

[CedarDave]

So that's who did it to them. They (F&F) did indeed swallow it whole. It was a very good impersonation. Do you have a link to their station? I presume they will put their copy of the "interview" up on their website.

[Afronaut]

Wherer are the Shark Attacks when you need them? Even when there are fewer attacks than normal it was the story of the Summer of 01.

Did anyone else figure out that there is no reason to turn on Fox News or any other news? read a Book or go see a film. Buy a Guitar, go to the gym.

Why Watch Arnold/Kobe TV and then Complain about it?

[Kaslin]

You know, I actually miss the war coverage on FNC

[Consort]

I hate "Fair and Balanced".

[Kaslin]

And yesterday morning Claudia Cowan reported that Arnold Schwarzenegger had been against social services for immigrants even though, Claudia added, he was an immigrant himself. David Asman did correct her to say that proposition had been directed to illegal immigrants, but then even he went on to say "although it was widely perceived as anti-immigrant".

The way I understand Arnold is against social services for illegal immigrants. I don't see anything wrong with that.

[SaveTheChief]

If I see the clip about "jack the snipper" one more time this morning, I am going to pull an Elvis and shoot the television.

[conservativefromGa]

Regular Guys.com WKLS 96.1 fm pretty funny and conservative/libertarian guys

[Joe Hadenuf]

Shoot your TV. Most everything they put out is meaningless garbage. Stick with your puter and radio, you'll be much better off.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Schwarzenegger voted for prop 187......Oh yeah!!

[Uncle Jaque]

"Amen" to all of the above!

I did, in fact, E-mail FNC during the Iraq "War" about that foolish banner occluding at least a third of the screen, covering much of what I really wanted to see.

I do think that their "Imbeds" (with the notable exception of one particular narcicistic mustachioed buffoon) did a pretty good job, however - particularly one of my all-time favorites, ol' Col. "Ollie" NORTH.

For quite some time both the Mrs. and I have regarded FNC as essentially "Tabloid TV", but after watching Komrade Dan Rather for a half-hour (as she insists on doing) Fox's somewhat less strident agenda-based bias is like a breath of fresh... if not at least somewhat less polluted - air to the mind.

About the most interesting thing they've had on in the past 3 months was a California car chase that went on for about 4 hours, while the Kalistone Kops kept well back from the perp so as to avoid more litigation and bad press.
FN only followed it for about an hour, after which it was getting a little boring. The perp was out-driving the pursuing gendarmarie at every turn, although FN was regularly referring to his "erratic operation", and it became obvious that this "chase" would continue for as long as the Perp's fuel held out.

I found myself wishing for a Cobra gun-ship to show up and bounce a 3-round burst of tracers off of the pavement just ahead of the "suspect vehicle", followed by a good stout rip from the 20mm minigun into the engine compartment / driver's seat if he didn't take the hint and pull over immediately.

They might have to re-pave a little bit of road, there - but I'll betcha the perps attempting to "ellude Officers" would drop off quickly and substantially, and innocent lives would ultimately be saved.

Reality is, of course, that so much as dropping a tennis-ball on the bad guy would get the State so sued that the Lawyers would end up owning the whole blooming State of Californica.

Oh!!!; Wait!!!;

They already DO!

[cyncooper]

The way I understand Arnold is against social services for illegal immigrants. I don't see anything wrong with that.

There isn't anything wrong with it. Claudia Cowan reported it as Schwarzenegger voted against social services for immigrants. She did not include the term "illegal". David Asman supplied the word. That is what was wrong with her report.

[logician2u]

Nice try, but you need to remember that Fox, as well as the other all-news channels, is in the entertainment business -- with the emphasis on business. They need viewers to attract advertisers to pay million-dollar salaries to executives and six-figure salaries to on-air talent.

As we who have been around Free Republic for a few years can attest to, when you start gaining a large audience there has to be some shift in what I'll call the center of gravity for lack of a better term. With a more diverse audience, it becomes harder to stay narrowly focused on those topics that brought the initial participants together. Fox is gaining audience share faster than the other news channels and, for strictly business reasons I am sure, no doubt feels the need to broaden its appeal to keep the momentum up. Thus Geraldo, the extensive Bryant and Terminator coverage, and the newsbabes. Sex and gossip sells. Advertisers are buying.

Strictly ideological TV as some here might prefer won't attract enough viewers to pay the bills. Paul Weyrich tried it at least twice and failed. The left has tried also, on CNN, and nobody watched.

People want to be entertained; they don't want to be preached to. They'll tune in to McLaughlin, Hannity & Colmes and Crossfire for the battles even if they don't agree with any of the combatants. It's like watching a sporting event only there's no referee to shout at.

As I've said previously, Fox has been on a downhill slide since about 9/11/01 as far as presenting a factual newcast is concerned. I see it continuing to slide even as it gains viewers.

What this country needs is a truly unbiased TV news channel.

[lysie]

Hi neighbor. Great e-mail. These are my thoughts as well.

[Uncle Jaque]

RE:
"Thus Geraldo, the extensive Bryant and Terminator coverage, and the newsbabes."

"Newsbabes", eh?

Well, to some extent I can see that; Laurie Dubh would certainly qualify in my book! (Do you argree that she looks a lot better now that she's lost the fire-engine red lipstick and about a pound of hair varnish?)

But... Greta?!!;
"Newsbabe"??!
Am I missing something, here?

..."I see it continuing to slide even as it gains viewers."

Isn't that also known as "Diversity"?

Guess we'd better just get used to it, huh?

It seems that in the Broadcasting world, much as it is in Communist-controlled Gulags the World over, dissenters will be severely punished.

..."What this country needs is a truly unbiased TV news channel."

Oh; you mean like "Public Broadcasting" was SUPPOSED to be?

Like unto many of us feeling a little let down by FNC recently, I get most of my News and Current Events from the radio (EIB) and the FR!

[Orangedog]

FNC quit caring about the people (viewers) that put them where they are and are becoming tabloid media whores for the soccer-moms who just can't get enough of Scott, Lacy and Kobe. All this coverage does is make more celebraties out of lawyers, and I think that the lawyers have done/are still doing more than enough damage to what's left of the country.

It had become a reflex to change the channel whenever I heard the first few notes of the "dead-broad" lead in music for the chandra/lacy stories.

[Yehuda]

PLUS:

Stop calling terrorists "militants";

Get their Stockholm syndromed reporters out of Israel before they start marrying Hamas guys;

JUST SAY NO to giving ANY interviews to ANY TERRORIST SPOKESMAN!