Posts Tagged ‘financial crisis’

Poll: are you listening to less Erie talk radio since Rush left?

Last week we asked if the media was hyping the economic crisis. An overwhelming number of you said “yes.” Just another indication of the continued slide in respect and trust in the news media.

This week’s poll is a little self-serving, but this is my blog…

I don’t know about you, but I find it really silly that I have to endure significant static and manuvering of my radio just so I can listen to a half-hour of Rush over my lunch, because my local station couldn’t sell enough spots to pay the clearance fee.

I’m not some ultra-conservative robot who takes everything Rush says at face value, but I do agree with him a lot and find him very entertaining. By not having him on, and finding Dennis Miller a totally-inadequate replacement, I am listening to much less of any talk radio from Erie. I’ve been sending my few quarter-hours of time spent listening to WBEN/Buffalo, WMGW/Meadville, or WABC/New York via online.

Have your habits changed at all?

How much Erie talk radio are you listening to since the Rush Limbaugh show left the market?

  • Less: If I can't listen to Rush on a local station, I'm listening to him on out-of-town stations, or generally listening to less Erie talk radio (64%, 29 Votes)
  • About the same: Whether Rush is available generally has no bearing on how much I listen to talk radio in Erie (24%, 11 Votes)
  • More: I enjoy Dennis Miller and generally enjoy what Erie talk radio has to offer (12%, 5 Votes)

Total Voters: 45

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Poll: is the media hyping the economic downturn?

Our Press and Tower poll respondents are bucking the national trend when it comes to television viewing volume. Only 14 % who answered the poll said that they were watching more TV than a year or two ago, with the other respondents splitting down the middle between the same amount of viewing, or even less TV.

Probably you’re in the same boat as me, I’ve been watching more CNBC and other financial news lately as I try to learn about our current world economic situation. In the past week however, I’m starting to hear a growing trend of interviewees blaming “the messenger.” The CFO of General Electric was on Squawk Box saying that we are in a “severe negative news cycle.” Even the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett commented during Monday morning’s exclusive three-hour block that we are in a “negative feedback” spiral.

Given there is plenty of real bad news to report. But, since regaining confidence in our country and economy is the first step to recovery, do you think that the 24-hour news media is making things worse?

Is the media too negative in covering the economic downturn?

  • Yes - the more sensational they get, the more papers and higher ratings they receive (86%, 19 Votes)
  • No - they are just telling it like it is (14%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 22

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Saturday Night Live becomes the news

Tina Fey’s devastatingly good impression of GOP VP candidate Gov. Sarah Palin has elevated NBC’s Saturday Night Live from a live comedy sketch show to a news and agenda maker in this election cycle.

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Poll: how connected are you “on-the-go”?

The financial crisis has dominated the news the past few weeks, and last week we asked the question how you felt the media was doing in explaining the problems with our economy. The overwhelming majority felt that the media helped them achieve at least a basic understanding of the issues at hand.

This week we’re interested on how pervasive wireless technology is with our readership. Just how “tethered” are you?

How connected are you "on the go"?

  • Smart phone with email and internet access (45%, 14 Votes)
  • Normal cell phone with text package (29%, 9 Votes)
  • Normal cell phone only (19%, 6 Votes)
  • No cell phone (6%, 2 Votes)
  • Smart phone with email package only (1%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 31

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Orman on Oprah is oracle for understanding financial meltdown

Even after watching hours of CEO’s and stock brokers drill down on the symptoms and complexity of what is probably the worst financial crisis in America since the Great Depression, perhaps the best explanation and analysis of reality that I’ve seen has come from a seemingly unlikely place.

On Tuesday’s Oprah show, Suze Orman gave an impassioned, no-nonsense explanation of how we got in the situation we find ourselves. But there was little finger pointing of the administration or Congress. In her “not afraid to show tough love” way, she gave an indictment of not only Wall Street, but Main Street and what she calls the national lie we were all accessories of. (more…)