NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT - STOP THE DUMB VIDEOS

I repeat here a complaint I made on March 5, 2007, about Nightly Business Report (NBR) and its airing videos corresponding to whatever subject at hand it discusses. NBR continues to serve up videos of everything from airplanes taking off, to cars rolling off the assembly line, to Intel fabricating chips, each one corresponding to NBR's story on airplanes, cars or microchips. The videos have nothing to do with the particular story. For example, NBR airs a clip of a Delta commercial aircraft taking off if the story has to do with, say, Delta's bankruptcy.

"A story about Intel, and we must see computer chips being manufactured. A story about Delta, and NBR forces us to watch aircraft landing and taking off. NBR must think that its viewers are village idiots. Here's a tip to NBR - just present the story. Eliminate the dumbed-down videos."

NBR must think its viewers are all dumb yokels who require constant visual stimulation in order to understand the points of some business story. This is dumbing down beyond all reason. I say to NBR - present the business news, your viewers are capable of concentrating on the point at hand without the dumb videos.

SUCKING UP TO BUSINESS LEADERS ON NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT

I watched Nightly Business Report tonight and was struck with the deference shown to a business leader by one of NBR's reporters. Jeff Yastine, NBR correspondent, was interviewing Mastercard's CEO Robert Selander. At the end, this was the exchange:

YASTINE: Mr. Selander thanks for your time.
SELANDER: It was nice meeting you Jeff.

Why should Yastine be so deferential to Selander as to call him "Mr. Selander," but Selander treats Yastine as if one of the employees by calling him "Jeff?" I don't approve of this deference to class and position. Let's face it. Yastine appears obsequious to Selander, and the only apparent reason - Selander's high position at Mastercard.

BRAVO LUCY KRAFT ON NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT

I don't see Lucy Kraft listed on the NBR web site as either a staff member or contributor. But she offered an insightful and comprehensive story last night about the changing fashions in Japan, especially among young women. The story was anything but superficial. It examined the phenomenon of companies in Japan that rank the popularity of products. Such rankings become an engine driving consumer preferences for modern Japanese youth. Shakespeare's put-down of changing women's fashions (Sonnet # 20*) would find no resonance with many Japanese women. The apparently perfectly bi-lingual Kraft is a solid asset for NBR, even though she might now be just a part-time contributor. Bravo NBR and Lucy Kraft.

*A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion.
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion.
(Lines 1-4)