Cable TV news: A mere shadow of what it could and should be

[mwooldri]

3. Some people think news has to pay the bills.

The UK's Sky News does not make money. The BBC News Channel is well regarded but is regarded as a public service first and foremost. ITV had a news channel but that closed down years ago as a cost cutting measure. RT is of course funded by the Russian government.

What America might need is a C-SPAN of news - a news organization that is set up purely as a public service, has to abide by a fairness doctrine, and be available as widely as possible. The service should be funded by commercial broadcasters but not owned nor controlled by them. No adverts. Opinion and talking head shows should be limited to non existent. We could call it PBS News 24 or something like that.