I got out of the local television news business because I couldn’t take one more live-shot from the post office on late-day tax filers. I got out of the industry because you can’t say “dumbass” on the air. I got out of local TV news because if it bleeds, it leads.

That being said, local news is definitely different than network news and a broadcaster like Christiane Amanpour from CNN has always been my hero. Her reporting is stellar. But CNN still has to get revenue from advertisers. And the more TV news scares you, the more you tune in—the higher those advertising dollars are for the stations.

My parents live in a small town in Ohio. They watch television news. I hate that they tune in because the broadcasters scare them with all their doom and gloom about the world.

That being said, I was working on the exact Midtown block where the steam pipe explosion happened last year. I was completely unaware of it (just another loud noise, I thought), but it was my mom who was the first person to call to make sure I was alright (she called exactly four minutes after the explosion occurred). All thanks to CNN.

TV news has it’s place. I just wish the broadcasters would lighten up a bit. Garlic breath and gargling mouthwash just isn’t serious business.