No News is Not Good News
It’s Saturday morning and I’m upset. I’m here watching cartoons on my only good TV channel and the only other English channel is showing reviews of new Xbox games for 2005!?!? This is when I typically watch the ABC Evening News from the US. You may have remembered where I’ve mentioned that I get the evening broadcast from the prior night on the next morning here – approximately live due to our 12 hour differential in time. It’s my best real connection to what is happening at home!Today Elizabeth Vargas nor Charles Gibson, or whoever is current ABC anchor, is not on!! And just sometimes, mind you, the second channel has the CBS News, but today they have old game reviews. Maybe it’s for historic viewing or that’s the games just reaching shelves here. Actually, tt’s probably just being shown because it’s a cheap show to broadcast.
But where is the News? This isn’t totally uncommon. Maybe it’s just that there is no broadcast from the US today because some ballgame has pre-empted the newscast. But more than likely it’s not being shown here because something has touched a nerve with the censors here and they have decided to hold it off the air today.
Months ago I had a similar morning without the ABC News. I got to work to read an email from my sister saying to be sure and check the ABC Newscast for a special on China. Hmmm, I wonder if that is why it wasn’t shown that morning here. Ya think?
And then there is the pre-news hour from Bloomberg News. Its one of those channels that has about five things going at once: streaming stock market; news highlights, facts and figures, and some live news in a corner of the screen. I often enjoy Bernie Ho and his dry humor and keen financial knowledge as he broadcasts from Hong Kong. Only we don’t get it most mornings. I figure, someone doesn’t appreciate his humor so well.
Instead they keep the scripts running with a headline of some type where you would rather see Bernie interviewing Larry Ellison. And then they play music. It’s more like Muzak elevator music. But it can be a little bizarre. It is the same daily. And I can count on at least one Christmas song and the Wedding March among the regular repertoire. Can you believe that?!?
Invariably someone often forgets to set the proper programs or doesn’t flip a switch when the ABC Evening News starts, so the only sound ya get is the continuation of the Muzak soundtrack!! Really great! Finally get the News but music instead of commentary!
Last night I heard a rumor of some kind of trouble near the Capital in Beijing: a shooting of some kind. Of course it turned out to be the wrong Capital! It was the US Capital!! But I had a hard time finding a website with anything about it. News websites aren’t always easy to find here either. They just don’t work for some reason.
I can’t even see my own blog from my apartment in Dongguan. Most of my Chinese friends can’t see it either. I can access it from my work, since our server is through Hong Kong and doesn’t come under the same scrutiny as our service in China. I hope I’m not getting my self in hot water over these comments. I’m just saying that’s the way they control it. It’s their country. I don’t mind. I just miss my news some mornings!
Oh boy, there’s the news finally. But they still have the Muzak music on! Isn’t that neat, here’s the Pope marching across the screen as The Wedding March plays!!
posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 2:05 PM
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