flwyd | All America, All The Time (Reply)

The AP reports:

A new cable channel aimed at showing real American life between the East and West coasts is planned for launch next year, its top executive said.
...
The 24-hour channel will focus on "real reality and real storytelling" about the nation and its people, Gorshein said.
Among the planned series are "American Stories," highlighting the achievements of ordinary people; "Campus Report," with students documenting college life; and "Faces of America," focusing on the nation's social, cultural and ethnic diversity. "America from Afar" will examine what foreign media are reporting about American leaders, events and people.
...
The Orlando, Fla.-based channel is still in discussion with cable operators, Gorshein said.

There are several things wrong with this proposal. First, while Orlando isn't on the coast, I don't think Tampa classifies as being "on the west coast." So it might have mid-America content, but the management will be just like all the rest.

Second, most of "the nation's social, cultural and ethnic diversity" is on the coasts. When people say things like "everyday America" they're usually referring to something like straight white Christian midwesterners.

Third, "America From Afar" will probably be out of place. Most international reports about the U.S. focus on Washington D.C. or New York, N.Y.

Finally, "real reality and real storytelling" sounds rather vacuous. In one sense, Reality TV isn't real reality. In another, you can't have unreal reality. I'm also not sure what constitutes fake storytelling. Is fiction unreal storytelling? I think fiction fits the definition of storytelling. Are the stories about real things? I think that's typically referred to as, alternately, "Reporting" and "Documentary."

Don't get me wrong. I think there are millions of great stories to be told about people, places, things, events, ideas, and other nouns that are more than 50 miles from the sea. I just doubt this network will be the place to hear them.