You might want to do some research or hanging out with normal people...this is more bla bla bla Salon feel good middle class slightly educated bla bla bla.

Every sane and decent human realizes this enterprise is interesting. Just like our article about medical dramas...who gives a shit. You might want to watch some PBS or other media outlets. PBS has had two interesting shows in the last two days. Were you too busy watching other facile stuff like the med dramas?

Your job description sounds like a cultural critic. Unfortunately we get something that sounds like a privileged stoned undergrad woman who would hand in something at the last minute for a comp 101 class.

I have NO idea why someone who has the platform you have would bother with comparing two really bad network medical shows. Guess what...whether you or Joan know it....the open Salon is so much more thoughtful and interesting. Before your job or Salon goes down you might want to consider being more thoughtful and interesting.

Dude...you might want to actually think a bit before posting..or not be a moron and actually watch film or too.

Kudos to you Andrew...Have you seen Stroszek? It is prolly the best "American" film ever. Not sure Werner saw it..but he was around for it

Believe it or not the goal of most people in the world isn't to end up in a multi-plex.

I don't give a crap about another article about your political take as a pundit. How many can we take? How about the media people that produce fascicle articles about nutin?

I guess I am pissed that shows like Frontline and POV are consistenly ignored by media folk hat are worried about feminist slants and the Gilmor girls.

Nutin personal but with marginal articles from liberals reviewing silly mass media with no political/economic insight not only gets very BORING but promotes silly but diversionary BS. How many more articles by "media" specialist take on something other than minor stories about being a woman and take it in a larger picture? Anyone could sit in their pajamas and mail their, not interesting, stuff in. Again it feeds the trolls.

Might we have a more thoughtful site that doesn't provoke good white self-satisfied liberals and just plain ignorant trolls. Your choices have a lot to do with both.

Instead of preaching to the choir use your fingers to put pressure on NPR. The crazy ombudsman over at NPR is incompetent and an a*skisser. Her term was to be up in October, but she hangs on saying such BS as...

Gerald -- you are speaking to the converted. I think NPR should have more conservative voices on the air. I don't think it serves the listeners/readers to hear from people they agree with.

A previous post discussed the Ombudsman article over at NPR. The article previous to the one mentioned has Shepard making the following crazy statement in the comments section:

"Gerald -- you are speaking to the converted. I think NPR should have more conservative voices on the air. I don't think it serves the listeners/readers to hear from people they agree with."

http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/2009/10/comments/npr_and_diversity_nabj_says_np.html?storyId=114290920&pageNum=2&pPageNum=2

I understand the requirement to produce lines of copy a week but come on. Nutin personal but your writing is not directed toward interesting stuff that is pertinent beyond what can be viewed on Youtube or sundry blogs. Which is ok..Ivy and private school adorned chicks are expected to do such things.

Not sure how many small towns you have been to so I am not sure how you have a standard to claim what a "parody" of small towns that the show is. Nothing personal but it seems you are talking about a parody of other TV shows.; which is really boring and easy to do.

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Small towns in New Jersey or the New York area don't count. The small town I am familiar with in Indiana has 20% unemployment and boarded up buildings. The farmers who took out loans during the good days are making crystal meth and lots of toxic run off from their CAFOs(Confined Animal Feeding Operations) to supply cheap food for urban people. Not surpringly my wife’s workload as a domestic abuse counselor has tripled in the last year. And this article is interesting or important cultural critisicm because it is media criticism how? I

Nobody expects the intensity of Glen should be extended but media commentators with much latitude should be a bit more….challenging.. Spewing this simplistic stuff about network shows doesn’t do anyone any good. Given the structure of the new media the problem is that people would rather read the blogs on the Open forum. They are much more interesting than the stuff you have been putting out. Nutin personal but you gotta be a bit more interesting.

Bayh didn't win by much in his last election. He seems to think if he moves to the right he can position himself as a prez. candidate. The only problem is that no Republican or many independents are gonna vote for him however he goes on health care. However he is solidly losing the liberal vote in Indiana. According to my calculations if Bayh loses 10% of his Democratic base he is in trouble. His only hope is a right wing whack job like Mike Pence runs against him and pushes the independents into his lap. But I guess he will have more time to run for Prez and make speeches for the health care companies.

I also feel like I am reading editorials from a college newspaper

I think I heard Rush's and Beck's heads exploding from Indiana