And its fair to speculate that this lack of substance is contributing to the ratings decline by making places like CNN boring or immediately interchangeable wit

And its fair to speculate that this lack of substance is contributing to the ratings decline by making places like CNN boring or immediately interchangeable with the web. Why spend your time watching what feels like "easily" produced news that often consists of summaries of YouTube/Twitter or a split screen featuring spin from either party made of pure opinion and devoid of critical analysis? There is no production value in either of those categories that would build brand identity or loyalty from its consumers. Without actual journalism a news source is just a broadcast medium for press releases and there is nothing stopping consumers from tuning out or finding an interchangeable service. There probably isn't a big enough market of people that care to sustain it, but it would be wonderful if a rainbow pot of gold could fund a 24/7 channel consisting of Frontline and This American Life caliber journalism.