Discussion Divas

I'd rather be watching American Idol

After the writer’s strike and subsequent hangover that left TV show dark for months, the networks are welcoming back prime-time programs—and the viewers.

Sixteen million people caught ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”on April 20, and over 23 million viewers tuned in “American Idol” last Tuesday, and then again on Wednesday.
See the latest Nielsen data.

Meanwhile, news programs are bleeding viewers
In contrast, network nightly news programs average seven million viewers each night, or over 20 million combined. Their collective audience has dropped about one million a year over the last 25 years, and the median aged viewer is 61 years old.

The “CBS Evening News” is taking the most heat. Reports say the highly scrutinized Katie Couric is considering an early exit from her $75 million, five-year contract. CBS’s decade-long third place spot behind NBC and ABC has fallen further behind of late. Last week it tallied its worst ratings in the program’s history.
See a synopsis of the state of network news from Pew Research.

Test your news IQ
Just 24% of people who took a news quiz from Pew Research could name the Senate Majority Leader. The average person scored 50% and women scored 39% to men’s 56%. Take the Pew News IQ quiz here. If you’ve been keeping up with the WeeklyDIVA, we expect perfect scores!

On that note, here’s a quick news round-up from the week
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized former President Jimmy Carter for trying to broker peace in Israel, saying the U.S. counseled him not to meet with Hamas, the militant group calling for the destruction of Israel. Carter says not so, the government didn’t say a word to him. (See our primer on Hamas and Fatah.)

- Hillary Clinton trounced Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania primary, 55% to 45%. She still trails him in the delegate count by about 150.  

- Costco and Sam’s Club are rationing rice sales amid worldwide cut backs on rice exports. Rice prices have tripled since January.

The big picture
Almost 70 million people visited news sites in the first quarter of this year, up 12% from the same time last year. Interestingly, the Pennsylvania Primary debate and “60 Minutes” were among the top-20 viewed shows last week, suggesting perhaps that people are still interested in news and smart programming on television, just maybe not in the time slot or format it’s delivered in. A recent report says half of Americans find traditional journalism “out of touch.”

Bowling for Pennsylvania

When Hillary Clinton psyched out the press on April Fool's Day, leading them to think she might announce she was dropping out of the race and instead challenging Barack Obama to a round of bowling back on April 1, turns out it was more than a joke, it was a metaphor for their protracted battle.

Where are we now?
On Tuesday, April 22, Pennsylvania finally heads to the polls for the last of the large state primaries. The Ohio primary seems a distant memory at this point, when NAFTA was in focus, though it was just seven weeks ago. Since then much has transpired, and both have “misspoken.” Hillary for landing under sniper fire in Bosnia; Barack for blaming unhappiness for small-town religious beliefs and gun ownership.

Both situations came up at a spirited debate on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, where Sen. Obama was put on the defensive by Clinton and the two moderators, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. Major take away from the night: the candidates’ policies are still very similar.

So, who’s ahead?
National polls have Clinton ahead in Pennsylvania, but Obama ahead nationally by 8 points (49% vs 41%). Against McCain, the polls show Clinton losing by 2.4% and Obama and McCain in a dead heat (45% vs 45.6%).

See a roundup of the latest polls and averages.

Meanwhile, McCain…
If you’re a Democrat and saw the debate, you probably winced Wednesday night; If you’re a Republican, you probably squealed in delight. Recently, McCain’s fundraising picked up and he’s organized his campaign, certainly capitalizing on the time to run virtually unopposed so far. He  still has to receive the “official” nomination at the Republican Convention later this year.

The big picture
Some Democrats want Sen. Clinton to drop out of the race so the party can focus, and that chorus will only grow louder if she has a poor performance in Pennsylvania. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, the scream-man himself, wants the three hundred-plus super delegates yet to cast votes to chime in and bring this blood bath to an end. But don’t bet on Clinton backing down before the convention in late August. She’s still bowling for the most strikes to win.

It pays to be rich

You’ve heard of the income gap. It’s growing wider in most states, at a faster clip.

Take for instance Massachusetts, where the bottom fifth of earners saw incomes grow 1.6% on average since the late 1980s. On income of $20,000, that's $320. Juxtapose that with the top 5% of earners there, whose incomes on average almost doubled to $310,000.

It's a scenario happening all over the country, where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Nationally, the top fifth of earners make over seven times that of earners in the bottom fifth, whose incomes fell 2.5% on average since the late 1990s.

The report used Census data that was adjusted for inflation and other government benefits like food stamps and welfare and social security. It did not account for capital gains (income or losses from investments), making their results “show somewhat less inequality than would be the case.”
See the full report.

All states are not equal
In some states the gap is more pronounced, like in California, Texas and New York. Illinois also saw a major rift between top and bottom earners, where average income of bottom fifth earners decreased by $1,600 (- 8%) while the income of the top 5% of earners grew $37,000 (+19%).

Stuck in the middle?
Perhaps most troubling, it seems not much has changed for people in the middle. Incomes on average nationwide barely budged, increasing just 1.3%, according to the report. Another report by Pew Research found the economic situation of middle-class Americans at its worst since 1964, with over 30% claiming their situation had deteriorated over the last five years.
See the Pew report.

The big picture
According to the Census Bureau, the median household income, adjusted for inflation, actually fell by $500 between 2000 and 2007. That means that even as the economy was growing, paychecks were shriveling. Now that the economy is teetering on recession, it’s likely more will struggle to make ends meet. The Pew survey found that 50% of middle class earners felt they would have to cut back on spending over the next year, and record-high gas prices and rising costs for basic grocery store items will contribute to growing living expenses. Even with the volatile stock market, the power to invest will only add to the growing income gap between those who have money to invest with, and those who live hand to mouth.

The promised land

While we’re generally all about discussing the week’s news, in this WeeklyDIVA we are looking back into the past, with equal parts sadness and hope.

A Death in Memphis
“...And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man.”

Courageous and eerily prophetic words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spoken the night before he was shot and killed in Memphis, Tenn., 40 years ago today. In town to support trash workers on strike for better wages, he gave one of his most famous addresses, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” apparently without a single note.
Watch this excerpt of his speech.

Just 39 years old when he died, King had already succeeded in changing the nation forever. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the mid-1950s, to the famed March on Washington in 1963, to his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King pushed America to live up to its stated ideals of justice an equality. When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination in public facilities and dealing a crippling blow to southern segregationists, King was there, standing just behind him. (See photo.)
See a chronology of his life.

Beyond the headlines
So even with all the headlines this week, we thought it appropriate to let the remarkable Dr. King speak for himself:

From his Nobel acceptance speech in Geneva, Switzerland: “I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.”
Read the full speech.

The big picture
Of course, race as a national conversation made headlines two weeks ago when Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave a stirring address on the subject, while urging the country to open its own discussion. (Watch or read his speech.)

Dr. King has now been dead longer than he lived, yet the imprint of his life surrounds us every day. And next year the nation will finally open a memorial in his honor in Washington, D.C. As the nation grows more diverse—reports show that more than 50% of the American population will be non-white by 2050—it’s certain his wisdom and courage will continue to influence American culture.