Prompt: The following is a memorandum from the business manager of WLSS television station.
“Over the past year, our late-night news program has devoted increasingly more time to covering national news and less time to covering weather and local news. During the same time period, most of the complaints we received from viewers were concerned with the station’s coverage of weather and local news. In addition, several local businesses that used to run advertisements during our late-night news program have just cancelled their advertising contracts with us. Therefore, in order to attract more viewers to our news programs and to avoid losing any further advertising revenues, we should expand the coverage of weather and local news on all our news programs.”
The business manager argues that the news program should shift back to the coverage of weather and local news as it was prior for several reasons. However, such a conclusion relies on 3 unwarranted assumptions that if proven false can weaken this argument.
First, the business manager states that the complaints received during this time period about the coverage of weather and local news is attributed to the decreased amount of time that has been devoted to weather and local news. Perhaps these complaints are actually from the decreased amount of time given to weather and local news. Perhaps these viewers actually want more time given to weather and local news. It’s also possible that the viewers aren’t concerned with the the temporal organiztion of the news, but rather the means in which the information is being presented. For example, maybe the viewers are unhappy with the graphics and maps used to illustrate weather patterns and their complaints about the weater and local news call for an update in how such information is displayed. If any of these scenerios prove true, the business manager’s claim is less persuasive.
Another assumption the business manger makes is that the local business canceled advertising contracts because of the decreased screen time given to weather and local news. Several reasons can cause a business to cancel renewal of a contract. It’s possible that there is a competing news program in the area that has recently garnered increased viewship which prompted local businesses to initiate contacts with this other news program. Another reason why the contracts may have been canceled is that these local businesses may not longer have the financial means to support such a contract. Perhaps their businesses are struggling? Perhaps their finances have to go elsewhere aside from advertising? Even another reason why the contacts were canceled is that the local businesses found other outlets to advertise that would be more effective than this news program - this may include a music radio station, the newspaper or social media.
Another potentially erroneous assumption that the business manager makes is assuming the complaints received represent the vast majority of the programs viewers. It’s actually possible that a significant number of viewers are increasingly satisfied with the new arrangement of the news. Such complaints that say otherwise may be from 1% of their total viewers. Even if “most” of the complaints are from the coverage of weather and local news, such a claim may be erroneous; maybe 51% of the complaints were about the current cverage of weather and local news, while 50% was a plea to return to programming as it was over a year ago. As such, such complaints about the weather and local news programming would not substantiate changes in scheduling to be imperative. It’s even possible that such changes may detract current viewers who are extremely satisfied with the current arrangement of the news program.
In conclusion, the argument provided by the business manager is based on unsubstantiated assumptions. In light of these fallacious assumptions, it can be stated that returning to the previous format of programming will not necessarily attract more viewers and decrease further losses in revenue.