Ban CNN from TV screens at airports

by Charlie Leocha on April 22, 2009

A friend of mine making multiple stops on a cross-country trip last weekend, sent me this observation. I thought I’d pass it on. Take it in jest or take it seriously.

“Spending plenty of time in airports last week, I came to the conclusion that running CNN on the TV screens in airports is downright foolish and could be a cause of so many travelers’ rotten dispositions. If we encouraged the airports across this great land to change the channel to TV Land, just think we could all be enjoying Jethro and Granny’s shenanigans on the Beverly Hillbillies or quote Sgt. Schultz when we get frustrated, “Hogan!” Or, when we are told that we need to sit next to a fussy baby or an oversized person on the plane we could repeat after Gomer on Andy Griffith and say “Gawlly!”

What are your thoughts on TV in airline terminals?

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Tagged as: airports, CNN, tv

  • Frank

    Over-stimulation. Our lives have been invaded by satellite TV, fax machines, cellphones and there’s fewer and fewer places to hide. This continual and relentless overstimulation causes many of us to live in a constant state of subtle but very real anxiety.
    Some people are even addicted to it. They cant get enough, watching tragedies from around the world, 24/7. This exposure has desensitized us all to our pain and the pain of others.
    And, I truly believe that passenger behavior at the airport is due to this constant feeling of being overwhelmed, by what we watch. It gets difficult to “tune out” all this turmoil even if we want to.

  • OTC

    Personally I hate CNN, it’s news coverage is trite and biased, having to watch it over and over again as I wait for a flight is annoying.

    I’ve always thought they should run travel shows, waiting for flight to New York they should run a show about New York, heading to London run a show about London.

    Either that or just show the weather and sports scores, no sound, just headlines of the weather and recent scores.

  • http://www.GreenDragonArtist.com Christy

    I was traveling and stuck in airports most of the day last September when the stock market was taking a nose dive, and I think I agree! I’d much rather not have seen the constant doomsdaying.

  • http://www.twitter.com/donkimball Don

    I am sure that what he watched before boarding the plane he was able to finish watching once he landed at his destination as we all know that CNN keeps regurgitating the same news over and over and over again… I agree put some mindless good old TV shows on there and calm the masses rather than fristrate and compound the fantastic experience in the terminal!! Just my 2 cents worth..

  • Matthew B

    I don’t know for certain, but I’m pretty sure that CNN pays airports to screen its channel. It probably pays for the flat screens, their installation, maintenance, the cable feed and pays the airport to boot. If you want to see something else at an airport, you’d better find someone else to pay. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

  • Dave S.

    I’d recommend a good book, one with little connection to reality. Guess that won’t help with my fellow passengers’ disposition though . . .

  • Karen

    I agree with OTC — wouldn’t showing travel shows ultimately be good for the airlines? Maybe not show them info about their destination, but a series of shows about the many places the airline flies to. Or maybe they could have the screen with CNN facing one way and a screen showing travel features facing the other then people could choose which one they wanted to watch.

  • Frank

    On April 22nd, 2009 at 8:18 am Matthew B said If you want to see something else at an airport, you’d better find someone else to pay. He who pays the piper calls the tune.
    ===============================================

    I’ve heard that passengers, probably a frequent flyer have changed the CHANNEL by bringing a programmable TV remote to the airport. Pointing it up to the TV and changing the channel. Brilliant.

  • Bill Curtis

    Pray god they never start blasting us with the crap from FAUX “news”!

  • Bill

    I am largely indifferent to what’s on the screens at the airport. In other words, their current content doesn’t do enough to interest me.
    I used to like CNN, but not anymore Headline News used to be a distinctive headline product, but not anymore.
    They usually don’t have the sound on these things anyways, or it is not easy to watch.

    I feel that the infrastructure should be there so that when there are major events, TV screens are available – bottom line – CNN should do a better job of the channel.

    As for travellers moods, I would concentrate on other things – such as the poor food qualilty I experienced in Denver (and the indifferent, bad attitude of the manager when it was brought to her attention) rather than what’s on TV. Get rid off the stale hamburger buns!

  • Meg

    I honestly think that banning CNN would stop at least some passengers from discussing security, bombs, terror attacks and things like that which garner them unwanted attention from the TSA and other security entities: we’ve all heard the stories in which passengers foolishly discussed something of the sort and then were detained.

  • Jeanie

    I’m all for switching the channel from CNN to TV Land. The news that CNN shows travelers is either aggravating or irrelevant, or both.

  • http://comcast Chollie

    I agree. Too much, too often – over and over again. When traveling I’d prefer to see where I am going, or something about that city. A show to soothe rather than infuriate would be better.

  • Graham

    Just remove the TVs. First remove them from lounges then the concourse. It doesn’t matter if they are showing BBC, CNN, Fox or anything else they are invasive and unnecessary.

  • Brian Collier

    I agree with some that it is just a little too much. But you cannot change the another station because CNN paid for the TVs and the airports are under contract to keep it on CNN. Oh well…

  • Paul

    It would be fascinating to see demographics of people who respond here, not to call out differences but explore and track demographic views. To answer the question, mostly I enjoy the CNN broadcasts at airports. It isn’t my first choice of news source but it is middle of the road and will occupy the majority of travelers. One time, while standing in a very long car rental line, they aired Headline News. After hearing the same reports four times over it became annoying and then obvious how long you’d been in queue.

  • Amy

    I love the idea of travel shows. So many people go through so much stress before they even board the plane. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to unwind by watching exotic destinations, local hideaways, etc? Even if you are only travelling for business, it would be a great change of mindset to imagine you are travelling to some far-away destination to enjoy local food, music, and people. Then hopefully that relaxation can carry onto the plane to make for a more relaxing flight all around. Let the cranky flight attendants be the only ones clearly aware of the actual location.

  • Tim

    I agree with OTC–CNN and many of the other news channels are too biased to get any relevant information from them.

    I like the idea of showing information about the destination city, but finding someone to fund that would be difficult.

  • Brenda

    Travel Channel would be great – I really don’t want to hear about a plane going down while I am waiting to board a flight!

  • Skip

    There’s a universal TV remote that clips to your key chain, called TV-B-Gone. It’s wonderful, and works like a champ. You just point it at any TV and click the button, and it switches the TV off. Not mute; I mean OFF! And no one knows why the TV is off. Best of all, no one knows who shut it off. And no one complains.

    I used it in nightclubs, mostly (why do these places have a TV on, anyway?), as well as airports. It encourages people to interact instead of staring blankly at a screen.

    It uses watch batteries and has the codes to 1000 different type TV. I highly recommend it.

  • pat

    I like having CNN or any other new channel on the TVs. If I have been traveling overseas especially, I like to catch up on what is happening in the U.S. I also am interested in what the stock market is doing. Sorry to disagree with everyone else!

  • jllawrence01

    If CNN controls the televisions, it is odd that the stations are all tuned to the NFL games on Sundays.

    It is easier for airport personnel to say that than to change it to what people want to watch.

  • peggy newlands

    i really hate the noise of television. it’s never been on in our home 24/7 and i see no reason why i should have it foisted upon me when i travel. the travel channel would be most accetable solution.

    by the way, it’s not just airport waiting areas. doctor’s office provide the same irritating nonstop noise. carnival cruise lines lost a loyal customer when they decided to put televisions out by the pool. crazy.

    i never travel without earplugs now.

  • Liz

    I would vote for no TV–there is enough noise and confusion in the waiting areas. Atlanta is particularly bad–usually the TV is louder than the gate announcer.

  • http://aknickerson.blogspot.com Angela K. Nickerson

    I have to say, I think CNN raises the anxiety level of people as they are waiting for their flights. I think it would make much more sense to show the Travel Channel. I am sure that CNN has paid for the installation of those televisions in the airports, but I would bet that changing the program would improve the passengers’ dispositions and perhaps the airlines’ bottom lines.

  • SirWired

    Another vote for travel programming… I am at an airport after all. I would be fine with CNN if it was close-captioned instead of blaring at high volume, as it is in some airports. Or perhaps only pipe the audio to speakers near the TV, instead of throughout the gate area.

    SirWired

  • MichaelM

    First choice–no TV.
    Second choice–Weather channel with NO sound
    Third choice–no TV

  • Marc Olson

    I try and avoid airports that have televisions but 48 of the major airports are hooked up to CNN and it is hard to avoid them. Some smaller airports still can get you to where you want and either don’t have TV’s or they keep the volume off and only the subtitles on. There is no escape from them at most larger airports. I dispise them and wish we had some quiet at airports. There is plenty of other noise going on. It’s also poignant that these tv’s have sensors on them that increase the volume along with the ambient noise in the area. The more the noise, the louder the tv gets. I wish I could find an organization that hates these as much as I do. Any recommendations? Marc

  • http://www.guygharvey.me Guy Harvey

    Well it’s get worse. One time I was with my 7 year old at an airport while CNN blasted the story about the abduction rape and murder of a young child. We had no where to go as we were waiting for boarding announcements.

    Honestly I think there is grounds for a law suit here.

    I would join any organization to ban CNN in airports. But a law suit is a good idea because clearly a lot of the content is not suitable for children and you are captive.

    It’s mass hynosis.

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