Making Time for Politics

Regarding “Most L.A. TV Stations Refuse to Set Aside Time for Issues” (Sept. 23):

I must take the side of the Spanish TV stations. The main Los Angeles English counterparts can’t reasonably include a mere 10 minutes per hour of news to state and local ballot measures? That is so absurd! I’m sure they can, but as for why, I don’t know.

KCOP-TV Channel 13 news director Steve Cohen said, “To force political coverage in a given time slot is an absurdity.” It’s not an absurdity when looking from a public service standpoint. Too many people nowadays shun politics and have no regard for participating in the political system of this country; that to me is a national shame and is in dire need of change. If a major medium of information (L.A. TV news directors: That means those organizations that you’re running!) can’t provide the most important information, then they aren’t serving the grounds of their existence--to serve the public.

Therefore, kudos to the Spanish-language TV stations for providing “real news” coverage of ballot measures, and shame on the English ones for not doing so.

STEVE NGUYEN

Garden Grove

How can television news be expected to give 10 minutes of each hour to election issues? A typical hour already is taken up by an estimated 15 minutes on sponsor messages, 15 on what’s “next” in the hour, in a later broadcast or the next day, five on other station promotion, and five on banal patter following each news item. This leaves only 15 minutes for disasters, murders, kidnapping and freeway chases and five for sports.

A public informed on serious issues could require politicians to abandon red herrings, inconsistencies and sophomoric behavior. That 10 minutes could disrupt our entire way of life.

AMANDA BARRETT

Van Nuys