CNN's unintended irritating consequences

But, those who market this global channel seem to be so obsessed with these big names that they are forcing frustrated viewers to switch channels. For example, several times an hour for probably a year now, I have had to watch a promo for Christiane Amanpour interviewing heads of state and other luminaries. The same promo, over and over again.

The same applies to a greater or lesser extent to the other journalists.

Always the same promos that when you have seen then half a dozen times, begin to wear a bit thin. And when they are aired hourly over a period of months, I like many viewers I speak to, just switch to Sky or BBC or ENCA just to avoid having to be exposed to the same old same old.

It has nothing to do with irritation at the journalists themselves, but rather at the CNN marketers who are either obsessed or most likely just plain lazy. It is beyond me why CNN cannot create new promos - it is not an expensive exercise especially as video material is readily available.

I would guess actually that CNN probably isn't aware of the fact that when they go to commercial breaks, that in places like South Africa where their channel is syndicated in real time, these commercial breaks are not filled with advertising the way they are in the world's major economies, but often pretty much empty, resulting in those three minutes having to be filled with something.

And those somethings are the promos I am talking about. Promos that never seem to change and which are not doing CNN any good. Especially as we often hear anchors saying "Stay tuned" or "don't go away" just before going to a commercial break.

It just doesn't make sense and in my book is pretty destructive marketing.