As a Canadian who is vastly interested in receiving American news, but is limited by the channels we get (and refuse to pay more for), I have found myself turning to the following TV shows/channels for my U.S. news: The View, CNN, and Wendy Williams. (My apologies about my home-made collage.)
*As a disclaimer, I am in no way, shape, or form promoting any of these shows/channels, but am merely stating my personal, humble opinion.*
The View: I absolutely love these women. The View has truly hit a very comfortable stride with the assortment of opinions in this current cast. I turn to The View at 11am most mornings. When I need a pick-me-up, I turn to The View; when I need to know what they are giving away so I can pout, I turn to The View; when I need serious-yet-flirty commentary, I turn to The View. Not only do these eclectic women bring my gossip to me promptly at 11am, but they are a quick escape from the tedious, bill-paying task of writing for others. The View also features extremely serious topics such as missing children and the political scene. On a sour note, I can’t stand, but do tolerate, the other 5 ladies that come on at 2pm and have a similar chat. Names will not be mentioned here, but they appear right after Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless. This brief yet informative hour is time well spent (in my opinion).
CNN: Time-tested CNN. When I worked regular hours (or 10-6) for the government, I would always flip to CNN for my hard-hitting American news before work. I find CNN to be a channel that “tells it like it is”, and since I am this way in real life, I definitely appreciate their honesty and integrity. If there is a school shooting, they show it; if there is a high-speed police chase, they show it; if there is a trampling at the Black Friday extravaganza, they show it. This is such a welcome breath of fresh air to our local TV stations (I love my Global Toronto) that barely show the “real news” and water down or censor what we see. Sometimes, people just need to see the real world, even if it’s just to reminded how messed up it is.
Last but certainly not least, Wendy Williams: Yes, I am (maybe?) one of the few Canadians who stays up until midnight to watch Mrs. Williams on BET. (How you doin’?) WW is my go-to for celebrity gossip, or any gossip in general. I know that when WW is on I will get a great laugh, which keeps the abs in check. The only thing I can’t stand about WW is that the commercial breaks seem to come on super quickly. It’s like I am thinking, “Didn’t I just watch this commercial?!” But if that’s how one must pay the bills, then do you. (I wouldn’t mind a few commercials in my life, if you get my drift.)
So bottom line, I am fairly limited on my views of America. However, I do feel that my sources are different enough to afford me all sorts of views of America. If you have another source that you feel I should be following, by all means I am listening and eager to read your suggestion. Thanks for reading and happy TV surfing!
Y.F.Thompson 