When I turned on the morning news the other day, I was expecting to see, just that, news. I’m not exactly sure what I saw, but I’m quite certain it was not news.

For the past few years, it’s obvious that morning news shows are aiming toward a different type of program – the type that can last for three or four hours and only cover one or two actual stories. Maybe it’s just me, but when I turn on the television in the morning, I want to know what is going on in the world. I don’t want to see concerts (especially the really lame ones) and fashion shows and cooking segments and the latest contestant to get kicked off of “American Idol,” “The Biggest Loser,” or “Project Runway.” I don’t want to try to figure out where in the world that darn reporter is and see people competing for wedding ceremonies, or watch reporters try desperately to be young and hip, when they are anything but. I want to see news, but maybe I’m the only one.

The fact of the matter is that ratings determine what works and what does not work in television, and if these programs didn’t have high ratings, the news companies would probably be doing something else.