The end of the world as we know it

You may recall that last year, I wrote an entire book about modern society's descent into hell. It rang a bell with a lot of people, who see a deterioration of the world that seems more or less inevitable now. I see more and more people reacting to our current state of being with something close to despair: some of their fears are, I think, greatly exaggerated or misplaced, but others seem to hit a little too close to home for comfort. 

Perhaps you've wondered, during these times, what the end will be like, and if you'll be around to experience it. The thought raises a great many questions, both theological and philosophical. But let's face it: we're here to talk about television, and for our purposes, the major question is this: how will television cover the end times?

When Ted Turner started CNN, way back in 1980, it was with the promise that the network "would stay on until the end of the world." Now, based on the network's increasingly dwindling viewership, you might wonder if the end of the world is a little closer than you'd like to think; personally, I think it's less an indication of an approaching doomsday and more an issue of the network's mismanagement. It seems to me as if CNN lost its way some time ago, and given the uncertainties about its future ownership, it's not wrong to wonder if CNN, as we knew it, remains a viable concern. 

Regardless of how one might feel about it, you can't help but note the irony of it all, especially when considering the video below: the infamous, oft-rumored and apparently confirmed, “Doomsday Video” that Turner had prepared for broadcast at the end of the world.

You may well have seen the video since it first surfaced about a decade ago. The premise is just bizarre—it sounds like something you’d see on The Simpsons, doesn’t it? In fact, it's more than a little unsettling to watch. (Having the band play "Nearer My God to Thee" is a nice touch, though.) It’s also somewhat problematic theologically, whatever your beliefs. My own thought is that the Second Coming probably won't need breaking news to announce it. But who knows? It’s not as if there's any precedent to go by.

Now, CNN is not the only network to have thought about the potential of this story; the late Roger Ailes once mentioned that Fox would be there to provide live coverage when the end comes ("God to World: It’s OVER"), and I suspect MSNow, or whatever the hell it's called nowadays, would be of the same mind ("World to End: Women, minorities affected the most"). No word if they have a similar video locked away in a secret vault.

Whatever—but if CNN still plans to air this tape when the world ends, it would first behoove them to make sure that the network doesn’t end before the world does. TV

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