Comment by cyanydeez
2 days ago
Yeah, I think you underestimate the structural dependency.
Xkcd comic is closer to reality. There is a base load to public good and we are about to find out
2 days ago
Yeah, I think you underestimate the structural dependency.
Xkcd comic is closer to reality. There is a base load to public good and we are about to find out
We'll find out, but I think always the bias on HN is towards whichever interpretation of an event is most dramatic.
It's unfortunate, but as someone who's been on HN since probably 2010, I remember the ethos of this site to news like this used to be a lot more "let's find an opportunity" – maybe I'm looking with rose colored glasses.
People would say "should we setup a donation site" or "how can we build a product that saves local affiliate stations money" etc etc etc. Maybe that's still happening quietly. But I just see a lot more doom nowadays in HN comments. (Just a feeling, obviously no data whatsoever to back it up)
> how can we build a product that saves local affiliate stations money
Let's bring back those supposed good 'ol days!
What are some valid business models that could successfully fund local affiliates? Knowing nothing of the industry, some initial questions come to mind:
- Is there value in cross-affiliate connections and referrals where a broadcasting association could work?
- Direct donations seems like a filled market, but what about donation pooling?
- Does private equity have an interest in these affiliates and why or why not?
- Is there a product in marketing and branding local stations that appeases YouTube and related algorithms? Would this fundamentally work against the mission?
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We had 15 years seeing how well "just throw a startup at it" actually pans out
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I don't think it's HN-specific; I see the same thing on the other (local) board I spend time on. I think this is just human nature.
I feel like when society has an air of doom you are more likely to see it wherever you are. HN is still fairly international though.
We are now in a timeline where dramatic concerns are legitimate. I would love to be proven wrong on this, but there's plenty of clues to show that I'm not.
Next up in the timeline - when a bad jobs report lands, the person reporting the unwanted data gets fired [0]. Undoubtedly a toadie will be put in their place who will report numbers that make fearless leader look better.
We are now well on our way to George Orwell's 1984 dystopia.
[0] https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/business/trump-job-report-num...
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