The following is a memorandum from the business manager of a television station."Over the past year, our late-night news program has devoted increased time to national news and less time to weather and local news. During this time period, most of the comp

The business manager of a television station made a shift in programs broadcasting over the past year; in a Late-night news program the time of broadcasting national news increased and less time were devoted to weather news and local news. Through several unsupported assumptions the manager believes that this change has led to decrease of the viewers of the television. Based on that, the manager believes that returning to the same program schedule, as it was before the change, would preclude losing of audiences. The argument lacks enough evidence to lead us to evaluate the argument. In order to buttress the conclusion the manager needs the following evidence.

First, the manager needs statistical evidence showing that the total number of the audience is in a decline. There is no trace of a firm evidence showing that there is a net decrease of the viewers. It is possible indeed that with the change many of the people who were used to watching late night local news were disappointed in watching it in that channel. In this case the audience retention would be affected. However, it is highly possible that the number of viewers was compensated by many others preferring national news and want to know what is going on the world.

Secondly, although the most complaints are concerned with the local news or weather news, the author needs to provide evidence about the contents of the complaints. The contents should be clear and be related to the shortening of the programs’ time. It is possible that complaints were raised because of a calumny propagated through this local news and not the shortening of the program’s time. It is also possible the local weather news was not precise in weather forecasts that people made complaints about it. If these are the case, people are not dissatisfied of the change and the whole conclusion becomes questionable.

Furthermore, the author needs evidence that the local businesses discontinued their advertisements during late night because of the pertaining change. The cancellation might involve other reasons. They might cancel it to put their advertisement in a different time of day not in the late night to attract more viewers during better time of the day

Finally, assuming that all evidence leads us to give credence to the manager’s conclusion, still the author needs evidence that returning to the previous schedule of broadcasting programs will bring back the viewers. It is possible that people become indifferent to both the local and national news. A rival channels might already absorb the audiences and so on.

In short, the argument lacks several vital evidences in order to be evaluated. After providing the enumerated evidences by the author, we can have a judgment about the author’s conclusion evenhandedly.