20 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 c

The business manager asserts that restoring the time devoted to weather and local news to former level would attract more viewers and avoid losing advertising revenues, for the reasons that most complaints in the past year is about the weather and local news, as well as local businesses canceled their advertising contracts. Although this assertion seems plausible at the first glance, a more close scrutiny reveals its untenability.

At the first place, the fact that most viewers complained about weather and local news is pretty vague. On the one hand, the author neglects a strong possibility that those complaints are from local viewers. The local viewers are more likely to complain about the decrease of weather and local news. If the television station takes the suggestions of national viewers into consideration, the complaints about weather and local news would be neglectable. On the other hand, even though the viewers complained about the change of television program, it does not mean that the station is not attractive. In contrary, the audience rating may increase because more national news usually attract more national viewers.

Secondly, the author mistakenly equals the lost of advertising of local businesses to the lost of advertising revenues. Since the programs of the television station have become more national, it is a possibility that the advertising of late-night news are more suitable for national businesses rather than local businesses. Even if the local businesses has canceled the advertising contracts, more national businesses may take this place. Hence, whether the advertising revenues are lowered is uncertain. Furthermore, the late-night news program has changed their mode for a year, however, the local businesses has just canceled the contracts. Thus, the author cannot easily attribute it to the less weather and local news.

Finally, restoring the time of local weather and local news cannot guarantee more viewers and more advertising revenues. If this program has attracted non-local viewers and businesses, the program would lost more viewers and businesses once they change their mode. Moreover, the business manager should consider whether they have competitors, which may attract more local viewers and business during the last year.

In conclusion, the author fails to prove that restoring the time devoted to weather and local news would attract more viewers and avoid the decreasing of advertising revenue, at least bases on this memo. To make argument more persuasive, the author should provide more information about the exact viewers numbers and the suggestions of both local and non-local viewers. Additional statistics of the local and non-local businesses would also be appreciated.