Tough on tickers.(viewers complain about CNN's news ticker)(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, October, 2002 by Romano, Allison

Disaffection with CNN's news ticker (or "creepy crawler" as some CNN viewers have dubbed it) appears to be infectious. Lou Dobbs (pictured) and Aaron Brown have made no secret of their disdain for the ubiquitous crawl. On MoneyLine, me, Dobbs often reads--with relish--viewer emails on the crawl, most of them protests.

When one viewer wrote that the crawl is "distracting, infuriating, arrogant, self-important, the yellow journalism of the 21st century," Dobbs cheered, "Go Gerald!" He says his favorite emails are from viewers who've blocked out the ticker with duct tape. Speaking at a recent media gathering, Brown responded to CNN research showing 67% of viewers prefer the crawl: "Prefer it to what?" he deadpaned, "Freeze-dried coffee?"