The problem came when showing the news quit being a public service and companies demanded that the news division make a profit. Also, this happening at the same time as the rise of the Internet, which has threatened the newspaper business. This has led to the cutbacks and less interest in showing hard news stories, which generate less interest than stories that they can sensationalize. And, face it, conference realignment is now "sexy" -- it's become the equivalent of a reality TV show with the various "alliances" being made, the "love affairs" between a team and a conference, etc.