Gasoline Now at $2.50 a Gallon, Nets Couldn’t Care Less

Remember last year at this time when you couldn’t turn on your television set without coming across a story on rising gasoline prices? Well, a year later, gas is now $2.50 a gallon, down 50 cents in just one month, twenty-nine cents lower than last year, and the broadcast network news programs couldn’t care less. As reported by Reuters Monday:

The freefall in U.S. gasoline prices continued as the average pump price dropped 12 cents over the last week to $2.50 a gallon, the government said on Monday.

The fall comes on the heels of an 11-cent drop the previous week.

The national price for regular unleaded gasoline is down 29 cents from a year ago and the lowest since late March, according to the federal Energy Information Administration's weekly survey of service stations.

And, the news is set to get even better: “Fuel costs are expected to keep declining in the weeks ahead now that refiners no longer face strong summer gasoline demand and switch to cheaper winter fuel blends, according to the EIA.”

Yet, despite this announcement, not one of the broadcast networks’ evening news programs bothered to share it with their viewers. Instead, Katie found time to discuss how Princeton is going to stop taking early admission candidates, as well as doing a lengthy piece about a ferry that hasn’t run in Alabama since 1962. Brian shared some truly earth-shattering information about pandas in China that will surely save consumers money. And, Charles had enough time to discuss a new species of shark that walks on its fins.

I guess a network news team has to have its priorities. Alas, would it have been more important to these producers had gas prices risen by 50 cents the past month to a level that was 29 cents higher than last year, or am I asking a rhetorical question?