--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's the ratings, stupid, don't you know?…" description: "\"It's the ratings, stupid, don't you know? They've got us putting more fuzz and wuzz on the air, cop-show stuff.\" — Dan Rather" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/dan-rather-2779_air_it-s-the-ratings-stupid-don-t-you-know-t_426181.png" --- # It's the ratings, stupid, don't you know? They've got us… ![“It's the ratings, stupid, don't you know? They've got us putting more fuzz and wuzz on the air, cop-show stuff.” quote by Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/dan-rather-2779_air_it-s-the-ratings-stupid-don-t-you-know-t_426181.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/dan-rather-2779_air_it-s-the-ratings-stupid-don-t-you-know-t_426181.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/dan-rather-2779_air_it-s-the-ratings-stupid-don-t-you-know-t_426181.png) > “It's the ratings, stupid, don't you know? They've got us putting more fuzz and wuzz on the air, cop-show stuff.” [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A critique of media focus on sensationalism over substance, urging attention to genuine issues. **In simple terms:** Media often prioritize flashy content over real problems. Key Takeaway Seek depth, not just spectacle. Themes media criticism politics authenticity Mood critical concerned Type political media commentary When to use this quote - news reporting - political campaigns - public debates - media consumption Key Concepts sensationalism public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can we demand more substantive coverage? - What role does audience preference play? A Different Perspective The audience may resist complex topics in favor of entertainment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [There's a lot of superhero stuff out there and a lot of cop stuff out there. What we have very little of anymore is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-devlin/there-s-a-lot-of-superhero-stuff-out-there-and-a-lot-of-cop-stuff-out/) [Dean Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-devlin/) > [The Silvertop and the Goldtop both had subtlety where it was needed but lots of definition as well. I liked the different voicings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dweezil-zappa/the-silvertop-and-the-goldtop-both-had-subtlety-where-it-was-needed/) [Dweezil Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dweezil-zappa/) > [What 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' and 'World's End' do is smuggle a different movie under the guise of a zombie movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/what-shaun-of-the-dead-and-hot-fuzz-and-world-s-end-do-is-smuggle-a/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [My hair grows into a fuzz ball - I just wanted it to grow downwards rather than outwards - but then I realized I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/my-hair-grows-into-a-fuzz-ball-i-just-wanted-it-to-grow-downwards/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [On 'Fuzz Universe,' I think I've taken a giant step closer to the ultimate rock guitar sound and playing of my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gilbert/on-fuzz-universe-i-think-i-ve-taken-a-giant-step-closer-to-the/) [Paul Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gilbert/) > [From the age of ten I was a full blown fuzz ball to the point that my so-called friends called me 'Hairy McLary From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-solomon/from-the-age-of-ten-i-was-a-full-blown-fuzz-ball-to-the-point-that-my/) [Stacey Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-solomon/) > [The problem with Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead is that they worked brilliantly in the UK, the US, and Australia; internationally they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/the-problem-with-hot-fuzz-and-shaun-of-the-dead-is-that-they-worked/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) > [There's something about a Gucci loafer kicking on a fuzz pedal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/there-s-something-about-a-gucci-loafer-kicking-on-a-fuzz-pedal/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [It is the universe where all rock players live- we all use distortion, overdrive, gain and saturation. I call it 'fuzz.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gilbert/it-is-the-universe-where-all-rock-players-live-we-all-use-distortion/) [Paul Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gilbert/) > [If I don't shave I look like a peach with fuzz on it - not a good look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/if-i-don-t-shave-i-look-like-a-peach-with-fuzz-on-it-not-a-good-look/) [Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/) > [I'm obsessed with fuzz pedals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-clark-jr/i-m-obsessed-with-fuzz-pedals/) [Gary Clark, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-clark-jr/) > [While I was writing the songs for 'Fuzz Universe,' I was immersing myself in Bulgarian Female Choir music, Baroque lute and violin pieces, Johnny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gilbert/while-i-was-writing-the-songs-for-fuzz-universe-i-was-immersing/) [Paul Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gilbert/) > [In sixth grade I had a band called The Blueberry Waterfall. I had borrowed a guy's Fender Jaguar and Boss Tone Fuzz, which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lukather/in-sixth-grade-i-had-a-band-called-the-blueberry-waterfall-i-had/) [Steve Lukather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lukather/) > [Ratings don't last. Good journalism does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/ratings-don-t-last-good-journalism-does/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Foreign news is considered an expletive. Thoughtfully written analysis is out, 'live pops' are in. 'Action Jackson' is the cry. Hire lookers, not writers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/foreign-news-is-considered-an-expletive-thoughtfully-written-analysis/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) ## More by Dan Rather > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [“a democracy requires open access to ideas. It requires a willingness to struggle and learn, to question our own suppositions and biases, to open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/a-democracy-requires-open-access-to-ideas-it-requires-a-willingness/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [ “\[I\]nclusion, not assimilation, should be the key concept in seeking, ever seeking, a more perfect national union. Our own history has shown that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-nclusion-not-assimilation-should-be-the-key-concept-in-seeking-ever/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [One of the most important roles of our journalists is to be watchdogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/one-of-the-most-important-roles-of-our-journalists-is-to-be-watchdogs/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [ He \[Mikhail Gorbachev\] has, as many great leaders have, impressive eyes…There's a kind of laser-beam stare, a forced quality, you get from Gorbachev that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/he-mikhail-gorbachev-has-as-many-great-leaders-have-impressive-eyes/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [I have tried to remain a working, cutting-edge journalist and I don't do it the way everybody else does it. And I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-have-tried-to-remain-a-working-cutting-edge-journalist-and-i-don-t/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [They may have turned this up, whether you had the Paula Jones case or not. But again maybe not, but again that's like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/they-may-have-turned-this-up-whether-you-had-the-paula-jones-case-or/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Are the Democrats going to dance the mandate Macarena?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/are-the-democrats-going-to-dance-the-mandate-macarena/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Covering the civil-rights movement was a mind- and eye-opener for me. Houston was a segregated society, as was Texas as a whole - some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/covering-the-civil-rights-movement-was-a-mind-and-eye-opener-for-me/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Those market researchers... are playing games with you and me and with this entire country. Their so-called samples of opinion are no more accurate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/those-market-researchers-are-playing-games-with-you-and-me-and-with/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/don-t-taunt-the-alligator-until-after-you-ve-crossed-the-creek/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [College is like a woman: you work so hard to get in, and nine months later you wish you'd never come. We used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/college-is-like-a-woman-you-work-so-hard-to-get-in-and-nine-months/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Despite what many Americans think, most Soviets do not yearn for capitalism or Western-style democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/despite-what-many-americans-think-most-soviets-do-not-yearn-for/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [It's the American way: if you don't vote, you don't get to whine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/it-s-the-american-way-if-you-don-t-vote-you-don-t-get-to-whine/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/journalists-should-denounce-government-by-public-opinion-polls/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) [Explore all 150 Dan Rather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. 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The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's the ratings, stupid, don't you know? 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