At some point after Chuck Todd took over Meet the Press on NBC, the show added a “Data Download” segment, in which Chuck Todd would go over some numbers, usually from recent polls and past elections, as some music would play in the background.
That music was... I don’t want to say corny or sentimental, I guess it was meant to present an inspiring, uplifting mood for the segment. It was all wrong for the segment, in my opinion.
Well, last week, they changed it. Now it’s got percussion and it gives the impression of something mechanical, like perhaps some supercomputer crunching a bunch of numbers.
And it’s also a little bit distracting, like they’re saying it’s boring to hear Todd spout numbers, so we gotta spice things up with some zippy music. But I’m not telling NBC to throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet.
Todd was off today, so Andrea Mitchell hosted the show today. The new “Data Download” segment music actually complemented Mitchell’s higher-pitched voice, rather than competed for attention against Todd’s voice.
For next week, when Todd returns, I suggest the music department add some subtle high pitched sounds to the “Data Download” segment music, like perhaps some celesta notes. And maybe dial down the guitars.
This is cross-posted on Daily Kos (with some political commentary added there).
