There are many parallels between the rise of tabloid type journalism in prime time news magazines and the newspapers of the 1890's. Both functioned within an environment of extreme competition. During the last decade of the last century, new daily newspapers opened at a rate of more than one per week in the United States. Similarly, these types of television shows came at a time when the cable industry was booming, providing a real threat to broadcast networks. The original syndicated programs like A Current Affair ran either on upstart network Fox or were aired on cable networks.
Competition seems to boost sensationalism.
Surely, this atmosphere paved the way for serious news departments to be affected by the sensibilities of the tabloid press. Many ask why there should be a concern about news being more entertaining than informative. If ratings are reflective of what audience's desires and preferences, than the majority seems to approve of these types of programs. Some students of journalism point to this trend as disturbing because it creates an unenlightened public. It is easier to report a story like Amy Fisher's crime because it there is no complicated back-story to understand.