Come to think of it, here’s a couple additional thoughts on my previous screaming media missive.

Both a recent Variety and Utne Reader article got me thinking again about this post-Walter Conkrite, post-Don Hewitt era of 24-hour noise channels.

In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek way, I believe my screaming media concept is indeed a deserving (albeit absolutely made up) label, as “yell TV” continues to spread far beyond its original cable roots.

First off there’s satellite TV of course, plus, increasingly, telecom-powered “broadband” IPTV. Other ways TV programming is being delivered to you and me these days includes an ever-growing number of mobile video services, media receivers, gaming consoles and Internet-connected TVs.

Each one of these cable TV alternatives receives and re-distributes a growing volume of long and short video, including popular shows and news programming from US broadcasters and their cable channel competition.

Of course, lest we forget Twitter and the greater live web trend as only the latest addition to viral 24-7 news distribution fueling the echo chamber of public sentiment even more.

Hence, as we’re moving towards this apparent anywhere anytime video delivery scenario, rest assured, screaming media multiplies far beyond traditional television, across a growing number of screens large and small in and outside the home.

Begs the question whether screaming media begins and ends in the US? (After all, digital video distribution cares little about geographic boundaries).

Turns out, over in Germany a few attempts at Jerry Springer-like circus television shows existed but didn’t last too long. A friend and German media professional tells me, former day time show hosts such as Johannes Kerner or Joerg Pilawa fit that mold, yet he cautions, they probably never turned quite as extreme as their US counterparts.

In France, a friend blogger tells me, Marc-Olivier Fogiel might have fit the mold but his format never really took off. At least from what YouTube has on him, France appears free of any wanton screaming media occurrence.

Not yet certain though, how, let’s say, Italy, Spain, Turkey, or Finland come out on this. Or for that matter, any other country outside the US.

But it seems, at least in these local TV markets, no Glenn, Ed, Bill, or Keith equivalent exists just yet!

Why you ask. Personally, I suspect it’s a cultural thing. Oh, and there’s the money issues, of course.

From day one, TV has always been about eager exhibitionists meeting willing voyeurs face to face. Although this is not unique to US television per se, American audiences do seem to have a particularly strong appetite for anything on video!

According to a recent ScreenDigest media report, the average time US households spent in front of a TV set has virtually doubled in the past 60 years.

Meanwhile US programming is facing ever-growing competition, with 40% of viewers watching six or more channels and 39% watching eight or more per week - an impressive 35% and 33% increase respectively, just from last year alone.

To be sure, consulting giant Accenture believes that is way more television time than most other countries’ audiences are willing to consume. Meanwhile, across the US TV dial, competition among cable news continues unabated.

Still not certain though, my made up screaming media category has much or anything to do with this?

Implicit in these record statistics - US television is big business, worth an impressive $149 billion last year according to ScreenDigest.

From CNN, CNBC and FOX, to MSNBC and HLN, the leading US cable news channels each reach virtually all (at minimum 93 million) of the roughly 110 million households in placce.

Behind such powerful coverage sits some serious money to defend, and as current-day 24-7 news coverage goes, the most current ratings show the non-partisan approach looses out to, you guessed right, screaming media - hands down!

So, if it all works out, the growing archive of noise-filled programming helps to sustain a multi-billion dollar TV business, as more channels across more devices and delivery methods vie for an increasingly fragmented audience and the ratings-driven ad dollars tied to them.

Ask Glenn, Ed, Bill, or Keith, or any of the other screaming media purveyors - clearly, after years of gradually rising cadence across TV land, interruption-style programming appears to have matured into a regular component of current-day TV.

And if it’s not a cultural thing (although I think it is), hey, screaming media at least seems to stabilize an otherwise fragmenting media business.

Hence we go on with the screaming.