What I learned about journalism from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"

I have been watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Hulu and have figured out the following about working in a television newsroom:

• Anchors are idiots: Ted Baxter thinks he is all that and a bag of chips, but he's just a few fries short of a full order. His truly unoriginal ideas, terrible dictation and inability to read complicated names are no match for his inflated ego. There's always been the stereotype that television news anchors are egotistical. Ted Baxter does not prove that wrong.
• Assistant producers have time to shop: I'm not exactly sure what Mary Richards does. From the episodes I've seen, the most work she's done is carry a clipboard and try to run election night coverage. In the meantime, she can take terribly long lunch breaks for all her dates, leave whenever Rhoda needs her and talk about the latest happenings in her life to Lou Grant. All while getting paid enough to keep her apartment.
• News directors are reclusive, angry bosses: Lou Grant is temperamental, tired of working with incompetent people and rarely gives an encouraging word to the staff. He has a soft spot for Mary, but that is hidden behind a alcohol-stained heart.
  
• Writers are under appreciated: Remember Murray, WJM's long suffering news writer and Mary's best co-worker? Took a minute, didn't it? While he may have had some of the best lines each episode, and his sparring with Ted Baxter was endlessly entertaining, news writing just is not that photogenic of a career. And that makes it forgettable and easily under appreciated.
• News networks keep their numbers down: There's a news director, associate producer, news writer, cameraman, set manager, weatherman, sports guy and anchorman. And then about two extras. There are rarely any reporters seen or heard from; the newsrooms guts consist of a few key people. And lest this half-joking post betray you, this point is very true. It takes a lot to make it in "the business," especially in today's new media age. There are only a few, good people who make a newsroom happen.