Argu97 [Shining Sep 作文组] 8.28

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT97 - The following appeared in a memo from the manager of television station KICK.

"A nationwide survey reveals that a sizeable majority of men would like to see additional sports programs on television. After television station WACK increased its sports broadcasts, its share of the television audience in its viewing area almost doubled. To gain a larger audience share in our area, and thus increase company profits, KICK should also revise its broadcast schedule to include more sports coverage."
WORDS: 442          TIME: 0:35:02          DATE: 2006-8-28

In this argument, the arguer asserts that KICK television station should revise its broadcast schedule to include more sports coverage. The arguer indicates that after television station WACK increased sports broadcasts, its audience almost doubled. In addition, the arguer cites that a nationwide survey reveals that a sizeable majority of men would like to see additional sports programs on television. These evidences seems reasonable on the surface, however, with careful examination, there are several crucial fallacies in the argument.

First of all, the survey in the argument is a nationwide survey, whose objects are the people of the whole nation. Whether it is suitable for the area where KICK television station located is unknown. Perhaps, in the KICK television station's viewing area the ratio of male and female, adult and child are totally different from the data of the whole nation. Although many men would like to see additional sports programs all over the nation, it can not support the arguer's view strongly. If the amount of female in the KICK television station's viewing area is much higher than the amout of male, and few people like watching sports programs, the audience of KICK television station would reduce sharply but not increase.

Second, it is not appropriate to compare KICK television station with WACK television station. The WACK television station may be located in another area, which has many differences in several aspects. For example, maybe a new stadium was completed, so people in that area are interested in sports. Or a new football club encourages people's enthusiasm of sports. Or even the habits, the interests of residents in that area are not similar as those of residents in this area. So the fact that the amount of television station WACK's audience was increased by increasing its sports broadcasts can not prove television station KICK could get the same result through the same method.

Finally, there is no evidence to demonstrate that increasing sports broadcasts is the only reason of increasing the amount of audience. In this argument, the arguer do not cites any detail information about television station WACK. Other factors could also cause this consequence. When WACK increased the sports programs, if a popular teleplay was on show, it also could increase the amount of audience. The arguer does not consider other potential causations.

To sum up, the conclusion lack of credibility because the analysis does not lend strong support to what the arguer maintains. To strengthen the argument, the arguer would have to investigate the local people's attitude of sports programs. To better evaluate the argument, we would need some proof that increasing sports programs could bring more audience.