Joe Larkins

So Long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, goodbye

2007-03-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

This is officially my last post on this blogsite. As I stated before I tried to get issues resolved about signing on and never got a satisfactory answer so I began posting on my new blogsite where I've been trouble free and it even features the new beardless picture of me for anyone who might care. I will attempt to migrate my blog over by the end of next week and pull the plug here. As I mentioned before I hope those of you who check in on a regular basis will visit on occasion. It's joelarkins.wordpress.com .

Regards,

Joe Larkins

Okay, I Gave It My Best Shot and Now I've Moved

2007-03-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

Patience is a virtue. Lord knows I need a virture. Whether patience is one I possess remains to be seen.
But I will let Job be known for his patience because mine is officially exhausted in dealing with just trying to sign on. So, for those of you trying to find out where I might be or care to keep up with my semi-regular rants and observations, you can find me at joelarkins.wordpress.com . I figure some of you might wander over to check me out. I hope to eventually have my old blog migrate to wordpress but I will give it a few weeks before I pull the plug.
Thanks for the support over the past 14-months. I managed 75, 500 hits. That just goes to show some people (including me) have way too much time onour hands.
Regards,
Joe Larkins

Okay, I'm Going to Try This One More Time.....

2007-03-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

I'm currently testing out some other blogsites after repeatedly running into brick walls here in just trying to sign on. It's about as easy to sign on here as (a) NOT finding an overhyped story on the local TV newscast during a ratings period, (b) trying to find a Memphis area politician who is NOT in trouble with the law or making hay about those who are (c) finding someone who lives in Memphis who has not been a victim of crime or knows someone who was. Yes, it's that difficult. If you post a comment and it doesn't appear for a few days, it's because I can't even sign in to allow your comments to be shared.
So as I test out other sites, I hope to eventually post a link to a new blogsite on this site as my last effort.
Having said that, let me move on to other areas.
I know members of the local media are probably stepping back to take stock of themselves after the good mayor of this city accused them of being on a witch hunt of sorts. Talk about a comment that should be throwing gasoline on the proverbial fire. It's gotten ugly down at city hall and promises to get even uglier before all is said and done.
Congrats are in order to WREG for another win on the nightside. It's a slim win but hey, it's still a win. Take it as you get it. I will admit that even I'm disappointed in the Commercial Appeal on the latest numbers. They keep leaving out the information for the morning shows. Isn't that the new "primetime"? Once again, if anybody has any numbers, please share. At last book, WREG was ahead with WHBQ making some inroads. WMC still made a strong showing as well I'm sure.

And finally, did anyone happen to catch U-S Congressman Steve Cohen of Memphis on the Comedy Channel's Colbert Report. It aired either Wednesday or Thursday night and I'm sure the video is floating around somewhere on the internet ( I couldn't find it on Colbert's website as of this posting). I have to hand it to Cohen who was described as a mad black woman, he held his own. I managed to interview Cohen several times while he was a state senator and he's a nice guy who lives in the same general neighborhood. I'm quite pleased to see that he did so well with Colbert who edits his interviews and can make the interviewee look like a doofus.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. (You decide which is which)

2007-03-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

I'm back in the saddle on Blogspot, having finally been able to sign back on.
What did I miss?
WREG promoted a piece with former news anchor Jerry Tate talking about the arrest of his police officer son. Did I see it? No. Did I want to? No. Was I surprised to see the subject matter at all? Yes and No. I was surprised to see Jerry Tate talking about something such as this that was so painful for his family. I know what his son went through caused Jerry great personal distress as he was always quite proud his sons. Perhaps WREG said they were going to do something on the case of his son one way or another and that Jerry could throw in his 2-cents worth, I don't know. Bottom line: it was a sweeps piece and easily promotable. I will say that Jerry looked good with the goatee.
I HAD planned to watch the Lesbian Gang story on WPTY. Not because of the content so much as the fact it was being promoted in commercial breaks on various cable shows. Then there's the name. It struck me as something akin to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I meant to TIVO the WPTY news to catch the report but got distracted.
I see that Peggy Phillip is leaving the land of the Big Orange (Tennessee) to work in the land of the Orange man. (Syracuse) Don't know when the move takes place or if she is already there. I know she grew up in South Dakota and spent some time in Boston so she is used to cold weather. Unlike Memphis, which practically shuts down if an inch of snow falls, Syracuse measures snow by the foot and yard. Ditch the lawnmower and buy a snowblower.
And speaking of weather, I was sent this tidbit by a friend who used to do weather. Apparently a weather guy was canned in Cincinnati and couldn't decide what to do with himself.
This guy, Rich Apuzzo, set up a weather operation and set at his home and every night at 7pm delivers a forecast. You can subscribe to it for just 30-bucks a month. You can also buy commercial time and web space for a modest fee as well. Yah, I can't wait to shell out 30-bucks to see something I would get free. Still, people laughed at Fred Smith and the Federal Express idea and Ted Turner and that CNN thing. We'll wait and see but I wouldn't hold my breath on this last venture.

I'm Really Close to Having to Change My Blogsite

2007-02-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

Log-in issues have become a royal pain for me at this website and I'm really close to having change my blogsite so I can just access it. If I disappear for a while or you post a comment and it doesn't appear for a few days it's because of these log-in issues. If I can't get these resolved, I will be attempting to migrate to another website. I will attempt to post a forwarding site on this blog but don't know if I will have any luck. It's really annoying so far. I just wanted to make anyone who reads this blog aware of what's going on.
Regards,
Joe Larkins

Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2007-02-23T05:15:00.000-08:00

I think it's safe to say that few people consider a trip to the dentist to be a fun thing. I don't think many would consider it to be in their top ten things to do.
So I went in for the six month check-up and had just settled into the chair for my cleaning. (An aside here. My dentist is a really cool guy and his staff is top-notch. They also have the little TVs positioned on the ceiling over the dentist chair so the patient can be distracted. The TVs usually run some tranquil setting such as ocean waves lapping against the shore or something else equally soothing.) Not this time. It was tuned to Fox News. (Not the local version, the cable channel.)
Now I will admit Fox News is not my source for news. I choose for myself what is "fair and balanced" and find that usually when someone uses that as a slogan, they aren't.
So there I am, sitting in a chair having my teeth scraped with a metal pick, watching a program I didn't want to see. Could it get worse? Yes. I had been in the chair for about two minutes when Fox returned to its coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith court case. I would have asked for nitrous oxide to knock me out or perhaps just had the dental hygienist to just shoot me
but the dental person had both her hands in my mouth and I couldn't speak if I wanted to.
Trust me, it was a long, long 40 minutes in that chair.
I think the really sad thing about the massive coverage of ANS and Britney Spears' meltdown is how so many people apparently would rather see how the mighty (and I use that term loosely) have fallen instead of stuff like what's going on around the world that will actually have an impact on them and their kids. Maybe it's an effort to escape from the reality that's facing us. I don't know but I find it rather reprehensible that one woman's claim to fame is basically based on two bags of a silicone type substance sewn into her body. Yah, she posed in Playboy, managed to make some wealthy old geezer very happy, and has a tragic life with the death of a son and now her own death. But to hear or see news programs refer to her as "America's Rose". Jeez. Give me a break. At least Marilyn Monroe made some decent movies after her Playboy gig. Yah, she played the blonde bimbo, but she was famous more for than just being famous.
And I think the whole Britney Spears thing reminds me that one should be careful of what they wish for as they just might get it. Her parents must have figured getting BS on the track of fame and fortune would be a gravy train and it has. But at what price? I actually feel sorry for BS. She has no tools for making adult decisions or being adult. She never got to be a normal kid and now it's caught up with her. Now the American public is constantly bombarded with this train wreck as it continues to play out and I wish it would all just go away. I don't there is not going to be a happy ending to this in any form or fashion. For now anyway, she has the money to help pay for her therapy. I hope the money lasts. Meanwhile, the media is waiting for the next celebrity meltdown. Why? It's like a fire. It's easy to cover, you don't need any special skills to cover it and it fills time on the tube.
And finally, I like clever writing in news. I find that on a regular basis when I watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann. I consider KO to be one of the sharpest, most well-read and "quick" on-air people gracing the Tube these days. He has clever writing and the viewer sometimes has to be on his toes to catch some of the references he makes. Just as clever are the "banners" displayed for the various stories covered in his newscast. The banner for the story concerning the fallout from the British departure from Basrah in the south of Iraq: Southern Discomfort. When the focus turned to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's announcement of the British troop withdrawal from Iraq: The Blair Ditch Project. Some writing experts will tell you to stay away from clever things. I say be clever, but don't go overboard.
Okay, my rant is done. I'll get off my soapbox.

Some On-Air Changes Taking Place at Your NewsChannel 3

2007-02-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

I just read about some on-air changes taking place at NewsChannel 3. You know, the one owned by the NYTimes . Something about the traffic person quitting and an interim news director making some changes. Oh wait, what's this. Oh, it's the NYTimes station in Norfolk, VA! I'm sorry. I hope no one minded that I hyped a non-local, non-story here on my blog. After all, it is February and I'm just trying to drive up my hits on this website.
Seriously, the article from VARTV.com specifically mentioned a change ordered by the interim news director at WTKR. Nancy Nydam who has some big market experience (not sure in what capacity and am too lazy right now to look it up) replaces ND Jeff Parsons who left to work on internet broadcasting in Minnesota. Anyway, Ms. Nydam's first order of business: She axes the awkward sounding "Live in the (community) mobile news room and replaces it with just "Live".
I don't know if they still do that silliness here in the Memphis market. I bet when the former ND at WREG implemented catch phrases such as "mobile news room" and "breaking news center" and "flying mobile breaking news center" (okay, I made that last one up) that consultants were giggling and buying each other drinks over the fact that they had helped change the face of news. Those catch phrases rolled off the tongue like peanut butter. Anyway, it's nice to see that someone saw the light and put a stop to the nonsense. I guess the really funny part is that five or ten or twenty years down the road, news people will look back and admit it was a silly notion. They will have finally caught on to what the rest of us already think about those catch phrases.

A Man Who Had a Great Influence on How I Watch TV has Died

2007-02-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

Robert Adler may not be a household name but I can safely say he's had a tremendous impact on how I watch TV. It's safe to say his work has had a ripple effect on how everyone watches TV from shows on the network to local news. Robert Adler was the co-inventor of the TV remote control. He died this past week at the age of 93. Thanks to this device, a commercial break means the viewer could click over to something else (in pre-TIVO days) without the exertion of getting out of your easy chair or off the sofa. If the show was slow plot-wise or you needed to see how some local story was being covered on another station, all you had to do was hit the remote. With a remote in the hand and a quick thumb or forefinger on the trigger, it changed viewing habits and created headaches for anyone involved in trying to keep an audience tuned in to a particular channel.
These days it's hard to find even a cheap TV that doesn't come with a remote control. Granted, that remote may not do much more than change channels but it still is a remote control. I can remember the first time I ever saw a TV remote control. It was at the home of a wealthy relative I was visiting back in the late 60s. First, it was to a large console type color TV in the master bedroom. At a time when I was living in a home with seven kids and two adults we had
just one TV. It was a 19 inch color TV. Meanwhile, these relatives had three TVs including this 19 inch color job in the bedroom. The remote was a large boxy affair about 4 inches square and about an inch or so thick. It seemed to me that it operated with a loud "click" sound when you hit the button and the channels would only change in one direction from channel 2 to channel 13. Still, it was a remote control.
Many years later I remember buying a 19-inch TV with a remote control and I was so proud of it. I remember seeing some TVs and a number of VHS machines that had wired remote controls. These were remote controls attached to the devices with a thin wire. It worked okay but people were forever tripping over the wire. That was the downside. The upside was that you never lost the remote. All you had to do was start at the TV or VCR and follow the wire to the remote.
Now, I find it hard to fathom watching TV without the remote. As a matter of fact, I keep the remote close by when I watch any program. That's because I generally give anything I'm watching about ten minutes and if I don't feel it's worth my while, I flip to something else. Yes, I'm a typical viewer and have developed the habits that drive programmers and managers crazy.
Yes, I could use the exercise of simply getting off my rear end and walking the two steps to the TV to change the channel. But thanks to Mr. Adler, I can give my thumb a good workout on the remote while letting my posterior grow to "lard-butt" proportions. Isn't it great to live in America?

Excuse Me, What Did You Say?

2007-02-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

When I speak, I may not sound like I grew up in rural Western Kentucky. I did. When I was young, I never really thought much about how I might sound until I was a senior in high school and traveled to San Francisco for a school related function. My best friend and I were asking directions to a nearby hotel for this convention and the person we had asked wanted to know "where the heck you guys are from".
I began to lose my regional dialect in college. My first room mate was from Buffalo, NY, the second from Mt. Carmel, IL, the third from northern Kentucky and the last one was from Cedar Rapids, IA. Those room mates plus a concerted effort on my part to not sound like I was from Western Kentucky helped me lose my regional sound. Being exposed to a variety of dialects also helped me when it came to understanding what others were saying and how they said it.

I share this background because of a show I saw on the National Geographic channel about moonshine (the liquor not the reflected light). I was curious about this topic on a variety of levels. I wanted to see how it was shot and edited, I wanted to see how the producers approached this multi-faceted topic and on a personal level I knew one of my grandfathers used to make 'shine to help make ends meet during the Great Depression.

Most of the action in this NG video took place in Virginia. As one would expect, you had some good old boys making "corn squeezings" and they looked like stereotypical moonshiners. What caught my attention was the fact that when these folks spoke, sub-titles were placed on screen to clarify what they were saying. Granted, some of these folks sounded like they'd been into the corn liquor before the cameras showed up for the interview. But for the most part I could understand what they were saying. For the most part. I caught myself trying to decide if it was funny or sad that the producers felt they needed to sub-title the comments. In retrospect, I agree with the decision to sub-title the comments.

The reality is there are some folks who need what they say translated. I ran into this on a regular basis covering news. No matter how much of an event a person was eye-witness to, if you can't understand what they said, it does no good to have them on the air. And in the case of the National Geo report I understood what these good old boys were saying but I have an advantage over some. After all, I'm still fluent in "red-neck".

This Bucket of Cold Water Could Take Some of the Passion from the Weathergasms

2007-02-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

How many times have you seen it. Team coverage with weather folks breathlessly sharing information about the acts of nature descending upon the viewing area. They show the Sooper-Dooper Gonad Storm Seeking Tracker Gajillion Watt Radar with the Fuzzy Dice add-on and they show how it can zoom down past street level to crack-in-the-sidewalk level. The screen is split into various windows with the Storm Team Trooper Weather Gang of three, five or four or however many bodies they can round up jumping around like someone gave them the hot-foot. At the bottom of the screen is the weather ticker sliding from right to left with additional information.
So recapping what we got: Eye catching weather graphics, folks telling you what's going on, weather ticker at the bottom of the screen; that should cover everything shouldn't it? Not according to what some folks claim in Southwest Florida and more importantly the FCC agreed with.
Here's what happened according to a story in Shoptalk: WINK-TV, long a powerhouse operation in the Ft. Myers area, got hit with a 16-thousand dollar fine because some local hearing-impaired people said they didn't get enough information back in August 2004 when Hurricane Charley came ashore. As with many smaller market stations, the weathercast was NOT closed captioned. At larger operations, a stenographer type person is busy translating what is said into the closed caption system so people who need to read it or want to read it can. If you've ever watched one of the network news shows that have a lot of live interviews you can see that some of these stenographers have a tough time keeping up. But I digress.
The station was going wall-to-wall with hurricane coverage and the fast-changing details from the weather folks and others weren't getting on the air in the closed caption section. That, according to the article, violates federal law. So, in addition to paying the fine, the station agreed to add "real-time" captioning to all its major newscasts. And it wasn't just WINK-TV. The NBC affiliate and the ABC affiliate (I think both are run from the same building) were hit with 24-thousand dollar fines. Their cases are still pending.
Now the Memphis area stations may already have real time captioning going on during their weather-casts, I don't know. Perhaps somebody can share that bit of knowledge. If not, I'd think that all it will take is somebody to file a complaint wit the FCC during the next weathergasm. Of course if no weather operations in Memphis have the "real time" captioning, what better way to show they care about the community than to be the FIRST, THE FIRST I SAY to feature CLOSED CAPTIONING for WEATHER. I just hope it's not in the form of a very early Saturday Night Live News Update. Some of you old farts may remember Garret Morris was shown in a caption window over the anchor's shoulder shouting as loud as he could about the "top story tonight". The bottom line: the various stations take turns bragging about what they do for the viewers. Let's see how serious they really are. I won't bother holding my breath.

A Black Man who is Not Black Enough and We've Overdosed on Anna Nicole Smith Already!

2007-02-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

So, just when is a person black enough to run for political office in the U-S and expect support from within the black community? When I first heard this on Comedy Channel's Colbert Report, I thought this was a joke. But when author and columnist Debra Dickerson sat down for the interview, I realized she was serious. She was talking about how U-S Senator Barack Obama is NOT a black American since he is not a descendant of African slaves. She went on to say he had not lived the "black experience" and that may affect his support in the black community. I initially thought she was indicating that B.O. had not faced the prejudice that people of color face...until now and ironically that comes from within the black community. Dickerson went on to say that B.O. was not African-American but African African-American. This issue was also addressed on 60-Minutes Sunday night in a report by Steve Kroft. I can think of many reasons a candidate won't get the support of somebody. Not being conservative enough, not being liberal enough, not being moderate enough. IMHO, this particular issue doesn't seem to be a good argument for not supporting someone for office.

So, is there anyone who hasn't heard everything he or she needs to know about Anna Nicole Smith already. If you need to hear more, please take my portion. Please, I beg you. I got tired of this story the day it happened and it was on every newscast. ANS is yet another person who is famous for being famous and I'm tired of all the cameras that have been trained on this human car-wreck. Yes, I feel sorry for her in the loss of her son last summer and now she's died and left an infant child behind. But everybody has claimed to be the baby's daddy except me and my oldest brother and I'm not sure about my oldest brother. Please. I think I'd rather go back to flogging the astronaut woman for a a couple of days. The astronaut's lawyers have to be thanking ANS for taking over the headlines though. Of course I should be careful what I wish for in asking for change of headlines. Paris Hilton may realize that nobody is paying attention to her and do something outrageous just so she can recapture her top spot in non-news.

So, What was the Deal with the HDTV Broadcast of the Superbowl

2007-02-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

I've admitted it before and will say it again. I've never been on the cutting edge of consumerism when it comes to high tech. I'm a middle of the road kind of guy most of the time and wait until the technology makes some advances and the prices come down on things such as CD players, DVD players and TIVO devices. I don't have a High Def TV because I'm waiting until the prices drop to what I'm willing to pay which I predict should be in the next two years.
Having said that, I was somewhat surprised when a reader of this blog asked me what was up with the HD broadcast of the Superbowl on WREG. The poster said while he didn't have a HD TV several of his friends did and they were quite disappointed they couldn't get HD from 3. The question was raised about whether WREG had issues with their transmitter or even carried the game in HD. A check of the WREG website showed they had HD listed on the programming schedule. for WREG DT Then I saw a couple of letters to the editor in the Commercial Appeal taking WREG to task for issues with the game not being made available in HD to Direct TV viewers. I don't know what the deal is there. Maybe WREG is holding out for more money.
I did check around a couple of places on the internet and found where some other folks (don't know which market) had complained about the game being shown on CBS as well and how the High Def looked terrible. One person said part of the problem was that the rain, which we managed to ignore in Standard Def, was a problem in High Def. If that is indeed the case, can you imagine what kind of headache that could create for not only ballgames played outside in bad weather but also when newsrooms eventually switch to HD cameras in the field. Those routine shots of some yahoo doing a stand-up in a hurricane or even a driving rain will theoretically look like crap.
But I'm not sure when that will be cause for concern in the Memphis market. I haven't heard any talk of just when HD cameras will hit the streets locally. I would have bet that WREG would have unveiled the first HD local news but that was before they were put on the block. But with the costs associated with it, now it could be anybody's guess.

A Man Who Once Dominated Memphis News Pulls the Plug on Himself

2007-02-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

Mason Granger apparently has decided he's had his fill of the TV business, at least in New Orleans. A posting on ShopTalk's Watercooler says he's leaving WDSU. News Blues had a headline about the GM at WDSU in New Orleans abruptly resigning. I don't know the particulars and don't know what he was like to work for but the few times our paths crossed in Memphis, I liked him. He even sent me a nice rejection letter when I applied for a position in the WMC newsroom back in the early 80s. It was gracious enough that I still wanted to work for him.
For years Mason Granger was the undisputed King of the male News Anchors in Memphis. WMC dominated when he and Brenda Wood worked together and still ran strong when Brenda left and Kim Hindrew arrived. I did find that IFB (ear piece) he used for some time to be quite annoying because audio tube seemed to stick straight out from his ear in a big loop. But he was well known in the community and the region. It seems he was very involved in the community. His dominance of the airwaves helped pave the way for Joe Birch, whom he groomed, to rule supreme for years as well.
My wife worked with Mason briefly in the late 70's as a news producer and she always spoke highly of him.
I've not heard where Mason is going now whether he will stay in NO, move back to Memphis or head to the Big Apple. If he's looking for things to do, there might be an opening in Memphis after the NYTimes completes the sale of the Broadcast Group.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Outside

2007-02-06T15:59:00.000-08:00

For those folks tired of weathergasms whenever nasty looking clouds roll into the MidSouth, you might as well suck it up. Just in time for the February sweeps we've had the equivalent of gasoline thrown on the meteorological fire. I ran across this item regarding tornadoes in the Memphis Flyer.
The article basically says that Memphis is in the top 20 when it comes to cities in America prone to be hit by tornadoes during the month of February. Memphis came in at 18th, ahead of Coral Springs, Florida and Oklahoma City. The Number One spot was claimed by St. Louis. Nashville and Little Rock came in at number Five and Eight respectively.
Don't get me wrong, I think timely dissemination of severe weather information is important and can save lives. Plus, if a tornado is touching down in your general direction, you want to know where things are happening. But we just seem to have a reached a point where the weather folks are whipping out their big old radars and their weather team members to show us what all they do right down to street level. Sometimes I feel I'm back in a grade school locker room where the boys are bragging about what they can do if they're given a chance.
There has to be a better way of doing things in covering the weather. I don't know what the answer is but I do know so many people I've talked with feel that watching TV weather folks in Memphis when clouds blow up is very similar to listening to someone crying "Wolf!" Viewers have become desensitized in the same way that every car fire or traffic stop has earned the title of "Breaking News". I'm not sure if people in the business even remember what "breaking news" is anymore. And it's not just Memphis TV folks who do it. It's just that Memphis happens to be where I reside.
There is one saving grace though. At least I don't live in St. Louis.

A New News Director is Named at WMC and Somebody Please Separate the Producers and the Videographers!

2007-02-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

If you're going to do battle then it helps to have some leaders you know and trust. Such must be the case for the GM at WMC. This GM who has a background in news came to WMC last year after helping establish the Raycom station in Huntsville, AL as the Numero Uno in that market. Speculation began when he came to Memphis that he would bring the ND from that station with him. The rumor was fueled by the fact that the ND had put her house in Huntsville on the market. I guess she wanted to get her newsroom through the February book before she left. Either that or it's a slow housing market in Huntsville or things didn't move as fast as some thought. Anyway, Tracey Rogers is scheduled to take over the helm of the WMC newsroom Feb. 19th. We've had a couple of folks post on her at this blog. I have heard some good things about her when she was in Nashville and she also spent some time in the Paducah market. She shows up at a good time at least when it comes to WREG. I'm told folks down on the river are still waiting to see what will happen when the new owners take over there. And Rogers may crank up the weathergasms in this market a notch or two if that's possible. Maybe we will see five weather folks at Five as well. Anyway, give her a year and we'll see where everything stands then. Let the games begin.

And it turns out that some folks aren't feeling the love between those in the newsroom and those out trying to gather the news in the field. Check out some of the comments regarding last Monday's post. Everybody remember to play nice. A sure fire way to unite both of those sides is to have an anchor with an attitude step in to mediate. They'll unite very quickly to hate the anchor.

And one final note, if during the next week you post a response to anything you have read here and you don't see it appear right away it's probably because Blogger is getting cranky. I think the good folks who run this are trying to do this big changover to the new Google Blogospshere and they are having some technical issues. I find I can only sign on about half the time which is probably twice as much as I should anyway.

Kick Off Black History Month with Whitey Gras?

2007-02-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

I learned a long time ago that one has to tread softly in the Memphis area when talking about race. Specifically white people have to tread softly. In the past, I've raised the question about whether we need Black History Month. Afterall, why should Black History be relegated to just one month. Make it a year round celebration.
Then Wednesday night, I caught an episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart which featured comedian Larry Wilmore doing a report on the pending arrival of Black History Month. If you haven't see it, check it out.
Wilmore is a funny guy and I thought he made a great argument. He questioned whether Black History Month was necessary. Paraphrasing now: Hundreds of years of oppression made up for by 28-days of trivia. I'd rather have a casino. He went on to say he'd rather do what the Catholics do: The real celebration should be Black History Month Eve, a kind of Whitey Gras. A big party leading up to the start of Black History Month (kind of like Lent)
Now, I know there will be a knee jerk reaction by some who will post that I'm a racist or relating racist comments and it will be by some people who won't even bother watching the video.
Some will watch it and still give me grief. But, the point is, don't trivialize Black History and try to boil it down to one month. Make it year round.
For too many years it seems only black reporters will be assigned to cover events that occur during Black History month. And they'll touch on the same folks every year from Harriet Tubbman to George Washington Carver to the Tuskeegee Airmen. Yes, all these folks made great contributions for black people but they also made great contributions for everybody.
Let's celebrate those contributions year round.

Hey Joe, Where You Going With That Blog in Your Hand

2007-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love things when they work and hate it when they don't. I haven't been able to post lately because of issues with Blogger. Some of you may remember a few months ago my blog disappeared altogether for about a week. I made the mistake then of trying to upgrade the blog site. Now it appears I may have no choice as Blogger is pushing the "new and improved" version. If I disappear for a while it's through no fault of my own, at least this time.
I had lunch Monday with a former colleague who now works in a major market as a weekend morning show producer. This person is very good at what he does. Unfortunately I think he has become a victim of his own success which can happen all too often in the news business. Anyone who has ever worked a morning news show understands how the schedule can suck the life out of you. Some like the schedule and get used to it. Many more don't. I liked it for the first eight or nine years that I did it at WREG. I actually didn't mind the hours at first. But after a while, I found the sleep deprivation to be cumulative. Once you get tired, it seems you're always tired. If the numbers look good on the show, then you end up pigeonholed. It makes sense that no one wants to break up a winning combination and this is whether you work in front of the camera or behind the scenes. So, when opportunities come for advancement, some managers will hire from outside the company. Those managers find it's a whole lot easier to hire people to work normal hours than it is to find qualified people who work the overnight or early morning hours. That creates frustration among those folks who were told to work hard and it will "pay off". The misguided managers end up creating disgruntled employees and no amount of "rah-rah" sessions that mornings are the new power slots will overcome those feelings of resentment. I hope my former colleague is able to move off the weekend mornings. He's got too much on the ball as a news producer to keep getting dumped on.
Speaking of getting dumped on, I hear rumblings from DOTR that some producers are s0 tired of the double shows that it could get ugly. The NYTimes Broadcast Group has been trying to keep costs in check as they prepared for the big sale taking place around June so news producers have been doubling up on the shows they do. And when one producer takes time off for vacation or sick days that means more work for everybody else. Some might say the work isn't hard. Others will disagree. I think the big fear among producers is that some of the long-timers who know the daily drill will leave for good and those remaining will have to pick up the slack even more. The reality is that anybody these days who has a job that has even marginal health benefits doesn't want to lose those benefits, especially if they have children. They can't afford it. And up until now, the NYTimes had very generous health benefits. If or when those go away, you may find some folks really searching for other jobs.

Speaking of children, the phone rang around 7:30 Wednesday morning at our house. An early morning phone call is usually not a good thing. I know when I was working the early morning shift DOTR and the phone rang in the middle of the night, I jumped out of bed and headed for the shower because it meant I'd overslept. That only happened once (me oversleeping) but if someone called in the middle of the night I would sit up in bed, even on weekends.
I was already awake when the phone rang Wednesday morning but let the answering machine pick it up. It seems I was needed to pinch-hit as an emcee for an event sponsored by Memphis City Beautiful that morning involving several hundred school kids. The person who was scheduled to emcee (a local weather guy) was needed to monitor the winter weather headed for the MidSouth. I don't get too many calls these days from women who indicate they really need me. Besides chivalry is not dead in our household so I called her back and told her I would help her out.
At the function I ran into some videographers I used to work with and chatted with them briefly. I wished I could say I did the job the original emcee would have done. I'm not sure that I did. He's very good at this. But I did the best I could and I think everybody went home happy. At least nobody threw anything at me.

Musings on a Monday Morning

2007-01-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

I love Memphis! It seems like at least a couple times a week that some article is written in the Commercial Appeal about thieves stealing copper. Usually it involves destroying an air conditioning unit at some church or some other place of business. Some enterprising thieves have found (at least in my neighbhorhood) that while money doesn't grow on trees, it does grow on utility poles. Just about every utility pole has running up the side of it, a ground wire made of copper. I noticed a couple of months ago as a walked the dogs that someone had clipped the ground wires on many of the poles in our alley as high as one could reach (about seven feet) and then cut the wire off at ground level and made off with the goods. Then a few weeks ago MLG&W crews came back and spliced a new shiny section of copper back on the pole. I figure the thieves are waiting for the work crews to get caught up before they (the ner-do-wells) start their second round of harvesting copper. Nothing like seeing your utility dollars at work.

I haven't heard much from folks at local stations these days. Has a News Director been named at WMC? Are things humming along nicely these days? Will the battle plan to reclaim the top spot be made with the existing troops or will they bring in someone from out of town? I'm not sure of the dates of the February book but I would think that it's started already.

I do know of one announcement from DOTR. Apparently during a conference call a couple of weeks ago, the head of the Broadcast Group told the GMs of the group that he was retiring when the sale of the group goes through. Wow, what a surprise. That sale is expected to be completed around May or June. Not sure if that means construction on the big vacation house in the mountains of North Carolina is finished or not. No word on what happens to everyone else, especially the corporate folks with the Broadcast Group.

And I just read a thread on ShopTalk's Watercooler section about changing one's name to reflect an ethnicity that may or may not exist. The original poster was wanting reaction on what others thought about the idea of changing one's last name from something very whitebread such as Jones or Smith to something Hispanic. Some claim they can do this because a grandmother or mother was from (you fill in the country) to justify this move. An interesting read on the responses. Apparently it serves a growing number of people well to do that. Afterall, what's a little white lie from the people who are supposed to bring you the truth about what goes on in the world.

The State of the Union, The State of Local Television News, The State of the VJ Revolution

2007-01-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

I watched the State of the Union address with my lovely and talented bride who is an admitted political junkie. That means we watched it all including rebuttal and analysis. That's a good thing. We all need to know the State of the Union. And no, I'm not going into the politics of what was said but rather what I was witnessing on screen. Some news/information shows have started using so-called body language experts to determine what someone on camera is thinking or feeling. I'm not an expert but so I can only tell you what I saw and my personal interpretation.
First, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. What was going on with the eyes. Maybe her contacts were dry or the bright lights in the Chamber were bothering her. All I know is that I found her constant and rapid blinking to be extremely distracting. I guess the camera shot was such that they wanted to keep both Pelosi and Vice President Dick Cheney framed in the background with President Bush. Pelosi appeared to be nervous, and during the first few minutes appeared to be swallowing hard and licking her teeth a lot. Maybe it was a mint or candy or something.
Vice President Cheney didn't blink much at all. In fact he seemed to stare a lot. Once, when the President started talking about reducing gasoline consumption, Mr. Cheney looked off to someone to his left, actually smiled and winked at someone. I don't know if he was acknowledging someone in the audience or perhaps sharing his thoughts on what the President was suggesting.
The camera caught Secretary of State Rice listening so intently that she appeared to be trying to "will" President Bush to say something or do something. It was a laser beam stare.
There were several shots of Sen. Clinton sitting there watching and listening with a frozen smile on her face. Interestingly enough, almost all of the camera shots showed Sen. Obama in front of her. No close ups of the Senator from Illinois. The one shot I saw of Sen. Kerry, caught him looking rather dis-interested in the whole thing.
The one shot of I remember of Sen. McCain made him look like he was asleep although he could have been reading his copy of the SotU address that so many people had with them.
As for the President, Mr. Bush seemed to have a good presence. As was later pointed out by pundits, he started strong being quite gracious to the House Speaker and did not appear to smirk as he has in a few of his past SotU speeches.
Now before anyone accuses me of some kind of bias, I'm merely pointing out what I saw as a viewer. Enough said there.

I waited too late to see who wore red among local newscasters. By the time I remember, WREG and WMC had gone to national news. I switched over to Fox 13 and saw at least two people wearing red and that may have been by accident. For those not up to speed, someone in the Watercooler section of ShopTalk suggested that local newscasters wear red every Wednesday in a silent protest pertaining to the direction that TV news is going. I posted on this previously if you want to read more.

And finally, I've been trying to find out more on the State of the Video Journalist. Some recent postings on ShopTalk suggested that WKRN in Nashville was abandoning the effort. According to the GM there and some insiders, that is NOT the case though some might wish it were. What fueled this speculation was that WKRN was hiring reporters not to become VJs but to work with a videographer as a team. According to the GM there, WKRN is very much committed to the VJ concept realizing that the VJ situation isn't right for every news story. I've heard the same from those who practice the art of VJing on a regular basis. Sometimes you just need more on a story. And I can understand how the VJ thing can be difficult if you are trying to work a beat AND have to turn a story EVERY day. As I understand the VJ concept, you have time to set up a beat, work your sources and produce 3 to 4 stories a week. I would be none too happy trying to crank hard news every day by myself.
Having said that, I hear that a growing number of stations are moving forward with the VJ concept in their local newsrooms. And they have people interested in filling those positions. I still think you will VJs filling many slots in the coming year alone. Speaking of which, WMC had posted a VJ position last fall. Did it ever get filled?

Lest we forget, one VJ operated in this market for years and worked at several stations here in the market. That would be Tommy Stafford, now calling the mountains of Virgiinia his home.

So, Will Anyone Be Wearing Red on TV This Wednesday?

2007-01-22T05:33:00.000-08:00

"There are two jobs whose practitioners are working with when the red light is lit and not much separates them."
That's a quote from a recent thread in the Watercooler section of ShopTalk about local news. The original poster laments how he or she feels like what they used to call in the old West a "soiled dove" because of the direction the TV news business is going. The person admitted not having skills to do anything else and still needing to pay the bills says he or she will stay in the business for now but wants to create an insider's protest. I've cut and pasted here so if funky characters or symbols appear, (they don't on my side ofthe blog) attempt to decipher the meaning.
If you hate the sensationalized Breaking News stories, if you lament the “hook and hold” formula of A section, say nothing live shots followed by B section “caught on tape” video from 1000 miles away; if you disapprove of newsrooms populated with shallow, ex-cheerleaders and self promoting prom kings who can’t/won’t write and have little knowledge of history, politics or economics; if you feel like you’re drowning in unnecessary anxiety which is endemic to TV news and contributes to burn out and health issues; and if you despise the spineless person you’ve become because you know its wrong and bad for the nation but you just can’t seem summon the integrity to stand up, make your case, organize like minded people and DO something about it… if some of that sounds like you, then might I suggest the following. On Wednesdays, wear something red. Yeah, it’s that simple. It’s someplace to start. Wednesdays seem to be the day everybody works, weekend people, the M-F long timers, everybody. It won’t cost you a cent and if enough people pick up on this idea we’ll be able to gage what kind of support there is for systemic change from the inside.
So wear red on Wednesdays to protest the shallowness and sensationalism of our once proud industry. Talk about it with your colleagues at the other stations. The down time when you cover the same story is a good time to spread the word to the reporters and photogs at your competition. Look around the newsroom and see who else is wearing Wednesday red and use it as an opportunity to start a conversation about the lamentable ethics of local TV news. Let’s see what happens.
An interesting concept but I think it will have as much impact as those proposals to teach oil companies a lesson by not buying gasoline on one day to protest high prices.
Part of the problem is that the TV news business has been marching down this road for a while and using non-verbal communication to say "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" generally only works in the movies if at all. And if you really don't like what is going on and start making noise you will find that the schools have cranked out dozens of people ready to take your place and the managers will be happy to replace you paying someone a fraction of your current salary. Still, the protest is an interesting idea and some will take the idea and run with it. Some may indeed wear some item of red intentionally and others will do it inadvertently having never heard of this grass roots effort to change the direction of TV news.
I might just tune in for a change to see if I see red and see if anyone is indeed "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore".

We Now Know Who Will Head the Soon to Be Former NYTimes Broadcast Group

2007-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

The folks within the NYTimes Broadcast Group now know who will be handling the reins when the new owners take over. Here's a hint: They have a Clear Channel background.
In a press release from Oak Hill Capital Partners which is buying the group, it was announced that Randy Michaels will be CEO and Bobby Lawrence will be President and COO of Local TV, LLC as it will be called. The release says the two, who have worked together before, plan to "build a broader media platform under their leadership." Randy was called a visionary and great motivator with a strong track record of outstanding broadcast management, content development and engineering.
A Google search of Michaels and Lawrence turned up this bit of information.
From Wikipedia:
Randy Michaels (born Benjamin Homel) is an American broadcaster and entrepreneur. Although he began his career as an on-air personality (where he received the name "Randy Michaels"), he is principally known for building the Jacor radio station group, and later becoming the head of Clear Channel Communications' radio group after it merged with Jacor. After leaving Clear Channel in 2002, he again became involved in the radio business, acquiring syndication rights to a number of talk radio programs including The Ed Schultz Show, and participating in Federal Communications Commission spectrum auctions for new commercial FM radio stations in a number of small communities.

In addition to broadcasting, Michaels is also involved in the restaurant business in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, his long-time home.

I Googled Lawrence and found this brief posting from 2000.

Bobby Lawrence, an executive vice president with Clear Channel Radio, announced he will be leaving the company June 30. Formerly president and chief operating officer at Jacor Communications Inc., Lawrence joined Clear Channel when the two companies merged last year. Lawrence said he is exploring opportunities in radio outside of Clear Channel, but would not elaborate.

I guess now Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Michaels can now elaborate on future plans.

The Cold, Cliches and My New Favorite TV Show

2007-01-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

I've been reminded the past few days why Videographers are not paid enough. For the past couple of days I've been shooting some video for a project I've been working on and the temperatures have not been cooperating. Having once been pressed into service as a One-Man-Band or VJ, I've had experience slinging a camera. I'd forgotten the enjoyment that comes with it and the headaches that come with it. Yes there are advantages to working as a team and there are advantages to working by yourself. I think too often reporters take shooters for granted, especially when the weather is not cooperating. It can be difficult manipulating the controls of a camera when it's cold. Gloves can be too bulky to handle the small buttons, so they (the gloves) have to come off. When the weather is hovering around freezing, it doesn't take long for the fingers to get numb. I once was on a one-man shoot in Cape Girardeau, Missouri where I was sent out for a night shoot of people skating on a frozen lake at a city park. It was close to Zero Degrees Farenheit and the old two-piece Thompson camera I was shooting actually shut down because of the cold. So reporters, if you're out on a cold weather story, do your photog a favor and buy him or her a cup of coffee while your out. It fosters goodwill and the shooters deserve it. It sure doesn't hurt to grease the skids there either.
It's not very often that I blog about a network television show. That's because I really don't watch anything from the Big Networks anymore. That is until this past fall when I finally bit the bullet and watched the show Boston Legal. My wife and I now are so hooked on this show that I'm ready to buy the first two seasons on DVD. It's a combination of outrageous situations and very good writing. When it comes to legal arguments by the good guys (viewers will know who I'm talking about) they are second to none. I wish I could write like the writers on that show. And the writing is fairly topical with part of a show last week focusing on the delimma faced by a doctor in New Orleans who euthanized several bedridded patients in the aftermath of Katrina to this week people on the "Do Not Fly" list who do not belong there. Check it out if you can. In reality, the show would be a nightmare for any person in HR.
And speaking of clever writing or the lack thereof. I ran across a list of cliches' the other day on Shoptalk. It seems a producer from a Chicago television station put a ban on cliches' . Looking over the list I think it's safe to say that if you banned these from local TV stations, you'd never get a newscast on the air. I ran across some of my favorites and as I read them I almost slipped into a coniption as I remember the times I encountered them in copy. I'm guilty of using some of them as well and even the esteemed guru of broadcast writing Mervin Block will tell you some cliches' are okay. But too often it's just lazy writing. I'm pasting the article from Word (where I saved them. Pasting them here always puts a bunch of funky symbols in there. I'm sorry but I'm way too lazy to retype them. Enjoy them and then count the number of times you see them in a local newscast over the next week.

Chicago News Producer Hunts Down Clichés
By Mervin Block
merblo@aol.com | Jan. 11, 2007 | More Writing Tips

The Windy City has become a little less windy. The reason: a Chicago station, WLS-TV, presents a 10 p.m. newscast that's cracking down on the use of a batch of bad words. Not nasty words, but clichés, bromides, redundancies and words that are otherwise objectionable.

The creator of the watch list is the newscast’s producer, Lisa McGonigle. As the list’s custodian, she encourages writers, reporters and anchors at WLS-TV to steer clear of words and phrases on the list. And she also encourages them to contribute bad words to the list, so it keeps growing.

Lisa keeps the list at her desk, and she makes it available to staff members. When scripts for the Ten are submitted for approval, Lisa reviews them. If she comes across any word or phrase on the list, she deletes it. And, if necessary, she replaces it with language that's acceptable. The list is intended to raise the standard of writing by discouraging what Lisa calls "lazy and formulaic kinds of writing."

The news director of the ABC-owned station, Jennifer Graves, says her goal is to have the staff produce clear, crisp, conversational writing without clichés or clutter.

When newsrooms elsewhere hear about Lisa ’s treatment of the scorned words, let’s hope they heed that biblical injunction: “Go, and do thou likewise."

Words on Lisa’s Watch List

The comments in parentheses are Lisa’s. Those in brackets are mine.

adding insult to injury [cliché]

adult's having sex with a minor (Sounds consensual. It’s not. It’s rape, abuse or assault.)

alarming (It may not be to the viewer.)

also making news (lazy transition) [Everyone mentioned in a newscast is “making” news.]

amazingly (Just give me the facts.)

around the clock (overused)

arson fire (redundant)

as expected [A news-appetite depressant. When I hear it, I wonder who's doing the expecting.]

as predicted [by whom?]

ATM machine (redundant) [ATM = automated teller machine]

backs to the wall [Cliché. That phrase was used by Sir Douglas Haig, who commanded British troops in France in World War I. He told them, in 1918, "With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end." But so many people have used the phrase since then that it has earned retirement. So has handwriting on the wall. If walls could speak, they'd probably say, "Please stop talking about us." Remember, walls have ears.]

bad news (Let the viewer be the judge; bad news for some may be good news for others.) [What’s good for Luke Skywalker can be bad for Lucy Streetwalker. Don’t characterize news as alarming, disturbing, shocking, unbelievable—or good or bad.]

batten down the hatches [cliché—unless you’re at sea in a storm]

beef up (trite)

behind bars (overused)

behind closed doors (cliché)

bird’s-eye view (timeworn)

blaze (It’s a fire, period!)

bombshell (for whom?)

brace yourself (Don’t tell me what to do.)

bracing for the worst (Couldn’t it always be worse?)

braving the elements [Going out in the rain or snow doesn’t require bravery.]

breaking their silence (overused)

brutal murder (aren’t they all?) [Ever hear of a gentle murder?]

business is booming (commonplace)

calm before the storm [cliché]

campaign trail [cliché]

canine dogs (redundant) [How about a feline cat? Drat!]

canvassing the area (What’s wrong with “looking for clues”?)

can you hear me now? (If I hear this one more time, I’m going to tune you out.)

caught on tape (Way overused. In this age, almost everything is caught on tape.)

cautiously optimistic [cliché]

child prodigy (A prodigy is a child.) [Not to be confused with protégé.]

clinging to life (banal)

close call (timeworn)

closed up or down (It’s just closed.)

closure (Overused when talking about families of victims. Unless the families say something is bringing them closure, who are we to say what will help them heal?)

combing the neighborhood (Again, what’s wrong with "looking for clues"?)

community alert (not conversational)

complete surprise (Save a word; you’ll get the same effect with just surprise.)

completely abolish (completely redundant)

completely demolished (redundant)

completely destroyed [If something is destroyed, it’s destroyed--completely.]

completely engulfed (Completely is superfluous.)

completely independent (redundant)

completely silent (redundant)

completely submerged (redundant)

continues (If nothing’s new, why should I keep watching?)

controversial (overused) [Many writers use it in the belief that it'll punch up a script. But so many writers have used it so often that it has lost its punch.]

death and destruction (overused)

death toll (not conversational) [but useful]

desperate search (trite)

disappointing (it may not be to the viewer)

dog days of summer (Overused, unless you live in Antarctica.) [Or in a kennel.]

do or die [cliché]

dramatic (Just give me the facts.)

dream come true [cliché]

electrocuted to death (Electrocuted is dead.) [So are asphyxiated, strangled and suffocated.]

elsewhere (lazy transition)

end of an era [Often used on the death of a prominent person; advice against using it seems to go in one era and out the other.]

exact replica [redundant]

extradited back (Back is superfluous.)

fall from grace [cliché]

fighting for his life [cliché]

final farewell (trite)

final goodbye (overused)

first annual (If it’s the first, it can’t be annual--yet.)

freak accident (unless it really is freaky)

friendly confines (overused)

friends, family and (fill in the blank) are mourning the loss of… (timeworn)

full extent of the law [cliché]

funeral service (redundant) [A funeral is a service.]

gift of life (overused)

good news (Let the viewer be the judge.)

heartfelt condolences (How do we know whether they’re heartfelt?)

heartwarming [and heartbreaking; usually corny]

hometown hero (overused)

hope springs eternal [cliché]

in a family way [cliché] [The word needed is pregnant.]

indeed (superfluous)

in the dark (unnecessary)

in the wake of (overused) [When you mean after, say after.]

king of pop (banal)

lawyer believes (How do we know what anyone believes? A lot of people say one thing and believe another. But c’mon, a lawyer? if a lawyer said only what he or she believed, a lot of clients would be in big trouble.)

literally (too often used in an illiterate way)

little children (some are big; there’s an obesity epidemic)

little Mary, little Johnny, etc. (If referring to children, little is unnecessary.)

local or area hospital (Obviously, someone wouldn’t be taken to a distant or remote hospital.)

lucky to be alive (Trite. Aren’t we all?)

major milestone (overused) [and redundant; a milestone is major]

makeshift memorial (worn out)

making the grade (overused)

manhunt [Try search.]

meantime (lazy transition)

meanwhile (lazy transition)

middle of a streak (How do we know it’s not near the end?)

minor miracle (Either it is a miracle or it isn’t.) [Leave miracles to ministers—and mayonnaise makers.]

mixed bag [cliché]

more questions than answers [cliché]

Mother Nature [Shopworn personification. Also sexist: how about father? Nature alone is all right.]

mourning the death of (timeworn)

mourning the loss of (ditto)

near miss (If it almost missed, doesn’t that mean it hit?) [Isn’t a near miss a bride who was almost jilted at the altar?]

new hope (trite)

new lease on life [cliché]

not your father’s/mother’s/grandmother’s (fill in the blank): auto show, roller derby, you name it

old man winter [shopworn personification]

one-two punch [cliché]

only one death (It trivializes the death; even one death is a great loss to that person’s family)

on the run (cliché)

opening salvo (Who talks like that?) [And salvo is almost always misused.]

pack some patience if you’re traveling today (overused in stories about airport delays)

parent’s worst nightmare (How do we know what every parent’s worst nightmare is?)

path of destruction (overused)

pick up the pieces [another cliché]

pickup truck (a pickup is a truck)

PIN number [redundant; PIN = personal identification number]

political bombshell [cliché]

press the flesh (Who thought of this one?)

remains to be seen [First cousin of time will tell.]

return back (redundant) [so is refer back]

ringing off the hook [cliché]

routine traffic stop (it’s never routine)

safe and sound [cliché]

search for answers [cliché]

senseless crime (do any make sense?)

shocking (Just give me the facts.)

shock waves [cliché]

sigh of relief [cliché]

sign of the times [cliché]

slippery slope [cliché]

sneak peek [cliché]

something went horribly wrong or terribly wrong [cliché]

sounded like a freight train [cliché]

speaking of _________ (mindless transition)

speaking out (overused)

special ceremony (Aren’t they all special?)

struggling to survive [Aren’t we all?]

stunning (Just give me the facts.)

suspect (If police have no suspect, it should be thief, robber, killer, whatever, instead.)

switching gears (lazy transition)

sworn affidavit and sworn deposition (redundant) [If it’s not sworn, it’s not an affidavit or a deposition.]

tense moments (overused)

terrible accident (There aren’t many good ones.)

things (which things? be specific)

this was the scene (lazy)

tie the knot (when referring to marriage)

totally complete (redundant)

traffic nightmare (shopworn)

traffic troubles (troubling overuse)

tragic (Just give me the facts.) [Tragedy, too, is a good word to avoid.]

transplant operation (redundant)

troubling (It may not be to the viewer.)

under fire (overused)

under the knife (trite)

uneasy truths (cliché)

up for grabs (cliché)

upper hand (cliché)

U.S. soil [overused]

very first (very redundant)

very latest (redundant, overused, unnecessary, lazy)

very rare (redundant)

very unique [Unique is an absolute; nothing can be more unique, quite unique, rather unique or very unique.]

very unprecedented (redundant) [It’s worse than that; something that’s unprecedented is a first. Isn't that good enough?]

wardrobe malfunction (unless writing about Janet Jackson)

war of words [cliché]

weather woes (silly)

welcome news (trite)

went missing (not on my watch)

what a difference a day makes [cliché]

white stuff (It’s called snow.) [Could be dandruff.]

winter wallop (overused and shopworn)

with child [dainty or quaint. The word for that condition: pregnant.]

working feverishly [cliché]

wrong place at the wrong time [cliché]

xx years young [patronizing]

young baby (Believe it or not, it has been used.) [Same for new bride; there are no old brides—except the newly wed in nursing homes.]

your children (Not everyone has children.)

your pet (Not everyone has a pet.)

Even if the words you’re using are not on Lisa McGonigle’s list, keep an eye out--and an ear, too--for words that you think should be on her list.

Although the grampa of good grammar, Henry W. Fowler, condemned clichés, he said writers would be needlessly handicapped if they were never allowed to use, among others, white elephant, feathering his nest and had his tongue in his cheek. Yes, a cliché may be O.K. once in a great while. May be. But good writers pass up clichés and say what they need to say in their own words.

And finally, at the end of the day, this is the bottom line. Oops. Three clichés in one sentence. Sorry. What we all need to do is think for ourselves and not fall back on words and phrases that have been used so often and for so long that they've outlasted their use-by date and gone stale.

Observations on a Monday Morning!

2007-01-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

I know there are some weather folks on the verge of a major conniption because the Memphis area didn't get the nasty winter stuff they got in Missouri. That's okay with me. I can handle rain and I can handle snow. Freezing rain is not welcome here. It makes life way too miserable. I wish it hadn't hit the areas that it did, but I'm content that it didn't hit here. We've "been there and done that" often enough in the Midsouth. Enough said there.
I received a YouTube posting featuring the good mayor of Memphis who spoke at the big national media conference taking place in the city. The mayor was taking potshots at the local media for what he feels is some sort of bias. Listening to his rant I think he feels he's targeted because of race. He's probably lucky the local media isn't tougher on him and race has nothing to do with it. Anyway, I thought his comments (and I only heard the portion posted on YouTube) were a cheap shot on his part. He blasted the local media and their coverage suggesting they pick on black men and women in power. Maybe that is the perception in the black community. I don't know. I don't get that feeling overall when I'm out and about. I've met the mayor on a number of occasions over the years and chatted with him, usually at public gatherings. He's a nice enough guy but some of the things he says have started to worry me over the years. The reality is he isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so unless he decides to step down or a tremendous candidates comes along, this is what we got.
My wife and I talked about swinging by the big media gig to see some folks speak but we didn't. I would have liked to heard Helen Thomas speak. She reminds me of the Energizer Bunny in that this little 86 year old woman just keeps going and going and going. I'm sure Bill Moyers had some interesting insights as well. While these folks might have lit a fire under journalists from across the country and here in Memphis, the reality is this: The news business has changed, evolving into something completely different than it was even ten years ago, at least in the TV game. It ain't going back no matter how much some would like it to. Those in the business talk about how it used to be. Some in the business have found there's money to be made if you present news with a slant. Tthe news game is a business and if you aren't making money then you need to do something about it so you will. You have to do something to make your operation stand out from the crowd.
There was a time when news was considered part of the public service a television station pursued. Then someone realized you could make a lot of money in TV news. They found it was cheaper to put on additional news shows at various times of the day than to buy syndicated programming. They ended up diluting the news product but at least they got more mileage out of their news folks. The schools cranked out of the students who had visions of making Katie Couric salaries AND getting to be in front of the camera at the same time. That helped the schools grow. The shift in the news business created the need for a consultant as stations tried to figure out how to get better ratings. The stations probably could have figured it out for themselves but now if they didn't they could always blame the consultant.
Something most people don't realize is that if a station thought it could make a lot of money doing it, they would put a chicken playing a piano in front of the camera and let it go at that. Sure, there is that pesky public file where people can write out their complaints and there is the fact that you have to have a federal license to operate a TV or radio station. Still, I would bet that if one station found it was "pushing the wheelbarrow to the bank" by having a piano playing chicken on the air 24 hours a day, the station would do it. Then you would see that station imitated in other markets as others scrambled for the same cheap success.
Just before Christmas, I stopped on Union to get the oil changed in my old Pathfinder and saw an older gentleman sitting in the business waiting for his car. He looked familiar to me and when I asked him he said yes, his name was Fred Cook. For those not familiar with Mr. Cook, he started in radio at WREC and later expanded his duties to include the nightly newscast on WREC-TV for 3-dollars per 15-minute newscast. For the record he did NOT know who I was and was surprised that I had been on the air in Memphis for 16-years at his old station. He told me really didn't watch that much local television anyway. Most of his comments focused on how much the business had changed and how it had become such a business. He said he remembered his reaction when he learned that former local anchor Jerry Tate was making more than 100-thousand dollars a number of years ago. Mr. Cook also told me that back in the good old days when stations cared more about their employees that he was given the boot when the radio station he worked for as a manager was sold. He says he won't be surprised to see it happen again to some folks as the station DOTR is sold. It's not personal. It's just business.

Nothing Like Hummer and a Bottle of Wine to Get My Attention!

2007-01-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

These days, it takes some special doing to set yourself apart in the local news business. It's all about getting your name out there where ever and however you can do it. Fox 13 in Memphis has managed to get my attention and they did it twice within the span of 10 minutes and in what I consider an unusual way.
I had stopped by the very popular adult beverage store located near the corner of Highland and Poplar. I was searching for a particular item in the wine section when lo and behold I saw a Fox 13 sign behind a bottle of wine. It wasn't a big sign mind you. Just a little one that hovered behind one particular case of wine and I think it either said it was recommended or was the Fox 13 Pick of the Week. Other than the fact it was a bottle of red ( I didn't buy it) I don't remember much about the wine, but I do remember seeing the Fox 13 logo. I was not able to find infomration about the wine when I went to the Fox 13 website so I'm hoping somebody will fill in the blanks here for me.)
I was still thinking about it as I made my purchase and walked out to my vehicle and there traveling north on Highland was something that caught my eye. I actually did a double take because of the bright colors. It was a Hummer vehicle, covered with logos and adorned with a live truck mast. It definitely stood out from the rest of the traffic. I'm not sure how much room there was inside for the live truck operator to take care of his or her business but "Hey". These folks are selling both the steak and the sizzle. It stands out the way that red helicopter does from the station DOTR. I don't know if all the live trucks from the station on Highland are being converted but it's a good look for sure. I guess it's just another toe hold in the climb up the ratings ladder.

How About Those Florida State Gators!

2007-01-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

Hey, I admit it. When it comes to college football, I know enough to be dangerous. I had never even heard of Boise State until they played Oklahoma and beat them. I actually watched part of that game. On the other hand, I do have some idea who the big boys are when it comes to college football, especially since my lovely and talented bride is such a football fanatic. So I'm sitting at my computer with National Public Radio playing in the background when I hear not once but twice from the NPR commentator about the big game featuring Ohio State and the Florida State Gators. Florida State GATORS ? In some parts of the country such a gaff would get you tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. And this on a national news program. The mistake was not corrected during the time I listened. Granted, NPR is not Sports Talk or even close to it but come on.
Anyway, the game last night I think pretty well wrapped up the college bowl games and quite frankly I'm glad. Yah, we'll have some non-sensical bowl game or two for seniors or the north and south or east and west or athletes who play left-handed but it's all over now on the college level.
I'm not sure just how they did it but colleges have managed to do to the bowl season what retailers have done to Christmas. They're moving it to a year-round activity. The fact that 150 million dollars is involved in bowl games (something I heard on the radio and not confirmed) may have something to do with it and I know it's all about the money. But they've managed to drag out the bowl season to such an extent that the games are getting lost in the shuffle. Heck, even my wife missed the first part of the Florida/Ohio State game because she forgot about it. She still laments the fact that the time during the Christmas holidays used to be Bowl Game Time and now the games stretch from Thanksgiving to the first full week of January.
Still, there is an upside to this. With college football season over, I've finally gotten my wife back. Whether she thinks that's such a good thing, she hasn't said.

The New York Times Broadcast Group Has a New Owner! (almost)

2007-01-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

What does a vacuum cleaner company, a skiing company and a fast food restaurant franchise have in common with the New York Times Broadcast group? They are all about to be under the same ownership. The deal was announced Thursday afternoon that the Oak Hill Partnership Group has bought the NYTimes Broadcast group for 575-million dollars. OHPGroup has, according to its website a number of holdings including the Oreck company (vacuum cleaners), a Burger King Franchise in Puerto Rico and the American Skiiing Company to name just a few. They have at least three telecommunications companies including cable and broadband but this will be the first broadcast group. The sale is expected to be finalized in about six months. The big question now; what does all of this mean to the worker bees. That remains to be seen, but some have already speculated that if an investment firm bought the broadcast group cuts can be expected as investment firms want a decent return on what they bought. I know hopes had been high that a company already involved in broadcasting would buy the nine NYTimes stations but so much for wishful thinking.
So, at least now NYTimes employees have a better idea of what they are dealing with so they can better prepare for the future. Hey, the good news is that no staff reductions should be made between now and the start of summer so at least there's time to pay off the Christmas bills.

Winding Down the Old Year

2006-12-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

Wow. Here it is December 27th and I'm asking, "Just where has the year gone!" I had a couple of minutes and thought I would stroll down memory lane.
WREG did NOT become WHBQ West after all. Two out of three frontline anchors is close but no cigar there. Still, it apparently helped with the formula to help boost the Station DOTR to the lead in certain time slots that they weren't already winning. They still have one more big time slot to hurdle in the race against WMC. We'll have to see how it goes in 2007. I'm sure the former ND DOTR wishes she had stayed a few more months so SHE could claim the victory, but alas, "It's all about timing". The current ND DOTR gets to put that feather in his cap.
Fox 13 proved they have a formula that works in the morning. They will continue to do well.
The ratings trend didn't help the manager situation at the Station on Union. First the GM departed back in the summer and speculation ran rampant about when ND Peggy Phillip would leave. That happened in December. Like her or not, the Pegster left her mark on the news business in the Bluff City. We'll see where she lands next.
Some long-time radio personalities in the Memphis market got the boot, thanks to the bottom line. I hope the New Year brings some good news for them.
The first rumor of the pending sale of the NYTimes Broadcast group surfaced last summer and was announced a couple of months later. Everyone with that organization is still waiting for that second shoe to drop. I personally think the asking price for TV stations may have dropped a bit since Clear Channel announced they were selling their TV holdings as well. Hey, you flood the market with properties and companies that want to invest get to pick and choose.
As I mentioned on the date of my one year of blogging last week, I've heard from a lot of folks. Most were nice, some were not. Hey, I will give the not-so-nice people the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they were having a bad day. I've learned a lot about trying to stay fair and balanced. I have tried to be fair about my observations. A few of you have let me know when I strayed. It can be hard not to jump into the fray.
And, I can't believe it's been almost a year since my Dad succumbed to cancer. I find I still reach for the phone on occasion to call him for advice before I realize those days are gone. Sometimes I just feel the need to talk to him. I really miss him.
All in all, it's been a good year. Like everyone else I've had some ups and downs. The bottom line is that my key still works at home so that means my lovely and talented bride Bethany hasn't changed the locks and the two pups, Newby and Mac still jump up in my easy chair for a butt scratch. Talk about unconditional love all the way around. I'm a lucky guy.
So while I got caught up in a last minute rush and failed to post a Christmas greeting as I had intended, I will post a New Year's wish to everyone who takes time to read this blog.
May the New Year bring you not so much what you want but what you need. And remember, sometimes wanting is indeed better than having.
Happy New Year everybody.
Regards,
Joe Larkins

Will We Soon Have 24-Hours of Today!

2006-12-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

As we wind down the year known as 2006, you have to hand it to the folks at NBC. When they get something that works, they don't try to fix it. They just expand it.
This is unlike CBS which had a good thing going with Bob Schieffer on the CBS evening news. He gave the network a boost after Danny boy got the boot. I can visualize the wheels turning in the minds of the big-wigs. "Hey, We need something to really screw up the bottom line. Hey, let's get Katie Couric over here from the Today show. They love her in the mornings and I'll bet 15 million dollars they'll love her in the evening. Hey, the audience is made up of a bunch of sheep. They'll like what we want them to like."
There was one problem. Viewers voted with their remote controls. Oh, there are some who say we need to give Katie time. I don't think time will help. This after chatting with a couple of folks who used to tune in to Katie every morning on the Today show. THEY say she is out of her element on the evening news. I agree. She was Perky and Chatty on the morning shows. She can't be perky and chatty on the evening show. It's not a good fit. The big question is what to do with her now. We'll know the folks at CBS are grasping at straws if they do the colonoscopy thing on live TV.
Meanwhile, the Today show is expanding and it turns out that the lack of KC isn't that big of a deal on NBC. I 'm not sure they miss her. The Today show still makes a ton of money for the network. And there's talk of expanding it to four hours and perhaps adding Kelly Ripa to the mix. Of course you do run the risk of dilluting the product just as local news has been dilluted by the every-other hour of news product we seem to have on some stations. But if it makes some bucks in the short-run, that's the important thing. Afterall, bonuses are based on "what have you done for me lately" not the big picture.
Still, someone has decided to see how far they can stretch the golden eggs of the Today show goose by scrambling them. Hey, it just might work. We'll see in 2007

So, Just What is the Status of the Sale of the NYTimes Broadcast Group?

2006-12-21T05:54:00.000-08:00

I get questions on a regular basis now from folks wanting to know if I've heard anything more about the pending sale of the NYTimes. Oh I've heard rumors like everyone else but nothing more concrete than that. I've heard and read on various internet sites that Allbritton has been nosing around some of the properties. Allbritton has stations in Tulsa and Little Rock. They could create a daisy chain by buying KFOR (Oklahoma City), KFSM (Ft. Smith) WREG (Memphis) and WHNT (Huntsville). I personally don't know that much about Allbritton but from what I've read, it's like any group with the big dog WJLA getting the most money and the others glad to have what they get.
I have also read where proposals were supposed to have been submitted last week so the brass can mull over the offers and see what's on the table. As to when an announcement will be made depends on which quarter the NYTimes wants to shore up. Since the last quarter involved a lot of political advertising (which always helps the bottom line) they may hold off until the first quarter to announce the sale to help shore things up there. I'm just speculating here. If I had a great background in math and tax issues I would have been a CPA instead of a news person. Perhaps someone wise in the ways of monetary issues might weigh in here.
Also, the corporate big-wigs might wait until after Christmas to make an announcement in case the news isn't too great. You know they really are quite sensitive to the little people. Just ask them. As long as it doesn't interfer with THEIR end of the year bonus that is.

How Many Anchors Does It Take to Screw in a Lightbulb? and Today Marks an Anniversary

2006-12-19T04:33:00.000-08:00

So, how many news anchors does it take to screw in a lightbulb? That was a question posed to me a number of years ago and if you work around a newsroom you'll get a variety of answers from everyone including producers, reporters, videographers, assignment desk folks and the managers. The answer: Just one. The anchor just holds up the lightbulb and places it in the light socket. After all, the world revolves around him or her. But you'll have to wait for the lightbulb to be installed until after they get back from a two and a half hour breakfast/lunch/dinner or they need to run some errands (unless they have an intern pick up their drycleaning) or you'll have to wait until tomorrow because they have a date with a personal trainer/or have a nail appointment. Other than that, the anchor is ready to go.
No, I'm not picking on anchors this week. It's just pointing out the obvious in some shops. Some people do make it easy to be targets.

And today is an anniversary for me. It was one year ago that I started this blog. In that first posting, I raised the question of why someone would start a blog and once a blog was started, would anybody read it or respond. I have been quite flattered to find a few folks do read. This past year I've had more than 60-thousand hits on the blog which has ranged topic-wise from what's happening at local TV stations to the death of my father from cancer. I've found that along the way there are some people who read and respond on a regular basis and for a while there were those who couldn't wait to spew forth the same old venom no matter what the topic. Those in the latter category finally went away. This blog has allowed me to reconnect with folks I've met over the past 25 years of my former TV career and to make some new friends.
I've considered pulling the plug on this blog several times over the past year and that may still happen at some point in time. But that time is not today nor this week (despite what some might wish) so I plan to jot down a few more thoughts and notes from time to time. Thank you for taking time to check in.

Do Male Anchors Help Out More Than Female Anchors, and Another Possible Buyer Could Be Breaking Up That Old Broadcast Group of Mine.

2006-12-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

An interesting post by a former TV news producer raises a question. That comment suggested that when it comes to getting help on a newscast (writing scripts) male anchors tended to be more cooperative than females anchors. It's an interesting observation and I'd be curious as to what producers have to say about it. Are male anchors more willing to help when the producer is female or does the gender of the producer really matter? Do female anchors help out more if they're working with a male producer? I know I tried to help out whenever I could but I tended as an anchor to focus on the scripts I would read since I usually wrote in a particular style that somebody else might not want to read. It sometimes became obvious when script READS were changed at the last minute and a script might not have sounded the way it was supposed to especially if it was being read COLD.
I'd be curious if producers or former producers have an opinion on the amount of help they get or used to get from anchors.
And I don't have this independently confirmed but is Allbritton Communications seriously looking at the NYTimes owned KFSM? That's what is being suggested by a comment on the previous blog posting. A-C has stations in Tulsa and Little Rock and this would be a nice feather in their corporate cap. If anyone has any details, please share.
P.S.: I got home from being out of town over the weekend and found that my DSL line is down and that my only way to get on line is by lap-top and a dial-up connection. I find I like neither one. I hope to be back up to full speed by tomorrow.

The Ego Has Landed (Page Counting Anchors)

2006-12-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation this week with a news producer at one of the television stations in Memphis and that producer shared with me the latest headaches of dealing with the egos of some anchors. According to the story shared with me, an anchor was just livid that the other person anchoring on the desk in this particular show got more stories to read in that particular half hour. To top everything off, this particular anchor was going to take this matter higher up the food chain, perhaps even outside the newsroom because this just could not be tolerated. "Oh the humanity. Is there no justice in this world?" What next, "Peace without honor?"
The conversation reminded me of one of the reasons I'm glad to be out of television news.
Don't get me wrong. One has to have an ego to want to be in front of the camera to begin with. However, there are those who generally keep everything in check and then there are those known as "God's Gift to TV News." "Their public needs them." I always felt I kept a pretty good perspective on the TV business while I was in it, especially after working with some who didn't.
I worked with one person who not only kept things in perspective, she (in my opinion) was the most down to earth and laid back person I ever anchored with. I'm talking about Marybeth Conley. She told me once when we were first working together on the morning show that she really didn't care how few scripts she read during the show. She said they paid her the same whether she read one story or all of them and reading less meant more time for her to balance her checkbook or make grocery lists which she often did while on the set. It was a philosophy that served me fairly well for the rest of my career in news.
Former news anchor Jerry Tate told me once he used to work with a person who was quite the script counter as well and that it grew quite tiresome after a very short time. Yes, it doesn't take long for everyone to know in the newsroom that the "ego has landed."
One final note: It would be interesting to see how many producers in the various newsrooms in Memphis get chewed out by the anchors who think I'm writing about them.

We're Running This Story Because We have Great Video and the Memphis Manatee is Truly History

2006-12-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

So, I'm grabbing my second cup of coffee and glance up at the TV which is tuned to MSNBC and I see Andrea Mitchell talking about "Breaking News" as they take a live satellite feed from Knoxville. The story: the airplane used by the traffic reporter in Knoxville can't get the landing gear down and the pilot is having to circle to burn off fuel for the inevitable gear-up landing. Now, I was interested in the story since I'm a private pilot but and I'm not trying to be callous here, who really cares. Yes, the lives of some people are in danger and the pilot has to land but if there was a car crash in Knoxville involving a couple of people, would we care. It might be worthy of local coverage in that particular market. No, the only reason the video is shown is because it has the potential to be some great footage if the plane DIDN'T land without a major incident. Most of these landings, even with the bigger planes go without a hitch. Oh, the plane probably gets damaged but that's because it landed on its belly. I fully expect to see this story on Memphis area TV newscasts.
The mantra of "run it because it's good video" reminds me of something I posted on earlier in the year about video we ran when I was anchoring mornings. We had a story about a convenience store robbery in Australia. We ran the story because the security camera captured the robbery on video. I know this because I asked why we cared about this story and I was told "because we've got great video". It had nothing to do with the story, just the video. Sometimes a story's video does make it newsworthy, but many times it's just filling a news hole. I'd bet there are some news directors who watch a live feed like a plane landing with its gear up and are saying to themselves or out loud, "I hope the pilot doesn't make it". I've seen this kind of behavior so I know it happens.
And speaking of not making it, the Memphis manatee bit the muck of the Mighty Mississippi. I was truly sorry to see it happen as I have a fondness for these gentle giants and had hoped he or she would be rescued and flown or trucked home. When he disappeared I had hoped he would have let the current take him farther south. But that's not the way the story ended. Perhaps someone in the Memphis area will write a blues song in his honor.

Let's See, Fewer Commercials, More Time for News, Longer News Reports, My God, What a Concept!

2006-12-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

The success of the NBC Nightly News with its experiment of fewer commercials is getting the attention of advertisers and viewers alike. It probably has more than a few consultants salivating at the prospect of presenting a new "news model" to those clients who can't figure things out for themselves. That means a large number of newsrooms across the country.
But while the single sponsored newscast was an extreme, according to an article in Broadcasting and Cable, NBC's success on the Nightly News is due in part to the fact that it tends to run fewer commercials allowing for (gasp) more news time and longer news reports. Another key point is that NBC tends to cover more hard news than its rivals. NBC also leads the other networks in covering terrorism, politics, disasters and the economy and less on social issues.
It seems the folks that run NBC have figured out a way to give the viewers what they want.
Yes, expect consultants to fall all over themselves trying to pitch this idea. We'll see if it catches on.
Shifting gears now, there was a recent article in the Commercial Appeal about the local TV ratings in Memphis but it only focused on the nightside. Unless you work at a TV station, you would have had no idea of how the rest of the competition stacked up.
I've received a copy and just now getting around to posting at least the general highlights for the mornings as that is where interesting things are happening.
At 5am, WREG won with a 4.44 Rating and a 14 Share. Coming in that half hour was WHBQ and WMC was third. The key point here is that both WREG and WMC were DOWN from a year ago with WHBQ showing a BIG jump here.
At 5:30 am, WREG won and WMC was second. ( I didn't receive numbers for WHBQ for that half-hour.) Again, both WREG and WMC were down from a year ago.
From 6-7 am, WREG again led the way with a 7.27 Rating and a 17 Share followed by WMC and then WHBQ. Again both WREG and WMC are down from last year while WHBQ is up.
In the 7-8 hour WHBQ won with a 6.45 Rating and a 15 Share, followed by WMC and WREG.
Having sat through the four hour Morning Show at Fox 13, I can tell you a couple of the things they have going for them. The folks there seem to genuinely like each other and it comes across on the air. They also have a good time doing what they do. Yes, they have the same problems that other newscasts have but everyone seems to like each other. It's not forced and they don't mind joking around with each other both on-air and off. I was impressed with what I saw and I would not be surprised to see them take over the mornings altogether. Granted they may have a tough time as some people switch over to the Today show but unless a consultant decided to "tweak" things over on Highland, I think they have found the recipe for success.
And finally, a received a post about a new blog here in town. I was told it is a media only blog by a media person. Perhaps you might check it out for some interesting reading. It's mediaverse-Memphis.blogspot.com/ . Tell 'em Joe sent you.

It's So Cold in Memphis..................

2006-12-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

It's so cold in Memphis...How cold is it? It is so cold in Memphis, in Midtown a flasher came up to me and described himself!!!. (Rimshot) Goodnight folks, try the veal, it's the chef's favorite!
Seriously, it was a cold winter like this in 1989 and I was filling in on the morning show (my regular gig at the time was anchoring weekend nights and reporting during the week). I had finished the Morning show and was helping work on the Noon show. The reporters (those not off work trying to burn up vacation time before the end of the year) were all working on cold weather stories. We were short-staffed because of those taking vacation time and we got a call that Mary Beth Conley was sick and would not be in. That normally wouldn't be a problem except that Jerry Tate was on vacation and she had been anchoring solo. All other warm bodies around the newsroom had been pressed into service in some capacity. So the EP told me that I would be anchoring the 6 and 10. He didn't ask, but told me I would do this. He was never known for his people skills. My wife had just told me that she had heard a loud noise from under the house and that she thought she heard running water. I told the folks I would anchor the shows but that I had to go home and check my house and also shave again for the night-side shows since my 5 o'clock shadow would be heavy by then. So I went home after the Noon show, pulled on a pair of coveralls and crawled under the house looking for water leaks or busted pipes. I found neither one which helped to make my day. I then cleaned up and drove back to work where I anchored the six and ten. I later told folks that on that day if your TV was on 3, so was I. It was a long day. On top of that, I had to anchor the morning show the next day as well.
I haven't seen any of the local newscasts this morning and probably won't catch any of them later today either but I will bet that I will see some stories about the following: Car repair shops dealing with dead batteries, and busted water hoses and vehicles that won't start because of the cold, sales of heaters and other devices to stay warm, what the zoo does to help the animals stay warm and how the polar bears and penguins love this weather, and perhaps a story on how the local shelters are helping the homeless and crowded these facilities are. The last story might be an iffy one if other NDs around the city follow the mantra of a former ND DOTR. I suggested a story about the homeless once and he turned to me and said "the homeless don't have (ratings) meters, I don't care about them and we won't be doing stories on them or about them". Wow! It wasn't the last time I would hear that in the newsroom either. So much for compassion for your fellow man.
And speaking of which, I just wanted to share this tidbit. I was walking into the Home Depot in Midtown a couple of days ago to get some stuff to keep the outside faucets at stately LarkSmith Manor from freezing and was just inside the door when an older woman stopped me and asked me if I was Joe Larkins. First, I was quite flattered that she got the name right. Yes, some folks still get me confused with that other Joe in local television news. She told me that I had covered a murder story in 1994 in Midtown Memphis and it was her sister's son who had been killed. She told me that I had interviewed her and that I had shown a great deal of compassion in dealing with the family. Apparently she had not been treated as we by the competition. She told me that I had taken the time to express my sorrow for the loss in the family and that it wasn't just about getting the interview and leaving. I will be honest with you. I only vaguely remember the story and it was just one of the many crimes I covered as a general assignment reporter. I never liked covering shootings or murders as they always made me feel like a vulture waiting for my turn at the carcass. I also never developed a way to approach the family to ask for an interview and "Oh, by the way, if you have a photograph of the victim that would be nice too." But how you treat the people you cover is remembered for a long time. I know I've had my moments out there and wasn't always civil. But day in and day out, I tried to be nice.
I told the woman who stopped me that she had made my day and I thanked her for remembering me. I meant it too.

Could We See the Return of Single Sponsored Newscasts

2006-12-06T05:10:00.001-08:00

I've seen an article on this and just managed to scan it quickly so some information is still lacking but could we one day see a return of a news broadcast with a single sponsor. The article I saw talked about the old news programs with a single sponsor such as Camel or Timex. Apparently there is some talk on the national level of possibly going back to this. There would be fewer commercial breaks meaning more news time. I guess with record breaking profits, sponsoring a newscast would be nothing to someone like Exxon/Mobil. I would bet that would change the content of newscasts with NO stories about pollution or oil spills perhaps being downplayed.
I'm not sure if any ONE sponsor would want to spend the bucks on a local level. There was a time when I first anchored the fledgling weekend morning newscasts that it SEEMED that we only had one sponsor and that was a local car dealership. I guess they were the only ones willing to spend money on a new weekend morning show. I don't think we had negative stories about cars run in those shows. If there is one thing that I have learned is that the distance between sales and news has diminished greatly as bean counters look to the bottom line. These days it's whatever brings in the audience and doesn't P-O the sponsors, at least too much.

TV News Comedy

2006-12-04T08:11:00.001-08:00

A recent post on the Watercooler section of TVSpy solicited comments about some of the strange and whacky things that have happened to folks at the various stations involving the TV news business. One example posted by several different folks involved a live truck with a dead engine or otherwise incapacitated and how a wrecker was brought in to tow the live/dead truck to the scene of the live shot and then towed back to the station. Apparently in some cases this went on for a week or more.
A lot of "situations" arise from live trucks. Not long after I started anchoring in Ft. Myers, FL we had a crew covering an event in the city and they were in a live truck with the mast fully extended. For some reason either the device that disables the truck wasn't working or perhaps it wasn't even installed. So the crew gets in the truck, cranks it and and pulls forward putting the fully extended mast into overhead utility lines. The truck is now energized from the high voltage overhead and the crew inside doesn't want to touch anything metal for fear of electrocution. They had to sit there helpless until local power crews could kill the juice to the overhead lines and get them out. The other stations and the newspaper had a great time shooting that story and reporting on it. Because no one was hurt, it was and is a funny story. It could have been more serious.
And at my first anchor job in Jackson, TN, we had one studio with the news set pushed to one side and all the stuff for other shows or productions scattered around the perimeter. Each night for our closing shot, one of the camera operators would pull his camera backawards to the edge of the studio for a wide shot. One night, somebody had not moved the piano and piano bench completely out of the way so when the camera guy started pulling his camera back as he usually did, he fell across the bench and while trying to catch himself hit every key on the piano. Our mikes were still open when this tremendous noise came crashing out of the piano and we couldn't help but laugh. Fortunately for us, the director cut to black and sat in black as the production crew came running out to see what in the heck had just happened.
Oh the craziness of live TV news.

A Former Employee from Down On The River is Back on the Air and a Viewer Speaks Out About These News Choppers

2006-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

It's deja vu all over again in Memphis with a guy who used to work at WREG getting back on the airwaves. Joey Hadley signed on this morning with WPTY to do traffic updates. I chatted with the former deputy Joe Wednesday night and he was excited to be back in the traffic saddle. He's doing this gig in addition to his boxing/fitness training program in East Memphis. (A word of caution here. Turn down your speakers a bit if you go to his website.) I tuned in this morning to see how Joey did. He appeared to be a little nervous around the 7:25 cut-in but give him a few days and he'll be fitting right in. They even decided to let him wear his signature loud patterned shirts. For those not familiar with Joey's attire, when worked in radio he used the moniker "Deputy Joe with your traffic info". This flowed well since he worked for the Shelby County Sheriff's department at the time. He wore his uniform minus the sidearm when he first started doing traffic DOTR. It was his involvement in local politics that prompted calls for him to switch over to civilian attire. Somehow Joey wearing a coat and tie didn't look right as he did traffic and he was encouraged to switch to casual shirts which later evolved into outlandish and bold prints. Eventually the powers that rule DOTR told him to can the loud shirts and they got him some NewsChannel 3 shirts. By that time JH was falling out of favor with the GM and ND and they were looking for reasons to can him. He finally left and I can tell you I missed working with him on the air and we had a number of viewers who missed him as well. Good to see him back in the traffic seat.

And speaking of traffic, I got an email last week from a person who lives in East Memphis and was commenting about WREG and WMC using their newschoppers early in the morning for traffic. This woman said and I'm quoting now, "I pray it's only for the sweeps. I find myself waiting until daylight to venture outside and feed the dog. Being a Memphian for 20+ years I know that choppers in the air means the MPD is looking for a ne'er-do-well. Unfortunately I live west of I-40/240 junction out east, a very popular traffic reporting spot."
I don't know if the two stations were only flying the choppers during sweeps or if this is a full time thing. With the cost of flying running about 500 bucks an hour, I can see that burning through the budget pretty quickly. Perhaps since it's close to the end of the year the folks in charge found they had a little extra that needed to be spent and decided to do so, especially since it gets dark earlier in the evening and those chopper shots aren't as spectacular in the fall and winter as they are in the spring and summer.

I can appreciate what the emailer was thinking. The Friday after Thanksgiving, my lovely and talented bride and I were driving out to Collierville to visit her stepmother and we saw a news chopper hovering over the Nonconnah/Houston Levee interchange. My first thought was, " Oh great, something really bad has happened out here. It's either a bad wreck or some kind of road-block". Then as we got closer we figured that it was during the Noon hour and the chopper was hovering over that huge shopping center. IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON! Man, how quickly one forgets what gets reported EVERY YEAR right after Thanksgiving.

And finally, it appears Peggy Phillip will be staying in the Memphis area to pursue something in the TV/news business. That information came from the Commercial Appeal. Perhaps she will restart her blog again.

ROLL THE BREAKING NEWS OPEN!!! The Pegster Pulls the Plug on Herself at WMC

2006-11-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

Peggy Phillip is officially leaving as News Director at WMC. PP told me by phone she is stepping down at the end of the year. For those who have been around the market, Peggy was one of the first of the female NDs in the market and at one time during her tenure at least three of the TV newsrooms in Memphis had a woman at the helm calling the shots. When Peggy arrived, she didn't speak softly and she carried a big stick, making a lot of waves and in the process, stepping on a lot of toes. She always had her opinion about a lot of things and if you were in doubt, all you had to do was ask and she would share. I know the former female ND DOTR absolutely hated her. Not just dislike her but hated her and was incensed that some of us in the NC3 newsroom admitted that we read Peggy's blog. On the topic of her blog, Peggy laid it out there on a regular basis. It always made for interesting reading. I never found out her source in the NC3 newsroom but I swear there were times it seemed they had Peggy on a conference call. She found out things almost as soon as it happened.
Predictions immediately started last summer when Howard Meagle resigned as GM that Peggy was right behind him. As usual, Peggy didn't do what people predicted. And Peggy says she still loves the news business so I expect to see her pop up somewhere else. In the meantime, the big question is: who will replace her. Perhaps the GM (who has a news background) has somebody in mind. Now the folks on Union get to play the waiting and guessing game that the folks DOTR did last December when Michele Gors called it quits.
I'm not sure just how many years you were in the saddle at the station on Union but it sure was longer than the 18-24 months that most news directors last. Plus, the competition always knew you were there.
So Good Luck and So Long Peggy. People will be talking about you for years to come.

Could One of the Marquee Reporters from Down on the River be Planning to Leave and The Issue of VJs Really Gets Things Stirred Up.

2006-11-27T05:16:00.000-08:00

I got a post during the long Thanksgiving weekend suggesting that maybe Andy Wise was unhappy at the station Down On The River and was thinking about leaving. That was the first I had heard of it and perhaps its true, I don't know. I do know this about Andy: You pretty much always know where Andy stands because he's not afraid about telling you. If Andy responds to something like the postings on my blog, he is willing to put his name to what he writes. Not everyone has the intestinal fortitude to do that. Granted, that has sometimes backfired on AW but again you always know or have a pretty good idea where he stands on something. Some say it's confidence, while others say its arrogance and still others say its belief in his convictions. I say perhaps it's a combination of all three. But like him or not, he's probably one of the best known TV reporters in the market and his work is easy to promote. I can tell you the other stations probably wish he would leave and unless they're cutting salaries DOTR, the management should hope he doesn't.

If you really want to stir up a hornets nest among those in TeeVee Nooze, mention your shop is considering going to a VJ operation. In the Watercooler section of TVSpy, the topic of VJ= OMB has generated 387 posts as of Monday morning. Granted there are some folks who post five or six times but that is still a lot of postings on one topic. I know Jamey Tucker, Faith and Ethics reporter for WKRN in Nashville loves the Video Journalist gig. He's told me it works well with the type of topic he covers and has even declined a videographer at least once when offered one on a big out of town story. He will tell you that the VJ concept doesn't neccesarily work as well on breaking news coverage and that 's when his station often puts a traditional two man crew on a story anyway. JT is a supporter of VJs and likes the freedom it offers and how the concept is applied at his station in Nashville. Now if the management at a TV station uses the VJ concept to only save money and replaces ALL two man crews with OMBs (one man bands) and tells them like it or leave it, that's a different story altogether and I think that is shortsighted. Some stories just need a two person crew.

So, are we any closer to seeing the VJ concept put into place here in Memphis? Earlier this year I had heard some rumblings that Raycom was thinking about it. I still think the VJ thing will enter this market and to some degree it already has. Two long-time videographers/producers at the station DOTR have done something akin to this for years. Mike Suriani has put together some outstanding news pieces and long-form videos by himself. Yes, he will get some on-air folks to voice things on occasion but in the past has done the voice work himself too. Then there is Dan Patton, videographer, editor and producer for the outdoor show. He's proven he is quite capable of putting together a couple of five to seven minute pieces for that weekly half hour show and does that 50 weeks of the year. Granted neither of these are remotely considered "breaking news" pieces but then, in my opinion, the VJ type concept is not for breaking news either.

Something to Be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!

2006-11-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

I used to think there was no such thing as truly bad publicity. As a former ND down on the river once said, "I don't care what someone says or writes as long as they get the call letters right." Well I'm not so sure the initial decision by News Corp (Fox) to air this OJ Simpson interview prior to the release of his new book was anywhere close to a smart decision. For those who have somehow missed it, The Juice was hypothetically explaining how HE would have whacked his wife and her boyfriend IF he had done it. I won't and don't make any bones about it. I think he did it and it was only by throwing a huge amount of money at lawyers that OJ was acquitted. Let me say I always liked OJ. I watched him play pro football and loved watching him in the Police Squad movies. Heck, I even liked him in the old rental car commercials. Now, I just wish he'd go away and play golf or do whatever and stay below the radar screen. I feel the same way about Robert Blake. I always enjoyed Blake as an actor as well but now, just go away.
I don't know who came up with the idea of the book and/or interview for Simpson. It was a bad idea and I don't know that anyone could really say it was a good idea. Oh, don't think for a minute that some folks out there wouldn't tune in. It's kind of like a car wreck on the road. Morbid curiosity prompts drivers to rubberneck. Thank goodness this mess got cleaned up in time.
My faith (to some degree) has been restored when it comes to what passes as programming on television. It's something to be thankful on this week of Thanksgiving.

The MidSouth Emmy Nominations are IN

2006-11-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

Congratualtions to the folks here in the Memphis area who are up for Regional Emmy awards. WHBQ's Fox 13 News is up for eleven awards including News Excellence, and Newscast/Daytime category. Fox 13 also has nominations in the General Assignment Reporting category, Promo/Spot News, Promo Campaign/News, Promo Campaign Program, Audio, Director/Short Form, Editor Short form, Writer/Short Form , Graphic Arts and Photography/Short Form.
WPTY is up for four: Weekend Newscast, Human Interest, Investigative Reporting and Community Service.
WREG has nominations in the Specialty Assignment and Community Service. Running Pony, made up of a number of former WMC news folks is up for four Emmys: Sports Programming/Series, Public Affairs, Special Event/Edited, and Commercial Spot. Congratulations to those up for an award.

Some will tell you that Regional Emmys are a lot like the way the Office of the Vice President of the United States was once described: Not worth a bucket of warm spit. I'm not sure that I would agree with that. First, I never won an Emmy and I wanted to. I thought the Outdoor Show I worked on at the Station DOTR had a good shot on three different occasions. We didn't win. I was later told by a former news director DOTR who had won several awards in Nashville and in Tampa that the key to winning an Emmy had a lot to do with how you set up your presentation to the nomination committee. Also, having sat in on judging these awards I discovered that the luck of the draw was important and if a nomination was viewed early or late by judges. My judging expereince worked like this: The ND asked for volunteers to look over the nominees and help judge them. The ND promised to provide pizza and this would take place after the six o'clock news. Understand the first entries were being viewed by people who had already worked a full day and now were gorged on pizza. The first entries got more viewing time and by the time the last entries were viewed, we were all tired and ready to go home so we just started rushing through the entries. It may not sound fair, but that's the way it happened. Don't know if that kind of thing happens everytwhere but it did DOTR.
The other thing about winning Emmys is the promotional aspect, especially in the "News Excellence" category. We won that honor one year DOTR and I swear the promo ran in every other commercial break. Even viewers began to complain about it.
So yes, winning an Emmy is a big deal unless you didn't. Then it's not that big of a deal. But who hasn't seen that nice little award sitting on somebody's desk and not thought "Man, wouldn't that be nice sitting on MY desk". Good luck to everyone in the running.

A Return To the Golden Age of Television...I Don't Think So.

2006-11-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

Wow, Nothing worse than getting your blog knocked off for a couple of days and then some big news erupts in the broadcasting business.
First things first, the news from Clear Channel. CC announced plans to sell 448 radio stations (those outside the top 100 markets: it has 1150 radio stations) and all 42 of its TV stations located in what it calls 24 small and mid-sized markets. To give you an idea of how big this company is, the corporate mouthpiece says these properties contributed less than 10-percent of the company's revenues last year.
Anyway you cut it, that's a whole lot of broadcasting property going on the market. I would think it's become something of a buyer's market with a glut of stations hitting the block. And while I admit I don't know the subtleties of buying a station, I would imagine that having a lot of stations to choose from might help drive down the premium prices that some are asking for in other broadcast groups. Mr. GM, perhaps you could weigh in on that for me.
The news from CC had some posters on a TV chat site talking about how the day of the bean counters is over and that we're about to enter a new Golden age of television. I hate to be the bearer of bad news because I don't think that will happen. First, defining the so-called Golden Age of TV really depends on who you ask. Some will say it was in the 50's and 60's while others will say it was 70's and 80's. Ask a dozen people and you'll get a dozen answers. The point is, at one time a TV station and even radio stations were considered a license to print money. That's why corporations began buying them up in the first place. Then, in the early 80s, cable and satellite started scratching for a foothold and creating competition along the way. We went from three channels to a whole bunch over the next 26 years and stations that once had their pick of advertisers now are willing to do whatever they need to do so a client gets "added value" for their media buy. That's one of the reasons TV stations are forming alliances with newspapers these days. They're doing anything to get an edge on the competition.
Some say they can't wait to have local ownership again. I say "Be careful what you ask for". I think there will be some stations snapped up by local groups and then you will really see the budget axe fall on some of the big dollar folks in the newsroom and management. I think it will become a bloodletting of biblical proportions if and when a coporate group without deep pockets buys a few stations. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there will be a handful of stations out there bought by some kindly person who likes to throw out the money. It can be done if you've got a good manager who keeps spending in check. But then, isn't that what the beancounters have been doing all along?
And now to the potential buyers of the Station DOTR and its sister stations.
According to Jamey Tucker, who always has a great source of information, three groups are apparently showing interest in the NYTimes broadcast group. Gray Television, LIN TV Corp. and Gannett. I know several folks had kept their fingers crossed that Hearst-Argyle would show an interest. To my knowledge, they haven't. If I were still DOTR, Gannett would be the one I would root for. LIN and Gray would follow in that order. Regardless of which one it is, one of the toughest parts is just waiting. Most of the worker bees know they don't have the option of a golden parachute like a few of the manager types within the broadcast group.
Christmas might be a bit on the lean side this year as some worry if they'll have a job after the first of the year.

Joe, Where Did You Go With That Blog in Your Hand!

2006-11-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Great Jumping Jehosaphat!
Boy, did I ever learn a lesson. I was preparing to post Tuesday night and was all set to go when I decided to go ahead and upgrade to the Beta version of Blogger. My blog disappeared along with no way to sign on or retrieve anything. It's taken me this long to get that resolved. It was a lot like hitting my thumb with a hammer. I learned a big lesson and won't be doing that again. My lovely and talented bride will tell you my mood has improved tremendously.
My good friend Jamey Tucker tells me a few folks were asking about me and it's nice to know someone actually cares.
It feels good to be back in the saddle. A new post should be coming your way soon.

Here They Come, Walking Down the Street, Get the Funniest Look From, Everyone They Meet !

2006-11-13T06:11:00.000-08:00

With apologies to the Monkees, it appears the folks at the Station DOTR will be on display starting this week. The chief honcho for the NYTimes alerted the troops that potential buyers of the Broadcast Group will be visiting the station, kicking the tires and looking under the hood. While the honcho wouldn't release the names of the organizations these folks represent, apparently they are good folks (have deep pockets and/or a good line of credit). This alert from the honcho will help explain the entourage of folks who will be seen strolling through the facility at any given time as the higher ups with NYTimes steer them through the myriad of hallways DOTR. I can imagine that the "straighten up your work area" memo has already gone out and that they've even waxed the floors in the main hallways. I'm not sure if they will visit all of the stations. I would think they might but since WREG is the Group Headquarters, this might be One-Stop Shopping. So look sharp folks. You are about the meet the new owners of the Station DOTR. Remember, you only get one chance to make a "First Impression".

The Polls Closed and the Winners Are!

2006-11-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

I had a couple of projects on my computer that I worked on during the early part of election night so I thought I would be clever and keep abreast of the returns on the internet. I first pulled up WMC and WREG figuring they had the larger staffs and things might get loaded onto the internet faster. I was most interested in the U-S Senate race for Tennessee, the U-S Representativie District 9 race and the State Senate District 29 race. Both stations had numbers in the Corker/Ford race but I waited and waited and finally WMC brought in some returns on the other two races. At 8:45 WREG still had no returns on those two races. At 8:57 WREG still didn't have returns on the District 9 and District 29 races and yes, I was hitting the refresh button as the instructions said. At 9:05 I checked in with WHBQ's website and they had results on those three races while WREG still had nothing. WHBQ's numbers looked like they were about 75-thousand voters behind WMC on the Corker Ford race. I checked in with WPTY and didn't find much there so I switched back. At 9:10 I checked in with WMC to get updated numbers and some of the races I had followed then showed NO returns. No amount of refreshing of the computer resolved the problem. At 9:30, WMC's return screen disappeared to be replaced with about eight or nine lines of something that looked like a default screen. I then turned off my computer and watched the rest of the returns on TV. Perhaps my computer had a problem but I think not.

The Glamorous and Not-So-High Paying World of TV News

2006-11-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

If you want to see a look of disbelief on a number of faces at one time, try telling a group of fresh faced juniors and seniors in a college broadcast communication class that the TV news business really doesn't pay a lot of money. That's the response I've had when speaking to college students and someone asks me about the big bucks made by the people in the business. Those who want to be in front of the camera (and many do) assume if you make it "on-camera" that you will be pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with cash to the bank every week.
What brings this particular topic up is a posting by a broadcast newsperson who also teaches part time. It seems none of the students believed the teacher when he or she talked about starting salaries IN TV news. The teacher asked news folks to post starting salaries in various markets. At last count there were more than 60 posts and they ranged from starting salaries in 1966 to this year. One person said she started making 12K as an on-air person back in 1983, a producer says in 1988 that he or she made 12K as a first job in a top 50 market. One female reported a salary of 17K when starting as a Wx person in 1995 while in 1999 a person who started out as a morning/anchor -reporter in a 170's market pulled down 15.5K. In 2006, a reporter was paid a starting salary of 28K in a size 34 market, which is about a half dozen markets larger than Memphis. My first TV gig in 1981 as an anchor in Jackson, TN was 12.5K and I made 15.5K the next year. No there was no contract and I only got the boost because I was considering going to Jackson, MS.
Many of these folks hear about the mega-salaries of the network anchors and get themselves worked up into a lather. They think that folks in the business at the local level don't want to tell how much they are really making because they don't want the competition from the young Turks fresh out of college. I've tried to explain that if you want to make big bucks in TV, go into sales and even that is a pretty cutthroat business anymore. When I worked at the station DOTR, the expensive cars in the parking lot belonged to one of two groups: the sales people and the interns from Ole Miss. The news people drove the run-of-the-mill stuff.
In all honesty, if you want to make some big bucks in the news business, you have to be one of the evening anchors and if you can deliver the numbers consistently over the course of several years then you will get some nice compensation. A few of the marquee reporters who have carved out a niche can command some nice bucks unless a consultant decides that he or she doesn't have that certain TV look. Then you're facing a crap shoot at best.
I asked one high ranking college official involved in the broadcast education process if he shared "the truth" with students. He said he did but that many "just wanted to be on TV". He said he basically figured they had been warned but in reality they probably didn't believe him about the money, or the hours which can be worse than the money sometimes.
What made me decide to post on this was the person standing at the eastbound I-240 exit ramp to Union in Midtown. The sign read "Homeless, Will Work for Food". I just wonder, was this a former newsperson with a degree in broadcast communication?

Google Starts Removing Videos From YouTube and I Show Up!

2006-11-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

As you may know, Google, the new owner of YouTube started clearing some of the videos posted from the Comedy Channel.
This week I got an email from a former co-worker who now works in Arizona alerting me to the fact that a video featuring me doing a weekend news brief on WREG in 1990 is posted on YouTube. Yah, I know I've mentioned this in some previous post.
He says he finds it hard to believe that it's been 16 years since that segment was taped. I'm still wondering WHY it was saved in the first place. The clip also features the close of the newscast.
By the way this person who alerted me to the clip may also be the only news producer from DOTR who, while boothing our morning show, won 50-bucks from WMC-TV's morning show by answering some trivia. He apparently was monitoring their broadcast from the booth and when he heard their trivia question, he called in and WON. He mentioned it to the anchors by way of our IFBs during out broadcast. JG, you rock and you rule.

Appropriate Attire in the Newsroom and A Guy Many People Traveled to Work With in Memphis Gets the Boot.

2006-11-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

Just what is considered appropriate attire for those working on-air in a TV newsroom? There was a time when that question would never even be asked. But a sports guy in Baton Rouge may start asking after he got hit with a suspension for wearing blue jeans. I will admit I don't know the particulars but it made me think about how the dress code has gotten more relaxed over the past 25 years I was in the business. It's been growing in the corporate world for some time with Casual Fridays.
But back to my point. I remember seeing old clips of a man delivering the news while wearing a fedora. The folks may have been smoking a pipe or cigarette but they were always dressed in coat and tie unless by chance they covered breaking news. Even then they wore a dress shirt and tie.
Until I moved to Memphis, I was a stickler about being properly dressed when I anchored and wearing a tie when I was in the field reporting. When I did some one man band work in southeast Missouri I worked with one news director who told me he did NOT want to see me with my shirt sleeves rolled up at anytime on camera, even in the summer. He said if I was hot, I should wear a dress shirt with short sleeves and I should not have my collar and tie loosened at any time I was on camera. I personally thought that was a little extreme especially when I was talking to farmers in their fields and it was close to 100 degrees but "Hey" he was the boss.
When I got to Memphis, I got a lesson about proper attire when I covered the Memphis in May Barbecue Fest. I was wearing a dress shirt and it was so hot I had soaked through my shirt. The PR person finally gave me a MIM T-shirt to put on so I would be cooler. I didn't stand out like a sore thumb after I put it on.
I finally got it. Dress for the occasion. I still wore a coat and tie on most stories but I also carried a pair of jeans and a nice short sleeved shirt to change into when I went into the field. Years later when a videographer and I showed up at a shoot in the Great Smoky Mountains for a black bear relocation story, the folks involved seemed to be amazed. They told us we were the first TV news crew they had worked with who came dressed appropriately for a story in the mountains. They said most of the time they had news guys coming out in coat and ties and some of the news women had shown up in a skirt and heels.
Time now for a disclosure: The last few years I worked Down on the River I would show up at work once a week with a coat, dress shirt and tie and either bluejeans or shorts. There was a reason for that. Once a week, after getting off the morning show, I would go out with the crew from our NC3 Outdoors and tape the INs and OUTs for that week's show. At first I used to change from shorts or bluejeans to dress slacks but sometimes we got back just before the Noon show and I barely had time to get my dress shirt and tie on and get on set. I was told more than once that when I wore shorts and a coat and tie that I reminded people of Angus Young of AC-DC.
I still insisted on wearing a coat and tie when I anchored and Hurricane Elvis changed that when it hit on 7/22/2003 and knocked out power for several days to the station. Our generator could only power the necessary equipment to keep us on the air and could not power air conditioning. I wore shorts every day and the mosquitoes came in through open doors and congregated under the news desk where they feasted on my bare legs, managing to find the only places I hadn't sprayed with repellant. I was finally told by the GM to take off my sport coat when I was on set.
I actually felt kind of naked without my coat on set. I know that some sports guys have worn sports shirts to do their thing on set but I always liked the coat and tie look on camera while on the set. Sometimes I think we've gotten too casual.
And switching gears, I see longevity and loyalty don't carry much weight in the radio business these days. Longtime WMC FM 100 personality Steve Conley got the boot Monday after the new owners of the station took over. He had been around since 1979 and is truly a nice guy. I know parents would listen to the Ron, Steve and Karen as they took their kids to daycare or school. Now once they dropped off the kids some of those parents might switch over to someone like Drake and Zeke which has more adult oriented fare but the morning show at FM 100 has a loyal following. And it's not necessarily about the music. People can get music from a variety of places anymore from IPods to CDs. People tune in for a variety of reasons and it's usually something akin to sharing the ride with old friends who joined them by way of the radio.
On the plus side, SC is well known in the market and he wants to stay in Memphis so he shouldn't have too much trouble landing back on radio if he can find a station that isn't owned by this group. Expanding ownership in markets does make that problematic though. And if he decides to go elsewhere, I think he could find a sport with a company looking for a spokesperson. Either way it goes, good luck with it Steve.

YouTube, We Hardly Knew U

2006-10-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

Say goodbye to YouTube, at least the YouTube U knew. That's because its new owner Google has started cleaning up the content, specifically the copyrighted stuff from places such as the Comedy Channel. You can't blame Google. They've got deep pockets containing a lot of money and that has those wanting to file lawsuits for copyright infringment practically salivating at the thought of how much they could get. So, while we will still be able to see all of the home made stuff on the Tube, we'll see less of the TV shows we've come to expect. I know some networks have an agreement with YouTube to show their stuff but not all.
I think clips appearing on YouTube may have helped encourage people to check out some cable and network shows featured there. But a copyright is a copyright and the law is the law and when big corporations are involved they have to play fair or find themselves facing an army of Perry Masons.

A Political Ad That some Say Has Backfired, The Elusive Memphis Manatee, and Other Outdoor Ramblings!

2006-10-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

I generally try to stay away from politics on this blog but the RNC ad against Democratic Senatorial Candidate Harold Ford Junior of Memphis is getting a lot of national attention. The ad has been pulled in many markets across the Volunteer State although I heard Thursday morning it was still playing in Chattanooga. Now HFJr has come out with a counter ad. This tight race in Tennessee has already been getting national attention and now this RNC attack ad is in the spotlight with some national pundits claiming it may have backfired. We'll have to wait and see on that.

Q:So, just what is a manatee doing in the Wolf River Harbor?
A:It appears to be the backstroke!
Goodnight folks, try the veal, it's the chef's favorite.
Seriously, this manatee thing is what we used to call a "No Sh*t" story. We'd tell people about it and they'd respond with "No Sh*t"! I got the same reaction when about ten years ago I reported that an alligator had been found up near Shelby Forest. However, we have gators not too far from here but a manatee is something completely different. When I lived in Florida and worked in Tallahassee at the ABC affiliate, we did a series of stories on manatees. We traveled down to the Crystal River near Tampa. We used scuba gear and an underwater camera and put together a nice series. Somewhere around here I still have the video of me with a manatee. Despite the fact they are quite large, they can move very quickly when they want to. I just hope some yahoo here in the MidSouth doesn't decide he or she wants to see what manatee ribs might taste like and attempt to put this one on the grill.

And I wanted to respond to a question from an anonymous poster on the previous post. I was asked if I missed MidSouth Outdoors (now NewsChannel 3 Outdoors) on WREG. The person said I always looked like I was having a good time.
Yes, I always enjoyed the Outdoor show and if I had been given the opportunity, I would have done the outdoor show full time. I started out as the original host on the show and was joined by Carl Graham and Craig Chapman (depending on whether we were talking fishing or hunting) on a set built to look like the inside of a cabin.
I spent a lot of time trying to put together stories for the outdoor show and had a tremendous amount of fun doing it. I remember thinking at the time, "I can't believe they are paying me to do this." That is a sign you really enjoy what you are doing. Remember, this was in addition to anchoring the morning show with MaryBeth Conley and turning a news package most days. A lot of my reporting switched over to feature which would never be allowed these days since consultants don't want to see it, but it was always interesting to me. One of the big differences I found with feature reporting was that for the most part, people actually welcomed you. This contrasted with the routine of daily news coverage where you almost had to beg people to let you come out to talk to them about the news of the day. I never did get the knack of knocking on the door of the family of a murder victim and asking them if they would talk to us on camera.
Anyway, I credit the arrival of photographer/editor/producer Dan Patton to the outdoor show and Jeff Woods switching to full-time co-host to the outdoor show's success. After a couple of years my news duties expanded to include anchoring the Noon show and that meant my duties on the outdoor show were slowly phased out. I used to tell people we had a two and a half man team on the show with me being the half-man.
While I did turn an occasional piece for show, most of my participation was limited to introducing pieces during the show. Still I had a great time and have very fond memories of the outdoor show and the many people I met. One of the best known pieces that ever aired on the outdoor show was when we first shared the story of the "flying carp" on the Mississippi. My dad is the one who first told me about it and supplied some home video of the fish jumping into the boat. Later, we traveled to Western Kentucky to fish with my dad. Both stories
ended up on the national news and for a year or so after that, CBS used our video to supplement their stories on the bighead carp. I have a recording of both stories and watch them occasionally. That trip with my dad on the river was one of the last times I went out on the Mighty Mississippi with my father before he died of cancer.
Did I enjoy the outdoor show? You betcha. Would I do another outdoor show? In a heartbeat.

Shame on The Station Down on the River for Not Helping Katie Couric

2006-10-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's partially your fault that Katie Couric has dropped to third place among the network anchors. At least that's what the head of CBS News claims. He claims low-rated lead-ins from local affiliates are to blame for KC's drop to the tail-bone patrol. I bet that sure makes everyone proud to know that the blame is laid where the blame belongs. If you were Numero Uno leading in to her she would be kicking rear. As it is, KC's ratings are right where Bob Shieffer left them...oh wait his numbers were actually pretty decent if I remember correctly. And besides, your numbers are pretty good leading in to her. Perhaps this was all just a clever ploy to move KC to the CBS Morning show. I wonder if those in power at CBS STILL consider the hiring of KC to be such a great move and worth every penny of that 15-million.

Does Size Really Matter?

2006-10-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Apparently size does matter as opposed to what you do with what you've got. I'm talking radar here folks. I see where WMC has broken ground on a site in West Memphis for a one million watt weather radar set-up. For those of you who missed it, there was tease after tease during the Noon show on Monday before the big announcement. From a promotional point this a big deal. For several years now WREG has been able to brag that theirs was bigger than anybody elses and they never missed an opportunity to tell you about it. During weathergasms the weather folks would punch the "one million watt super-duper gonad weather radar". Hey, it's not bragging if it's so. It's kind of like when WMC had the only dedicated news chopper. They had it and nobody else did. When the station DOTR got their chopper, the made sure theirs was bigger and better and bright red.
That's what the station on Union is doing with this new radar. They've already emphasized that their radar site is located in West Memphis, Arkansas and that bad weather headed for Memphis usually comes in from the West. Now you can see what's coming a little sooner than those other guys who have radar sites in the eastern part of Shelby County.
I'm not sure how long it will take WMC's new super duper super radar to be up and running but theirs is now as big as any in the market and "state of the art" as they will tell you.
So, the reality is that size does matter. But then you can't just brag about that. You have to be able to show what you can do with it too. Let the games begin.

I Forgot It Was Illegal to Rob a Bank!

2006-10-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

I think it was Steve Martin who, during a comedy routine, uttered the phrase or something to the effect "But I forgot it was illegal to rob a bank!"
I was reminded of this after reading about the 20-year old grocery store clerk who, according to investigators, amused himself by posting prank Internet warnings of terrorist attacks against NFL stadiums. You know the warnings: they made national news. And this wasn't just to some kids website. This Einstein made the post around 40 times to various webistes. Then the attorney for this nimrod said after a court hearing that his client was shocked by the way the threats were received. Wow. I guess he'd probably get a chuckle too if this guy yelled "fire" in a crowded theater. Maybe it's just me who is out of touch with reality but at what point in time do these wacky youngsters start grasping the concept that the defense "I really didn't mean any harm" ain't going to cut it in the wake of 9-11 and Columbine. It amazes me that kids still take handguns or other weapons to school and seem to be shocked when they're caught and summarily booted from school. When I traveled by commercial airliner in September I saw the notice that reminded people that joking about a bomb or terrorist actions can lead to arrest. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when people have to be reminded NOT to do something really dumb.
As for the 20-year old, I'm reminded of the old Warren Zevon song "Excitable Boy".
Here are a couple of lines:
He took little Suzie to the Junior Prom
Excitable boy, they all said
And he raped her and killed her, then he took her home
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an excitable boy .

Maybe the lawyers for this 20-year old will use the "excitable boy" defense. I wouldn't be suprised.

Local Urban Myths in Television Part 2

2006-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

For the readers of this blog, I am doing something that I've never done. I'm using the comments of one of the folks who posted a response to one of my blog postings. As I mentioned in a previous post, for the 17-plus years I've been in Memphis I've heard various incarnations of the story of WMC's Dave Brown getting punched out for saying it was not going to rain and it did. This supposedly happened when he worked as weatherman at WHBQ-TV many years ago.
Dave Brown has attempted to clear up the mystery for years and he shared the story on my previous posting about local urban myths. As was suggested by a reader, I'm posting Dave's comments for those who don't bother reading all the comments.
Many thanks to DB who is in my opinion, a class act and a good sport for taking time to share what really happened.
Here's Dave's account from my previous blogging:

Amused, I am indeed. This story has better legs than anyone could have ever imagined. I have "set the record straight" many times on this, yet the legend lives. I doubt this post will fix it either, but here goes...

FACT - In March 1975, a mentally disturbed man came into WHBQ. He asked for me because I was the only name he knew at the station. He came into the old second floor newsroom. Ed Craig, Charlie B. Watson, the 10pm producer and I were the only ones around. We thought he might be armed and began insisting he leave the building. He struck me on the side of my head with his forearm. I was not hurt at all.

We got him out of the building with no harm. We notified police. Some thiry days later, he returned. After I identified him as the previous intruder, the police were called, he was arrested and at his court date it was immediately apparent to all that he was quite mentally disturbed. He was returned to a mental institution in Waukeegan IL where he had previously been treated for alcohol and drug abuse that was at least partially attributed to his serving in Vietnam.

FACT - It had NOTHING to do with me personally.

FACT - It had NOTHING to do with the weather.

FACT - It had nothing to do with Wrestling. On the three occasions we saw him, he never made any coherent statements that made sense.

FACT - He was NOT a farmer, concrete contractor, roofing contractor or irate husband/boyfriend. He was not an irate housewife or bride-to-be.

FACT - I have heard over 100 variations on the story. NONE of them are true.

FACT - At least 3000 people have told me they saw it happen on the air. It was not on the air. There was not even a camera on the floor where the incident occured. It was about an hour before the 10pm newscast.

In those days, television stations doors were unlocked and a receptionist was on duty until after the late newscast. I claim that this story sold more "buzz-to-enter" door locks to television stations than any other single event in the history of the medium.

As to Ed's version...I assure you he was telling the story to amuse. In fact, he and Charlie were instrumental in helping to remove the guy from the building.

Hi to the lovely Mrs. Larkins and to Byron Day and all others who commented!

P.S. The microwave tower climber was on Union Avenue. Razor wire now covers the fence surrounding that tower.

Dave Brown

Look at Who has Come A-Courtin

2006-10-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

Word out there is that some representatives of Hearst-Argyle Television group have paid a visit to the New York Times Broadcast operations center in Norfolk, Virginia and have also stopped by the NYTimes station there. I would imagine this would be some relatively good news for those who work in the NYTimes Broadcast group and are waiting for the other shoe to drop in the anticipated sale of the stations. Chatting with a friend at the Station DOTR, this person even commented when the planned sale of the group was announced that perhaps they would be lucky enough to be purchased by H-A. That group has about two dozen stations scattered around the country from Orlando to Boston to Sacramento and they apparently know the broadcast business. It's the second largest owner of NBC affiliates and the largest ABC affiliate group in terms of audience reach. (Their words, not mine). H-A already owns stations in Des Moines, Iowa and Ft. Smith, Arkansas so I guess they'd keep the stronger station in the markets and dump the other. This visit also kind of fits the time frame of what was rumored when the sale was first announced: That the NYTimes wants to have a sale in the works by the end of October and have this thing wrapped up around the first of the year.

Urban Myths in Local Television

2006-10-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

A recent poster on this blog shared an interesting link that basically cranked up Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine and allowed me (minus Sherman) to visit well known Memphis weatherman Dave Brown back when he was working for WHBQ-TV. I'm not sure of the year but I would place it about the early to mid 70s. The clip also featured Charlie B. Watson doing sports and a very young Jerry "The King" Lawler who was planning to wrestle a boxer. I don't know if this was Dave Brown's pre-wrestling show host days. The clip shows you how far we've come technology-wise in local TV. Pay special attention to Dave's satellite map.
Anyway, the point of this post is that it reminded me of what almost qualifies as an urban myth in local TV. I say almost because I think there is some truth to this although I'm sure it's nothing like what actually happened. Perhaps Dave Brown himself can clear up this bit of mystery once and for all.
I first heard this story while interviewing a farmer in East Arkansas in 1989 and have heard many different versions since from little old ladies to business owners from all three states in the viewing area.
It goes something like this: Dave Brown was doing the weather at (WHBQ/ WMC) and some farmer walked into the (TV station/Studio/Dave's office) and (asked to speak to Dave/didn't say anything) and then proceeded to (punch him in the nose/give him a black eye/knock him out with a fist to the face). Supposedly this came after the farmer had listened to Dave's forecast which (called for rain and it didn't rain/called for clear skies and it rained) which in turn cost the farmer a lot of money. One version has it that some lady was planning to throw a big party outdoors and it rained and SHE cleaned Dave's clock.
I have heard this over and over and you would be amazed at the number of people who swear its true and supposedly knew the person who did this deed. Maybe there is some truth to this but I don't think it says much about a farmer who plans his working day around what one weatherman says.
Anyway, the person who knows what really happened if anything at all is Dave Brown. Maybe he will settle this once and for all right here. I just hope he doesn't punch my lights out for posting on this.

Is it SET Yet?

2006-10-10T16:57:00.001-07:00

I won't have to go out very far on this particular limb to announce what the station on Union is about to do: Unveil a new set. It's been rumored for a while and they've already undergone a lot of renovation over there. They already have a really nice newsroom. I got a tour of that back in February. Since then I've heard people complain among other things about the need for a new set and new graphics. I got an email Monday telling me that I should watch Tuesday's Noon show on WMC. Well unless the anchors would be naked (and just where would they clip lav microphones if they were ) it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they're rolling out something new like a set and graphics.
I learned a long time ago that you always want to roll out something like a new set on a Noon show. If something goes wrong, you have plenty of folks around to get things fixed. The morning shows are too long and too early and if a problem develops you are stuck with it for two to four hours depending on how long the morning show is. You generally don't want to try out something new on your early evening news because that may be when your loyal audience is largest.
I was working at the now defunct WEVU-TV in Ft. Myers, Florida in the late 1980s when we not only unveiled a new set, it was unveiled in a new building. The problem was, most of the equipment from the old building and old set were brought over an installed in the new digs. On top of that engineering nightmare, the equipment wasn't the best to begin with. It was first tested when we hit the air at 5pm. We rolled the new News open, the tally light came on and the anchors started talking. But nobody could hear us because no one had hooked the microphones up in the audio room. We couldn't even apologize for the technical difficulty. I think we scrambled to get Cheers or some other syndicated program on the air for the rest of the half hour. The GM who used to be the GM at the NBC affiliate in St. Louis came in and said something like "Hey, even Tom Brokaw had problems with robotic cameras the first night they used them". That was supposed to make us feel better but it didn't help my mood much.
That's why I'm a firm believer of unveiling something when it's ready to be unveiled. If there is a problem, the new set will still be new when you take off the wraps.

Now This Is What Television Does Best!

2006-10-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

I got an email over the weekend asking me what my take was on the coverage of the big fires in downtown Memphis. For those of you outside the viewing area, a historic church in the downtown area caught fire and the embers from it were spread by the wind to several other places in the downtown area. The Memphis Fire Department had its hands full fighting the blazes which destroyed the church and caused a lot of damage elsewhere.
The TV stations had their hands full trying to make sense of what was going on for those tuning in 6:30 as I did around 6:30.
I skipped through the channels to see what everyone was doing and I can say that the news choppers finally earned their keep on this one. There's nothing like seeing it up close and personal from the air and they gave a great perspective. The stations without helicopters used tower cams to help their coverage but there's nothing like a chopper view. I admit there was some initial confusion on my part as to what was going on but some on-air folks familiar with the downtown area helped clarify things by saying this building housed this business and that building is where so-and-so was located.
The bottom line: I ended up with more details the next day from the newspaper but TV had the pictures during the fire that made me stop and stare at the screen. The overall coverage in the morning is what TV does best and Memphis TV folks should pat themselves on the back. From what I saw, everyone did a good job of doing what they are supposed to do with breaking news.

The Future of Television News

2006-10-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

It's not every day that I get to say I've heard about the future of TV news twice in one day.
It started when my lovely and talented bride heard a promo for on NPRadio Thursday morning about a report scheduled to run on "All Things Considered" in the afternoon. The report was about the VJ effort at WKRN-TV in Nashville. A lot of attention has been given to this and sister station KRON in San Francisco.
It was a good report IMHO except for the fact that the reporter said the VJs were required to "film" their own news stories. Come on NPR people, you know better than that. The rest of it was well done and balanced with people both for it and against it. Part of the report included a promo with former anchor and reporter at the station DOTR Jamey Tucker who is currently the Faith and Ethics reporter at WKRN. By the way, I chat with JT on a regular basis and he loves his gig at Channel 2 in Nashville. It sounds like it is a match made in Heaven, so to speak. If you want to read the story by Audie Cornish or listen to it, click on this link.
And in the second "future of television news" link, check out this. I'm not that computer savvy but this is how I understand it. The information (news) is compiled and then a computer generated person lays out the news in a three or four minute newscast from your computer. The current version looks like and admits she is from some video game and then starts talking about the events in the news. I can see how this has a great amount of potential although I think the current version is about as close to a news reader as Pong is to the current generation of video games. I can see an advanced Max Headroom kind of guy down the road and he or she will be a heck of a lot cheaper than even the current local anchor talking heads.
Just remember: We have seen the future and it is here. ( apologies to Pogo).

And Now For Something Completely Different.

2006-10-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

My wife and I like to tune into MSNBC for our news during the Noon when we're making lunch. That's what I had on in the background as I worked around the kitchen. They had a follow-up story about school security in the aftermath of that Amish school tragedy. I actually stopped what I was doing because they had a live shot from a high school in Philidelphia I think to show the security measures there. There was a security checkpoint where police officers checked out the students. They commented about how they did not use metal detectors but still managed to keep things secure. They also showed how anyone from outside the school had to have a photo idea and a hall pass that they made up on the spot with a picture ID. It was a very good live shot, informative and well done. Then the live shot (which I admit I was getting into) was interrupted by breaking news. My first thought was that something really bad just happened. The anchor of the show issued an apology and said something about Anna Nicole Smith and all of a sudden we're at a live shot after some court hearing involving ANS and the people who claim they are her new baby's daddy. The lawyer for one of the alledged fathers stepped up to the microphone and spoke for about a minute and a half into an array of microphones about how they were NOT going to talk to the media AND would ANS please do the right thing. The attorney and her client then walked off camera and the shot cut back to the anchor who mumbled something and then threw it back to the scene where another lawyer, this one for ANS announced to the array of microphones that they would not talk to the media nor try this case in the press and he couldn't believe the other lawyer would speak to the media about this case. This went on for about another couple of minutes. This lawyer, who said he was not going to talk to the media, spent that time telling the media how he was not going to talk to them about any aspect of the case. Why didn't he just walk away after the first time he said it? As for the live shot that actually had me listening and watching, I guess they never went back to it as the folks back in the newsroom turned all of their attention to the fact that we will now have to wait until later this month to find out who fathered the child of ANS. I shouldn't be disappointed but I am. This is what passes for news and breaking news on a national level? I almost expect to see the folks from Monty Python jump out from the screen and shout "Now it's time for something completely different." This incident will teach me to bother watching breaking news.

The Spaghetti Effort to Find an Excuse

2006-10-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

Normally I stay away from most politics on this blog as I found it's a surefire way to honk off about half the folks who might read this and quite frankly I don't need the grief. However, after checking in to an alchohol rehab joint, Former Representative Mark Foley of Florida caught so to speak with his hand in the cookie jar now claims HE was abused by a priest when he was in his early teens. He may have been. But IMHO he is now using what I call the "spaghetti effort" to justify or excuse his behavior toward Congressional pages. I'll explain the spaghetti reference. Back when I was in college, we made spaghetti about twice a week. My room mate showed me how to check to see if the noodles were ready. He used a fork to sling a noodle against the wall. If it stuck, it was good to go. If it bounced off the wall, you waited a few more minutes and tried it again.
Now I don't know anything about this guy with the odd sense of values down in the Sunshine State other than the fact that he sent some pretty salacious emails to some kids as reported in the news. Yah people in public office are supposed to set a higher standard but they prove over and over that it's all about themselves and way too many are just slimeballs. And it happens on both sides of the aisle. But what gets me about this guy is he just seems to be throwing things out and hopes at least one of his excuses will stick with somebody.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite uncles who was always a practical joker and still is at the age of 80. He told me once about coming in late and his wife wanted to know where he had been. He said he told her his truck had broken down and he had to fix it before he could get home. She didn't buy it. He then said he stopped to help someone who needed to get back to town and that's why he was delayed. She didn't buy that either. So he said he stopped by to visit his mother and father who lived down the road. When she said she didn't believe that either, he said he pulled a small book titled "101 Excuses" out of his back pocket and handed it to her and said pick an excuse you like and that's what I will go with. That sounds what this Foley character is doing down in Florida.

Please Help the Email and Internet Impaired!

2006-10-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

I will admit that when it comes to computers and the internet I'm still a babe in the woods. About the time I think I've figured something out on the computer or some software program, something doesn't work and I have to ask for help. Then I watch my 21-year old niece sit down at my computer and not only resolve the problem but also then show me about two or three shortcuts as her fingers dance over the keyboard. I've been working on learning a video editing program and sometimes think maybe there is some truth about teaching old dogs news tricks.
Having said that, what was the congressman from Florida thinking when he sent those emails to former congressional pages? I can't say allegedly because I've seen some of the emails that were sent and apparently there was enough truth to them that the congressman resigned. One of the first things you learn when working on computers and the internet is that you never, ever send anything over computer that you don't expect multiple parties to see. I'm not that computer savvy but come on, how many times have you heard about people hacking their way into computers. It seems everyone can hack into a computer these days except my wife and me and I'm not sure about her. Then there is OE or operator error. My first brush with OE on a computer came not long after the Station DOTR installed its first newsroom computer system. Compared to the current operating systems, the system was slightly above typewriters but only barely. The EP (this was pre-HR days) was notorious for ranting and raving in the newsroom and belittled most staffers on a regular basis in front of everyone else. Apparently he decided he would use the computer to send a scathing note to one of the staffers who had made some grievous error that was going to cause the destruction of the world as we knew it back then. However, the EP did a mass mailing instead of to the one person. I was working at my desk when my computer "pinged". I scanned through the note and like a good soldier stepped over to the EP's office to alert him that what appeared to be a private memo went to everyone. He immediately wanted to know if I had read it. I just looked at him. After all, how would I have known what kind of memo it was if I hadn't read it?
After the computer system (third or fourth generation ) was upgraded DOTR we were warned not to use the computers for anything but station business. This warning came after some folks downloaded a bunch of stuff including porn that really bogged down the whole system. We were warned that downloading anything or even viewing non-business sites could be cause for dismissal. I think it was just prior to that announcement that a buddy of mine in the newsroom called to me as I was walking by his work station and said "Hey Joe, let me show you something on my computer." Just as he pulled up a screen with a picture that some might consider art while others might consider it to be porn, the GM who had just stepped into the newsroom walked up behind me and said "you really shouldn't be looking at stuff like that on your computer". I expected to get a call from HR but never got it. I made it a point after that to make sure I stayed away from most questionable sites at work. It wasn't long after that I heard one of the engineers at work was testing a program that allowed them to follow keystrokes on any computer in the company's network. And the management was very open about things when it came to the company's computers. They emphasized these were company computers and that anything sent or received was fair game for scrutiny by the company. That's very simply the way it is. So be careful about sending nasty or suggestive emails, especially from a company computer. The career you jeopardize may be your own. Just ask that congressman from Florida.

You Fried What? And a Good Time Was Had by All at the Memphis Flyer Bash.

2006-09-28T07:16:00.001-07:00

Some folks make it a point to stop by the Mid South Fair just to lube up the old gastro-intestinal tract with the huge turkey legs, funnel cakes and see what new something that someone has figured out how to deep fry. In addition to the usual stuff you can find Fried Snickers and Fried Twinkies. I'm firmly convinced there is someone out there trying to figure out how they can deep-fry water. I can hear them now "No man, you gotta get the grease hotter so it won't separate!" I haven't actually been to the fair in years and just discovered this week as the fair is winding down that I didn't have to venture there for the latest culinary fried delight. My lovely and talented bride and I stopped by the Memphis Flyer's big "Best of Memphis" bash in the downtown area Wednesday night. We weren't sure how big of a deal this was. It was HUGE! We ran into folks we knew, we ran into folks who actually admitted in person they read this silly blog and we met a bunch of other folks as well. It was during our "mingling" that a gentleman stopped by holding a tray of what I thought were fried chicken strips. I picked one up and bit into it and voila! It consisted of strips of pulled barbecue that had been deep fried. It was actually pretty good. I would have gone back for seconds except for the fact that the person holding them disappeared into the crowd. This whole Fried Barbecue thing may be old hat to most folks. If it is, maybe I just need to get out a little more. Anyway, if they could just add gravy to that, it would probably soar to the top of the "Heart Attack on a Plate" dishes.
As for the purpose of the Memphis Flyer's "Best of" Bash, I never got around to finding out who ranked where until this morning when I went on-line. I was told there were a couple of suprises this year and they were right with station DOTR scoring 2nd and 3rd place in the news anchor category. You know some rankings may never change such as the Best Burger in Memphis. Huey's should always lay claim to that particular title and I'm not just saying that because co-founder and co-owner Thomas Boggs lives across the alley from me. I know that when it comes to those considered "Best" in the local news business some live and die by the results. I never made it to the top three so I never had anything to worry about one way or another. I will say congratulations to those who made the top three list this year in the way of local news, weather and sports. You have earned bragging rights by the job you have done.

Tanned, Rested and Ready and Do We Really Need This Particular Technological Device

2006-09-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm back in the saddle and ready to roll. My lovely and talented bride and I traveled to the wilds of northern Montana to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. On our big vacations we try to travel to someplace we've never been. We figure there is so much of the world to see, why should we go back to the same place year after year. This year was different. We had traveled to Glacier National Park about five years ago and absolutely loved it. When we talked about places we might go on our 20th, we kept talking about Glacier, especially since some experts predict that the active glaciers in the park will be pretty much gone by 2030. We did a lot of hiking in the mountains (one 12-mile round trip to stand on one of the glaciers) saw a lot of wildlife (the real stuff, not the party scene) and even did a little flyfishing. My wife is the only person I know who still looks great wearing a set of fishing waders! The weather could have been more cooperative but despite the rain it was so nice to enjoy the cool and cold weather. We returned to Memphis Saturday night and the heat and humidity embraced us like a loving, overweight matronly aunt who hadn't seen us in a few years. We found we could barely breathe as we got off the flight in Memphis. Yah, nothing like a dose of high humidity to slap you back into reality. Still, I'm wearing my vacation glow like a mantle and I hope it stays with me for at least a week. In my previous life as a news type person I found it usually only took about an hour or so for someone to "harsh my mellow" and take the shine off my vacation. Now I'm ready to rock and roll and get my new business venture off and running. My wife and I have talked about adding video production to her marketing business and we've been gearing up for this for some time now. I know it won't be easy but we have faith and committment and that goes a long way. I also have enough knowledge to be dangerous. Hey, at least I admit it.
Shifting gears now, it's been said that if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a pathway to your door. I admit it, I'm a gadget guy. I like gizmos and like to see new technology that will help make life easier. I remember when I was about four years old (yes that was a while back) and I encountered my first automatic door opener at a grocery store. I was fascinated with electric windows on cars. A conveyor belt to move you to your destination in an airport is so cool. You can find such things as toilet facilities that flush themselves, faucets that turn themselves on and paper towel dispensers that roll out the paper just for you as you wave your hand. But it was at the airport in Minneapolis that I found a gadget I'm not quite ready for. I had to dash into the restroom between flights and there was the urinal that flushed itself. No problem. I put my hands under the faucet to wet them and the water turned itself on. No problem. And then there was the liquid soap dispenser. I looked for the pump and couldn't find it. It was only after my hand passed under the protruding spout that it spurted a stream of goo across my palm. It actually startled me. I won't say anything more about but suffice it to say, that's one bit of gadgetry you can keep. I'll stick with the soap pump for now.
And those who know me know that timing is everything. My wife and I have been reluctant to fly in the past few months because of increased security measures that won't let you take liquids on board airliners. Like everyone else though, we sucked it up and did what we needed to do to fly to Montana. Now, two days after we got back, the powers that be announced they will allow a small amount of certain products on board. It's all about......timing!

Oh woe is me, woe is me!

2006-09-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

The world is turning upside down. I was driving on Stage Road near Raleigh-Lagrange and I did a double take as I saw a bunch of cars lined up at a gas station. The big attraction? Unleaded regular priced at $2.19 a gallon. How did it manage to drop so much? The cynics among us might say that someway, somehow the drop in the gas prices as we approach the midterm elections is a ploy to keep a certain politcal party in power. I personally don't buy into the suggestion that a group of companies that managed to rake in obscene profits would stoop to such levels. Neither would their cronies.
Then the news this week that the NYTimes is getting out of the broadcasting business so it can concentrate on its other interests. Not many people outside the company realize that not only is WREG (aka the station Down On The River) the first broadcast property purchased by the NYTimes, it is also considered their flagship station and is where the broadcast group is headquartered. Some folks in the building are strictly employees of the NYTimes, not WREG. I consider some of those to be friends and hate to see them lose their jobs which they will if they can't be absorbed into the local station. How will the employees at the station DOTR function when the NYTimes not only takes its blue flag but also the "Rules of the Road". For those not familiar with that piece of HR work, it's a list of how people should conduct themselves and treat each other inside and outside the station. They were so proud of them that each employee got a wallet sized laminated copy and an 81/2 by 11 inch laminated copy for the desk. One overzealous ND even had a copy printed that was about two feet by three feet and was displayed on a brass easel in the newsroom. It was finally taken down when the ND realized the studio crew kept hiding it to keep it out of camera shots in the newsroom. I found the wallet sized copy of the Rules of the Road opened a lot of doors for me. You just slip it behind the lock, pull it forward and voila', the door is open. (Goodnight folks, try the veal, it's the chef's favorite!) I was often accused of being in the ditch instead of the road where the rules where. I think the general concensus was that the RotR were followed by most of the higher ups when it suited them.
I'm also concerned about what will happen to all the stuffed "moose" that were distributed with the copies of the Rules of the Road. According to HR, The Moose was to be used to level the playing field between the littel guys and the big guys in the NYTimes. If you presented your Moose, you could share your opinions even if they might not be shared by the big guys. (Note to self, the Magic of the Moose didn't work.) Perhaps I shouldn't have let my dog use my moose as a chew toy.
Will the honchos at the NYTimes want their RotR and Moose back? I hope not. Maybe they could sell them to the new owners of the broadcast group which might in turn help the NYTimes stock.
These things have me so troubled that I don't think I'll be able to blog for at least a week. I need to see if I can work through this. So, bye for now.

Psssst! Hey buddy, wanna buy some TV stations?

2006-09-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Wow. I walked in the door this afternoon and my wife told me she had just heard on NPR that the New York Times was selling its broadcast group. Then I sat down at my computer and had seven posts from folks telling me the same thing. This is a big deal. I'm told the NYTimes will try to sell the stations as a group and by the end of the year if at possible. That makes me think that they already have a buyer lined up. For the most part, the NYTimes stations are very strong in the market or were. Some are part of the TailBone patrol. Still, they make money. This ia a big turnaround from about five or six years ago when they NYTimes was trying to buy a group of stations to expand its holdings. I remember one of the stations was in Hawaii. Somebody else, possibly Raycom bought the stations and the only expansion by the NYTimes was to add one station in Oklahoma City to the stable.
The NYTimes is a very good company to work for. It was the best company I ever worked for. Stock options, 401K, about as good of health benefits as one could get in a broadcast environment. I think some folks who have been with the company for a while have gotten spoiled. A company buying the group would be hard pressed to match those benefits (if they even bother trying).
And then there is this little caveat. One of the reasons I left back in 2004 (in addition to the terrible morning show hours) was an extremely one-sided and restrictive contract. I remember when my wife read through it she commented "Didn't they abolish indentured servitude a while back". I was told the new and improved contract was being implemented across the broadcast group. One of the clauses in the new contract (which by now most on air people have signed) basically allows the station to reduce salaries or move people around and there's nothing that anyone who signed the contract can do about it. When questions were raised about it, managers said "Oh, that's just something the legal department wanted to put in there. We would never do anything like that." When I asked why it needed to be in there, people tended to get huffy about it and I never got a straight answer. The new contract gives the station all the control and the talent none. If they leave, their non-compete clause, which is even more restrictive than it was five years ago, prevents anyone from doing anything but breathing in this market and I'm not sure about the breathing part.
All of this may be a moot point but if someone was trying to make the bottom line more attractive, wouldn't they start trimming salaries or start letting people go. I know as a buyer, knowing that 20 percent (or more) of the newsroom salaries could be cut, would make things a lot more attractive for me.
But all of this speculation may be for naught. I'm sure whoever comes in to buy the group will want everything to be kept just as it is and any cuts will be made strictly at the senior management level. By the way, I've got the Hernando Desoto I-40 Bridge for sale too.

What Makes a Place a Good Place to Work

2006-09-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

What makes a particular operation a good place to work? That's a question I've pondered for about a quarter of a century at least when it comes to news operations which is where most of my experience omes from. Good ratings help but I've worked at Number 1 stations and for strong Number 2 operations and there's still a lot of grumbling. It seems that so much money has to be spent to achieve the Number 1 slot that there's little money to go around for the "worker bees". I still remember hearing a quote attributed to one manager who said he'd rather have a profitable Number 2 station than a Number 1 station barely making budget.
Good equipment is a big plus. I've worked at stations where you weren't sure if the video you shot was good until you got back to the edit bay and even then you had to keep your fingers crossed that the machines didn't eat the tape. Good, strong management is a plus but they have to be more than cheerleaders. Good managers lead by example. Employees usually have good BS detectors since a little incompetence by managers goes a long way. One of my favorite NDs told me once that I could ask him anything. He said if hf he knew the answer, he'd tell me and if he didn't know the answer he's tell me that. He also said if he couldn't tell me something, he'd tell me that as well. On the other hand, I've had managers lie to me knowing that I knew they were lying.
I think pride in the operation is a big deal. I know of stations and have worked at some where they might not have the top ratings or the best equipment or the best building but there is a "can-do" team spirit. Yah, you will always have people who bitch and moan but sometimes being the underdog making headway against the big dogs helps inspire team spirit more than any stuffed animal or slogan from the HR department.
Hiring and keeping good employees is a must. If they aren't doing the job, get someone who will do it and then reward them. Don't tell them how lucky they are to have a job. Tell them how lucky you are to have them working with. Loyalty is a big deal. If you want loyalty, make sure you give it as well. And remember there should be no such thing as an unimportant person in any operation. Even the person who takes out the garbage becomes very important if he or she isn't doing the job.
Where am I going with this? No where in particular. Most of this is common sense that seems to have slipped by a lot of folks these days. Just consider it a random musing on this Tuesday morning as I finish my coffee.

The 5th Year Anniversary

2006-09-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been five years. At times it seems like it was only last week and other times it seems it's been more than five years. Somewhere around the house I have on videotape a special produced by one of the network news divisions one year after the attacks. I've never been able to watch it nor have I any interest in any of the films produced about the attacks or even the so called "mock-u-drama" that has caused such a ruckus on ABC. I frequently think about how life has changed for people in the U-S and around the world since the terrorist attacks. I wonder sometimes if the entire world hasn't gone insane. I worry about the future my sons, my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter face. You hope it gets better but what I'm seeing on the horizon doesn't look very promising.
However to give up is to give in and I'm nowhere close to giving up. So far I've been fortunate. I did not lose a relative in the terror attacks and I've not lost a family member in the war against terror.
Monday morning I plan to observe a moment of silence in honor of those who have died. And while I'm not a religous man, I will also say a prayer as well not only for those who have died but for the world as well. These days I think we need all the help we can get.

What TV News Doesn't Want You to Know & Edutainment

2006-09-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

If you don't stop by Shoptalk on occasion, you miss some real gems about the TV news business.
An article Wednesday by Brock London of Quazen.com revealed what most in the TV news business already know and regular viewers have a pretty good idea exists. I won't list details but here are the "Ten Truths".
1-The news anchors really don't like each other all that much.
2-When writing or videotaping news coverage. emotion is more important than information.
3-Decisions on what to report are driven by artificial factors.
4-Reporters tell you what they think you want to hear, not what you need to know.
5-Adding live coverage to stories creates the false impression of importance or even crisis.
6-Reporters walk when they talk to avoid even a few seconds with no movement on screen.
7-When the anchor asks a reporter a question, it almost always has been prewritten.
8-Despite its constant use, very few events are worthy of being called "breaking" news.
9-Image consultants often select the haircuts, clothing and makeup worn by TV personalities.
10-Most of the story ideas and useful information appearing in local newscasts has been been "borrowed" from newspapers or news magazines.

Again, for the most part, this list is nothing new to those in the business. I'm sure there are those who will dispute some or all of these points but the truth of the matter is, a lot of these ring true. Granted there are exceptions to the rule. I know of anchors who form close friendships over the years and it shows on air. Other times it's like oil and water and that shows on air as well. As for story content, consultants will tell you "sell the sizzle, not the steak". Just remember to keep the fires burning hot.
Shifting gears, I heard a new phrase last night. "Edu-tainment". That word was used to describe the Crocodile Hunter and his genre of television. The question was raised on whether edu-tainment is putting the lives of people at risk as they get up close and personal with various creatures and nature in general. Admit it, viewers have been waiting to see if the Crocodile guy and his imitators would get tagged by the black Mamba snake or if the guy on National Geographic is going to fall into the volcano. I guess if something bad happens we can always say, "Hey, I won't grab a poisonous snake by the tail today". See, we can learn something from TV.

A Story Begging for an Investigation and So Long to the Crocodile Hunter

2006-09-04T06:50:00.001-07:00

I don't see, hear or read too many things that make my jaw actually drop in disbelief. One of those rare events happened Saturday morning when I picked up the paper and read about the Ole Miss football recruit Jerrell Powe.
In a nutshell this 340 pound defensive tackle was recruited by Ole Miss to play football. Turns out there was a slight problem for this person recruited to this institution of higher learning. He can't read. At least that's what his mother states in a letter appealing for Ole Miss to "give him a chance". The school now says "no" but he filed a lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order allowing him into the school and allowing him to play ball.
Some additional background info: According to the CA, he didn't get a diploma but rather a certificate from his high school. After high school, he spent a year at a military school where he got "Ds" and "Fs" in nearly half of his courses. However, once he started taking correspondence courses from BYU, he managed to turn his grades around from "Fs" to "As". This occurred in justs five months time. Wow!
This posting isn't so much about this specific player. You know and I know that it happens way too frequently and it shouldn't happen at all. But it does and in my opinion, it's a crime. People should be outraged but I'd bet that most aren't. Still, my point is, there's a great story out there just waiting to be covered. I'm talking about this BYU Correspondence school that seems to work miracles. It's not a story that will or could even be covered by local TV news. It takes way too much time and effort. It could be covered by local newspapers or magazines if there is a "will" there. I'm not sure how much of a "will" is there. Some cable news outlet or national news magazine might be able to do it justice but probably won't because Ole Miss isn't a national powerhouse. It's probably just a great story that will never get done and that's a shame. So we end up with this guy who may or may not play for Ole Miss and if he doesn't, he has managed to make it through at least 12 years of public and some private education and can't read. What an incredible shame.
And then there is the extremely bad luck of the Crocodile Hunter. My younger brother told me about Steve Irwin back in the early 90's. He told me that I really needed to see this guy. I actually tuned in a few times, waiting to see him get bitten by some nasty creature and hear him utter "Crikey!" He always seemed to be a disaster waiting to happen but always narrowly avoided it. His luck ran out over the weekend when he was swimming close to a stingray while doing some videotaping. The stingray whipped up its tail and the barb not only penetrated his chest, it pierced his heart. I'm sure we'll see the video at some point in time. Just give them a few weeks to get it turned around in post.

Sometimes the News Just Won't Cooperate

2006-08-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

0 for 2. That's where the count stands on the two "Really Big Stories" of the week. After the first day, some saw the Karr wreck coming in the Jon Benet Ramsey story. Most didn't. Yah, some will say it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback on this story but where was the skepticism about this guy and his tale. I did my best to avoid the story on TV, radio and newspapers when I could but that proved almost impossible. Other than the fact that the guy was creepy looking, which so far isn't a crime in this country, red flags should have been going up everywhere. But this reminded me of the feeding frenzy of sharks that I've seen on the Nature Channels. The sharks get so caught up with the smell of blood, they may take a bite out of each other. Everybody covering this story was piddling on himself or herself trying to get this tidbit or that. We learned where Karr sat on the plane and what he ate and drank (champagne and prawns). I told my wife on the first day this story broke that if I was in Thailand and facing some sort of sex charges, I would start admitting I did something in the U-S too just so I could get the heck out of the Far East. It may not be as bad as a Turkish prison (as depicted in the movie "Midnight Express"), but hey, why take a chance. Now this guy got two of the things he really wanted which was worldwide attention and a free ticket back home. Yes, he's now off to California where he will face charges but he's already set the stage for some sort of insanity plea.
The second strike-out really wasn't the fault of anyone but Mother Nature. After the huge hurricane season last year, Ernesto couldn't get to the shores of the U-S fast enough for the various news operations. But Ernesto didn't deliver and that left the folks covering the "BIG" story filling a lot of time. I still feel story for the folks at the Weather Channel. At least those covering what passes for news can throw to other stories. At the Weather Channel, those guys are left to beating us over the head with last year's video and "what could happen tomorrow."
And speaking of hurricanes, the media horde also descended on the Gulf Coast on the anniversary of Katrina. Maybe it will help draw attention to the great distance that area still has to go before they can get back to anything resembling normal. Who knows, maybe this is the "new" normal and it will be like this for the next ten years.

I'm Really Disappointed that I've not Heard Anything About Hurricane Katrina as We Approach the Anniversary!

2006-08-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

You would think by now that somebody, somewhere would have put together a documentary or retrospective on the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. But no, so far, nothing, zip, nada.
Oh wait, I just realized I've been off in a parallel universe. In this universe, there are plenty of documentaries and retrospectives about Hurricane Katrina. In fact, I cannot tell you how pleased the good folks at The Weather Channel must be these days now that they have Hurricane/now TS Ernesto to distract them from the replay of Katrina. These people are having their own version of a "Weathergasm" in that they are in the middle of hurricane season and haven't had anything but last year's storms to harp about. Thank God for Ernesto to deliver them from that "storm video rerun" wasteland. It seems just about every weather person on a national platform is practically drooling over Ernesto. One person actually let it slip about how excited she was about Ernesto. The young woman on the Weather Channel was looking at the forecast path for the storm and how it was approaching the Caribbean Islands of Jamaica and Cuba and how "it was bad news for those who wanted the hurricane to strengthen" since the storm would lose strength over land. Who but a deranged weather person and perhaps a demented news director wants a hurricane to strengthen?
I watched a 60 Minutes piece tonight on New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin and how the recovery of the Big Easy is going. Having visited there and the Waveland, MS area back in April, it still brings tears to my eyes at what happened to those sections of the gulf coast. Everyone needs to travel to those areas and look around to see what the devastation looks like. The pictures you see on TV, in the newspapers and the internet don't do it justice. Seeing things first hand will humble you.
So far I've managed to avoid any of the "where are they now one year later" stories. I can tell you where they are. Not very far along from where they were not long after the storm hit.

Could the Sun be Setting on the local TV sportscast?

2006-08-23T06:23:00.001-07:00

Okay, I admit it. In our household, my wife is the one who is the sports fanatic. While she's mellowed just a tad over the past few years, the start of college football season (not pro) gets her pumped up like the arrival of cooler weather does for me here in the MidSouth. Oh, I played basketball through my freshman year in high school and used to enjoy a pick-up game now and then. I will go to a couple of college football games and may even watch a little of a big game or a good rivalry on TV, but I can take it or leave it. During college football and basketball season, my wife goes to the sports page first. I may never even look at it. She also listens to sports talk radio during the college fall and spring seasons. But she doesn't watch local TV sports. Apparently, she's not alone and the ranks are growing. These days if you want to see a college team covered, you go to one of the cable channels.
Don't get me wrong. I've seen some most excellent things on local sportscasts. But of the three things that are covered in a half hour newscast; News, Weather and Sports, Weather is Topic Number 1 when it comes to the interest of the viewers. News is Number 2 and I don't mean that literally. It's just that with the arrival of meters in the markets such as Memphis, news crews rarely leave the Metro area unless it's for a big murder or disaster. Viewers in the outlying areas really don't care about the latest crime or fire in Memphis or any other big city. They want to know what's going on in their town and TV news doesn't seem to cover that anymore. Then there is the Sports segment. Generally speaking, Sports has seen its time cut in many half hour news casts and in some cases, the plug has been pulled on it altogether. Yah, on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, some shops ramp up their coverage of high school or college football and some may even offer a half hour show after the regular newscast.
Some say the sports information should be produced like a news piece. Provide coverage of something when its truly sports worthy and run the scores at the bottom of the screen during a newscast or use full screens of scores to bump to commercials.
I have seen some amazing story telling from some sports people. While there are some who merely "phone it in", others are out there busting their hump to tell a story. When it comes to ad-libbing, it's hard to beat a sportscaster who honed his or her skills on radio. To this day, the most remarkable job of ad-libbing I ever saw came when I was working weekends at the Station Down on the River. The weekend guy, (now the weekday guy) was to hit a football satellite shot out of Fayetteville, Arkansas about halfway through his sports cast. He was down to ten seconds in the countdown to the live shot when the producer started screaming that the signal was down and it would take a couple of minutes to re-establish. I got ready to start doing some cross talk with the sports guy to fill time but he never missed a beat. He proceeded to ad-lib with pertinent information for about a minute and a half and then smoothly transitioned into the satellite shot. Viewers never had a clue anything was amiss. I always wished I had those kind of skills.
But some of what passes for sports is pretty difficult to take. I know we have a number of blue-chip athletes in this area but do we really need video of some news conference where some jock finally reveals where he or she (but primarily he) is going to attend college. In the grand scheme of things, most people don't really care. Do we really need to hear from some athlete why a game was won or lost. Just once I'd like to hear some athlete say "We lost because they scored more points than we did".
It's no secret that consultants generally hate sports and overall, viewers start tuning out of a newscast when sports starts. Some predict that in ten years, the local sportscast will have pretty much disappeared from the half hour news broadcast. Somebody will miss it. It just won't be me.

Pot Calling the Kettle Black.

2006-08-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

Pardon my rant, but can someone tell me who told Geraldo and Bill'O they were real news people.
Okay, Bill O'Reilly used to work for ABC news among others and Geraldo Rivera used to turn stories for ABC's 20-20. He even visited West Tennessee to interview the sheriff of Dyer County who was found to have a sheep in a motel room in Southeast Missouri. I think the sheep was dead at the time. I don't recall the sheriff's name but they still chuckle about it in Dyersburg.
Now these two have their own programs on Fox News Channel and to his credit, Bill has a huge following for a cable network. My father used to watch him religously and made this rather telling remark when I asked him about it. He said, "I don't watch the news anymore, I watch Fox." I just shook my head.
I really didn't have a problem with Bill and Geraldo as they preach their brand of news. I get my news from other sources, including cable, the internet, Newsweek and the local paper.
( Just FYI, I always start out reading the comics of the newspaper as it helps prepare me for what I will read elsewhere. ) But then B & G came out with guns blazing at Jon Stewart of the Daily Show and Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report on the Comedy Channel. Folks, (for those of you who have never watched them, you are missing a sure bet) these two take a look at the events and the newsmakers of the day and put their own spin on things. Kind of like what B & G do over on that other cable network. But it was when B & G blasted Stewart and Colbert I started getting a little POd.
I've copied this comment from Geraldo off the internet and when I paste it here, it might have some extraneous characters. I apologize in advance:

Geraldo on Colbert and Stewart:They make a living putting on video of old ladies slipping on ice and people laughing. That's their life. That's their life. They exist in a small little place where they count for nothing. The history will be made by those who have affirmative thoughts, who make, you know, innovative suggestions in life and are inclusive.

First, I've never seen little old ladies slipping on ice and I watch both shows on the Comedy Channel. Granted, many people including Stewart and Colbert take verbal pot shots at O'Reilly and IMHO, Geraldo is a caricature anyway so he's fair game, and I have no problem with a bit of Tit for Tat. I especially like Stephen Colbert's rant to Jon Stewart.

Stephen Colbert [on last Thursday's 2006-08-10 Daily Show]: What are you trying to imply, Jon? That O’Reilly and Geraldo are narcissists enthralled in their own overblown egos, projecting their own petty insecurities onto the world around them, inventing false enemies for the sole purpose of bolstering their sense of self-importance, itty-bitty Nixons minus the relevance or a hint of vision?

But I guess the problem I have is that somehow, someway B & G think what they're doing is somehow special or real news. Yah, Bill has the biggest numbers on the cable news networks. At least the guys on the Comedy Channel will tell you they know they're not actual news people and they're merely looking at the absurdity of things that are taking place in the world. At least they are not trying to pass off what they do as "actual" news. And if you have ever watched either Stewart or Colbert when they have a controversial guest on set, these guys can do some serious interviewing and throw out some great questions. It's none of this softball stuff you might see on other networks or cable news programs.
Maybe they haven't had a nose broken when someone throws a chair during a free-for-all in the midst of an afternoon tabloid show (Geraldo) or opened up a gangster's empty vault in Chicago (Geraldo again) or even had an afternoon tabloid show (O'Reilly). My dad used to say, "give O'Reilly a chance, he'll grow on you." I've watched a little of both B & G. I found I wanted to scrub myself clean afterwards.
Fortunately one of the things that makes America great is we have many choices of what to watch and wew don't have to watch anything. So, I'll stick with the Comedy Channel and some of those other news outlets for now.
Okay, my rant is over and I'm off my soapbox. Now back to our regular programming.

Only in America Can We Find a New Way to Beat an Old Story Into the Ground Again.

2006-08-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

JonBenet Ramsey. A tragic story and while this terrible event played out a thousand miles away, it managed to make my life miserable in Memphis. I admit I hate to see anything bad happen to children, especially when it's caused by an adult. I mean, come on, they're children. let them be young and as carefree as they can be. They grow up too fast as it is.
JonBenet Ramsey was only six years old when she was found beaten and strangled around Christmas. Christmas is usually a slow news day and just abbout anything that happens can become big news. I've always said, "it's all about timing."
From the news reports, JBR's mother who participated in pageants, had dressed her up like a little doll for child beauty pageants, perhaps trying to fulfill some long-lost dream of her own. I personally think that's kind of tragic in itself but that's a different story for a different time.
IMHO, the JBR story signaled the major transition to tabloid news coverage by main media outlets. While this had some possible lurid angles with the parents being accused at some point in time, it was in fact a LOCAL story. It happened in the Denver area and again, while it was tragic, it shouldn't have gone much beyond that area after the first week. A bunch of kids weren't gunned down at school or blown up in a federal building. JBR was a local story that became tabloid fodder on a national level.
I grew to dread having to read the inevitable JBR stories that peppered our morning and noon newscasts. They were always there and after a while the story of a dead little girl in Denver took on a life of its own. News magazines did extensive stories on parents who push children into pageants and various competitions and if there was an angle to cover, somebody covered it. Later there would be other stories involving high profile beauties. While I got tired of the extensive coverage of Princess Diana's death, she was a legitimate international figure. As for JFK Jr., he was more famous for who his parents were and the tragedies in their lives. I did have an interest in his death as it was related to flying and general aviation.
I never understood the hoopla over the Scott Petersen murder case. Remember him? His pregnant wife disappeared and was later found in the San Francisco Bay. He was having an affair. Bottom line: this was a local story that got national attention. Other than the fact it had a couple of twists, it was a murder case like what we have in Memphis (I'm sad to say) on a regular basis. But it happened during a slow news week. I will never truly understand why we gave it so much coverage on the local level in Memphis. It made as much sense as running a convenience store robbery from Australia (which we did more than once) because the video looked good. Big deal. Who really cared.
So now JonBenet Ramsey's alledged killer is in custody ten years after the fact. Everybody who runs some kind of news is running the story. Even National Public Radio is running the story ad naseum. I'm proud the killer was caught. I'm even more proud of the fact that I don't have to read it to somebody else.
The day that JonBenet Ramsey died, two tragedies occurred. An innocent little girl lost her life and never got the chance to grow up and realize her potential. And the standards of the news business pertaining to what constitutes news slipped several notches.
It was a sad day on both counts.

I'm Back in the Saddle Again.

2006-08-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! I was out of town last week because of a death in the family and when I got back on line I find some sad and interesting things going on.
First, condolences to the family of former Commercial Appeal TV & Radio reporter Tom Walter. The 57 year old Walter died after a long bout with cancer. I really didn't know Tom that well and only met him face to face twice and both times were awkward at best. I talked with him once on the phone around the time I was preparing to leave the station on the river. I will admit that on stories about ratings, everyone at the SOTR thought he was slanting the story toward the folks on Union. Now it seems some folks on Union think the CA slants the stories toward the SOTR. I always got the impression that Tom really didn't care too much for the local news media and if he had his druthers would have covered national entertainment exclusively.
I also hear that Annie Kim is leaving the SOTR and from what I am told, she is the third person to announce her departure with no job in hand. Some people are asking me what is going on down there and quite frankly, I don't know since nobody is talking and anybody who is suspected of talking about internal matters to an outsider can be fired. She follows Christine Connolly and Roswell Encina who both decided the pastures must be greener elsewhere. Best of luck to Ms. Kim.
I've had several people asking where former GM on Union Howard Meagle is these days. I will assume he's still in town unless somebody tells me otherwise. Since I've been out of pocket I haven't heard if the new GM has taken over the reins yet. Last I heard he was in Europe. A new GM always has folks feeling a little antsy whether he or she is a fire-breather or takes a more subtle approach on arrival. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that business as usual will become a thing of the past on Union.

Boy, Am I Glad That is Over!

2006-08-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

It is so quiet around stately LarkSmith Manor today. The phone has been ringing off the wall during the past week as I have heard from folks just needing a moment of my time. I'm talking about my good friends Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Lamar Alexander, Ed Bryant, Bob Corker and a host of others wanting to encourage me to vote. You could just feel the love oozing through the phone lines.
The problem is my lovely and talented bride and I had already voted early and I really wanted to tell these callers to stop wasting their time and mine. It went beyond annoying. I did feel some sense of revenge as I took Newby the Weather forecasting dog on his morning drag. Our walk takes us by one of the polling places here in the neighborhood. Newby, being the boy dog that he is, took time to heist his leg on a couple of the political signs that had been posted around the polling area. Some of the campaign workers were mortified to see this. I told them since Newby couldn't vote, he was merely exercising his opinion and that it did not necessarily reflect my opinion.
My wife and I tuned in late in the evening to see how the numbers were coming in and we started out with Fox 13 news. Now I know that they have a 9pm news but with the returns still coming in and no clear winners announced, they shut down their coverage at 10:15. What was up with that. Yah, they kept numbers on the screen but you could almost hear the TV sets changing across the city. We switched over to 24 and Cameron was talking about some crime story and a full screen with election results for Kathryn Bowers in the state Senate popped up. It's all about timing.
From there we switched back and forth from 3 and 5 and finally pulled the plug around 10:30 or so.
I now expect the phone to stay quiet for about 60 more days. Then I guess some of my good friends will be calling again. Thank goodness for an answering machine.

If he can kick the competition in the teeth in one market, give him a try in another!

2006-08-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that the success of the GM at the Raycom station in Huntsville, Alabama is one reason he's supposed to be taking over operations on Union in Memphis. Those familiar with the Huntsville market know that about ten years ago the NYTimes station moved up to dominate news there. They had the brightly colored chopper along with the other brightly colored toys. Sound familiar? Heavy promotion along with solid news reporting and good news teams boosted their numbers in a solid way.
Apparently the Raycom station decided to get serious again about the news business in that market. The man heading that station in recent years has a strong news background, not a sales background and in my opinion, that can go a long way when you're fighting a battle for dominance in the local news business. An example of this is a former ND from down on the river who is now the GM at the NYTimes station in Oklahoma City at KFOR. To my knowledge they are the Number One station there. When big news breaks I'm told the GM in OK City goes in to help man the phones and offer assistance where he can. I'm told he is well thought of by the troops since he knows what he's talking about and doesn't rely heavily on consultants.
So, perhaps the reasoning down in Raycom land is that if this GM can kick some NYTimes rear in Rocket City USA, then maybe he's the man to do the same thing in the Bluff City. I would imagine that some folks in the newsroom are really starting to feel nervous. That's not necessarily a bad thing and it will be interesting to see what everything looks like in about six to nine months on Union. This could shape up to be a bloody fight.

It's started.

2006-07-31T06:52:00.000-07:00

I woke up to the sounds of silence at 4:45 Monday morning. Normally that's not a bad thing except the whole house was quiet. No AC running, nothing. It's amazing how quickly a house can start heating up this time of the year in the MidSouth, especially after the power has been off for a full hour. Still I figured if that's the worse thing that can happen, I'm lucky.
Then I got an email from a friend of mine about the resignation of Howard Meagle as GM from WMC. At this point, I don't know the particulars and I'm sure someone out there does. Heck, I don't even have it confirmed. I'm merely sharing at this point what was on Shoptalk.
But I have to admit if it's true, I hate to see Howard leave. He was station manager at KFVS in Cape Garagedoor (Girardeau) Missouri when I first signed on with that station. He left not long after that to take a GM post with the company in Savannah. I liked Howard and found him to be a friendly, straight talking manager. I always felt I knew where I stood with Howard. You don't get that much from many managers these days. I had met with him earlier this year and we had an enjoyable chat. I'm not sure if the ratings turn-around on Union was the primary cause of his decision or if it was just a factor. Anyway, best of luck to Howard as he moves forward.
I would imagine that some folks on Union have been feeling a little antsy these days with the slide from atop the ratings pyramid. One does not have to have any great powers of foresight to anticipate more changes there.

Keep a former employee from down on the river in your thoughts and prayers

2006-07-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

I saw in the CA that Nancy Sawtelle Hayslip of Bartlett died this past week. She is the mother of former NC3 anchor and reporter Steve Hayslip who now anchors the morning show at WTVF in Nashville and reports for them as well.
For those of you who know Steve then you know he is a class act as is his dad, Jimmy who used to work for the county school system. I really didn't know anything about Mrs. Hayslip but if Steve is a reflection of her then she must have been a great lady. I understand she died after a battle with cancer and having lost my father earlier this year to cancer I can appreciate what the family has gone through. Keep them in your thoughts.

We're Number One, We're Number One and people are leaving.

2006-07-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

You work hard to earn the Number One spot in the market and people start leaving.
A second reporter from down 0n the river turned in his notice that he's leaving the market. R.E. is moving off to the East Coast where I'm told he will do some freelance work. A producer for the morning show is headed off for the Northwest and according to what I've been told just about every other producer DOTR is working hard to vacate the premises. I'm hearing the NYTimes has closed the purse and doesn't plan to spend anything else at this point in time. While some would say the producers aren't being overworked by doing double duty on some shows, the producers must have a different opinion and apparently want to show their feelings with their feet.
There's no doubt the broadcast business is hurting these days and election year money from campaigns is usually a big boost to the bottom line. But in Memphis, the NYTimes poured a lot of money into the station after a promise was made to make the station Numero Uno for its 50th anniversary which is this year. They bought a chopper and expanded staff among other stuff to help boost the ratings over the folks over on Union. So with the July book wrapping up, it looks like a trend is indeed showing DOTR and they get to brag they're tops in just about every local time slot. I say congratulations to them. I was working on the morning show down there when we managed to climb to the top spot twice during my eleven year stint. It's a good feeling. Some of the honchos down there have been wanting to do that across the board since the head of the Broadcast group first started working at the station as a part-timer more than three decades ago.
As was pointed out to me, you would think everyone down on the river would be doing cartwheels at being at the top of the game in the market and that no one would want to leave now that they're at the top. Maybe there is truth in the adage that "Wanting is sometimes better than having".
I'm also reminded of something said be a former head of the Broadcast Group who also served a stint as GM DOTR. He said "I'd rather be a profitable Number 2 than a broke Number 1".

When the ship starts to flounder, one of the first things they want to do is toss the anchor overboard!

2006-07-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

Some news operations are like that. If they see they really aren't going anywhere like the consultants convinced them they should be, then they (the ND and GM) start tossing the anchors and other on-air folks overboard. They'll usually give folks a couple of years to "make a difference" and then it's time to pull the plug if they aren't producing.
I don't think we'll see any of that in Memphis just yet, but I can bet you there are some folks out there sweating just a wee bit. I'm not just talking talent either. Yah, news can be a cyclical thing and you never really know in a ratings month what viewers will do although you do have a pretty good idea. You know November and February are times when the weather isn't great, at least here in the MidSouth and folks will tend to be indoors watching TV. During May, the weather is nicer. It's still a big month since what you do in May will dictate the sales rates to November. Technically July is a ratings month but unless it's absolutely hot as hell, folks will be out and about and not watching much TV. Some news folks even blow it off, especially if they're losing the book. Others like to tout the numbers, especially if they're making gains or are winning.
All of this leads up to a point which I make now. The station down on the river appears to be holding on to its claim as the News Channel in Memphis That's according to the numbers I've seen so far and I will admit, I've only seen a sampling of the numbers. Yah, demographics determine the sales but bragging rights are also based on the ratings, at least in the newsroom.
So, it might not just be the heat that has some folks here in the Bluff City sweating. And while it may be cooler in the drink, nobody wants to get tossed overboard.

Imitation is still the most sincere form of flattery

2006-07-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

For years folks in the Memphis area could vote on what they considered "The Best" the city had to offer. Everything from the best burger to the best weather guy. It was always fun to read the results in the weekly Memphis Flyer. I think it was this survey that had a standout TV reporter from down on the river winning the dubious honor of Best and Worst reporter in the same issue although that might have been Memphis Magazine. I almost always pick up a copy of the Flyer when I stop to get a pie from the Memphis Pizza Cafe. Good reading with good pizza.
Now, I don't know if the newspaper world has consultants stumbling all over themselves like they do in the world of TeeVee News, but it sounds like they do. Anyone who has been in the television news business knows there are about a half dozen new ideas that surface each year in the broadcast business and some of these aren't really new. They've been stolen from news operations from overseas somewhere. These TV consultants then go preach the gospel to NDs and GMs about how implementing these ideas will boost ratings, increase sales, restore virginity and lead us all a little closer to broadcasting nirvana. Pretty soon, everyone is doing the same thing in every market and even more people stop watching local news.
It sounds like some consultant or perhaps some person high up the food chain at the CA in Memphis finally tried to figure out why the Flyer is popular and decided to do some of what they do over there. At the CA you can vote on "The Readers Choice" awards. You too can share your thoughts on the Best Burger and the Best Weather anchor. Remember, if you haven't read it, it's still news. A great slogan.
And one final note that might fall under the heading of full disclosure. My wife was checking out something on the Memphis Flyer's website when she informed me that my blog was listed under the Flyer's heading of "blogs we like". I'm quite flattered to be among those listed. Now, like Navin R. Johnson who found his name listed in the phone directory, "I'm somebody."

The Ripple from the Nipple

2006-07-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Who could have foreseen that exposing a nipple on a television screen could possibly jeopardize live shots in local news. Huh? What's the connection here?
Well, according to an article by Brooks Boliek in the Hollywood Reporter, "...in a continuing crack down on on-air profanity the FCC has requested numerous tapes of broadcasters that might include vulgar remarks by unruly sports spectators, coaches and athletes at live sporting events."
The article goes on the say the FCC has requested 30 tapes of live sporting and news programs where profanity was involved.
What has been deemed indecent speech can be aired safely between 10pm and 6am (not sure if that is Central or Eastern time).
If I understand this correctly, some yahoo who gets through the screening process for a town hall meeting during prime time can utter the "F' word or tell someone to eat "s**t" and "BAM", the station is facing a fine up to $325, 000. That's up from the previous maximum of $32, 500, with the boost in fines thanks to the outrage over people seeing Janet Jackson's nipple on the air back during the SuperBowl debaucle.
Granted, you can pre-screen participants at the town hall meeting but get around some folks who've had too much to drink (Memphis in May Barbecue Fest, and MidSouth Fair to name a couple) and it might give pause for some to reconsider those live shots or at least make them all "look-lives". I'm familiar with seven second delays for audio, but not for video.
Then there's the live shot at the scene of a crime or after a hotly contested trial where emotions are running high and the enterprising reporter grabs a person from the crowd to get reaction and you get the idea of what could happen. Don't forget about those live phoners from people who have called in during severe weather. All it takes is someone to get a little excited as they describe those powerful storm winds and the fact that "sh*t is blowing around everywhere". Yah, it makes some powerful TV and now a potentially hefty fine.
Then there are the cases where the reporter is live and being harassed by the crowd to the point that he or she loses it. How many times have you heard about reporters who thought they were off the air and using language they shouldn't. It's enough to give a manager nightmares.
There was a time when people would act decently when they get around a TV camera, especially when they knew it was live. Not anymore. I know I wouldn't bet on it.
Accidents happen and words slip on occasion. But with the FCC determined to crack down, live shots could become less live and less common.

We're live and the scene is dead!

2006-07-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Over the last week or so I've noticed several rants in articles from folks in various parts of the country who seem to have discovered that some television stations put reporters live on the scene where absolutely nothing is happening or where whatever happened is long over. To borrow from Captain Renault in the movie Casablanca "I'm shocked, shocked that such a practice is taking place. " (Could you move your live truck, it's interfering with OUR live truck). The next thing you know, some television news operation somewhere in this country would start hyping breaking news with a special open and..... oh wait, that's pretty much a common practice too.
According to several of the things I've read on Shoptalk (from Cincinnati and Louisville to name a couple) some folks are finally mad as hell and say they aren't going to take it anymore. How do they propose to do this one might ask? By turning away from local television outlets. Wait, that's happening alrady too.
Viewers say they are tired of having a breaking news open roll across their screen and then see something they don't feel is breaking news on their TV. I know I've been on the anchor desk when I was informed that we had breaking news and be prepared to talk about what it is we saw on the screen whether it was a routine car crash on the interstate or perhaps a car on fire on a city street or even a house fire. Yah, the incident affected a couple of folks and I always felt bad for them, but so many times we went live because we could and we knew the competition would as well and we had to be able to say we had it first. So, we'd roll the breaking news open and away we'd go. Then four or five hours later, we'd send a reporter back to the scene for a live report from the scene and there was nothing going on. All this time, we were also rolling a crawl at the bottom of the screen with Chyroned information.
Proponents of the breaking news concept and live for the sake of live say this is what research says the audience wants. I'd love to have sat in on that audience. I think like it as long as it doesn't interfere with what they're watching. Just cut in with breaking news to Mee-Maw's soap opera and you'll get a phone call with language that would make a sailor blush. I know. I've been on the receiving end of those calls. Add to the mix that the reporter doing the live shot is at a scene where not much is happening but the ND felt that a presence in the field is needed and it really cranks up the venom of the caller.
Contrary to what some might think, I personally don't think it helps the credibility of a local news operation to go live for the sake of live or have regularly scheduled breaking news. I'm still amazed at how many times breaking news occurs right at the beginning of a newscast. Why not just report the news as news. Don't break it. But then, I'm not a consultant, just a viewer and not much of one of those anymore.
I always figured somewhere there were a couple of consultants sitting around a bar watching the screen and saying something like, "Just wait until we share our latest suggestions with the local stations. We're going to have balloon captions like you'd see in the comics and these will be placed by each of the anchors. If we present these to the ND, SM and GM of each station and tell them they can boost their ratings, you know they'll buy into it." Then the consultants just laugh and take another drink of whiskey.

Hey man, put me on TV and a former mayor is expected to be back at work in Memphis

2006-07-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

Any videographer or reporter who has spent any time at all in the field as heard it. "Hey man, put me on TeeVee." The plea usually comes from kids who will crowd into the shot you're trying to get so you can wrap up your piece and head back to the station. That usually means you have to wait until they aren't looking and then swing your camera to get what you need. Sometimes, the reporter has to help distract whoever is wanting to get on TV so the shooter can get what he or she needs. Sometimes you just tell them ignore the camera and do whatever they were doing before you arrived. You get your video and they may end up on the news.
A shooter in Ohio covering flooding in the Cleveland area alledgedly got three kids to try to ride their bikes through some high water and was hit with a 150-dollar fine. He says he didn't do it but it was easier to pay the fine than argue with authorities. If he did it, it's called staging and it's a practice that used to be frowned on. I see it on a regular basis on news pieces. If you have a person walk down the hall way or out a door just for the purpose of getting a shot, it is, in my opinion staging. I remember talking with a reporter and photographer from ABC News back in the mid 80's about a story they were covering in Tallahassee. They told me how staging a shot was a firing offense. Have I ever helped stage a shot? You betcha. Doing two packages a day, you do what you have to do since you are "running and gunning". Did I ever put someone's life in danger ? Not that I was aware of.
But dealing with the "Hey man put me on TV" crowd prompted some clever tactics. Nothing is worse than trying to do a live shot at a crowded venue with the MidSouth Fair being the worse place in the world for a live shot. It amazes me how adults with time on their hands can become absolute idiots when a video camera is around and you have no security folks to help keep things under control. I was working weekend nights down on the river back in the early 90's when we covered the MidSouth Fair. The live truck was set up near the midway which immediately attracted throngs of drunken people. Wherever the reporter stood with the camera pointing at him is where the crowd of 20 or 30 people would gather with some jumping in front of the reporter to wave into the camera and yell "Hey Mom". Maybe they were hoping that Mom would finally be proud of them for something. Anyway, the weatherman and I came up with a plan. Whoever was NOT going to be on camera would stand directly in front of the camera with a logoed stick mic. That's where the crowd would gather. The person who was about to go on the air would stand the same distance away from the photographer but 90-degrees to the left or right of the camera. The shooter would get his focus on the talent and then swing away to the decoy until the live shot was 15 or 20-seconds away. At the last minute, he would swing off and take the live shot. It would be well underway or even over before most of the crowd figured out what was going on. It did cause anxious moments for the producer who wanted to know where his or her shot was.
Finally, congratulations are in order for Dick Hackett, the former mayor of Memphis. Reliable sources tell me he is going to leave whatever he is doing in North Mississippi these days to head up the Children's Museum in Memphis. It's supposed to be announced this morning around 9 o'clock. He's being hired for his fundraising abilities and this guy has the connections to make a big difference. Anybody who has kids has probably been to the Children's Museum and it's a great place to feed the hungry minds of youngsters. It also keeps them from jumping in front of TV cameras or being tempted to ride through water.

Odds and Ends

2006-07-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who took time to share birthday greetings. I guess I never really thought about it before but I have something in common with the station down on the river. It got its start in January 1956. I got my start in July 1956. It's owned by the NYT. I used to be owned by the NYT. The number 3 is important to the station. The number 3 is a big deal to me since I was born on that day. Wow, kind of spooky isn't it.
Shifting gears, Image and Branding is soooooo important for any just about any business. You've got your EyeWitness News, your NewsChannel station, your Action News, and so on and so forth. Occasionally, a station like the one on Union has that steamboat that rolls across the screen. It's been around since I first started watching back in 1981. Occasionally when the PR and HR departments get together (WHICH IS ALWAYS DANGEROUS) someone decides to come up with a mascot for the station. Now other stations may have done something like this but the one I remember was Reggie, the dinosaur type creature who represented WREG at kids events. Its name cleverly was taken from the station call letters. I don't how many years it was actually around or who got stuck having to wear the costume but it was different. It disappeared about the time they pulled the plug on the company picnic.
Why am I sharing this. Because I found a picture of someone who could serve as the "mascot" for the station down on the river and would probably work for a case of beer for every appearance. Talk about branding. No one would forget which station this guy is associated with.

I know they'd love this guy for the Huntin' and Killin' Show on the weekends down on the river. I know this photo has been around for a few years and I really hope he or perhaps she is not related to anyone who reads this blog.
One final note: my lovely and talented bride and I stopped by the Going Away/Birthday party for Christine Connolly Saturday night at the home of former NC3er Kevin Kern. Saw a number of folks there from the old work place and enjoyed chatting with everyone. Good luck to CC as she departs Memphis for the Golden State. She will do well.

A former newsman looks at 50.

2006-07-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to Jimmy Buffet's "A Pirate looks at 40" as I say goodbye to the 40s and hello to the big 5-0 on July 3rd. I've always looked forward to the big birthday events of my life: turning 13 and becoming a teenager, turning 16 and getting my drivers license, turning 18 so I could vote, turning 21 so I could buy alcohol legally in Kentucky, turning 30 and then turning 40. But turning 50 has been a little different and I really can't put my finger on why. I've thought a lot about this over the past six months. I think it has to do with the reality of mortality that has hit home over the last year or so. My dad died in January. I became a grandfather this past year. I've been getting bombarded by AARP stuff this past year as I become eligible to participate. Some young girls and boys call me sir or mister. The days of being carded at the liquor store are long past. Fortunately for me I have folks who don't know me personally but email me on a regular basis offering to help with a bit of male enhancement. I've declined their offers so far but I'm trying to figure out if they know something that I don't. I even have some folks from Nigeria who are quite persistent about sharing millions of dollars with me. Gee, there must be a lot of loose money floating around over there as I get three or four emails a week from them along with the fact that I've won some lottery in Europe that I didn't know existed. I'm some lucky kind of guy.
Looking back over the first five decades of my life, I remember thinking back in high school that people who were 50 years old were pretty much old farts. Heck, the teachers I thought were old back then were probably only in their late 30s or 40's at the time. Now I look at 75 and think how young that looks.
I've long considered age a frame of mind. I've seen some 20 year olds who acted like they were old farts and some folks in their 50s and 60s that you might find it hard to keep up with. A good friend of mine is in the mid 80s. I've always told Bud that I hope I'm as young as he is should I get to be his age.
I'm also reminded as I turn 50 that life is the journey, not the destination and I've been blessed so far to have had an enjoyable journey. My lovely and talented bride and I will celebrate 20-years of wedded bliss in September. Not only does she still put up with me, we still hold hands when we walk and seeing her from across the room still makes my heart skip a beat. I have two sons, one daughter in law, a granddaughter, a potential daughter in law, and two noggin' headed dogs (who don't realize how lucky they are to have been rescued).
So on July 3rd, I will celebrate because I have enjoyed a half century of what life has to offer. I've laughed and I've cried but the smiles have far outweighed the tears. I'm not rich but I do have my health and the love of my family and friends and there's a lot to be said for that. Now that I look at it again, 50 is Nifty. Plus, having another birthday beats the hell out of the alternative.

Reporters from around the World are converging on Graceland and it's not even August.

2006-06-29T03:53:00.001-07:00

Seasoned news people and Evis fans know there are two times during the year that the home of the King will be in the news. His birthday in January and the day of his death in August. The rest of the time the crowds are pretty steady and the horde of national media generally stays away. Friday will be the exception to the rule as the POTUS and the PMOJ converge on Graceland for a tour before heading off to eat barbecue at the Rendezvous downtown. I personally think if they really wanted some great barbecue that they should swing by Interstate BBQ on Third. It's closer, the food is better and parking is never a problem (although parking is never a problem for the First Limo.) I know the folks at Graceland love the attention that facility will be getting but I know the logisitics of having two of the most powerful men in the world swinging by for a visit has to have more than a few folks practically eating aspirin hand over fist.
When I was down on the river, it was usually the new kid on the block who had to go cover DEW (Dead Elvis Week), but this time around those still wet behind the ears probably won't be able to get near Graceland. That assignment will be given to the seasoned reporters. Still everyone will manage to get a piece of the reporting pie as there will be "themed-Team" coverage with folks falling all over themselves trying to get that different angle. The only people probably not able to do their regular jobs will be the chopper pilots from Union and down on the river since they'll be grounded during the visit. At some point someone will have to ask the question if the POTUS and PMOJ prefer ribs wet or dry. I guarantee someone, somewhere locally will ask the question.
Shifting gears, Friday will be the last day of reporting for one of the folks down on the river. Christine Connolly decided to pull the plug on herself and is moving out west to spend some time with her family. CC was always quiet but fun to be around and I thought she did a great job reporting. She will be missed in the newsroom and around Memphis.
And congrats to Amy Spears/Speropoulos. She and her hubby Scott are the proud parents of a baby girl, now about two weeks old. I would bet that she's already discovered that whoever coined the phrase "Sleeps like a baby", never had one.

Where are our manners?

2006-06-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Somewhere along the way, we seem to have become a less polite society and I'm not sure where the trend started or what caused it. You know what I'm talking about. We've had bad drivers for years, weaving in and out of traffic, cutting people off. But the incidents of road rage appear to be growing or perhaps they'rejust getting more publicity. I've been driving since the early 70s and I don't remember too many reports back then of people getting revenge on someone else with a vehicle. Oh, don't think I don't get P-Od about some of the driving I've encountered and I've probably made a few folks mad as well. I'd like to think most of mine are unintentional and I've waved sheepishly at someone and attempted to voice an apology when I've inched over into their lane when I didn't see them.
Once when I was trying to find my way around Tampa about 20 years ago I pulled out from a parking lot onto a street. I didn't see the car coming from my right and when we stopped at the traffic light a half block down the road, the young guy driving, got out of his car, came over and started screaming outside my window. I tried to tell him I was sorry but he ended up spitting on the car window. I think it's safe to say he had some issues before I showed up in his life.
People in the news business can be rude as well, although for the most part everyone gets along. Sometimes the pressure to get an interview can make the newsies forget their manners. I've been there and I know it can happen. I've done my share of apologizing for the toes I've stepped on. Generally speaking, while news folks are competitive, they get along and don't intentionally do things to screw up someone else's shot or interview. Oh, their are exceptions to every rule and there's always someone out there who thinks the world revolves around him or her. They get a particular delight in being able to say they "busted" someone else's shot or interview.
In my early days of working down on the river, there was a videographer from the competition who loved to step into everyone else's shot. He thought he was pretty cool and even hung a large pair of blue fuzzy dice on the back of camera. I heard more than one shooter complain about this guy and they had asked him not to do it. He told them he was just doing his job. One shooter finally taught this guy a lesson at the federal building during a "perp walk" off an elevator. All of the shooters started rolling when the elevator door opened and the "perp" started toward the metal detector. The photogs are all walking backward through the metal detector with the perp walking toward them. When the guy with the fuzzy dice on his camera got into the metal detector, he found his way was blocked by the other shooters behind him and anyone who has ever shot video knows that the metal detector with screw up your video.
It didn't have to be that way and if the guy had just played nice, everyone could have gotten what they needed and everybody would have been happy.
Yes, you can be competitive without being in someone else's face. We seem to have forgotten that you can win and be gracious in winning. Of course, that sounds old fashioned and it's not as much fun as getting into someone's face. But just remember, even the best of folks and organizations don't always win. And crow is pretty hard to choke down when its cold.

Was the New York Times considering selling its Broadcast Division?

2006-06-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day, I like to check on the stock activity to see how much more my NYT stock has tanked. These days it's like hitting my thumb with a hammer. However I was surprised today in that the stock prices finished UP $1.11. Great news. Perhaps it's a trend. I hope so but I'll reserve judgment at this point.
My point in mentioning this is that on the Smith Barney page there was a news item from the Dow Jones Wire Service on NYT. It quoted the Chief Financial Officer Leonard Forman who spoke before a newspaper group. He said that NYT is NOT considering selling its broadcast assets. This leads me to think that perhaps there was speculation that such a move was being considered althought I can't imagine why. Forman said the Broadcast group provides a solid cash flow and is important to earnings before taxes and interest.
Part of the boost may be attributed to a focus on repositioning for growth by the newspaper and attempts to reinvent itself in the world of information. RSS technology is expected to come into serious play at the newspaper which wants to push itself more on the IT landscape.
So, it looks like the broadcast division is safe for now and I hope that's good news for NYT stock prices.
Come on stock, baby needs a new pair of shoes!

You gotta love the Memphis political scene.

2006-06-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law has been involved in the political and real estate scene in Memphis for decades. She tells me that her associates from Middle and East Tennessee have chided her for years about whacky politics in Memphis. She says she responds that politics in Middle and East Tennessee are boring and that you never know what to expect next from the local yokels in the Bluff City.
The latest federal indictment indicates the acorn apparently doesn't fall from the tree. Yah, it's only an indictment but his dad was indicted last year in the same sting. I would guess that MHJr saw this one coming last fall and decided to step down to start making preparations on what was to come. I had heard rumblings on this a while back but had actually forgotten about it until I heard the news on the radio at my mother-in-law's house.
Let's see, that makes eleven people indicted with the count standing at two convictions and three guilty pleas. You have to get a scorecard to keep up with things around Memphis.
Thank goodness the mayor of our fine city hasn't embarrassed us with the latest revelations about his annointment and appointment from God. Oh wait, he's going to do that boxing match thing with Smokin' Joe Frazier. I hope hizzoner doesn't take too many shots to the head. He might start doing some really crazy things if that happens. Don't get me wrong. I like WW and he's nice to me on the occasions that our paths cross. Now that he's set the record as the longest serving mayor of Memphis, I wish he would step down. Where are term limits when we need them.
Yah, things are never boring when it comes to politics in the Bluff City. It's like the weather. Give it 15 minutes and something different will be going on and you'll have the folks on TV and radio breathlessly telling you about it as breaking news. You gotta love this town and the shennagins and hijinx the politicians get involved in. The local universities and colleges should have nationally recognized political science courses here. The experts could study local politics for years and not get a handle on what's going on. It would be a great training ground for folks wanting to wheel and deal in Washington, D.C.

Neither Dan Rather nor CBS gets it.

2006-06-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a divorce to bring out the worst in someone. You can go into it thinking it will work out one way and before you know it, things get ugly and people don't do what one would expect them to do.
That's the case with CBS divorcing Dan Rather. Yah, it came to a head over the Bush/National Guard story but it had been building long before that. The bizarre sign-offs (Courage), the bizarre incidents (what's the frequency Kenneth?) and the bizarre behavior (stepping off set after the tennis tournament ran over). Personally, I found Dan to be stiff and hard to watch on the air. I grew tired of his homespun country witticisms during election coverage. But he was a good reporter and did some great work. He wanted to make it 25 years on the anchor desk at CBS before he stepped down. I could see what he wanted to do. The problem is, he just didn't know when to quit or step down gracefully after that National Guard debacle.
On the other hand, CBS didn't do itself any favors either. They had been looking for an excuse to give him the boot. The local affiliates had been screaming for years that Rather was killing them. Fortunately for the network, Rather was given enough rope to finally hang himself or at least trip himself up publicly. But then it seemed like the irresistible force and the immoveable object clashed. IMHO, CBS handled the whole thing in a rather ham-handed fashion. They made a smart move with Bob Shieffer replacing Dan, but it looked like they never had really looked down the road at a possible replacement. Nobody was being groomed to take over. There was no Brian Williams ready to step in. Yah, there was John Roberts and Scott Pelley trying for the job but in the end, it was decided they didn't have what it took. Maybe the plan all along was to get Katie (Katherine) Couric, but that's not the way it played out in the public eye. CBS is bragging how KC has already paid for her first year's salary with a bump in the ratings and the publicity she's generated and she's not even on the air yet. But CBS almost appears to have backed into this even if in reality they were marching toward this goal.
Rather who can't seem to figure out he's not wanted, won't fade into the sunset and CBS isn't helping him much. They've made no bones about it that there's no where to go and would he please leave before KC actually goes on the air.
I have no doubt that Dan wanted to go out with grace like Tom Brokaw did. But it's too late for that, thanks to CBS and Dan Rather. The divorce is done. CBS has its trophy wife now and Dan has his memories. Neither side has that much to brag about these days.

Would you live in Memphis if you had things to do over again?

2006-06-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

I was reading on a thread on Shoptalk about what some folks consider to be a good place to live in the U-S besides the two coasts and it made me wonder: Would folks in the TV news business here in the MidSouth move to the Memphis area if they had things to do over again.
There are some folks in the Memphis TV market who grew up here but many more who are transplants. I grew up three hours north of here and if somebody had told me that 30-years later I would live in Memphis I would not only have called that person a liar but a damn liar. In the early and mid 70's, Memphis was not considered a place to move to. I will admit, even in January 1989, my wife and I were living in Charlotte, NC and we both wanted to go to Nashville and she grew up in Memphis. She went to college in Nashville and I went to school just north of there in Bowling Green, KY. We liked the hills and it seemed like it was slightly cooler in climate and culture.
I have since softened on Memphis. Yah, it has a bad reputation when it comes to crime and rightly so and I have never been in a place where race figures into everything. I remember thinking not long after I got here that politicians on both sides (black and white) played the race card in some form or fashion. The recent federal trial of a former state legislator brought forth the latest allegations. Was racism involved? It's not for me to say and my opinion really doesn't matter anyway. In my opinion, the divisive issue of race has hurt the city and kept it from being as great as it could be.
A former ND down on the river told me that not only did the ND not like Memphis, this particular ND said "I would not walk across the street to piss on this city if it were on fire". I've thought about this on occasion since that ND left and another from out of town stepped in to fill that office.
I know there are better places to live and I know there are worse places to live. Memphis has a miriad of problems but so do other cities. But my question remains: Knowing what you know about the city of Memphis, if you had to do things all over again, would you move to the Bluff City area again or would you say no way? I'm just looking for opinions.

Producers are burning out! Alert the media!

2006-06-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, the tidbits you can find on the internet.
I ran across a research article about producrs a few days ago in Shoptalk. The research is Angele Anderfuren from the Schieffer School of Journalism at Texas Christian University.
The research says one in five news producers surveyed in Texas at network affiliates is at risk of burnout or is experiencing burnout. It went on to say that almost half of those surveyed scored high on exhaustion and almost two thirds of the participating producers scored high on cynicism with both factors indicating potential burnout problems.
The study found producers who reported feelings of burnout also reported unsatisfactory resources to adequately do their jobs, heavy workloads and a desire to leave their jobs or professions. Women producers (60-percent) were found to be feeling more burned out then male producers.
Younger producers were at higher risk of feeling burnout than older ones. No paticipating producers age 40 or over scored burnout or at risk of burnout. Seventy percent of those in the burned out, at high risk or at some risk categories were in the 20-29 age group. Thirty percent were in the 30-39 age range.
Producers who scored high on "job-engaged, the opposite of burned out, had several common characteristics. All of them said they loved their jobs. They all reported to be at least satisfied with their station's ethical standards. Eighty percent said they just re-signed their contracts and 60-percent said they produced their station's late shows (9pm or 10pm newscasts).
The study went on to say stations can manage burnout or burnout risks by offering educational and training opportunties, having satisfactory daily schedules and offering enough vacation time. producers can help manage burnout by seeking additional education and training on their own, as well as paying adequate attention to their life outside of work.

I find that research interesting on a couple of points. It says the older producers are happier but it doesn't say how many of them there are. I would estimate that their numbers are few. I generally find that news producers in the markets I've worked in (Memphis is the largest market) skew toward the 20 to 35 year old range which would also mean they are in the higher burnout category.
It says burnout can be prevented with additional training and education opportunities but again in the markets I've worked, most producers rarely leave their desks except for a smoke break or a restroom break. They eat at their desks. I don't know that they have time for educational or training opportunities.
Besides, there are plenty of people who want to be in the glamorous and high paying world of TV news. If you don't want to do your job, they've got twenty people fresh out of school or in some small market ready to take your place and they don't have to pay them as much.
Now, stop reading this stupid blog and get back to producing your two shows. Who knows, somebody else may call in sick and you'll have to help on that show too.

Watch out for people practicing Satanic rituals.

2006-06-05T05:28:00.000-07:00

I read this morning that some folks are all upset that tomorrow will be a day to watch out for. On the calendar you could argue that tomorrow's date, June 6, 2006 could be translated to be 6/6/6. I personally think that's something of a stretch since the date is 06/06/06 but it WILL be turned into a story somehow, someway. Moviemakers are taking advantage of the date by releasing the remake of The Omen, which originally starred Gregory Peck. The metal band Slayer is using the date to release another album. Ann Coulter is releasing her book about liberals called "Godless". It's all smart marketing on their part. They know the media will pick up on this and run with it. The media frenzy will be spurred on by some religous leaders who will rail against this and urge caution to folks to reject anything that might be connected to something with the mark of the beast. There will be some hand-wringing by some and more than one parent will check their newborns tomorrow to make sure they do not carry any birthmarks that resemble 666. I predict that someone in some hospital nursery somewhere is going to freak-out some parents by using a Sharpie to mark 666 on some newborn. Not very tasteful but I do expect it. Then a lawsuit will have to be filed because someone will be scarred for life and that will be the in news as well.
With all that in mind, some scholars say the so-called Mark of the Beast is not 666 afterall. They claim a mistake was made in the original translation and that the number is actually 616. Oh well, it doesn't really matter. It's Memphis, and June along with the rest of the summer, promises to be hot as hell anyway.

An Equal Opportunity Offender

2006-06-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I will say it again that there is not much of what I consider "Must See TV". Still, there are some shows I TIVO on a regular basis and I have found myself hooked on one in particular. It's Mind of Mencia with Carlos Mencia on the Comedy Channel. It comes on no earlier than 9pm. If you have children, I will tell you now, this is not for you. If you can't laugh at yourself, this is not for you. If you are easily offended, this is not for you.
Carlos Mencia is an equal opportunity offender. His motto: You think it, I say it. He puts me in mind of Richard Pryor and George Carlin in the way he looks at everyday situations and points out the obvious. He generally stays away from politics although he will wade into it on occasion. No group is spared from his observations. I think part of the reason I find him so funny is that he is about as UN-politically correct as you can get. Because he spares no one, he can skewer everybody and he does. I find myself laughing so hard I have to stop the TIVO so I don't miss anything.
Shifting gears, I noticed in recent weeks that I've started receiving a lot of spam with an odd twist. Most of it is gibberish and looks like it's from the Orient, at least with the names connected to it. I only receive it on my Yahoo account and no where else. Has anyone else seen anything like this or know why there seems to be a sudden plethera of it?

Ch-ch-ch-changes in Memphis?

2006-05-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

Wow. I hear changes are being made or considered in the local TV news business in Memphis. First, I had heard there's a change in the ND post at WPTY but haven't been able to get anything more on that. Don't know what the reason for that would be since it seems they have become more agressive over there.
I read a posting by Jamey Tucker that WMC may be considering going partial VJ. I don't have anything more than what I read on his blog but what I read there was interesting. You can just about bet that if the folks on Union go partial VJ that the rest of the shops in town will not be far behind. I know Jamey has been at WKRN in Nashville since the first of the year and has seen the advantages and disadvantages of VJs. He says he believes in the system and says he's having the time of his life as the Religion VJ in Nashville. Perhaps someone on Union could shed some light on what's going on in their shop.
At this point, I wouldn't expect to see major changes with the folks down on the river. This, in light of the fact that they won the morning and late evening newscasts. Other than a few people leaving or considering leaving down there, I'm sure the thinking is that whatever they are doing is working and they don't want to screw things up.

The Future of Television has Arrived and You Get to Help!

2006-05-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

My lovely and talented bride and I were watching a movie on the FX Network on satellite when the future of TV presented itself. I thought it was a joke at first, then realized the second time we saw the spot that it was not.
A man who identified as John Landgraf, president and general manager of FX network came on the screen and in a humorous pitch said "I bet you have the next big idea for a comedy series. " He was partially plugging an upcoming series with Danny Divito called "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." He says the idea for that came together from a project that three guys put together for $200.00. The promo goes on to say you could win $50,000.00 dollars if your idea is chosen.
It's not a bad idea. It has to be better than the current crop of crap that passes for entertainment.
It also reminds me efforts by some news operations that let the viewers decide what stories they will cover. I'm assuming those efforts did not do well because if they had, every consultant who knows how to charge a fee would be hawking this idea as THE way to drive viewers to watch.
It also reminds me of efforts by the Ford Motor company to let the people design a car back in the 50's. That collaboration ended in "The Edsel". We all know what that name is synonymous with.