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OTR |
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A media critique... and then some!
New Letters will be added Tuesday Links to Recent Issues 01-01-01 Monday's OTR 01-03-01 Wednesday's OTR 01-05-01 Friday's OTR
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To join the OTR email reminder list, email me at BRUIN74@aol.com. |
THUMBS UP TO KNBC!
After Paula Walker Madison took over as general manager, the word was out and reported in INSIDE LA TV, that their news was going get more serious, including some in studio interviews in the early day newscasts. I am pleased to report those interviews even extend to the 6pm news! But what is really remarkable for an LA newscast, last week, KNBC did a one-on-one interview with California Secretary of State Bill Jones at about FIVE minutes into the newscast. I'm guessing the interview lasted 3 or 4 minutes. In a business where video is king, and substance often comes in a very shabby second, this is truly something special. The interview was related to campaign contributions and the California energy crunch. I think it is fair to say that no other station in LA or maybe any major market station in the country would be caught dead doing this. The conventional wisdom being that an interview with a politician, with no cover video, in the first segment of a newscast is ratings suicide. (Perhaps someone can fill me on how KNBC did fair in the ratings that night).
If a station which is struggling in the ratings did this, everyone else in TV would laugh at them. "Desperate" they would say. "Nothing else works, so now they're trying this." BUT, this is KNBC. They are a strong second place in the early evening newscasts as I recall, and in first at 11pm. They have to be taken seriously. I've always believed that if some station would go for substance and prove successful (unlike the result of Carol Marin in Chicago), other stations would likely follow. It is too early to see how long KNBC will stick with this, and whether they will succeed. They've really just started. And it's not as if they've abandoned all the trappings of contemporary newscasts. But as far as I'm concerned, that interview with Bill Jones made a huge statement. It said "we are about news quality, news that REALLY does affect you, and if we do it right, you will watch it, even if it includes a talking head interview." I'm hoping that the best is yet to come at KNBC.
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
I've got some good excuses as to why I was late with OTR today. First, some barking dogs kept me awake for a little bit this morning. Okay, not for long, but it sounded like they were right outside my bedroom window, and I don't have any dogs. When I finally got up around ten o'clock and looked out into my backyard, there were two strange dogs taking a snooze under a tree. How they got into my yard, I couldn't figure out. They woke up and saw me looking them through my sliding glass door. So one of them, madder than a newscast producer who just lost her lead live shot 30 seconds before going to air, led the charge into my sliding door, using every canine cuss word in the book. Something like "arrff#*#ff" and "grr##ff". Now can you imagine the irony here? These dogs invade my yard, and then act like I'm keeping them prisoner! Of all the doggone nerve. So, I called the SPCA. What with two dogs, the dog catcher decided to wait for some help. While he was waiting, the dogs disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared. A look at my backyard showed they probably snuck thru a missing board in my fence...though these dogs don't belong to my neighbor. They eventually escaped to three backyards away from me, and were last seen running north. So, you can see I was busy this morning. Instead of "the dog ate my homework", it's "two dogs staged a home invasion in my backyard." And to all of you news writers, did you notice how I told a story about dogs, and never once used the term "pooch?" You should try it sometime.
AND NOW A new TV Nooz cartoon...which I'll bet some anchors can relate to!
ABOUT THOSE KILLERS AND THEIR MIDDLE NAMES
I was listening to KABC radio talk show host Doug McIntyre after the Massachusetts killings, and he was wondering why it is that killers always seemed to be guys who have (or use) three names. This is something I also noticed a long time ago. Lee Harvey Oswald, James Earl Ray, Mark David Chapman...the list goes on. Anyway, it was only after spending some time in the news business that the answer occurred to me. When someone is arrested for any crime, police routinely give out their complete name, which usually means a middle is included. The news media just repeat what the cops say, and suddenly these guys are known by three names...even if their friends only know them by two names. I believe it's really that simple.
A LITTLE AIRWAVE ABUSE
I know it's not a big deal, but it bugged me. Before New Year's Eve, KCBS-TV weekend weather anchor Tony Williams was doing a live shot where they were decorating Rose Parade floats. He got a big group of volunteers to say "Hi Ann (Martin), hi Mark (Coogan)....Happy New Year!" I'm sorry, but what is the point? Need we be reminded that the news revolves around anchors? It seemed so saccharine, so staged, so much a waste of 10 seconds of air time. I hear the "lighten up" crowd calling my name, but I do feel a little better now.
THEY MISSED A GREAT FOLLOW UP
It was a story that no local newscast could resist. In a brochure, a wrong phone number was given for visitors to take part in a Rose Bowl golf tournament. As luck would have it, it happened to be the phone number for a sex line. Everyone was playing parts that were airable. We heard this sexy voice tell us that the women were "more than a mouthful" etc etc. Anyway, this woman's voice was all over the airwaves, and at least one station showed the sex line phone number. So after all of these stories, I was left wondering.....did all of this unexpected publicity give a boost to the sex line's business? And wouldn't it have been interesting to interview the woman behind the voice, to see how she liked having her voice all over the local news? I'm serious on this one. It's not just an excuse to get a look to see if the voice matches the rest. Sometimes, I'm just a human interest story kind of guy.
SWITCHING GEARS NOW
I got an email for Art Kevin this week. He's a veteran LA radio anchor/reporter who I first worked with when I started in the business at KMPC radio in 1973. Those of you with a really good memory may recall Art sent in a great "worst boss" story several months ago. Anyway, Art wrote to tell me that he has cancer. But besides fighting the disease, he's also started a website to help those who suddenly find themselves, or someone close to them, facing cancer.
Here's Art's email...
Ron...
Time now to come front and forward and let you know I've been involved in a
cancer fight for the past 9 months...
It's site posted at: www.nationalcancerradio.com
Page also offers FREE MP3 voicers (and
more) to radio stations...Your input
most appreciated.
ALSO - Flattered but puzzled that the
group Everclear chose to use me to open their AM RADIO track but wonder why
no
one asked? My Las Vegas Entertainment
attorney sending a note to Capitol
records!
warmest wishes in the NYear...Art
Art is one of the good guys in the business. Let's all keep a positive thought for him.
While we're in the serious mode, some positive thoughts and/or prayers are needed for Barry Ginsbarg. Barry is a former reporter, pr guy, and also a professional guitarist, who I know from my reporting days in Bakersfield. He's been critically injured in a skiing accident. In an indirect way, Barry is connected to the look of OTR. Last year after he included me on a mass email, I took his list and sent out OTR to all of the people on it. Among those on the list was Jeff Foster who is also a guitarist, and happens to design websites. Jeff became a regular reader, and eventually I hired him to give this site its current look, which is a MAJOR improvement from the old days. Anyway, Barry is another one of the good guys out there. Even if you don't know him, I know you'll join me in pulling for him to make it through this.
CBS EVENING NEWS - NOT FAIR ON THIS ONE
I'm sorry I didn't catch the name of the reporter, but in talking about John Ashcroft and Linda Chavez, he called them "darlings" of the right wing. While this is certainly accurate, I believe "darlings" is a pejorative term. Have you ever heard Pat Robertson says HE considers them "darlings?" Maybe I've missed it, but I think this term is always used in a negative way. A major network should be more careful.
DISNEY, NOT TOO MEDIA FRIENDLY
There is some irony here. After all Disney does own ABC. And whenever they have a new attraction, they get a lot of free hype from TV stations, who act like a new ride at Disneyland is news. Recently, Disneyland was so busy, they had to turn customers away. They've also had some bad publicity, after a little boy was critically injured after fall out of a ride. KTLA reporter Warren Wilson acknowledged on the air that when he was covering the "sold out" Disneyland story, they kicked him off the property, as he tried to interview people who were turned away! Number one, I'm glad Wilson told the viewers about this. Viewers need to know the attitude some businesses have toward the news media. But a big SHAME on Disney for being a MAJOR HYPOCRITE.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"Ron Fineman is my kind of guy. He does his site for free. If he were an illegal, I'd let him stay at my place as long as he wants."-Linda Chavez
PICKY PICKY PICKY
On New Year's Eve, once again, a bunch of boneheads shot their guns into the air. In LA, one man was killed and a teenager was injured. I just thought it was a little odd that when Leo Stallworth covered the story, the first part of the piece dealt with injured guy and the second part dealt with the guy who was killed. Every other report I saw covered the obviously more important death first. It may be something the average viewer didn't notice. And I think it's okay to go against some of the old rules that don't always make sense. But in this case, it just seemed like his news judgment was just a little out of whack.
INSIDE LA TV
KTLA anchor Hal Fishman responds to an OTR question about why he gave such a spirited defense on the air about covering police chases. Also, changes at KCOP and yes, I can tell you about that "honor" for new KCBS weatherman Jim Castillo. Just head over to the menu and click on INSIDE LA TV.
YOUR OPINIONS
We need them to keep OTR as interesting as possible. So please don't hesitate to send your comments to BRUIN74@aol.com.
HAVE THEY BEEN WATCHING WOMAN 2 WOMAN?
On a tease on KCOP, fill-in anchor Neki Mohan (who also works at KABC and KCAL....so she must be doing something right!) said "jobs, kids they keep you running..." If you ever watch the start of Woman 2 Woman on KCBS, which clearly not many people do, Catherine Anaya says about the same thing in that show's standard open every day. As we she her with her daughter she says something like "A career and family keep me on the run...how do you find time etc etc..." I have a feeling I'm probably the only person in LA who noticed the similarity.
LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULTS
Past polling shows that OTR readers are almost equally divided among liberals, moderates and conservatives. So it is interesting to see how you came down on the nomination of John Ashcroft. It looks like he's lost the moderates, and in this case I agree. Bush could do much better than Ashcroft.
| Question 1: Do you think John Ashcroft should be approved by the Senate as the next Attorney General? | ||||
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votes | percent | ||
1.) Yes |
20 | 37% | ||
2.) No |
32 | 59% | ||
3.) Undecided |
2 | 4% | ||
And our Better Version poll results...it was real barnburner!
| Who has the better version of "Never Can Say Goodbye?" | |||||||||||
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1.)
Jackson 5
2.)
Gloria Gaynor
THIS WEEK'S POLL QUESTIONS
I'll bet you can guess this one. No doubt you've heard about Labor Secretary nominee Linda Chavez keeping an illegal immigrant in her home for about a year in the early 90s. She gave the woman room and board, and the woman did things like doing the dishes and washing clothes. So a would-be Labor Secretary is housing an illegal immigrant. The Bush people say it was not an employer/employee relationship, but just a generous woman helping out someone in need. Anyway, I have two questions for you. One - Should the Senate approver her? Two - Do you think George W Bush will stand behind her or drop her? Please head to the Poll section on the Menu.
BROADCASTEZE VIOLATION OF THE WEEK
Who: Jaime Garza
Where: KCAL
What: All "perished" in the late night crash.
As I've said before, cottage cheese perishes, people die.
Put your hand on the monitor and count to three...one, two three...HEAL!!
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Ron's disclaimer: Like all reporters I have opinions. I do the best I can to make sure that nothing I say here has any effect on my objectivity in covering stories.
OTR IS PUBLISHED MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY
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