|
|
|
|
|
Latest Letters |
|
LA TV |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OTR |
|
|
A media critique... and then some!
Tuesday Letters are up - comments about the KCAL ban of OTR, Gary Condit, the Brian Wilson special, and a reader wonders "where is Laura Diaz?" Inside LA TV - Why KTLA has reason to be ticked at an MSNBCer, someone from KRON has concerns about Young Broadcasting, and an OCN insider checks in. Links to Recent Issues 07-02-01 Monday's OTR 07-04-01 Wednesday's OTR 07-06-01 Friday's OTR |
To get on the OTR email reminder list, email me at BRUIN74@aol.com. |
OTR - BANNED FROM KCAL COMPUTERS
Two KCAL-9 newsroom employees have emailed to tell me that this web site can no longer be called up on KCAL computers. I have emailed KCAL interim news director DaVida Plummer about this, but so far, she has not responded. One of my KCAL emailers thought it was pretty bad that they can access porn, but they can't get Ron Fineman's On The Record. Obvious to me, it is the height of hypocrisy for a news organization to ban access to a web site which criticizes the way TV news does its job.
Of course the next question is, why after all this time, has OTR been 86ed from KCAL? Last week a former KCALer sent me an email which was very critical of DaVida Plummer. I sent a copy to Plummer so she could comment. Through further checking, I found that some of the email was not true, and of course I have no plan to knowingly print something that is not true. However, I have found that this person's negative opinion about Plummer is shared by many others. Plummer declined to comment about that email on the record.
To me, the big story now is the fact that OTR could actually be banned in a newsroom. Call me naive, but I am shocked. I've written a lot of negative things about KCOP for example, but they don't ban OTR. In fact, they've interviewed me twice for their newscasts, because they wanted a TV news critic. Even if I were planning to print an email about news director Larry Perret like the one which was sent to me about Plummer, I can't imagine being banned from KCOP. Or take KCBS. My comments have upset them on more than one occasion. As you may recall, their assistant news director even threatened to complain about me to the KNX General Manager (the station which supplies my entire income), yet I've never heard about an OTR ban in their newsroom. Or look at all of the KNBC dirty laundry which has been aired here. Management could not have been happy with everything they've read in this column, but I've yet to hear about anyone having a problem accessing OTR on a KNBC computer. Yet, I'm told that if you try to type in www.RonFineman.com at a KCAL computer, you get a message that says something to the effect that it is not an authorized site. Considering that many if not most KCALers can read OTR on their home computer, or find out what I'm saying by talking to friends at less restrictive TV newsrooms, what does this ban really accomplish? I suppose it sends a message. But I have a feeling the message being received is not the one that was intended.
CONDIT - IT'S ABOUT TIME
Right from the start, it seemed a little hard to believe that a 53 year old man and a 24 year old woman would be just "good friends." If Condit had admitted the truth right away, I believe he would've still had a good chance to keep his seat. If he had fessed up right away, we would never have heard about his alleged attempt to get the flight attendant to lie about their involvement. If he had come clean early, the tremendous pressure from media and the Levy family might've diminished. Having not seen any polling from his district, I still wouldn't count him out. Though of course it all depends on 1) How forgiving his constituents are, 2) How much more will come out to damage his credibility, and 3)What sort of pressure he'll get from the Democratic leadership to not run again.
It is interesting to note that sometimes, stonewalling can work. For example, take the case of Bill Thomas, current chairman of House Ways and Means Committee. Last year, the Bakersfield Californian published a story that he was having an intensely personal relationship with a medical lobbyist, Deborah Steelman. Since Thomas was the lead Republican in the House on health issues that seemed to be a potential serious conflict of interest. Thomas released a statement which said that he never compromised the interests of his district, or of the country. But as I recall, he never explicitly denied having an affair. I also don't recall him ever answering questions from the news media about it. Again, the issue wasn't the sexual implications per se, but rather whether that may've compromised his decision making. The issue never caught on nationally, and there was some debate, including here in OTR, on whether the Bakersfield Californian's use of second-hand info through an anonymous source met the standards of good journalism. I thought it was a story. Letters to the editor in the local newspaper seemed evenly divided. But the point is, Thomas was able to get away with releasing a statement, and that was that. But of course every situation is different. An allegation of cheating with a lobbyist doesn't really match up with an allegation of cheating with an intern who's disappeared....even though the former could have a much bigger effect on the country than the latter.
Back to Condit....after having his staff repeatedly deny the affair publicly....how can his attorney Abbe Lowell keep a straight face when he tells the country it is none of our business? Blaming the media on this one is not going to wash. Did anyone see the live news conference with the assistant police chief on Saturday? Perhaps we could title the news conference, "How to spend 15 minutes talking without saying anything." Before the news conference, CNN's Bob Franken had announced that sources told him that Condit had admitted the sexual relationship to the police. But, the assistant chief wouldn't say that. I came away not feeling like he was protecting the investigation, but rather that he was protecting Condit. I am among those who believe they've been treating him with kid gloves. Again, were it not for pressure from the Levy Family and the news media, I don't think they would've interviewed Condit more than once. Someone should investigate the investigation. As always, your comments are welcome at BRUIN74@aol.com.
DUI CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST SPORTS ANCHOR
After I reported that Mindy Burbano had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, someone from another station mentioned to me that they'd heard the same thing was true for KCOP sports anchor Michelle Bonner.
I spoke today with Bonner's attorney Phillip Daroca, and Deputy City Attorney Dan Jeffries and here's what they say happened. On May 24th, Daroca says Bonner had been working some long hours, and had gone 24 hours without sleep. She had a couple of drinks in Hollywood. She was stopped by motorcycle officers after Jeffries says she nearly hit a taxi cab and then after she came to a stop at a red light, she took off quickly on the green light so that her tires squealed. So they pulled her over. Daroca says her eyes were blood shot and watery, from having worked the long hours and from her contacts having been in too long. Jeffries says her breath also smelled of alcohol. For some reason, she didn't register anything when she blew into what they call a preliminary alcohol screening device out in the field. So, the officers decided to arrest her on suspicion of driving under the influence. By the time they got a patrol car to drive her to the Hollywood Division, Daroca says it had been about an hour from the time of the stop to the time they gave her a breathalyzer test at the station. This time she was able to register something...a .09. That is of course more than the .08 presumed limit of DUI. However, Daroca says at the time of the stop, she was certainly under that limit. He says she was pulled over about ten minutes after her second drink. So, Daroca convinced the City Attorney's office to drop the DUI charge, and last Friday, Bonner pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge called "exhibition of speed." Jeffries says she is on three years summary probation, which means she does not have to check with a probation officer. He says the total for her fine was $910.
WELL DONE!
Because I find so many things wrong with KCOP's newscasts, I am always pleased to balance the scales and say something nice about them. This is one of those times. Kudos to Peter Thorne's lengthy story about black on black discrimination. It's not a new subject of course, but Thorne did an excellent job of looking at it. He showed TV commercials and music videos, which seemed to emphasize lighter skinned black people. He also wisely used Michael Jackson as an extreme example of how far this can go. Using a little historical perspective, he showed a little bit of the Spike Lee movie which addressed this issue. His interviews included a musician as well as a professor. At the end, he also said this preference for lighter skin can be found in other races too. It is a genuine social issue which you don't see talked about on the news very often, if ever. Because KCOP sometimes tries to gear itself to keep its black UPN audience, it was certainly a story that made sense for them to do. But, I would also add that a good story is a good story, and there is no reason that another station couldn't have looked at this. Credit to KCOP for being the station to do the story, and for giving Thorne enough time to do it right.
AN OTR SUGGESTION TO NEWS DIRECTORS
This is a simple one, but if you do it, you'll keep your reporters and news writers from showing ignorance about a commonly used word on the news. Okay, you've heard it here before. But the problem just isn't stopping! The word is "ironic." This weekend on KABC, Lora McLaughlin said it was ironic that a mountain lion had last been seen on Lyons street. No! It was coincidental. On a CBS feed piece, the reporter said that a man who's life was saved by a defibrillator was "ironically" in the right place and the right time. So now, ironic not only means coincidental, it also means lucky? To show you my good will here, I've looked up irony and coincidence in my dictionary. So all you have to do is copy this little OTR blurb, and post it. (I'm afraid the folks at KCAL will have to be on their own for this one).
Irony: 1) The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. 2) Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
Coincidence: 1) The act or state of coinciding. 2) A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged.
It is the second definition of irony which always seems to be confused with the second definition of coincidence. HEAL!!! I say HEAL!!! I say HEAL!!! Amen.
WHY CAN'T WE ALL BE SO ARTICULATE?
There was a story about a gas station in Glendale, in which the owner violated some city ordinance by putting too many flags around his station on the 4th of July. According to one of the station's supporters who was interviewed on the news..."If people don't like it, they should lump it."
SYKES/PALMER - TOP WEEKEND ANCHOR TEAM
| : For LA viewers...which is the best weekend TV anchor team? | ||||
 |
votes | percent | ||
1.) KABC - Sykes/Palmer |
66 | 53% | ||
2.) KTTV- Michael/Hirasuna |
58 | 47% | ||
| Which is Jack Lemmon's best movie? | ||||
|
votes | percent | ||
|
1.) The Days of Wine and Roses |
13 | 10% | ||
|
2.) Some Like it Hot |
33 | 25% | ||
3.) The Odd Couple |
25 | 19% | ||
4.) The Apartment |
18 | 14% | ||
5.) Mister Roberts |
20 | 15% | ||
6.) Save the Tiger |
4 | 3% | ||
7.) Missing |
1 | 1% | ||
8.) The Fortune Cookie |
3 | 2% | ||
9.) Glenngary, Glen Ross |
4 | 3% | ||
10.) China Syndrome |
10 | 8% | ||
So, we can have runoff among the top four finishers. I think my fav may be Glenngary, Glen Ross. Lemmon was this struggling real estate salesman. It was one of those 'slice of life' sort of movies. Definitely an OTR rental recommendation.
On my question about how often you log on to OTR, I found that more than 80 percent of you log on 3-5 days each week. About a third of you log on 3 times, and about a third of you log on 5 times. Thanks for taking part.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
Beside the runoff for best Lemmon movie, I want to ask you about the Jennifer Lopez controversy. She's used the word "niggers" in a new song. I want to know if you find her use of the word in a song is offensive. As long as I'm asking that...as a point of comparison, are you are offended by the word when black rappers use it. I'm also dividing the poll between black readers and non-blacks. I'm inclined to agree with Earl Ofari Hutchinson, which is that no one should using the word. But, we can talk more about that on Wednesday. Please head to the poll section and let us know what you think.
SO WHERE IS THE DRAMA?
I know, you had to see it to really appreciate my point. But this weekend, KABC-TV showed some "dramatic" home video of a tornado. The problem is...it was NOT dramatic. It was a nice picture of a big black funnel cloud, but the video didn't show any destruction. I didn't see any houses being flattened. It was rather non-dramatic video. So what you have is anchor Leslie Sykes reading copy that really doesn't match with reality. Obviously, once again, we had a writer thinking "I've got to make this an exciting story. Let's call the video 'dramatic!' Don't tell me someone really thought it was dramatic! What next? A dramatic implosion?
THE MERTZS SURE HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS
I was watching an I Love Lucy rerun recently, because after all, unless you've seen an episode a hundred times, you can't truly appreciate it. Right? Anyway, in this one, Lucy was mismanaging her money, and not paying her bills. To see if the electricity company was going to turn off the power Ethel was going to call a friend of hers who works there. Then, I remembered the time Ethel had a friend who did the wardrobe for Broadway plays. That way, Lucy and Ethel could dress up in customs to fool Ricky and Fred into not recognizing them. Then there was the episode when Lucy thought she wasn't legally married to Ricky because of a typo on their marriage license. Luckily, Fred had a friend at the marriage license office who would tell Lucy that she and Ricky aren't married. So I'm wondering, if Fred and Ethel have so many friends, how come Ricky and Lucy are the only people they ever hang out with?
BROADCASTEZE VIOLATION OF THE WEEK
Who: Kent Ninomiya
Where: KCOP
What: missing "co-ed"
Sounds likes a news writer was taking their lead from AP. Does anyone in real life ever call a college girl, or college woman a "co-ed?"
Put your hand on the monitor and count to three...one, two three...HEAL!!
ON LINE NOVEL
I had this plug last Wednesday, but I wanted to give my old teacher another one, since I'm sure some of you missed it.
I got an email from one of my favorite elementary school teachers. His name is Ed Stember and he's written a book which is available on line. Of course he'll always be Mr Stember to me. One of the things that made him special was his sense of humor. He's the only funny teacher I can remember having back at Wilshire Crest. He's also the only teacher who had his class do plays instead of book reports. Every Friday, we'd do plays in class. I always looked forward to that. And when my girlfriend asks why we don't see more plays, I can always say that I've seen SO MANY already. Anyway...here's the info he sent to me...for your consideration.
For "better or for worse" my fiction novel, THE CHAUVINIST, has descended upon the Internet. So if you have any loose change or a credit card not overflowing, and have nothing at all else to do, you might download it. The publisher is eBookMall.com To get my book go to eBookMall and type in The Chauvinist in the Search Box. I also have a Website, and you can go to that by hitting http://ebookmall.com/authors/chauvinistneedawriter. It appears in two formats. In the box underneath the description of the book, there are links to buy The Chauvinist in either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Reader. You can also get reader software there. The book costs $. 6.95 and the reader software is free (that's nice to have anyway) Download the software first (if you don't already have it), then buy the eBook. Click on the link that says either "Buy THE CHAUVINIST Adobe PDF eBook" or "Buy THE CHAUVINIST Microsoft Reader eBook" to be taken to a page where you can purchase the eBook. If you would like to submit a review, click on that near the bottom.
EBookMall has a fast and simple ordering process. Just click Add To Basket, and you're on your way. When you get the INVOICE page, at the end of the ordering process, you will be able to download the eBook. Adobe PDF eBooks can be printed, and Microsoft Reader eBooks have ClearType technology that gives you the look and feel of a paper book.
Anyway, I hope you have as much fun reading as I had in writing. Ed Stember Sr.
YOUR OPINIONS
They are always welcome. You can reach me at BRUIN74@aol.com. Unless you say otherwise, I will assume your comments are for publication.
OTR ON THE ROAD
As this web site evolves, it seemed like a good idea to offer my services for speaking engagements at colleges, service clubs or anyone else interested in the OTR gospel. Of course one of the great advantage to speaking in person is that you get far few typos. If you check the OTR On the Road page on the menu (Netscape users CAN now access it too), you can see learn more. You can also read what some well known OTR readers have to say about this web site. If you are interested, you can email to OTROnTheRoad@aol.com.
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's main page IS PUBLISHED MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY. Letters are added Tuesday - Friday.
 |
