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A media critique... and then some! Banned in Beijing, Baghdad, and at KCAL TV.
Thursday Letters - racial slurs are okay within one's own group, a lengthy comment on the KCAL ban, getting the homonyms straight, and more. COMING FRIDAY - Mindy Burbano responds to OTR criticism. Inside LA TV - KCAL's Leyna Nguyen checks in with what she calls an "honest look at KCAL." Next Monday - has a local reporter tried staging soundbites for his stories? Links to Recent Issues 07-16-01 Monday's OTR 07-11-01 Wednesday's OTR 07-13-01 Friday's OTR |
To get on the OTR email reminder list, email me at BRUIN74@aol.com. |
COVERING AND NOT COVERING A BIG STORY
I almost don't know where to being with this one. Kevin Pullum, the man who escaped from jail using a bogus ID card with a picture of Eddie Murphy, was supposedly going to turn himself in Monday night. I first heard about it from Jim Nash on KTLA. He said that it appeared that Pullum was ready to turn himself over to KNBC weatherman Christopher Nance, though he said it was not confirmed. I wondered why he was reporting something not confirmed, but then again, Nance was there in Hawthorne where this was supposed to take place. Anyway, I had to wonder how the morning weatherman from KNBC got involved, though Nash didn't explain. Very possibly, at that point, he didn't know.
Next I turned to KCAL, which was starting its newscast late, after an Angel game. Believe it or not, all they had was a story from the daytime. They had NO live shot, nothing about Pullum apparently being ready to turn himself in. They were completely missing the latest on this big story!
Certainly, I figured KNBC would be all over this at 11pm. Conan Nolan did a live shot from the newsroom, explaining that a man identifying himself as Kevin Pullum had called their station. Nolan said that this man said he wanted to turn himself in with media and TV cameras there, because he is afraid of getting shot. Oddly enough, KNBC was in the middle of this story, but there was live shot from the scene. At least not yet. Minutes later, Patrick Healy did a live shot from Hawthorne, but not from the scene of where Pullum was supposed to turn himself in. No doubt the fact that the KNBC live truck couldn't be at that location is what delayed Healy from going live at the start of the newscast. As he started his report, he said he had just come back from where the surrender is supposed to take place. It was a little dramatic, as Healy addressed Pullum directly, telling him that if he is watching, the channel 4 representative he had requested with a news photographer was at the location he requested, and they were ready to see that Pullum was able to surrender peacefully. Oddly, neither Healy or Nolan ever mentioned Christopher Nance by name, even though we saw Nance for a moment during some video. It is a strange situation when you realize KTLA mentioned Nance, but his own station didn't.
The next day, when Jay Jackson covered the story for KCAL, he reported "Pullum agreed to turn himself in as long as a local weathercaster showed up." Certainly, that could've been explained a little better. Because the way Jackson said it, you might wonder if maybe Pullum only wanted to turn himself in when the winds were blowing out of the southwest, or maybe when the barometric pressure was just so. After all, he wanted a "local weathercaster" to show up. Hey, if the guy wants Christopher Nance, then why not say so? It is pretty odd when a bad guy wants to turn himself in, and decides to ask a weatherman to be there, rather a reporter.
I wondered why the guy didn't call up Warren Wilson at KTLA. For whatever reason, Wilson is the guy it seems they everyone calls when they want a media member to be there when they surrender. It was only the reporting of Sam Rubin on the KTLA Morning News which gave me that answer. He said that Wilson was Pullum's first choice, but he's on vacation. Rubin also reported that early yesterday morning, someone at KCBS put out a memo not to mention any other TV station while covering that story. Sam suggested it was a case of small minded executives, and of course he's right. But the last time Warren Wilson was involved in one these sort of stories, KNBC avoided mentioning Wilson. In fact, I don't recall if anyone else did, besides KTLA. So unfortunately, what KCBS did yesterday seems to be the norm. Of course I'm wondering if that KCBS memo somehow got to KNBC the night before, since they didn't mention Nance either! Now you know why I said I almost didn't know where to begin.
By the way, Pullum never did show up to turn himself in, so we may see this whole thing play out again. Maybe Pullum decided just to wait for Warren Wilson to come back from vacation.
IT IS CONVERSATIONAL, BUT...
When KCOP reporter Gina Silva was doing a story last week about teenagers who are having sex, she referred to it as kids "getting it on." As much as I advocate broadcasters writing like you talk, there is some slang that just seems a little inappropriate to me for a newscast. Then again, I suppose it is just a matter of speaking the language of your target audience, so maybe I shouldn't object. Believe me, I know I'm not the KCOP target audience. And still, it sure beats "fled on foot."
NOT SO EASY FOR HER TO SAY
KTLA anchor Lynette Romero was quite the trouper last week. He had to read a story about some guy in Africa who went to relieve him self outside in the dark, and got bit by a rattle snake on his penis. There was video of the poor guy lying in bed, with it all wrapped up in gauze. She managed to keep from laughing during the story, but you could tell it was a struggle. She even suggest to co-anchor Larry McCormick that he was lucky he didn't have to read it. Let's face it, ever since Lorena Bobitt, newscasts will never be the same.
A PLUG I DIDN'T EXPECT
When I blasted Mindy Burbano's professionalism on Monday, this was one was time I wouldn't expect a mention from Sam Rubin on KTLA. Kudos to him for being willing to air some sincere criticism against one of their own. He even showed video of Burbano wearing the Legally Blonde shirt and a blonde wig while doing an interview with actors from the movie. When Sam explained to others that I felt she was shilling for the movie, the others pooh-poohed my complaint. I'm sorry, but anyone who wears a t-shirt advertising the movie they're talking about on television has crossed the line.
It was suggested by the KTLA morning weather guy - I can't recall his name - that I come on the Morning News so they could beat me up. Sounds like fun to me. I wonder if they'd give me flowers, like they left for the MSNBC anchor who pulled a no-show? The weather guy, who actually does a good job, was kind enough to say that he hears I do some good stuff here. But he also commented that I only have "three readers." Well! Okay, I'll admit eight thousand hits a week isn't a lot by cyber standards, but we sure have grown in the last year. So Sam, have your people call my people. Wait, I don't have any people. Maybe you can call my three readers.
A GOOD STORY WITHOUT THE HYPE
It was another one of those 'let's see how smart the people are' stories. Some work better than others, and the one David Rose did recently on KCOP was pretty good. They had their chopper pilot and former police officer Jim Holcomb pose as a phone repairman, to see if he could talk his way into people's homes, where of course a real bad guy could do some real damage.
In one home, the woman admitted to Rose that she was getting nervous after letting in Holcomb. Holcomb used a hidden camera, and so they were able to freeze the image of the woman's face while he was inside. But Rose elevated her admission that she was nervous to saying her "face was frozen in terror." Are terror and nervousness now the same thing? Other than that exaggeration, the story was very well done. He asked one 18-year old guy how he just let a stranger into his house, and then went off to talk on his cell phone while this stranger was inside. The story really brought home how easily some people can allow themselves to be made victims. Rose did run into one woman who not only didn't let in Holcomb, but after Rose came back to explain that he was a TV reporter doing a story, she asked to see his ID before talking to him. You should've seen how terrified Rose was when she asked him for his ID. Oh well...I guess 'terrified' is a bit of an exaggeration. Actually I think he took it in stride. But terrifying sure sounds more exciting, doesn't it?
SHAWNDRA IT IS
While speaking about his daughter on the news yesterday, Dr Levy clearly called her "Shawndra." So the CH should be pronounced like SH. Now how tough is it to get this one right? Let's listen and find out.
ASK OTR
Dear OTR - I've noticed that every time a child is mentioned on the news, the reporter or anchor says 'little' in front of their first name. Why do they do that? Is it a law or something?
Wondering
Dear Won: Yes it is the law. It is a little known fact that when LA voters put in a new city charter, there was small section in there called "Irresistible TV clichés." It says, and I quote "In order to further cutesy writing in Los Angeles news, and remembering that patronizing children and the news audience is to be encouraged; and with the exception of subsection three, paragraph (a), and with the knowledge that with creative thinking comes trouble; all TV news writers, producers, reporters and anchors shall automatically, without thought or deliberation, put the adjective "little" in front of the name of all children in the news regardless of their age, size or circumstance. Penalty for first offense shall be not less than 30 days in jail, or 10 days on the assignment desk."
THIS WEEK'S POLL QUESTIONS
Do you think that Gary Condit is withholding information related to Chandra Levy's disappearance? Also, for our California readers, we're doing a poll on who you like for in the next governor's race. Please head to the poll section on the menu.
BROADCASTEZE VIOLATION OF THE WEEK
Who: Laura Diaz
Where: KABC
What: "fled on foot"
Well, Laura Diaz is back from her long vacation and she looks very good, doesn't she? Anyway, as we watched a woman running away from her car on the freeway, after a chase, Diaz said she "fled on foot." Is there any normal person in the world who could look at that video and not see a woman who was "running away?" Can you imagine someone watching at home, as this woman runs across freeway traffic, and saying "look, she is fleeing on foot!" Come on news writers! Stop writing like a cop and write like normal people talk.
Put your hand on the monitor and count to three...one, two three...HEAL!!
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.
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