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A media critique... and then some!
Friday Letters are up - KCOP's Jim Holcomb comments about OTR criticism of a story he was part of, a question about stand-up anchors, and more. Coming Monday - A reporter who tells his subjects what to say? Links to Recent Issues 07-16-01 Monday's OTR 07-18-01 Wednesday's OTR 07-13-01 Friday's OTR Send your opinions to BRUIN74@aol.com. |
To get on the OTR email reminder list, email me at BRUIN74@aol.com. |
MINDY BURBANO RESPONDS TO OTR CRITICISM
"God Bless you Ron
Fineman...
I will have to admit that I was not familiar with your site until someone
told me that I was mentioned on it... And I'm sorry to say, that is usually
the only time I do visit (which has been a lot lately). I really just wanted
to drop you a note to say Thank You. With my salary I couldn't afford to pay
for all of the publicity that you have given me. Well, maybe it's not that
much of a benefit, considering you only have three readers (four...when I
read). I could probably afford to call them all myself. Regardless, it's
nice to know you're at least paying attention... I just wish you had a
Neilsen box!!!
Keep up the good work!
And just to give you a warning... I am appearing in the upcoming Buena Vista
release "The Princess Diaries" starring Julie Andrews. I will most likely
be mentioning it on the air sometime in the next two weeks. I don't think
I'll be wearing a t-shirt. Perhaps a Tiara?
Sincerely,
Mindy Burbano
p.s.
Please Ron, let me take you to lunch... Do you eat anything besides on-air
talent? I'll buy :)
(Mindy-I'm glad you've taken the time to respond.
I appreciate a good sense of humor, though I'm still hoping you'll consider the substance of what I've
criticized. Let me think about lunch. Before I go along with that, I
think I may need to hire a food taster.-Ron)
-----------------------
Also this week, I got a letter from Mindy's producer.
"Hello Ron,
I thought long and hard about writing you in fear of
fanning flames. But as a personal friend and producer for
Mindy Burbano, I really would like your readers to know
that contrary to what has been written about her on OTR,
Mindy is a very capable and intuitive entertainment
reporter. She does not pretend to be anything more or
less. We work very hard to bring the latest and most
interesting celebrity-related stories to our KTLA viewers
every night. At times there are slow news days. It's only
during those times that I leave room in our entertainment
segment for Mindy to plug an event that she may or may not
be participating in. As a working journalist yourself, you
might agree that it is not uncommon at almost every news
station for reporters to cover an event where one of their
own is being honored or participating in. As for Mindy's
choice of clothing during junket interviews, she's free to
wear whatever she chooses. It has no bearing on our
coverage of the film. I wouldn't and don't base film
coverage on Mindy's attire or feelings about the film.
Those criteria never factor into our nightly story
selection. In fact, I schedule the film pieces to air in
advance of editing so I have no clue what she's wearing
during the interview. And, unlike Sam Rubin, Mindy doesn't
critique or review films. We'd rather provide our viewers
with a summary of the film and leave them to decide on
whether it's their cup of tea or not. Mindy will, however,
offer her opinion on a film... good or bad... if she feels
so inclined. But that is rare. And whether you'd like to
admit it or not, Mindy is a local celebrity. Her presence
or participation is often requested by studios and
charitable organizations alike. But our coverage of these
events is not dependent upon Mindy's participation. I will
cover the event regardless if I feel it has entertainment
value for our viewers. Of all the e-mails and letters we
receive daily regarding our segment, I have yet to read any
critical comments on our choice of news coverage. As far
as I'm concerned Mindy and I produce a very entertaining
report every night.
Julian Bryce Akins
Entertainment Producer
KTLA News at Ten
(As for Mindy promoting herself...I think there is a BIG difference between a local anchor who gets coverage while hosting a charitable event on behalf of their station, and someone who uses airtime to promote their second career. I think it looks very small market. I never suggested that you cover an event based on what Mindy is wearing. I am saying that when a reporter covers a movie, and then wears a shirt promoting that movie, then that reporter is endorsing the film. That crosses the line of good journalism. It is really that basic.-Ron)
WE CONCLUDE OUR FRIDAY INTERVIEW WITH TOM JACOBS
Tom is considered one of the African-American pioneers in TV news management. He was made news manager at a Cleveland station in 1978. He later worked in Boston, LA and Washington DC. He's the creator of a TV show called "The Calling" which he says looks at issues from a multi-cultural perspective, and reports on stories which don't make it to the national or local news. It's a PBS show which he says is in danger of losing its funding.
(You can read part two by clicking on www.RonFineman.com/010713.html )
(12) OTR - I'd like your opinion on something we've discussed here recently.
There was a hate crime, in which the word "nigger" was spray painted
on the home
of a black man and his son. One station in LA decided to fuzz the video, so
you could not read the offending word. My feeling was the story had less
impact that way, and that news viewers could handle looking at the harsh
result of bigotry. What do you think?
Tom - "You don't fight racism by sticking your head in the sand. No question,
the station should have shown the raw, ugly video and let the viewer
have a taste of what that family felt when they saw that word on their
home.
Pictures are what television can do best. Yet all too often we run
from some of the most powerful images. The timidity of a station to run
this in a city where they think nothing of carrying "live" pictures of a
potentially violent police chase boggles the mind."
(13) OTR - It may or may not surprise you that the station which sanitized the
video was KNBC, which is run by a black General Manager, Paula Madison.
Though I have no idea if she had any input on the decision. But this
does give me the chance to ask you about some of the news judgment decisions
you've made over the years. Do you recall any decisions involving race
related stories where you had to battle with members of your newsroom, or maybe
the GM?
Tom - "While I've certainly had some cases where I had to sensitize members of
my staff concerning stories regarding race, more often than not the fact
that I was the manager in charge precluded any extended debate. I
established very early on in all my newsrooms that I expected staff to
be aware of cultural and racial aspects of stories. It was something
that became part of our daily process so that when questions did come
up, they were quickly resolved.
Having said that there was one incident that did create some conflict.
At the time I was working as a senior producer, not a news manager. A
sweeps series had been done on the changing face of religion in our
particular area. I had not had any direct involvement in the series,
but it was to run in a show I was producing. I sat down and began
screening the piece and it became very obvious that there were no people
of color in any of the segments. To me this was a glaring omission. We
were in a market that had a large African-American population. In
addition, religion has historically been very important to the
African-American community. To produce a five part series with no
reference to African-Americans seemed to me ludicrous. I raised the
issue with the Executive Producer and the News Director. I was told I
was making a mountain out of a molehill. I vehemently disagreed and
said I had real concerns about running the series. By this time the
word was spreading through the newsroom that I was at odds with
management over the piece. The station grapevine began working
overtime and the next thing I heard was that the News Director and the
Exec had been called to the GM's office. When they came back I was
informed that we were going to do a live shot with a nationally known
African-American gospel singer who lived in the market as a folo to Part
1. I was also told that the series was being reworked. I never found
out what was said, but I do know that I was not the most popular person
with the News Director and Exec after that. Such is life."
(14) OTR - Could there have been times when you were in charge that some
people were afraid to disagree with you over race related stories?
Tom -"I don't believe in nor do I practice management by fear or
intimidation. I try to encourage a healthy give and take in a
newsroom. If I'm going to do my job, I must have confidence in the
people I work with. it doesn't mean that we won't disagree from time to
time or that I will make a decision that they don't like. That comes
with the territory. But I have always been willing to listen to other
opinions and change my mind. I can't think of a time when I sensed
that someone was afraid to disagree, to the contrary, I think they felt
freer to talk than with some other managers."
(15) OTR - One of my battles on this web site is to get stations to stop
identifying people by race or ethnicity when it is not related the story. For
example, during a police chase The Fox News Channel mentioned the driver was a
"male Hispanic." I've always figured news people often parrot what law
enforcement says without thinking. I'm wondering if this was an issue you've dealt
with, and if so...why you feel it seems so hard to get journalists to change.
It seems to be a problem at every LA station I see.
Tom - "My standard for identifiers is, if it doesn't advance the story, don't
use it. Identifying a suspect as a "male Hispanic" "male black," etc.
does nothing to advance the story and probably reinforces negative
stereotypes that are harmful. Certainly if a complete and detailed
description of a suspect is given, including race and is germane to
advancing the story, okay. But if it's the vague, generic (fill in the
blank/minority) suspect, forget it."
(16) OTR - I figured you would agree. But I'd like to know why you believe TV
news writers and anchors routinely still make those references? Why in the
world wouldn't news directors have a policy on this, and enforce it?
Tom -"It's one of those things that is so ingrained in news culture, I don't
know what'll to get folks to change. The sad thing is, every time it
happens, it's like rubbing salt in a wound for those of us who find it
offensive. And when I say those of us, I mean a lot of average viewers
who chalk this up as one more reason they don't respect or like tv news
anymore."
(17) OTR - What is your feeling about reporters who are part Hispanic or part
Asian on their mother's side, and so they change their last name, using their
mother's maiden name or their grandmother's last name? I don't think
there is any doubt that it helps them advance their career, but do you find it
disingenuous? Or can you blame reporters for taking advantage of the
situation?
Tom - "This is a tough one. We all know how competitive this business is and
most of us will use any edge we have to get a job. Some reporters with
a minority background may view the situation as a way to advance their
career, make a statement and contribute to the efforts of diversity in
journalism. Other clearly would do whatever it took and have no real
interest or commitment to the cause of diversity or fair play. Suffice
it to say we all know people in this business like that and they are
what they are regardless of race.
I guess it all comes down to the person. What's there track record?
Did they have this cultural reawakening when they found out there was a
need for a particular surname or have they been involved in efforts that
demonstrated their commitment to diversity over the long haul? A good
manager will have to do his or her homework. There are all kinds of
things that people do in this business to get a job, this is just one
more."
(18) OTR - Tom, my thanks to you for sharing on your thoughts with the
OTR
audience. If there are any closing thoughts you'd like to leave us with...the
floor is yours.
Tom -"Ron, I appreciate the opportunity. I believe that the more we talk
about this stuff in an open and honest way, the better chance we all
have to understand each other.
As for a closing thought, I'll give you the one that I've given every
staff I've worked with, "Folks, we're all in this together. We can go
up together or go down together. I've done both and personally I prefer
up."
Let the church say, Amen."
MORE ON ENERGY WITH MR KABC
We continue our Q&A with radio talk show host Marc Germain,
better known as Mr KABC.
OTR - We hear about the importance of conservation, but I find a lot of
businesses keep their air conditioning far colder than what is needed. Have
you noticed that? What do you think about the state's campaign to encourage
conservation? How effective do you think it is?
Mr K - "I attribute the dearth of rolling-blackouts to two factors: the phony crisis
and the weather. Here we are in mid-July and I can't recall a milder summer
in my 34 years in Southern California, can you? The forecast for a "long,
hot summer" has not materialized. I know people are conserving based
largely on the fear of expensive electric bills but the real reason power
use is down is summer temperatures are low (so far). People in areas where
rates have not risen are conserving just like people in Edison and PG&E
territory.
If Governor LowBeam's interest in conservation were more than lip
service, he
would be advertising efficiency and rebate programs that subsidize the
purchase of higher efficiency air conditioners and rebates for renewable power sources like
solar, instead of buying radio commercials telling us how well we are doing
and how many new power plants he's authorized.
This is a critical week in Sacramento because the Edison bailout proposal is
being hotly debated. The bailout is a bad deal for consumers and if it
passes, taxpayers and ratepayers will be paying for the poor decisions of
Edison management for decades. Your readers should check out
www.consumerwatchdog.org"
COMING MONDAY
An embarrassing mistake when one station shows the wrong video....An anonymous KCALer has good things to say about their station....Evidence that Rush Limbaugh doesn't know what he's talking about, and more.
ALSO....
Hal Eisner asked me to write a few words about what I do. You can check it out on Monday at HalEisner.com.
OTR - ONE YEAR AGO THIS
WEEK (7-17-00)
WHAT SLUR?
The news broke on Sunday that a new book says that Hillary Clinton used an anti-Semitic slur in 1974, after Bill Clinton lost a race for Congress. The problem is, various TV newscasts are reporting this, but they're not saying what the slur is. KNBC-TV even went so far as to call it "vicious" and "ugly." Of course with the track record of their sensation 11AM newscast, I could imagine where they would report that, without even knowing what the slur is. If Hillary has made such an alleged nasty comment, than as a Jew, I want to know how upset I should allegedly feel. So this morning I figured I would check the LA Times. Maybe they would have more information.
So I went to the Times online, and found that she's accused of calling campaign manager Paul Fray a "Jew b----." Specifically, there were four dashes after the letter b. First I thought it could be Jew boy, but that would mean there should've been three dashes. Now I'm thinking it must be "Jew bastard" and that the number of dashes have nothing to do with the actual word. It seems to me, if this alleged slur is important enough to report, then it ought to be reported EXACTLY what she's accused of saying. I figure it's a safe bet that the book spells it out. Just moments ago, as I write this cyber column, KCAL9 reported this story and actually said "Jew bastard." Good for KCAL.
STOP THE MUSIC
You know I like music. I wouldn't be taking a poll on the best rock/pop song of all time if I didn't. But I also like baseball, and sometimes the two don't mix. I am bothered in a big way, over the loud background music which was played during the introductions of baseball's all-star game. Even if you're not a baseball fan, I think you'll understand.
To me, one of the great parts about this game each year is the introductions. You can hear how the crowd reacts to baseball's current stars. It's always fun to hear which ball players get the biggest ovations, or who if any will get some boos, in case he's out of favor with the local fans. But I do not exaggerate when I say that the introductions were ruined by a constant drone of "dramatic" music over the public address system. This was a loop. It never stopped. While this loud music didn't eliminate the sound of the cheers, it certainly minimized it. The only time I noticed the music volume being lowered was when the Braves' Andres Galaragga was introduced. This was a man who'd come back from missing last year because of cancer. He got the biggest cheers of the night from his hometown fans. It was a wonderful moment, when sports and reality merge. At some point, whoever was riding the gain on the music, wisely lowered it a little so we could better hear the crowd. But the point is, the music was NEVER needed. It didn't enhance the event, it destroyed the event. Talk about over-production. Fans don't need music to tell them something special is happening. They don't need a cue from the director on when to get goose bumps. The saying "Keep It Simple Stupid" was never more appropriate.
THE HYPE JUST KEEPS ON COMING
If KCBS TV has a mission statement, I'm sure it must saying something about "keeping our viewers informed on reality shows which make our network even richer." Last Wednesday at 11pm, first there was a story about TV commercials which are inspired by "Survivor." That was followed by a psychologist talking about the show, and that was followed by a story about odds being posted in Las Vegas on the most likely people to win the contest. I was at least glad to know that anchor Jonathan Elias was willing to acknowledge that a theme had developed. As he made the transition to weather, he said "If Survivor isn't your bag.....this weather will be." Subtle as it was, at least someone up there realized that some people don't give a crap about Survivor. The only problem is, by the time they got to weather, most who didn't care about the show had probably already clicked over KABC or KNBC.
BRUSH UP ON YOUR COUNTRY MUSIC, SAM
On "This Week" Sam Donaldson mistakenly suggested that it was Dolly Parton who sang "Stand By Your Man." Luckily, Cokie Roberts was there to save him, and tell him that it was Tammy Wynette's song. It should've ended there, but then Sam apologized to Tammy. That would've been okay, except that Tammy Wynette is dead. I think it's a pretty sure thing that Sam didn't know that either.
BEYOND A LITTLE CLEAVAGE
Gayle Anderson is a feature reporter for KTLA-TV. From time to time, she dresses in costumes which are part of the stories she covers. Maybe standards have really changed, but I think she went over the line when she was wearing a XENA-like outfit for one of her pieces. If you had always wondered how well-endowed she is...wonder no more. Sure, I know she wouldn't wear anything like that if she was anchoring, or covering a funeral. But even for a fun-loving feature reporter, are there no boundaries for what is appropriate to wear? Not that I didn't enjoy watching. And to be sure, I believe she has now surpassed Lisa Guererro and Mia Lee for most cleavage ever shown by an LA TV reporter. But the former news director in me says it was too much, both literally and figuratively.
SOMETIMES IT PAYS TO WATCH THE COMPETITION
Someone has been killing and dismembering cats in the LA area. While covering this on KCOP TV, Peter Thorne reported that police were following a lead through the Howard Stern show. Someone had called Stern on the air, and explained how he likes to kill cats. You can't blame police for checking that out, and you can't blame Thorne for reporting it, except for one thing. On KCAL's newscast which ran an hour before KCOP's (KCAL does news 8-11pm), Andre Moreau interviewed an actor/comedian who made the call to Stern's show. The call was just a put-on. Maybe someone in the KCOP newsroom should keep an eye on the competition. Maybe that's not a realistic use of employee time. But at least it would've stopped the station from reporting a lead on a serious crime, which turned out to be hoax.
GOOD RIDDANCE, I SAY
So the promoter of the bogus Diana Ross and the Supremes reunion tour pulled the plug. You may recall I expressed my displeasure with this tour in a past OTR. Because the Supremes whom Ross recently toured with actually joined the group after she left it. Original Mary Wilson, and Cindy Birdsong (who replaced Florence Ballard) decided they weren't offered enough money to go along. Tickets weren't cheap, either. There were a lot of empty seats on this tour, so apparently the fans weren't fooled.
A POOR CHOICE OF WORDS
I would be among those who feel that Philadelphia police over-reacted when they captured a very dangerous suspect. When it comes to public perception, you might say they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Nevertheless, when you report this sort of thing, you have to try to be unbiased and balanced. KCBS-TV slipped when Ann Martin referred to those cops as a "mob" of police. Obviously, the word "mob" has a negative connotation. Not fair.
WHO ASKED YOU?!
I saw a tease from KABC-TV "health specialist" Denise Dador which said there is some drug being tested to help people lose the craving for chocolate and other sweet stuff. Memo to "health specialist" Dador : Mind your own business.
GREEN KETCHUP
I must admit, on first thought the idea of making ketchup the same color as mucus seemed a little gross. But then I thought about guacamole, and it didn't seem quite so weird. Heinz says that younger people want green ketchup, so that's what they're going to get. Of course visuals are important when it comes to food. I'm willing to try green ketchup on my french fries....but I'm going to have to stick to red ketchup when it comes to my chocolate ice cream. I know, I'm such a damn traditionalist.
WILL ANY FILE VIDEO DO?
Recently, there was a news conference where some people were calling for a summit to do something about a recent upsurge in LA gang violence. They complained that Mayor Riordan didn't seem interested in their idea, and that he was too busy being concerned with the Democratic Convention coming to LA. This was a pretty serious story. So when KTLA covered it, they should have found appropriate file video of the mayor. While we're hearing that the mayor is too pre-occupied, we see file video of him laughing and smiling with costumed characters at a subway opening. When the story is about murders on the rise in LA, surely there had to be some video of Richard Riordan where he was not laughing. I'm not too sure that even those who were complaining about the mayor would've thought that was a fair image.
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.
YOUR OPINIONS
They are an important part of OTR. Please send them along to BRUIN74@aol.com. Unless you say otherwise, I'll assume it is for publication.
OTR IS PUBLISHED
EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY Letters to the
editor are updated Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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.
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