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Need something shot, produced, edited, reported, uplinked/downlinked in SoCal? <---CLICK THRU JDnewsie Productions: 818.766.7122 jdnewsie@aol.com www.jdnewsie.com |
A media critique... and then some! Banned in Beijing, Baghdad, and at KCAL TV.
Tuesday Letters are UP- readers react to Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton controversy and many more letters. Inside LA TV - Bogey gets told off in his station parking lot....a memo a local news director would rather you didn't see...and more. Links to Recent Issues 08-13-01 Monday's OTR 08-15-01 Wednesday's OTR 08-17-01 Friday's OTR If you'd like to send a contribution to help keep OTR going, you can send ten dollars to Ron Fineman, PO Box 42364, Bakersfield, CA 93384. Your help is appreciated! |
To get on the OTR email reminder list, email me at BRUIN74@aol.com. |
GOOD QUESTIONS, NO ANSWERS
I got the following email last week from reader Maury Sanders:
Dear Ron:
"Since you're a former news director, responsible for an entire staff's
ethical behavior, I'd like to pose a potential conflict-of-interest
question. Watching Ch. 4's Travel Cafe with Chuck Henry, I was rather amazed
to see credits suggesting that airfares, hotels and other amenities had been
provided to Henry, a hard news anchor (who, I believe, has a financial
interest in this broadcast). Is this true? Does NBC allow its newspeople to
accept valuable considerations--what if Henry had to cover a story affecting
a benefactor? Does Ch. 4 GM Paula Madison approve of a news person accepting
tradeouts and, because of his key role on Travel Cafe, being part of an
entity that may solicit them? And would you, as a news director, sanction
such a practice?"
--------
I think Maury raises some interesting questions. I sent along a copy of his email to Paula Madison, Chuck Henry, and KNBC's Director of Communications, Erin Dittman. None of them have responded. Interestingly, I sent Dittman another email a while ago, asking about NBC's conflict of interest policy. She didn't respond to that question either. Perhaps her title should be changed to Director of Non-Communications. Considering how widely read this column is at KNBC as well as in the rest of the LA TV community, you'd think one of the three might take the time to answer these questions, wouldn't you?
I don't know if Travel Cafe is even produced by the KNBC news department. But either way, to answer Maury's question, I would not sanction such a practice. Those who work in news departments should NOT take freebies in the course of doing their work. When other stations took free trips to cover the Pearl Harbor movie opening, I recall Sam Rubin reporting that KNBC paid its own way. So I don't know why it would be okay for an anchor to accept free plane rides and hotel stays, even IF the show in not produced by the news department. Maybe if Madison, Henry or Dittman would respond, we could get a better understanding of how they see this. Based on Sanders' letter, I think it does indeed present ethical problems.
A GOOD STORY IDEA, BUT....
There were a couple of police chases recently, which were handled
very different by law enforcement. One ended quickly after the
CHP performed a pit maneuver which spun the car around, and the
officers then charged the car and arrested the driver. The second
one ended in a standoff between the CHP and the driver on the
freeway, which lasted hours. I give credit KCBS and reporter
Linda Breakstone for going to the CHP and finding out why the two
were handled so differently. This is the kind of difference that the
average viewer notices, and no doubt wonders about it too.
The CHP spokesman explained one key difference was that in the first chase, the car ended up facing them, giving them a clear view of the driver. In the second case, the driver stopped facing the other way, which meant the CHP couldn't see if he had a gun. Plus, the rear window in the second case was tinted.
But with the driver's window clear, there was a point when viewers could see the driver was putting a shirt on. Breakstone asked why they didn't rush him then. The CHP spokesman said they didn't have the view to see that. And so there was one key question that I never heard Breakstone ask. If a TV helicopter has a clear view of this driver, why doesn't law enforcement have the same thing? I hate to see a story with such promise fall a little short that way. Even at that, it sure beat finding out who was the latest person to be thrown out of the Big Brother house.
THE HOTEL FIRE
LA TV news has given heavy coverage to a fire in an old Hollywood hotel. Two people died, included a woman who saved the lives of her two children, just before she jumped/fell from a window. The following email comes from a TV insider.
"Thursday night KCAL did another one of its "sources tell KCAL 9
exclusively that the Hollywood hotel fire was caused by the explosion of
a meth lab."
They did it over and over again.
I just heard on KFWB that fire dept. experts have ruled out a meth lab
explosion. They say that was a "rumor that started in the media."
Can we expect a correction tonight? Don't hold your breath.
How do these things get on TV?"
A LITTLE SUN TAN LOTION FOR RUBENSTEIN
KCAL reporter Josh Rubenstein was doing a story on a murder trial, talking to the mother of the accused. The woman was black, and when she described how upset her son appeared to be in court she said this (or words very close to it) to Rubenstein, "He looks about like you,....white as a sheet." It's the kind of comment that would get some anchor chuckles if it were a feature story. But under the circumstances, it came and went with no comment....until now.
BURBANO PLEADS NOT GUILTY
KTLA Entertainment reporter Mindy Burbano pleaded not guilty Friday to driving under the influence of alcohol. As we reported many weeks ago, Burbano was pulled over and arrested in West Hollywood on June 20th. A pre-trial hearing has been set for September 13th in Beverly Hills Superior Court.
HOW TO SAY THOSE NAMES FOR EVERYONE
Periodically, people write here to complain about the way Linda Alvarez pronounces her last name, since she puts a heavy Spanish accent on it. Irritating as it may be for some, it is her name, and she can say it the way she likes. But if people pronounce their names without accent, should their style be respected by others?
Last Friday Night, I caught a reporter named Patricia Lopez doing a story for KCBS, which featured other KCBS Hispanic reporters. This woman used such a heavy accent on their names, it was almost difficult to understand all of them. She pronounced the first name of Linda Alvarez as Leenda. Even Alvarez doesn't do that. Juan Fernandez doesn't use an accent on either of his names, but Lopez gave him the full Spanish pronunciation. That was the name that I almost didn't understand.
I've interviewed lots of Hispanic people, and many say their names with heavy accents. Often, I have to ask them to repeat it, even if it turns out to be a fairly simple name. If you don't speak Spanish, those name with accents can come and go pretty quickly. If the goal of TV news is to communicate as clearly as possible with the mass audience, I think reporters like Lopez need to re-think their style of talking to their viewers. Spanish speakers may be impressed, but what about everyone else?
SWEATING IN CALIFORNIA
Complaining isn't going get my bill any lower, but bitching does make me a feel just a little better. My electricity bill two months ago was 228 dollars, even though I didn't use my air conditioning nearly as much as I would have to feel reasonably comfortable. I usually didn't even put on the air until it hit 85 degrees inside. In that $228 bill, 62 dollars of that was surcharges. I went too far over my baseline. Given all of that, I made an effort to do better last month. I went several days in a row one week, without any air, even though my thermostat was pinning at 90 degrees. I managed to shave nearly 50 dollars off the prior bill, but still got hit for 48 dollars in surcharges ($180 total). I can only say that I feel outrage over what has happened to our energy supply in this state. My disgust with the gouging suppliers, the governor who refused to get tough with them, and the federal government which didn't give a damn until it was far too late, is beyond words. I've never been a big air conditioner user. As I've mentioned here before, too many businesses keep their buildings way too cold for me. If I had used my air this summer in what I would call a minimally comfortable level, I'm sure my bill would've been more than double what I've been paying. I don't know if the penal code has been violated, but from where I sit, this situation is a crime. I look forward to November 2002.
Btw, in Wednesday's edition, Mr KABC will tell us about how he feels he's been treated by Southern California Edison, since he began criticizing them.
OTR READERS SAY IT'S TIME TO FOR HIM TO GO
| Do you think Gary Condit should resign? | ||||
 |
votes | percent | ||
1.) Yes |
107 | 72% | ||
2.) No |
34 | 23% | ||
3.) Undecided |
7 | 5% | ||
KCAL AND KCBS WORKERS SAY NO TO NEW BOSSES IN OTR POLL
Of course I can't guarantee that only those people who should have responded did respond. But certainly the small totals indicate no effort to stuff the box.
| : For KCAL employees only...would you like Nancy Bauer Gonzales to be your new news director? | ||||
|
votes | percent | ||
|
1.) Yes |
10 | 33% | ||
|
2.) No |
16 | 53% | ||
|
3.) Not Sure |
4 | 13% | ||
| For KCBS employees only....would you like Larry Perret to be your news director? | ||||
|
votes | percent | ||
|
1.) Yes |
8 | 21% | ||
|
2.) No |
28 | 74% | ||
|
3.) Not Sure |
2 | 5% | ||
THIS WEEK'S POLL QUESTIONS
The San Bernardino County District Attorney's office has decided not to prosecute Mike Tyson, despite the accusation of Arlene Moorman, who has now gone public with her identity. This comes after another woman was interviewed by the news media last week, who says that Moorman told her that sex with Tyson was voluntary, and she was going to try to get some money out of this. This woman's attorney, Gloria Allred, says there may be a civil suit, and she believes that considering Tyson's track record, the DA should prosecute and let the jury decide. Based on the available information, do you believe that Mike Tyson raped this woman? Please head to the poll section on the menu.
SOMETHING MISSING
I saw coverage on the Tyson story today by both KCAL's Doug Fernandez and KNBC's Conan Nolan. I realize we all face time limits in our stories, and Allred did have a list of complaints about the way this investigation was handled. But in neither one did I hear Moorman or Allred specifically address the accusation from the woman last week who said Moorman said the sex was voluntary. Fernandez did have a bite refuting the accusation that Moorman had money on her mind. And we also heard Allred say that this friend of Moorman who spoke to the media last week, is not really a friend. On the plus side, while I don't remember if Fernandez said it, I did notice that Nolan did NOT refer to the woman as a grandmother. I like to believe that OTR may've had some influence there.
FUN STORY, BAD EDITING
In covering a story about a new Lucille Ball stamp, KABC's George Pennachio had a Lucy imitator do the story. This woman is really good. She even has the subtle Lucy expressions down. Even her voice is similar to the real Lucy. As a longtime I Love Lucy fan, I'd be the first to tell you if the bit didn't work. The only problem with this good idea was the way the piece ended, at least the way it ended when it was repeated on the Sunday Morning news. "Lucy" had been interviewing Johnny Grant. She had launched into the classic Lucy cry, "Ricky" entered the picture to calm her down, and just as Johnny Grant was saying something to her, the story cut him off in mid-sentence! There is NO reason a feature story like that couldn't have a clean ending, even if it was just Lucy signing off as the reporter. I don't know if there a timing problem with the newscast that morning, but whatever the reason, it looked bad.
THE THANK YOUS BEGIN
I've had six contributions since I opened things up last week for a voluntary annual contribution of ten dollars. One asked to remain anonymous. But let me thank Kathy Kiernan, Glenn Cole, Gene & Joyce Jenkins, Tom O'Rourke, and Janet James. Your quick and early support and much appreciated. For those who enjoy OTR and would like to help, you can send a check to Ron Fineman, PO Box 42364, Bakersfield, CA 93384.
CLICHE OF THE WEEK
Who: Miriam Hernandez (while anchoring)
Where: KABC
What: an event involving dogs which she said "has gone to the dogs."
I would be embarrassed to actually write that in a script.
BROADCASTEZE VIOLATION OF THE WEEK
Who: Various
Where: Various
What: "temblor"
Can't you just say "earthquake" like EVERYONE ELSE?
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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