A media critique... and then some! 10/05/01 - Friday Friday Letters  are up COMING Monday - a horrible piece of local TV "journalism" and a reporter and anchor leave a local TV station Links to Recent Issues 10-01-01 Monday's OTR 10-03-01 Wednesday's OTR 09-28-01 Friday's OTR OTR can use your help to keep publishing. If you like it, feel free to send ten dollars to Ron Fineman PO Box 42364 Bakersfield, CA 93384    OR you can send $ electronically by clicking on the PayPal logo   My sincerest thanks to all of you who have contributed so far.   Your help is very  much appreciated! Send your opinions to BRUIN74@aol.com.

To get on the OTR email reminder list, email me at BRUIN74@aol.com.

NO MORE BOGEY'S CORNER

I'm told that the inevitable has happened. The decision has been made to dump Mike Boguslawski's KCBS consumer segment. The fact that he's been an embarrassment to TV journalism has been discussed here more than once.  He was brought in a little more than two years ago by General Manager John Severino, who really thought this guy was good.  After Severino was fired this year, it was suggested here that it was only a matter of time before Bogey was sent packing. But that hasn't happened yet. Boguslawski is still under contract, and apparently they're going to keep him around in some capacity, rather than paying him off and letting him go. (Though I have my doubts how long this will last). Word is that letters are being sent out to viewers who asked for Boguslawski's help, letting them know what's happened.

What reason are they giving for canceling the segment? Well, I've left a message for GM David Woodcock today, and Assistant News Director Larry Laurent yesterday, and so far no one has returned my call.  I also called the assignment desk, asking for a statement on the cancellation of Bogey's Corner. I was sent to an unidentified voice mail, and left a message there too.  I know it is obvious why they made the move. But it would be interesting to hear their reasoning.  I know...."we've decided to go in a different direction."

AVOIDING THE QUESTION

After the terrorist attacks, President Bush met with some American Muslim groups to make sure the public knows that not all Muslims, or Arabs are the bad guys. Obviously it was, and is, an important message to give. But it turns out the groups he met with aren't such great guys either. One of their spokesmen was very much opposed to the US striking back after the embassy bombings and felt the US action was illegal.  Another group sponsored a rally which was blatantly anti-Jewish, in which a song was sung about Jews being decedents of apes. And yes, that was in America.   

Anyway, during one his press briefings, Ari Fleischer was asked if Bush knew about the views of those he was meeting with.  Fleischer said that Bush doesn't necessarily agree everyone he meets. Again, he was asked if Bush knew what these people had said and had been a part of, and Fleischer gave the same non-answer. The next day, he was asked about it again by a different reporter. This time his answer seemed to suggest that Bush was aware of what these folks were really like. Now why couldn't Fleischer give a direct answer in the first place? Is  he getting his answering techniques from Barbara Boxer? But the bigger question is....are there no American Muslim groups which have less extreme and non-bigoted views? If so, why didn't Bush meet with them?

THANKS FOR THE PLUG

LA Times sports columnist Larry Stewart gave mention today of our story on Wednesday about KCOP dumping traditional sports coverage during the week. OTR always appreciates a good plug in a publication which has more readers than we do....which certainly includes a lot of publications. 

PART THREE OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH TERRY ANZUR

Terry is a veteran TV anchor/reporter....she teaches at USC, and she's been researching the history of LA TV news.

(7) OTR - Did local news do a good job as government watch dog in the old days?

Terry - "Was it better in the good old days? Not really. The reporters seemed more like lapdogs than watchdogs. The news was often boring and uninformative. But it was a public service, not a ratings-driven profit center. Again, there were some exceptional reporters who did great work. In the aftermath of the Baldwin Hills dam collapse, Bill Stout did an admirable job of questioning state engineers about the safety issues. 

I'm a strong believer in reporters having beats and breaking stories, not simply reacting to what's in the newspaper or in the CNS daybook. I also think there is a need for more reporting out of Sacramento as well as city hall. This doesn't mean filling up your news hole with pictures of people in meeting rooms. It means learning what the issues are and doing the legwork to make those stories come alive. I once worked for a news director who said "There are no boring stories, only boring reporters." Well, in the old days, you saw plenty of both."

(8) OTR -  Do you see any chance of local news ever taking its job more seriously, as opposed to being a vehicle to make money AND promote other TV shows on the station? By the way, did you find them doing much promotion of other shows on the news in the old days? 

Terry - "I'd like to think that the current events in our country are sending a loud and clear message to TV newsrooms about the serious issues that should be covered. Unfortunately, journalists don't always get to make these decisions anymore. It's driven by the bottom line. Now the local news audience is shrinking because all of the programs are basically the same and you can find substance elsewhere. I agree with the research that shows TV news stations are more likely to survive in the long run by establishing a reputation for quality journalism.
As I've already pointed out, the line between sponsorship and news was very blurry in the old days with anchors doing commercials during the broadcast. Sometimes a programming tie-in provides an opportunity to explore an issue that wouldn't get covered otherwise. When I was at KCBS I was able to do a powerful story about teenage pregnancy because it was the topic on Geraldo that day. I think journalists need to be creative about finding ways to cover real stories instead of just participating in hype. 
There's always been tension between news and the business side. Remember why Murrow left CBS? I suspect I'll find some interesting stories along these lines when I start looking at how KNXT dismantled the Big News in order to compete with Eyewitness News on KABC."


(9) OTR -On another subject, please tell us what you can about your time anchoring at KTLA. Did you enjoy it? Was it difficult to work with Hal Fishman? Why did they let you go?

Terry - "KTLA News at Ten is centered on Hal Fishman, so anyone who co-anchors with him has a restricted role. However, I'm very proud of the work I did there and the fact that KTLA regained the number one position in the ratings while I was on the program. While many factors affect ratings, I think it's clear that I had an impact because they were in second place again right after I left. 
I loved my job on News at Ten and had every reason to expect that I would be offered a new contract. I grew up in Los Angeles and was honored to work with such legends as Stan Chambers and many other fantastic people behind the scenes. Management never gave a reason for letting me go and the LA Times never looked into it.

The strangest and saddest thing is that I have not had an opportunity to get back on the air at another station in town. Perhaps there is a misconception that I left the air voluntarily to devote all my time to academics. So I appreciate this opportunity on your web site to set the record straight. While I enjoy my work at USC/Annenberg, I am still determined to practice my craft. Perhaps because of my limited role at KTLA, people forgot that I have considerable experience, not just as an anchor, but as a reporter and host. Although I would rule out local general assignment reporting at this point in my career, I'd be interested in any anchor shift where I could also report or in a specialized beat such as politics or education. When my son was a baby I turned down opportunities for network reporting. Now that he's older I'd be very open to it. I wish all the best for my friends at KTLA and now it's time for me to move on."

(10) OTR - If there is anything else you'd like to add, please do.

Terry - "In closing, I'd like to thank everyone for their interest in the book. Meantime, the story of local TV news in Los Angeles is still being written and I'd very much like to be a part of it, not just watching from the sidelines, but working on the front lines with my fellow journalists. Ron, thanks for all the great work you do on your web site."

NEXT WEEK - WE CONCLUDE OUR FRIDAY INTERVIEW WITH DREW GRIFFIN 

NFL PICKS ( 5-6-1)

One out of four last week.  Only the 49ers came through for me. I sure don't like to be under .500.  Actually none of the choices this week jump out at me. But anyway...here we go again.

Bengals vs Steelers   plus 6

Chargers vs Browns  -3

Rams vs Lions     - 12

Falcons vs Bears  -3

OTR ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK (10-04-00)

THE DEBATE

Right off the bat, Al Gore avoided the question by Jim Leher. Gore was asked to explain why he doesn't think George W Bush is well qualified to be president, which is something that he's said publicly. Instead Gore went off on policy differences. Then Bush lied by saying he'll take Gore at his word on this. Oh sure. There were times when Gore in particular skimmed past the question, and launched into a speech about whatever he really wanted to say.  Typical politician.

Gore was, as expected, fairly fluid and well informed.  Bush looked especially good on education, and I think he held his own on taxes and social security.  However Bush looked stiff and awkward when it came to a question about Yugoslavia.  He also didn't look too good on a question about his attitude on US Government intervention in the case of a financial crisis. He said he would consult with Alan Greenspan and leaders in congress, but never really answered the question, other then to say "it depends."  Gore looked more sure of himself with his answer, but too bad his answer didn't address the question. He talked in part about working with Robert Rubin who helped avert a worldwide recession during the Asian financial crisis. But like Bush, we didn't get an idea about attitude or philosophy. That's probably because neither candidate expected the question, and therefore had no prepared answer.  You would hope that a man who wants to be president could do better on this one.

Then there was the question asking both men to explain how they've dealt with an unexpected crisis. It was not an easy question, which Gore had to answer first.  Part of Gore's answer had to do with getting together with the former foreign minister of Russia and leader of Finland to help give a proposal to Slobodan Milosevic after NATO won the war in Kosovo.  After that Gore went on to give a speech about some of his core ideas which had NOTHING to do with the question. I had the feeling that Bush had to be glad Gore got this one first, so he could have time to think of an answer. I'm guessing Bush should've been so busy thinking of what to say, Gore could've said Barbara Bush wears combat boots, and George W wouldn't have noticed.  Oddly, Bush at least temporarily seemed to have forgotten the question when it came to him, but then remembered before the moderator had to repeat it.  Bush then talked about dealing with fires in Texas.

Sometimes, like on abortion I really liked what Gore had to say.  On social security and education, I liked Bush.  But there are enough drawbacks about both of them which keep me from voting for either. If only the good parts of both could be combined into one person. If you could do that, I think you'd get something close to Joe Lieberman.  Him, I could vote for.

THE MEDIA AND THE DEBATE

Just a couple of comments. Why did MSNBC's Brian Williams feel it necessary to describe them as two "white guys" wearing dark suits and red ties? And after the debate, Dan Rather asked Dick Cheney to describe Bush's worst moment. Did Rather really expect an honest answer?  He asked a similar question of Joe Lieberman, and guess what?  Lieberman thought Gore did great!   Why even bother to ask?

COVERING HOLLYWOOD IN HOLLYWOOD

I think it's fair to say that generally, local TV does a lot better job covering the celebrity aspects of Hollywood compared to the business side.  Last week, when big studio executives went before a US Senate Committee, KABC-TV had three nightside reporters, and none of them covered the hearing. They gave the story about thirty seconds for an anchor read. I didn't see everyone's coverage, though I saw that both KCAL and KCOP had their own reporters use CNN video to run packages. Sandra Mitchell and Robert Kovacik both read the same on camera tag to their stories...but at least they devoted more than KABC did.  I don't know if KABC was doing what they thought Disney would like, if the producer just didn't understand the importance of the story, or they thought the story had already been covered enough in previous days. The LA Times seemed to get it, giving in front page play the next day.

ANCHOR MARRIAGE NEWS

It's been going on for a long time, but that doesn't make it right. Many years ago, I remember seeing video of sports anchor Jim Hill's wedding. This time, KABC anchor Marc Brown was married, and his station covered it as a story. Not a big story mind you, but...a story.  I understand how badly stations want their anchors to be loved and seen as warm decent people.  But trying to turn a news reader into news celebrity is wrong. Reporters and anchor should cover the news, and not be the news. Yeah, you've only heard that about a thousand times before. So, I guess one more time won't hurt.  Unfortunately, it probably won't help either.

TV JOURNALISM 101

There are two major labor disputes in LA right now. The MTA strike, and a rolling strike by LA County workers, which started on Monday.  On Sunday on KABC-TV, reporter Lora McLaughlin covered them both in her story. While introducing her taped piece, she first mentioned the MTA strike, and then referenced that "another strike" was looming.  The piece then begins with a soundbite from Mayor Riordan talking about how "they've resolved some issues." It sounded as if he was talking about the coming County strike, but in fact he was talking about MTA.  I could see the mistake being made in a small market, but in LA? Really, that surprises me.

NO MORE GATES, PLEASE!!!

I've covered this ground before, but not for a while. This knee-jerk addition of 'gate' to end of every scandal drives me nuts. It's just so silly, so mindless.  The latest one is debategate. Since it rhymes, you know the media will never let go of it.

It's the investigation into how a tape of Bush practicing for his debate ended up being sent to the Gore Campaign. My best guess on this would be that someone in the Bush campaign tried to set up the Gore folks. Since we know there has been a division in the campaign between the Austin people who run the campaign and the GOP Washington establishment, I could imagine someone from the Washington GOP side doing this, without the knowledge of Bush. I don't believe he would ever go along with it.  That's my guess...what do you think?

WHAT DOES THE HOSPITAL SAY?

On KCOP last week, Tammy Taylor covered the closure of a hospital in Long Beach. It had been bought by Catholic Healthcare West, which already has another hospital in the area. Taylor interviewed a number of people who were upset with the closing of this hospital. She even mentioned that the state attorney general was investigating. What did Catholic Heathcare West have to say?  I wish I could tell you. She never gave their side.  There was no interview with them. If they were not available for comment, she didn't say so. It isn't easy to perfectly balance every controversial story. But only giving one side on a story like this? Not only would it be fair, I think it would've been very interesting to hear their reasons  for shutting down the hospital. Who knows, they might've even made some sense.

A REAL CLASS ACT

On the KTLA Morning News this morning, traffic reporter Jennifer York said "I'm having brain farts this morning."

LATE BREAKING?

During their Live Local Latebreaking segment one night last week, KCAL showed a story about a fight between two men on a Greyhound Bus heading to Los Angeles. The only problem was, they ran the story on Tuesday Night, while other stations ran it on Monday Night. Maybe they should change the name of the segment to Live, Local and One Day Old.

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.