A media critique... and then some! 10/19/01 - Friday Friday Letters - A HazMat teacher complains about the media, a reader adds some needed background on the Middle East...and more. Inside LA TV next Monday - our first comments about the  new KNBC ND. Links to Recent Issues 10-15-01 Monday's OTR 10-17-01 Wednesday's OTR 10-12-01 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   Your help is very  much appreciated! Send your opinions to BRUIN74@aol.com.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

A few weeks ago, OTR reader Allen Ba wrote a letter here about what sounded like a scam by a parking garage near the airport. The idea appeared to be to fool people into thinking it was one of the airport's public lots. Thanks OTR, the word got to the news media in LA. I know KCOP and KNBC did the story. Hal Eisner at KCOP was first to pick up on it, and his poking around led to the LA City Attorney's office to file charges against two private airport parking lots. All of that, because of one reader who took the time to vent here. Every once in a while, we can be source of news here, and I'm glad to help.

ANTHRAX

My general feeling is the news media have been handling this responsibly.  I know there has been some misinformation. Early on, one station called it a virus. I haven't had much time to watch news this week, so I may've missed more.  But certainly, you can't ignore it when these cases keep popping up.  At this point, I think it would be wise to avoid reporting on "scares."  It made sense at first, since people should know what sort of over-reaction we've been seeing.  At this point, just like not reporting a bogus bomb threat phone call, we're all better served if we avoid the scares.  And since they have been so commonplace, they're missing a key element of what qualifies as a news story. 

I floated the theory recently that maybe the anthrax letters were the result of right wing wackos, taking advantage of the fear of Islamic terrorists.  But now, the conservative New York Post got one of these letters. Also, we've learned a couple of the letters included "Death to the United States. Death to Israel. Allah is great." Yet, one could throw that stuff in there, just for misdirection. Something about that "Allah is great" line (which we've heard in Arabic many times in the middle east) makes me suspicious.  Yet, in light of the attacks on September 11th, and the millions of Muslims in the world who hate the United States, Islamists still seem to be the most likely perpetrators.

THOSE ANTI-BIOTICS

Hard to believe that some people are not only getting their hands on Cipro, just in case, but may be taking it.  As was pointed out in a forum last night by LA County Public Health Director Dr Jonathan Fielding, doing that will build up an immunity to the drug.  So then if you really need it, it won't work. Enough people doing that could create a "super bug" which would resistant to the drug.  Dan Rather was right. The bigger problem here isn't the Anthrax...but the FEAR of it. 

WAR ON HOLIDAYS

Last week, the US slowed down the attack in Afghanistan because of the Muslim Sabbath.  Apparently we've done it again today. One interview yesterday, I heard the question raised whether we would stop attacking during Ramadan.  I can only hope this is not a consideration.  Do you suppose the terrorists would hesitate to attack on Christmas? Of course it was on Yom Kippur in 1973 when Arab countries attacked Israel. So let's just make sure we're living in the real world. Those who hate us won't hold their venom just because we slow down or stop on a holiday. If our war is just, we should finish it as soon as possible.

WHO WAS THAT ANCHOR?

It's been interesting seeing your guesses on which anchor re-read half of the same story as their co-anchor just finished reading.  I could give the answer now...but I know all you TV watchers and those of you in the biz are used to extended teases, right? So....I'll tell you on Monday. In the meantime, keep those guesses coming.  And so far I am impressed. Three people have guessed the right answer.

HOW TO SPELL (O)(U)SAMA

I got an email today, asking about the two different spellings. Osama and Usama.  This of course reminds me of the many ways we spell Ghadaffi - Khadaffi -Qaddafi. Arabic words don't directly translate into our alphabet, so it becomes a real judgment call. I don't think there is a sure right or wrong.

PART ONE OF OUR FRIDAY INTERVIEW WITH HAL EISNER

Hal is a veteran LA TV reporter, currently working for KCOP.

(1)  OTR -You're in charge of the APTRA Academy, where young people spend a weekend with professionals, and get some hands on experience in TV reporting.  Why did you take this on?

Hal - It's payback Ron! It's my way of helping aspiring broadcasters because there were people who helped me!

For those not familiar with APTRA Academy, it's a two day workshop held in Malibu that I started last year with the help of the Associated Press Television and Radio Association and Pepperdine University. This year's Academy was held this past weekend.

Basically, the Academy is an emersion program designed to give aspiring reporters the chance to spend two days with some of the best in the business and learn step-by-step how to construct a single news story -- but it's more than that. We actually simulate a story with the help of real Fire Department personnel, file tape and role playing. Last year the story was a brushfire. This year it was an earthquake.

At Pepperdine's Cottontail Ranch, where the students overnight in cabins, LA County Fire Department PIO's Brian Jordan and Roland Sprewell held mock news conferences. Sprewell executed the fake rescue of a child. One of the department's urban search and rescue teams came out and role played rescuing one of our mentors who acted as if she was trapped in a storm drain. All of this being shot by professional news photographers. We also had actors playing the part of victims.

During this hands-on workshop the reporting students do interviews, cover the played out action sequences, do standups, write their stories and oversee the editing of their pieces with the guidance of mentors. The professionals volunteering their time and expertise are veteran reporters, news managers, field producers, photographers & editors from three states who do this stuff everyday for a living.

This year we added an anchor academy at Pepperdine's on-campus TV studio mentored by a producer, director, makeup artist, a voice coach, a Pepperdine Communications Professor and LA area & Northern California anchors. In this program students spend their two days preparing and executing their own 5 minute newscasts. They do live cut-ins about the fake earthquake the reporters are covering. They learn about such things as makeup by being made up. They learn about interacting with those who do such things as lighting and audio as they sit on a set preparing for their newscasts. But, just like in the reporting academy, we throw in a few surprises. For instance during their newscasts we actually include a breaking news story they have to handle extemporaneously as we roll in tape of the unexpected event.

When I started in this business there was no such thing. Just finding a mentor was tough. In recent years, as I attended seminars aimed at aspiring broadcasters, it seemed as if they had no where to do something as simple as make a resume tape. That's where I got the idea and after two years of doing the workshop I'm convinced it's one of the most meaningful projects I've ever been involved in. The students actually leave on the second day with tapes in their hands and, in their hearts, feelings that they're more motivated than when they first arrived at the Academy.

For anyone who would like to see what I've been talking about, we have photos and stories about this year's APTRA Academy posted on HalEisner.com. Also, the Board of Directors of the Associated Press Television and Radio Association has just approved APTRA Academy 2002 for October 5th and 6th.  And, here's a scoop for you Ron, in the spirit of growing the program we've just decided that in 2002 we'll be adding a component for those who aspire to be radio news reporters.

(2) OTR - What would you say are the biggest misconceptions students have about
the TV news business? What percentage of them would you guess are more
interested in being on TV, than being journalists?

Hal - For aspiring broadcasters with little or no news business experience there
are, of course, misconceptions but I'm not sure I can spell them out. I
know that from the time they did their first live-shots at the workshop, to their on-camera interviews, and taped stand-ups, some seemed surprised at how tough it all
was even though many knew what to expect.  In fact, I had one student tell
me "I was expecting all those goosebumps and butterflies when doing my
first live shot weeks in advance, before I even got to Malibu."

I think they came to terms with everything we threw at them during this
press boot camp; the writing (which some really struggled with) -- the
editing (which was magic to most) -- how important competition and finding
exclusive angles is.  I believe it wasn't until Sunday that they realized
what TV news is really all about.

Oh yeah, there are some who just want to be on TV. There are some who just
see the glamorous side, but I think that the majority were looking to be
journalists, and I think I saw that part of them on Sunday, October 7th.

It was the second day of APTRA Academy. It was the day America attacked
Afghanistan. Up to that point everything had been role-play. The Academy
was all very realistic, but nothing we had simulated at the ranch was real.
Suddenly, there was a very real war going on, and the students watched as
many of the journalist-mentors were being affected.

"Sunday's events made the academy more powerful" said student Melissa Simpson from Boise, Idaho in a post-academy interview. True enough!

Since we didn't have cable or satellite TV at the ranch -- we were
receiving information from radio. It was quite a site. Students were standing
in the ranch parking lot listening to car radios blasting through open
doors and sunroofs as they soaked in all of the details of the attack. They
listened to radio reporters, CNN's coverage, and President Bush.
Afterwards, there was a lot of talk about what was happening. This as
mentors in the program (reporters, producers and photographers) were
leaving the workshop because their assignment desks had called them into
work.

"Sunday's attack on Afghanistan proved that this really happens and you
always have to be ready," said Student Heidi Reinhard who learned being a
reporter means being ready for anything.

If there were any misconceptions about the life of a reporter (and there
probably were) the attack turned some heads Linda Blair style! Perhaps Matt
Brennan put it best when he said "when the news (of the attack) broke on Sunday, I had
goosebumps watching all these professionals (calling into their stations to see if they were needed at work), realizing it's a 24/7 job. It's really a lifestyle more than a job."

(3) OTR -You've been reporting for a long time. Do you ever get tired of the job's demands, and maybe wish you were doing something else?


Hal - "No! I love what I do! Sure, it's a demanding job. There are plenty of stressful moments. That's part of the challenge. But, there's not another job like it on the planet!

Think about it. A reporter's life is filled with variety, occasional edge-of-your-seat excitement, unexpected adventures and moments of confronting real life drama.  We get to talk with people whose lives have been touched or we may touch. We share thoughts with celebrities and the not-so-famous. We're constantly meeting and interacting with new people as we make our little news movies that help viewers understand, laugh or shed a tear.

Everyday I spend part of my life gathering important, fun or thought provoking information that I'll be able to share with a ton of people on a little screen filled with lots of creative possibilities. When you consider all of that and the fact that what we do might change a law, a community or a life, is there another career with that kind of job description?

Are there days I want to pull out my hair? Sure. Are there moments when I wish I was filthy rich and didn't have to work? Of course! But, when all is said and done, I've been in this business since I was a sophomore in high school. I guess if I didn't love it I wouldn't be in my 36th year!"

(4) OTR - Let's hear about some of those hair-pulling days. Maybe you could share a specific incident or day, so that folks get a good idea of what it can be like.


Hal - "Just like no two stories are alike, no two hair-pulling days are alike either. Anyone who knows me knows I'm one of these "cup is half-full rather than half-empty" kind of guys. I try very hard to be the optimist. There are days, though, when nothing goes your way or you have a story that doesn't want to cooperate. Sometimes it's hard to find the right interviews or you find the perfect interview and run into walls trying to get the kind of dynamic or compelling visuals to make the story sing. Somehow it all manages to come together, but sometimes it can be a struggle. When it works, though, you feel like you just hit one out of the park!

Good examples? Maybe some of the stories I've been assigned to do since September 11th. Some were obvious. For instance, is our Southern California water supply safe and protected from a potential terrorist attack? Get to the water companies, get footage of the system, get some helicopter shots of our aqueducts, mix it all together, front it live at a water treatment plant and voila! News!

But, some are not that straight forward. I think to our credit, our news managers have come up with some fascinating enterprise ideas. In a few cases they've been really challenging  -- even hair pulling! That's not because they're bad or ill conceived -- quite to the contrary -- they're very good, but the clock's ticking away and there's a ton of stuff to do to make them work.

For example, one such story was how are LA TV stations and network operations handling the mail after the NBC anthrax incident? Our station stopped delivering it to our employees. Were other operations doing the same? Another was what are Hollywood's plans for integrating the real life attack on our country into escapist movies and network TV shows? After 9-11 everything was hands-off, but now Hollywood's doing a 180. What show's, though? Why?

When you come in at 3PM, the story airs at10PM and you're starting from scratch these sort of enterprise stories are challenging. While others in the newsroom chip in to help -- that clock keeps ticking.

For the TV mail story there are phone calls to every station and LA based network. Getting the right people for information is tricky because many of them leave at 5PM. Same goes for the story about how the terrorist attacks will play into network TV shows. Call the network publicity offices, TV Guide, anyone that can offer some insight.
Not all the people you need to get to are easily accessible. The clock keeps ticking.

There's lots of real estate to shoot, interviews to find, clips to order, graphics to make and a script to write. You know it's a good story. You want it all to work. It's 9PM -- the story's in edit -- a crucial clip finally arrives from a network 55 minutes before air, but in the wrong format. Stress builds. The clip's dubbed to the right format...you race to the liveshot location.  That darn clock simply won't slow down.

The next thing you know you're on the air! Like magic it all comes together. The liveshot looks like you spent all day on the piece. You feel like a million bucks and gratified that you've told a different kind of tale. It just wasn't necessarily a cakewalk getting there, but in a lot of ways, that's what reporting is all about -- beat the clock & meet the challenge!"

NEXT FRIDAY - PART TWO WITH HAL EISNER

NFL PICKS (8-10-2)

It was getting to the point where I was considering calling on The Amazing Christina to do my picking for me. Pretty desperate for so early in the season. Of course she would automatically pick the Bears, thinking the only Bears to pick are from Cal. And needless to say, that would likely add another one to the loss column. But I did okay last week. I was 2-1-1...with the only loser being the Vikings, which let the Lions get close.  Here is what I have for this week:

Bengals vs Bears  - 1

Packers vs  Vikings - 3

Steelers vs Bucs  + 5 1/2

Saints vs Falcons - 8

GO DESHAUN

Before the football season started, I don't remember even hearing DeShaun Foster's name mentioned as a possible Heisman Trophy winner. Didn't seem right to me. Now I'm reading that he may be the TOP contender.  UCLA hasn't had a Heisman winner since Gary Beban in 1967. It's about time. But more important of course, is winning the National Title.  I can remember when some other school in LA was considered the best football school. Funny, I can't even remember their name anymore.  All I can remember is that their colors are red and yellow, and their school fabric is latex.

WHILE WE'RE IN THE SPORTS MODE

I get pretty tired of the Yankees winning in the post season. As a Braves fan, they've certainly earned a place in my heart, so to speak. Here the Mariners win 116 games in the season, and now they're down two games. Okay. I didn't think the Braves could get by the DBacks...after all, this was not a great year  for Atlanta. But IF they can do it...I'd like to see them face the Yankees again. But they'd better win this time! Otherwise, let Arizona take em on.

OTR ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK (10-18-00)

THE DEBATE

I thought the question about affirmative action was interesting. George W Bush described something he supports called "affirmative access." Al Gore said he didn't understand what that meant, and questioned Bush on whether he supported affirmative action.  Bush said he didn't support Gore's version of it.   When asked about the death penalty, Bush said he asks a couple of questions before deciding whether to delay the execution of a man. He said he supports the death penalty for those men if he can answer those two questions in the "affirmative."  So I figure that must be Bush's idea of affirmative action.

Okay, I'm just kidding to make an easy joke. I actually agree with George W on both of those issues (though I do think an LA Times article several months ago exposed some serious flaws in the Texas justice system). In fact while he and Gore both talked about their opposition to quotas, I think it would've been a better discussion if they talked about hiring "preferences" and government set-aside programs.

As usual, Gore looked smarter, Bush looked nicer and I've now decided that I will vote in the election.  I think I'll go with a protest vote for libertarian Harry Browne. Maybe, just maybe, if enough of us vote for people like Browne and Ralph Nader, the powers that be will get the message.

TAKING IT TO FOX

The Fox News Network has the rep of being biased toward Republicans. I haven't watched enough of it to form an opinion. But, it's obvious that Democratic Nevada Senator Harry Reid is in the 'decided' column on  that question.  This morning, he and Republican Senator Kit Bond were being interviewed about the debate. During the interview Reid accused the anchor/interviewer of supporting Bush.  When Reid got the last word in the interview, the anchor said he's sure Bond would like to have responded. Reid then said that wouldn't be necessary, since the anchor was already speaking for Bush.  

It's a cliché to hear Republicans complain that all the other networks are biased toward Democrats, but I've never that sort of direct accusation during an interview on any of the other networks.

CUT AND PASTE THE NEWS

I can't be sure, but I have this feeling that someone in the KNBC newsroom took a story from their early morning news, and transplanted it word for word into their 11AM newscast. I got suspicious when Ana Garcia said "a dense fog advisory is in effect until nine this morning." She then ad-libbed that "of course that has passed."  So, I have to wonder how that line gets read on the air. If the producer doesn't read the scripts, don't anchors pre-read them? Whatever the excuse, it sure sounds sloppy.

MISS CLEO KNOWS ALL

I have to admit, I get a kick out the tarot card commercials featuring Miss Cleo. That lady is good. She is a sitcom waiting to happen. On KCOP this week, they ran a story exposing what frauds these psychic readers are.  What cracked me up was a line from a woman who had worked for one of these psychic hotline companies. The woman complained "there was no training." How do you train someone to be a psychic?  And I suppose if there had been training, they'd be legit?

MORE BAD COMMUNICATION

On Monday I mentioned the problem of a live reporter being at a location different than where the anchor says they are. When I said it wasn't that unusual, I was more right than I realized. I saw it happen on two different stations yesterday, with the same story. On Both KCAL and KABC, the reporters were introduced as being in Pasadena for the MTA end of strike story, and in both cases they were somewhere else.  And on KABC, like with KCOP last week, they just kept the wrong locator graphic on the screen.  But after seeing this twice in one day, I'm wondering...do not reporters tell the producer when they've changed their location? Or is the foul-up on the inside?  You know that cliché, about "we're in the communication business, but we don't communicate with each other."

THAT IS SOME PERFUME!

I've never had this happen before. I was at a stoplight, and next to me was a female driver in the left turn lane. Suddenly I realized that I could smell her perfume. Granted, there was breeze.... but car-to-car perfume? At least it smelled okay.  I remember one woman where I worked had a perfume that smelled just like bug spray. It must've been called Real Kill #9. Even cigarette smoke would've been an improvement.

KNOWING YOUR CROWD

The majority of MTA drivers in Los Angeles are black and Latino.  So I must say it seemed like an odd choice last week, when a band at an MTA membership meeting started off with a country song.  They explained that it was an old union song, but I can tell you, it didn't energize the audience. However, there was one black guy near me who let out a big YE-HAW!, and then laughed. Of course there was more important business to take of, but it was hard not to notice the disconnect.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

This came from James Williams, the leader of the bus drivers' union. After both sides reached an agreement, he said that Mayor Riordan gave him an autographed picture in which he said that Williams was one tough negotiator. Then Williams said "I'm going to frame it, and when I get mad, I'm going to have something to break."

 DETAILS, DETAILS

We all know that you can't get the detail from TV that you can from the newspaper. And I know personally that covering the MTA strike wasn't always easy. But after the strike was settled I wondered what was in the contract.  All KCOP told me was that the drivers got raises.  Patrick Healy on KNBC did better, by giving us a percentage raise, and that there would be 380 part-timers added.  Walter Richards also did better on KTLA, mentioning a small pay increase for the more experienced drivers, as well as more drivers working four day ten hour work weeks, and there was a pension increase. KABC had less detail, but did have one MTA board member saying they saved the money they've been insisting that they needed to save...which was a very big issue in all of this. KCAL mentioned a 9 percent raise over three years and a better pension plan. While a 9 percent-plus raise was in the MTA's final offer, the Times reports the union settled for 8.3 percent over three years. I'm going to guess that the Times got it right.  From those I saw, I'd say  KTLA and KNBC did the best on at least trying to explain what came out of a month's worth of strike negotiations.

SHE SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED

This is a little old, but worth mentioning, since I forget to bring it up sooner. During the last Lazio-Clinton debate, moderator Marcia Kramer asked them how they felt about a bill before Congress in which the Post Office would bill all of us five cents for each email we send!   

Well, there is NO SUCH bill. It's one of those internet hoaxes. Just on the face of it, it sounds pretty ridiculous. How could a moderate in a debate like that be so stupid?

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.