A media critique... and then some! 12/07/01 - Friday Friday Letters  are UP  Coming Monday - a station loses its chopper, and another letter from Cheryl  Carson's lawyer. Links to Recent Issues 11-26-01 Monday's OTR 11-28-01 Wednesday's OTR 11-30-01 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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NEW ND FOR KCBS

Yes this is old news now, but pretend this is a KNBC weekend newscast. Princell Hair has been hired to replace Roger Bell. Hair has been director of news for the Viacom Televisions Station Group. Before that, he was news director at WBAL in Baltimore and WMAQ in Chicago.

So I guess this puts the Larry Perret going back to KCBS rumor to rest? Once word was out that former GM John Severino was being fired, many assumed that Bell would be next. You may recall many months ago when I reported that he was referred to as "dead man walking." 

At least new GM David Woodcock undid Severino's two biggest mistakes (Mike Boguslawski and Woman 2 Woman), which leaves a little less for Hair to have to deal with. I hear Hair is a "good guy" and smart too. We'll see what KCBSers have to say.

THE 5AM NEWS

A couple of folks wrote to me, asking me to include the early early morning news numbers. Even though I'm always with the sandman at that hour, I realize some folks have the misfortune to have to be up so early.  So here's how it went. I'm told it is unusual for KNBC to lose those two combined half-hours.

5-5:30

KABC - 1.8, KNBC -1.4, KCBS - 0.7

5:30-6:00

KABC - 2.1, KNBC - 2.1, KTTV - 1.7, KTLA - 1.3, KCBS - 0.9

NEW YORK 

Now I know why they call it the city that never sleeps. It's not because of there being so much to do, as the result of constant horn honking and traffic through the night. Actually we had a real good time there, but our good location for a hotel was a mixed blessing. When you're trying to sleep on the second floor, at 54th and Broadway, it takes a lot of trying. Our first night there was a Saturday, so no doubt that was the busiest night on the street.  There was more than just traffic that night. The Amazing Christina heard some woman swearing, and yelling that she'd been stabbed and that an ambulance was on the way. I managed to sleep through that, but I did wake up to hear some guy yelling that he was going to sue the city. I don't know what about, but I think he may be onto something.

We did a lot of walking, and I was impressed with all of the cops who were stationed  on the sidewalk.  No doubt that police presence must've helped in cleaning up the city, which I've heard is the big accomplishment for Mayor Giuliani. I knew we'd find a lot of people on the street, but still not as many as I might've expected that first night walking down Broadway. It was like walking with a crowd after a ball game lets out, but of course this crowd is constant. I could also really appreciate the first line of the song "On Broadway" where The Drifters sang "they say the neon lights are bright on Broadway."  It didn't take long to learn that pedestrians sure rule the streets. Those "Don't Walk" signs don't mean anything. I soon realized that it made sense to ignore them, when you're crossing a one-way street, and the nearest car is far down the block. But there are also people who cut it way too close, forcing cars to stop. I guess that's New York. And certainly, I've never heard so much horn honking in my life.  Maybe cars sold in New York should be de-horned. Those folks really have a horn abuse problem. 

We did have a chance to see the Radio City Christmas Show, the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, The lighting of the Lincoln Center Christmas Tree, and a Broadway play called "By Jeeves." We did so much walking around Manhattan that after a while, we were able to give other tourists directions. I wouldn't know this for a fact, but I'm guessing there must be more restaurants per square mile than any other place in the world. And I think half of them are Blimpies. I'm kidding, but I did notice quite a few of them. 

We stayed at a hotel called The Ameritania. It had the smallest hotel room I've ever seen, though I understand New York has a lot of hotel rooms that are smaller than other cities. This was a mid-priced three star hotel.  Though I'm guessing they bought that third star from a street vendor. The room didn't even have a radio. Instead of a pen with their name on their, they had a pencil. A pencil! 

As I mentioned last week, this was our first time in New York city, and I would certainly recommend a visit there. How many cities can you walk into a restaurant at 11pm and have it full of people eating dinner? Btw, we flew there in Jet Blue, and I would certainly give them a thumbs up.

PART TWO OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH LA TIMES TV WRITER BRIAN LOWRY

(9) OTR - (Re: the emphasis of sexy women on the news). Carried to it's logical extreme, you get NakedNews. How much sexier and more revealing do you think TV news women will become, before the pendulum swings back in the other direction?

Brian - "I'm not sure. I don't really see the pendulum swinging back, given that the news I grew up on in the '70s wasn't exactly the Vatican Report. If anything, as ratings continue to be more fragmented I expect the excesses to become more titillating in a sort of desperate effort to garner attention. At some point, someone may decide that more serious news is a marketing niche, particularly if you can prove the 2 rating you're reaching is a more upscale audience, but at least in Los Angeles, efforts to do that in the past have seldom been rewarded."

(10) OTR - While we're on local news, which station do you feel does the best
job, and which does the worst? Any favorite, or un-favorite anchors?

Brian - "I tend to surf around a lot and catch snippets of various newscasts. To be honest, I think all of the local stations are deficient in their coverage of local politics and issues, Sacramento, etc., and all of them rely on the sort of pathetic, fear-induced teases -- "Something in your home could kill you. Find out at 11" -- that tend to tarnish the industry and provide fodder for stand-up comics. I'm hard-pressed to draw strong distinctions between them.

In terms of anchors, Mark Brown on KABC is very smooth and polished, so they probably serve as home base, as it were, for my local news viewing. On the flip side, Paul Moyer has always annoyed me as sort of the classic, lights-on-but-nobody's home Ted Baxter type, so although KNBC has several strong reporters I have trouble watching their news for any length of time."

(11) OTR - Do you think anchors are overpaid?

Brian - "The flip comment would be I think anyone who makes more than I do is overpaid, but that covers a lot of ground. For the most part, I tend to think highly paid entertainers -- movie stars, athletes and yes, anchors -- are worth whatever they can get, because the assumption is they put asses in seats. That said, I do think it would be refreshing for a station to go with lower-profile anchors and plow some of that money back into enterprise reporting, investigative pieces, etc., which they might not be able to do otherwise; unfortunately, the nature of the business is that no GM wants to let a high-profile anchor go and risk watching their ratings nosedive, which I understand. And since no one knows precisely why people tune in, what the mix of reasons is, anchors are clearly a factor. Personally, give me an "ER" lead-in four nights a week and "Oprah" every afternoon and I think I could generate solid ratings without having to pay my anchors a seven-figure salary."

(12) OTR - If you can think of any one thing....what is the most ridiculous story or
coverage you've seen recently on LA TV news?  Anything that has particularly
impressed you?

Brian - "Steve Lopez actually did a brilliant column about KCAL's news following a Lakers game recently, which he said better than I could have. Personally, nothing annoys me more than the prime-time tie-ins -- the shilling for "Survivor," the "exclusive interview" with Michael Jackson, all the promotion dressed up at news that whittles the actual news hole, minus weather and sports, to about 6 minutes. I think the worst thing that jumps to mind -- and this was awhile ago -- was KTLA's Mindy Burbano having an all-male dance troupe called "The Thunder from Down Under" basically do a Chippendale's routine standing over her while she lay on her back whooping. Hal Fishman looked like he wanted to board a plane and quickly fly somewhere.
As for the flip side, some of David Jackson's pieces for KABC from the Middle East have been very solid, not just the "Hey, we have a guy here" routine. A few of the stories I saw on various stations about victims of the Sept. 11 attacks were also handled sensitively, though not surprisingly there was a good deal of overkill on that, as there was eventually on the national level."

(13) OTR - Let's talk prime-time. Interesting article you had about The West Wing. I
like the show a lot, but have complained about some of those affectations
that seem unique to Sorkin shows. Like the occasional annoying little
point-counterpoint conversations, the way so many of the character all seems
to think and talk alike, and the way he has people constantly walking and
talking, as if most of our conversations take place like that. Do you agree?
What is your feeling about the show?

Brian - "I think all of those criticisms are valid. That said, it's awfully impressive to see a television show that can incorporate such dense material about arcane policy issues and still make it interesting. Despite its various faults, I look forward to watching the show, which given the amount of stuff I watch is probably the highest praise I can provide."


(14) OTR - So, do you think Sorkin has now decided to jab the media, following his
drug arrest? Along the same lines, going back to at least Lou Grant, TV news
people seems to be shown in an unflattering and sometimes cartoon-like manner
in prime time shows. Is that fair?

Brian - "Honestly, I think it's just as plausible that the jabs are a function of the plot, but the timing is intriguing. I certainly see a smattering of hypocrisy in using the press to promote your show but clamming up when you don't like the questions they're asking.
On the other point, I don't think the unflattering depiction of TV news is any more unfair than most other occupations that don't easily lend themselves to television, where the emphasis is invariably on drama and entertaining. Moreover, much of television news is cartoonish and does lend itself to being lampooned. Certainly, plenty of the portrayals are over the top, but then again, so is a lot of TV news. My general rule of thumb is that anyone watching prime-time television -- that is, sitcoms or dramas -- for a truly accurate depiction of anything is looking in the wrong place."

NEXT WEEK - PART THREE WITH BRIAN LOWRY

NFL PICKS (25-20-3)

There was once a time when I'd get excited about picking three of four. (About a month ago I think). On the plus side, that does increase my chances of ending up over .500 this year, which I didn't manage last year. But three out of four tends to pale when someone else bats a thousand. Yes, The Amazing Christina has finally lived up to her nickname. Her picks last week of the Cardinals, 49ers, Rams and Vikings gave her four for four. Seems like only a few weeks ago I was re-explaining points spreads to her. She's not available right now to do her picks. I think she said something about having my people call her people. Anyway, she's working a day shift, so I'll try to post her picks tomorrow. But let me assure you that any talk of the student surprising the teacher is very much pre-mature.

MY PICKS

49ers vs Rams +7 1/2

Cardinals vs Redskins  even

Jets vs Steelers  + 3 1/2

Chargers vs Eagles +7

THE AMAZING CHRISTINA (9-11)

Bucs vs Lions -9

Jags vs Bengals +1 1/2

49ers vs Rams + 7 1/2

Raiders vs Chiefs -9

OTR ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK (12-06-00)

SO FAR SO GOOD GEORGE W

I have to say that George W Bush handled himself with a considerable amount of class in his interview with Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes II last night. Maybe it's easier to be magnanimous when you know you're about to win, but I had a good feeling about the way W came across. It may be a long time before some of us feel like he has the 'gravitas' (there's that word again) to do the job right, but he sounded reasonably warm and confident to me. I was a little put off with Pelley when he tried to come off like Mike Wallace, suggesting that Bush should drop the pretense and have people start calling him President-elect. "You've got 271 electoral votes!"  Yet, if Bush were calling himself President-elect, don't you know Pelley would've hammered him for calling himself that, before the Florida Supreme Court has made its final rulings. So far, it looks like Bush knows what he's doing.

THE NEWS BABY CHANNEL IS COMING

It's makes so much sense. Every week KCOP viewers are reminded that anchor Lauren Sanchez is pregnant, as she does some sort of 'having a baby' story.  Then last week, KCAL actually did a story on the fact that one of their producers and reporter Sandra Mitchell both had babies.  It's bad enough when news directors decide to let their anchors and reporters become the news, but a producer too? I know she's a nice lady, and obviously she takes her job title very seriously.  Since traditionalists like me will generally feel that the personal lives of journalists should not be part of a newscast, I'm willing to go for a compromise. Yes, let there be a News Baby Channel. Let all the TV stations of America take part in it. Whenever one of their employees or air talent gets pregnant, there will be coverage. And no news newborn will go unseen. To give the channel some substance there can be real issues. How about a debate between Sandra Mitchell and Lauren Sanchez over breast-feeding versus bottle feeding?  Since the babies born in news families are more special than all others, the possibilities are endless.

STILL TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT

I am still trying to find out how much tax payer money was spent on the Defense Department's Citizen Patriot bash in Beverly Hills last week.  One person in Washington DC tells me a pre-party estimate put it at more than 300 thousand dollars!  While the stated purpose was to honor Jack Valenti, and Bob Hope...there is some interesting speculation about it. Yes it is only speculation, but as the theory goes, this was an attempt by William Cohen to put the spotlight on his wife to the Hollywood crowd. Janet Langhart Cohen used to work in TV, and in fact Valenti gave her TV presence and performance high praise before this audience which included, Steven Spielberg and Michael Douglas. While the defense department has a budget for such dinners and parties, I'm told this deal was pretty big by DOD standards.  Again, my point is not that Valenti or Bob Hope don't deserve a tip of the hat.  But why should tax payers have to foot the bill? Where is former Senator William Proxmire's Golden Fleece Award when we need it? 

PERSONALITIES?

On KNBC's weekend news, they mentioned that  channel  4 'personalities' Patrick Healy and Colleen Williams were at some event. That, I think, is one insulting term for people who consider themselves journalists.  Patrick Healy is a very good field reporter, not a disc jockey. Williams is a news anchor. Even if she is more personality than journalist, why would you want to refer to her that way on the air? I have to believe that new general manager Paula Walker Madison might agree with me on this one.

GOOD TIMING

At the end of a live shot last week, KCAL's Jaime Garza had some sort of dry throat/coughing problem. Whether you've ever been on the air or not, you've got to feel for a guy who's trying to wrap things up, but...cough....as much as he...cough...tries.....it is a real struggle to....cough....send it back to the anchors.  What was coincidental (notice I'm not saying "ironic" which many would say) was that when he finished his live shot, the next scheduled piece was a medical story. And so the first thing you saw on the screen after he finished was a full screen graphic which said "Medical Alert."

UNCONFIRMED REPORTS

While reporting on the stun gun attack on David Spade last week, KABC's Bryan Jenkins said there is an unconfirmed report that his attacker was suicidal.  My question is, is there ever a good reason to put something "unconfirmed" on the air? The same info was reported elsewhere without the "unconfirmed" attribution, so I'm not suggesting that this particular information wasn't true. I know there are exceptions to many rules, but my gut tells me that  if something is "unconfirmed" it probably should be kept off the air until it is confirmed.

WAS HE OR WASN'T HE?

In Doug Kreigel's report on KNBC on the same story, he ran a sound bite with a cop which said that Spade had minor injuries. Yet twice in his voice track, Doug said that Spade was not hurt. Since anything that happens to a celebrity is so very important, even more important a news anchor having a baby, whether Spade suffered a scratch, a bruise or even a broken finger nail is of paramount importance.  A cut on a celebrity is probably equal in news importance to a drive by which kills two gang members.  Okay, maybe I exaggerate, a little.  To hear from someone else who thinks TV news blows celebrity news out of proportion, you might check the LA Times website, and find Mike Downey's column from December first.

AN OTR HONOR, SORT OF

Each time I think I've written my last words about coverage of the KABC live van accident, something comes up again. This time, I'm pleased to say that I've won a Golden Mike for a commentary I did on KPCC radio about that coverage. True, this website gets no credit, but if it wasn't for OTR, the commentary for KPCC would never have been written. If it wasn't for this website, they may never would have heard of me over there. And certainly what I wrote and delivered for them was a rewrite of what I'd been talking about in this cyber space. My thanks to the station's John Rabe for letting me do the commentary in the first place, and to Paul Glickman for entering it in the competition.  The last time I won a Golden Mike, it was for best Hour TV newscast, when I was news director at KERO-TV in Bakersfield. Needless to say, it was my staff which did the real work in winning that one. Yet, I'll always remember that right after I picked up the trophy in January 1997, the recently hired general manager, a fellow named Don Lundy- with the advice of  his boss Ed Quinn- decided to fire me. To be accurate, he asked me to resign. Yeah, sounds a lot like being fired to me too.  Anyway, that's history...history which I hope will not find a way to repeat itself.

FUNNY BIT GEORGE

KABC entertainment reporter George Pennachio was interviewing Sandra Bullock when he gave her a picture of anchor Phillip Palmer. So she fawned over it, talked about writing her phone number on there for Phillip, and she called him "Philly".  Rather than this simply being one of those "let's give the star some free publicity" that all of the entertainment reporters do, this added a funny little element. But what really made it work...what really brought it home....was the honest embarrassment on Palmer's face when the camera came back to him. He had his hand over his face, and asked the camera to go back to George. But, the entertainment segment was over...and Palmer had to live with that red-faced feeling, as he grinned through the reading of a tease as they went to a break. 

YOUR OPINIONS

They are an important part of OTR. Please send them along to BRUIN74@aol.com. Please remember to include your first and last name. 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.