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A media critique... and then some!
Inside LA TV - insiders react to Warren Wilson. Check out Recent Issues 5-17-04 Monday's OTR 5-21-04 Friday's OTR
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WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH LA TV NEWS?
Let me try to make my point like this: If Shaquille O'Neal were murdered that would be news, BIG news. If his daughter were found murdered, that would be news, though not nearly the story that the death of Shaq would be. I would argue that the stabbing death of his former girlfriend, mother of his daughter, would be a small news story. But of course none of those things happened. What happened was the housekeeper of O'Neal's ex-girlfriend was murdered in her home, which he happens to own. That should not be news, at least not in LA when the murder took place in Texas.
It's a complaint I've made before. This city is SO celebrity obsessed, even the murder of the housekeeper of O'Neal's ex-girlfriend is suddenly a big story! KNBC led with it at five pm and six pm! KCBS led with it at 11pm! Not only did this murder not affect LA viewers, I would say it hardly affected Shaquille O'Neal, once he knew his daughter and ex-girlfriend were safe.
Just how many degrees of separation do we need from a celebrity before something is not big news on LA TV? KABC put the story third in their 4pm news, but to their credit, it only ran about 25 seconds. It was also about 25 seconds as the second story on KCBS at 5pm. KTLA showed the best judgment, putting the story well into their newscast at 10pm.
To look at it another way, how does the death of this housekeeper become more important than whatever murders took place in LA that day?
This absurd celebrity obsession; will it ever stop?
NOW THAT'S A REAL REACTION
KTLA has this ad campaign for their news anchors "Real News Real People." But I think KABC's Marc Brown's on air reaction to the above story would sure qualify as "real." That is an alligator in Florida taking a bite out of a bumper. Listen to Brown's reaction as Michelle Tuzee reads the story.....
Now that's real. In fact wasn't it Brown who said, "I can be girly, I can be sexy, I can..." oh wait, sorry. That was that quote from Sharon Tay, one of those "real" anchors at KTLA.
ANOTHER BOGUS EXCLUSIVE
On Sunday, FNC's Rita Cosby did an interview with former Iraq prisoner Thomas Hamill, which ran on Sunday. As you can see, it was supposedly an "exclusive."
Yet there was a sound bite from from Hamill which KABC ran on Friday. Plus I know he has talked to the media before these latest interviews. So how in the world can Fox call it an "exclusive?"
SANCHEZ SHOWS STUPIDITY, AGAIN
You may've caught the story. Some Latinas are upset with the above billboard, feeling it promotes a negative stereo-type. When the story aired on KCOP, we heard a sound bite from a woman who complained that the ad makes Latin women seem like sex objects. To which Lauren Sanchez added, "huh?" Rick Garcia continued reading the story, saying that protestors say it "suggests that all Hispanic women are hot and spicy." To which Sanchez asked "aren't they?"
Let's just say the Sanchez self-image we've come to know has never been more clear. But Garcia then told Sanchez, the protestors mean "loose and promiscuous." "Oh no," she said as if surprised. "Gosh no, gosh forbid."
You can certainly make a case that a "hot and spicy" woman isn't necessarily a loose woman. Yet, I wonder if Sanchez is as big an embarrassment to Latinas as she is to journalists?
FOR A MORE INTELLIGENT TAKE
KTLA's Jim Nash had a different angle on this story; certainly one that would not have occurred to Sanchez. He showed video of Jennifer Lopez and pictures of other beer ads, like the one above. He wonder if hot Latinas like Lopez are also offensive. But the sound bite which followed his question was a woman saying that she doesn't want fellow students to call her daughter "hot." But that didn't really answer the question that Nash posed, and none of the other women he interviewed addressed that question either. So I'm not sure why he didn't follow through better with answers to a reasonable question.
OTR PRESIDENTIAL POLL
In 2000, we did several polls, and I think they pretty closely mirrored reality. So let's start again. And as always, one vote, please.
GOOD FOR KTLA
One thing about KTLA, when it comes to their entertainment coverage they don't mind covering people from other networks. While it's true that no one does more self-promotion in the guise of news than they do, at least Mindy Burbano covered KTTV's Steve Edwards' star on Hollywood Blvd. When you consider that his Good Day LA is the big rival to The KTLA Morning News, it's a classy thing for them to do.
ENOUGH WITH THE LAKERS!
I'm sure you'll recall that great shot by Derek Fisher which won the game a week ago Thursday against San Antonio. The way KCOP covered it the following night, you'd think that game had happened on Friday, as opposed to the day before.
For example, Claudia DiFolco - who seems to fit in well at KCOP - covered a story about a fundraiser to fight MS. It's a worthy cause, which KCOP devoted 1:05 to cover. Only 25 seconds of that was actually devoted to the event; the rest was reaction from celebrity guests to Thursday Night's Laker game. Exactly what the connection is to MS and The Lakers wasn't clear. And to make their coverage all the more nonsensical, Michael Brownlee had already done a Laker reaction story earlier in the newscast, when he did a live shot outside Dennis Rodman's birthday party; a party to which Rodman had not shown up yet.
That UPN 13 News. They're doing a helluva job, aren't they?
KUDOS TO LOPEZ
KCBS reporter Dave Lopez has been all over the story of the son of the Assistant Orange County Sheriff who's charged with rape. Back when I was a TV reporter, I would also get a hold of a good story and stay with it, so I could stay ahead of the competition. Lopez seems to be doing the same. I think we need more reporters like him.
KAZARIAN'S NEXT COLUMN
Chris will generally have a new column for us on Mondays. You can read his latest by going to the menu above, and clicking on his name.
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