Ron Fineman's ON THE RECORD

As OTR reported recently, KCAL/KCBS decided not to renew Alan Mendelson's contract. I emailed some questions to Mendelson about his situation and his opinions regarding TV news. The following is our Q&A.

OTR - Were you surprised when you told that your contract was not being renewed? What were you told?

Mendelson - It hit me like a ton of bricks and I had no warning -- not even a hint that my position was in jeopardy.

In fact, a year ago when a window in my contract opened up, I actually asked to be laid-off, so that I could collect severance pay and take a marketing/PR/Internet job that was offered to me at the time. At the time, I was told "no" and that they wanted me to stay on. I turned down the other job and remained at KCAL for another year-- only to be cut now.

Even this past February I had no indication that my job was in jeopardy. In fact, in February when I asked about a few days off to get married, I was told that yes, I could get a few days off during the February sweeps for the wedding-- but I would not be able to get time off next year during February if I wanted to take time off for an anniversary event. So, we scheduled the wedding for March, so there would be no conflict with the wedding or anniversaries with sweeps.

I was given no reason for being cut, except that I would probably be replaced with a general assignment reporter. They acknowledged that my departure would leave a gap in the noon news. In fact, I have a five to six minute segment on the noon news Monday through Friday, and my quarter hour has always had the highest ratings not only in the noon news, but of the entire news schedule. In addition, my reports are shown on the 8PM news and repeated over the weekend on both the Saturday and Sunday 9PM shows. I fill a lot of air time.

OTR - I don't believe any other reporter in town specializes is business stories. Why do you feel, assuming that you do, there should be room for someone who does what you do?

Mendelson - I often speak to groups and organizations and at every event, no matter the audience, I get the same questions: Why aren't you on more? Why is there so much crime news and news about child molesters and so little news about "money" and other things that families care about?"

Unfortunately, "money news" and "business news" and "consumer news" has always been a luxury inside news organizations. It's a struggle I've faced throughout my 33 years in TV news.

OTR - You've seen a lot of changes in TV news since you started, including a lot at KCAL. What are your feelings about the changes you've seen?

Mendelson - The more they change, the more they remain the same. These are cycles in news, and in a couple of years old cycles will return as being the "new news."

My biggest complaint with TV news today is that so much is carried "live" that is not justified. But it seems that events are carried "live" because the technology allows it -- not because the story warrants it. What's wrong with having a writer/producer monitor a "live event" and then cut it down to the essential sound bite or VO for use on the news? By letting events (including news conferences) run "live" without editing, newscasters and producers have abandoned editorial control-- and shame on them for doing that.

OTR - If you were in charge of an LA TV newsroom, any ideas on how it might differ from what we see today?

Mendelson - A few years ago I was approached about being a News Director at a medium market TV station-- so I have given this subject a lot of thought.

I would emphasize news that people care about because it affects them every day. Families want to know what is going on inside their schools, what is on sale at the supermarket, where they can get the best deal on clothes, and what they can do to trim their income taxes.

What do families discuss at the dinner table? That's what the news should cover. I don't think families talk much about child molesters and drive-by shootings, or even much about fires and car chases on the freeways.

I would want to present on TV a "reason" for people to watch the news-- not content that fills airtime at the lowest common denominator.

I am really surprised that my Best Buys shows and reports were abandoned a couple of years ago. These reports not only delivered a big audience, but they generated sales revenue for the station. My half-hour and one-hour Best Buys TV specials had the highest ratings of ANY news special put on by KCAL, and the audience was large enough to justify premium advertising rates. My ratings would also surpass the ratings of the regular 9PM newscasts. For some reason, never explained to me, KCAL abandoned the Best Buys shows. Remember, these programs also had mailers -- and KCAL received up to 100-thousand self-addressed stamped envelopes from viewers after each show requesting the mailers which listed the names and addresses of the "Best Buys stores." There was a terrific advertising and promotion value in those mailers, and it was lost. I recall when Disney would have a room of employees stuffing envelopes fulfilling the mailers requests. Too bad it was all lost.

Mendelson - I'm looking. Fortunately I leave KCAL with a solid reputation. I was a good employee-- low maintenance and highly productive. I did not have a writer or producer or assignment editor -- and I did all of my work myself. I was always on top of business news here in SoCal, and my reports were always on target.

I am very lucky in that I didn't have to die to find out that my coworkers enjoyed my work and respected it. I've read some of the comments on news forums on the Internet and I was overwhelmed with the positive comments my coworkers had about me.

While the Marketing/PR job that was offered to me a year ago is no longer open, I have been talking with other companies in the last couple of weeks since I was given "notice;" and I also have high interest in remaining in TV or perhaps returning to radio-- following the two years I did the morning business news on KFWB a few years back.

I'm not afraid of "work." In fact, over the last 33 years that I've been in TV I think I worked every Christmas Day. It was my day to be a "general assignment" reporter and to give the day off to a coworker who celebrated Christmas. (I am Jewish and took off the high holy days.) It will be strange this year not working Christmas.

I just want to say this about my coworkers at KCAL: I loved the job and I loved working with them. I worked at KCAL for 16 years, and I will miss the place and I will miss them.

OTR - I'm told that you have a show on KDOC and that you are selling 2 minute segments that will run twice for $2500. Can you tell us about the show? When does it run, and what exactly do you do?

They are trying to line up enough advertisers to make it work. They have already spoken to the TV station to line up the air time. It is NOT a done deal.

It would be a "best buys"-type show but it would be more of an infomercial show and NOT a news show. I would be the host. Would I like it to happen? Yes.

In the meantime, I am also interviewing with other marketing companies, PR firms, and businesses about jobs.

I have no "done deals" with anyone.

I also have an agent who is looking for TV jobs.

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Mendelson's last day at KCAL is supposed to be next week.

HE MISSED A KEY PART OF THE STORY

I must say that I was surprised to see KTLA lead their 10pm newscast last Friday night with a high school football game. It brought out eight thousand people in Ventura, which certainly is a good sized crowd. As reporter Ted Garcia pointed out, it pitted St Bonaventure against Oak Christian. He said St Bonaventure had won its last 27 games and was ranked the #1 team in the "Southland" while Oaks Christian has won their last 33 and was ranked #5.

It was a big match-up as these things go, and Garcia interviewed fans from both sides. However, Garcia never even mentioned that the quarterback for Oak Christian is Jimmy Clausen, one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in the country. In fact, Clausen already made his decision to go to Notre Dame. He is an extremely hot prospect. So how do you not even mention his name? Also on his team is Wendell Tyler's son, Marc. I think that also might have been a connection worth mentioning.

Granted, KTLA covered all of that in their sports segment. And of course I see the difference between how you would approach the two differently. But to ignore Clausen, when it is your LEAD story? That's crazy.

WHO CARES?

So Starbucks decided to raise their prices by five cents a cup. WHY is this news? Is anyone going to stop going to Starbucks because of a five-cent increase? I suppose this sort of story appeals to simpletons of a newsroom. Since many people go to Starbucks, the assumption is that nearly any story about Starbucks, even a small price hike, will interest viewers. And, it is such an EASY story to tell. This is one where you could send out your greenest reporter, and it would be hard to screw up.

However I did see that a couple of stations managed to also mention that Starbucks was buying up a small local chain as part of the coverage. In fact KCBS's Dave Lopez made the takeover of "Dietrich Coffee" in Orange County the story, with the price hike coming late in the story. Now that was a legit way to cover it.

YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE VIDEO

Yes, an anchor should be able to trust that what a news writers describes on video is accurate. However, that turned out to be a mistake for KTLA's Frank Buckley. The still above came at the end of a chase. The cop threw the guy off of his motorcycle onto the street. I think that was probably even more clear on the video than how it appears here.

Yet, we heard Buckley say "watch as the officer tackles the rider onto the grass in the City of Commerce ." Yes, there is a clear difference between grass and pavement, as I am sure that the guy on the motorcycle could tell you.

BROADCASTEZE CORRECTION

Marc Brown is the one anchor who I've noticed before is willing to make a broadcasteze correction, while reading. In this case, he said "I think that motorist, kind of… that that driver just kind of got unwittingly caught up….."

Kudos to Brown! Sadly, there are many anchors and reporters who don't even realize that "motorist" is not conversation.

IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ABOUT "US"

Normally, it is Jillian Barberie who would be the culprit. But in this instance it was Dorothy Lucey. Yesterday, Marie Osmond was a guest on Good Day LA so they could promote one of their Fox reality shows where she is a judge. At one point, Osmond began talking about all of the famous people she sang with in her career. She mentioned Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball...when Lucey interrupted to ask if she had sung with Steve Edwards. Ha ha.

I thought that Osmond was onto something interesting. What were these icons like? Instead Lucey goes for a very cheap laugh, and killed the line of conversation.

The truth is, Edwards, Barberie and Lucey are not easily missed. It is their job to share the spotlight, which I am sure that Edwards is well aware of. But Lucey and Barberie need to know there is no reason to "in effect" stop an interview in the middle and say "but let's bring the focus back to us."

I guess she really thought it was funny.

SPEAKING FOR ROSENBERG'S CLASS

I was certainly flattered when former LA Times TV critic Howard Rosenberg asked me to speak to his journalism ethics class at USC. I only wish we could get the management from the local TV stations in there, as students. Anyway, it was nice to be able to reach students, some of whom may end up in the news biz. I went down there on Monday. And Howard did a good job of playing devil's advocate, questioning some of my basic assumptions. Like, why is it a bad idea if KTLA assistant news director Marcia Brandwynne decides to donate money to the Barbara Boxer campaign? It's a free country. And so it is good to occasionally verbalize the reasons for your core beliefs. And probably especially good for students to hear it. My thanks to Howard for asking me to speak.

HEALTH UPDATE

It is like the last time. The latest scan shows cancer has spread somewhat more in my lymph system, but it has still not hit a major organ. But because the cancer is growing, my oncologist has taken me off chemo and Erbitux, since they are simply not working. So, I will visit UCLA in Santa Monica next week to look into the possibility of taking part in a clinical trial.

I am inclined to go that route if it is available. But to be honest, I don't know how long I might stick with it, depending on the discomfort it brings to me. Quality of life does matter, and lately mine has not been very good.

Because I think the back pain has been a result of the Erbitux, I expect that will fade, and I think that process has begun. Nevertheless, at the moment I have other problems including discomfort in the chest. It is not unlike what I have experienced before during this battle, so I do not think it has anything to do with my heart, in case you were concerned.

Naturally it is disconcerting to see things going in the wrong direction. In fact, for the first time, I can feel a cancerous lymph node, this one in my neck. But again, as long as the cancer stays in my lymph system, I'm okay. Realistically, that can only last for so long. So, as I said, I will look into clinical trials and see what happens.

I would be dishonest if I did not tell you that I've been thinking more about dying lately. It's a natural reaction with such a serious disease. As we know, there are no guarantees in this life. I think every person has to decide for themselves at what point they stop the battle and let God take over. I'm not there yet. Maybe I never will be. But as always, I'll keep you informed along the way.

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