The newsletter about TV news gathering...
And the people who do it
Volume 1, Number 3
June 5, 1997
BREAKING NEWS
GREAT MINDS DEPT.
The electrons had barely begun their journey on the last edition
of "The Desk" than "Newsweek" arrived. Its cover bellowed the story
we'd just gotten done suggesting - the one about asthma, and some new research
about its causes. We had found the research about cockroaches being
responsible for as much as a quarter of all urban asthma compelling.
And so, apparently, had the newsweekly. ["Newsweek" has no Website
to direct you to.]
---
SIMPLIFYING THE LINK:
GOVERNMENT ACRONYMS TURN INTO
DATA ON THE WWW
More than 70 federal agents that generate statistics -- and what government
agency doesn't? - have gotten together to offer simplified access to their
data. There are no new Websites involved, just a new and simplified
directory to the government data Websites that already exist. The
site, known as FedStats, is at http://www.fedstats.gov/.
Whatever kind of data you're looking for, there's a chance there's
a link to it at FedStats. And it's worth noting that at least some
of the data you can find links to there, either by surfing through it or
by using the site's built-in engine, won't turn up on Yahoo! or HotBot
or any of the other search engines. It seems an increasing amount
of government data is being archived on the Web in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf)
format, one of the downsides of which is that it escapes the notice of
the spiders and bots that the commercial search engines use to crawl through
the Web and see what's there.
Sally Katzen, head of the Office of Management and Budget's office
of information and regulatory affairs, told the "Washington Post," "Today,
a high school student in Pittsburgh, PA, has better access to federal statistics
than a top government official five years ago."
---
CRIME STATS UP;
CRIME RATE DOWN
Thunder & Lightning News Service, which publishes "The Desk,"
posted to the WWW FBI crime stats just as they were released by the FBI
at the beginning of this week (6p EDT Sunday, June 1).
This particular statistical set is known by the FBI as 1996 Preliminary
Annual Report is the first national indication of how the largest cities
(those with populations over 100,000) stacked up in the past year.
Thunder & Lightning News Service used a little statistical
know-how and figured out how the biggest cities stacked up against each
other, providing preliminary crime rates and then ranking the cities from
lowest to highest crime rate. We also broke out crime rates in two
of the seven categories the FBI tracks - murder and motor-vehicle theft.
Stay tuned to the Web site -- http://www.newstrench.com
-- in the days to come. We'll be posting updated statistics, and
whole new sets of stats, showing just what crime has done this decade in
the 200 or so largest cities in the country.
DESKNOTES
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE
by Alisha Ryu
aryu@users.AfricaOnLine.Co.Ke
Every journalist, I'm sure, has some horror story about trying to
get an interview with someone who WANTS to be interviewed as much as he/she
wants an enema with a fire hose.
Now, imagine trying to cover a country where EVERY potential interview
subject is evasive and reluctant, and you get an idea of the joys of covering
South Korea.
Businessmen are the worst of the lot and since I was a reporter
for CNBC, I had no choice but to play the game their way.
The process begins with a phone call to the secretary (this applies
to EVERY company you contact for an interview). Most of them don't
speak English so knowing Korean is helpful but not always. If you
can convince them that you're a legitimate journalist who is not out to
wage a smear campaign against her respective boss/company, then you are
politely asked to send a fax detailing everything you just spent 30 minutes
explaining.
The fax ALWAYS has to include who you are, what your company does,
why you desire an interview, what the angle of the overall story is, when
you would like the interview, whom you would like to interview, and when
and where the story will air.
The fax is then distributed to a dozen people for their approvals
and signatures (I know it's that many because each time you call back to
check on the status of things, they usually say Mr. So-and-So has not yet
seen the fax) and by the time you get a response, two weeks have gone by.
If the answer is yes, and if the story is still viable, then you
are on your way to Seoul.
This is where the fun starts. Someone (usually a PR flak)
meets you in the lobby to escort you to the office of the person you are
to interview. Once in the office, you are introduced to an assistant
or some other lower-ranking person who asks you to sit down. Despite
your protests that you are limited in time and need to get on with the
interview, he has the secretary bring in copious amounts of ginseng tea,
which he insists you drink up (although the tea is vile-tasting and you
are now in a state of panic). "Now," he says, "tell me what kind
of an interview you are proposing to do." He listens thoughtfully,
asks a lot of questions and then says, "Have you had breakfast/lunch?
I think the interview can be done more successfully on full stomachs.
We've already arranged it."
It's an offer you can't refuse and by the time you actually do
get to your interview subject, half the day is shot and you spend the rest
of the day rearranging shoots.
The next day, the fun starts again at another company...
What we do just to get a couple of 12-second soundbites.
Oy vey....
[EDITOR'S NOTE:
Alisha Ryu has been a reporter and producer for
many news organizations, domestic and foreign. She
is multi-lingual, and has been just about everywhere
in the world there is to go. She currently works
for a German TV network, based in Kenya.]
---
TROGTALK
By Dave Linder
dlinder@vegas.infi.net
The other night, I attended a little post-work drinking bout at
a local nightspot. In the group were photogs and reporters from a couple
of the local affiliates. Most of them (from my old station) knew
why I am now doing what I am doing; the others wanted to know. One
of them, a reporter who I would venture a guess is around 30 and in his
fifth year of TV news. He grabbed me playfully by the collar and pleaded,
"Hire me! Get me outa this mess!"
I thought, "Imagine that, the dinosaurs ARE getting younger."
This young man (and several other former colleagues of both genders) have
delivered similar messages to me -- "Get me the Hell outa here!"
Now, I know that their respective news managers are decent sorts, the working
conditions are far from intolerable, the money could be better (so what
else is new?) etc. etc.
I hear from friends in the Big Time markets, LA and NY for example,
and they reflect the same discontent with the state of the industry.
What is wrong? How did things go wrong?
A man far wiser than his age (check source of TheDesk for a hint)
once described it something like this - "In the 70s, herpes and then
AIDs took the fun out of sex. In the 80s, no-smoking areas and complaints
about second-hand smoke took the fun out of smoking. And in the 90s,
the bean counters took the fun out of working!" [well -- ok, so I forgot
what the actual fun things were.. but maybe you can correct me, Paul]
But his point remains -- the bean counters. Downsizing reared
its ugly head in the mid- to late-80s, first at the networks, then the
major market affiliates. The smaller markets already had a form of
downsizing, usually by the penny-pinching GM. Once those penny-pinchers
read about the cuts up above, they saw another opportunity to squeeze the
coppers.
So, faced with almost no money for out of town travel and overtime,
what was the desk to do to fill the daily budget? Ah, your creative
EP to the rescue. "Let's use the satellite dish to bring in those
juicy stories from Hollywood and Gotham and Miami!" And where did the brilliantly
creative EP find those tidbits of "people" news? Why, right here
in "USA Today" and "People" Magazine! Never mind the local paper(s)--
we'll run after the big headlined stories, if we must. But, Hell
-- we gotta pay attention to what our viewers want. "Stand in any
supermarket checkout line, and what do you see people doing? Why,
of course, they are reading The 'Enquirer,' The 'Globe,' The 'Star,' even
'Weekly World News'!" they would say.
That's what "they" want, these brilliant EPs would declare, "and
by God, we're gonna give it to 'em!"
The Killer Comet was streaking toward its collision course with
Capital J... and I don't mean Jurassic.
[EDITOR'S NOTE:
After 30 years in TV news, Dave Linder sought
a quieter life last year in government video. He
currently works for a large metropolitan county
government in the West.]
WHO'S WHERE
[EDITOR'S NOTE:
With this edition, we're going to be
experimenting with some new layout ideas
for "The Desk." The idea is to make the
information easier to grasp. Please let us
know how you like it. Email us with your
opinion -- thedesk@newstrench.com]
PERSON:
HEADED TO:
PREVIOUSLY WAS:
MATT CALLINAN
Reporter, Fill-in anchor Reporter/anchor,
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL
PHILLIP BRUCE
Senior reporter, KTLA
DC correspondent, KDFW
Los Angeles
Dallas
MIKE WOOLFOLK
Managing editor and anchor, Anchor, WACH, Columbia,
SC
WACH Columbia, SC
CHRIS FORD
Managing Editor, WPTV, West Senior Investigative
Pro-
Palm Beach, FL
ducer, WTVT, Tampa, FL
JIM WILLIAMS
Correspondent, ABC News
Press Secretary, Chicago
Mayor Richard M. Daley
MICHELE GILLEN
Investigative reporter, Investigative reporter,
WFOR-TV, Miami
KCBS-TV, Los Angeles
CHRIS WOLFE
General assignment
Reporter, WFTX, Ft.
reporter, WSB Atlanta
Myers, FL
DARREL ADAMS
News director, WBBH
Executive producer, KSTP,
and WZVN,
Minneapolis, MN
Naples/Ft. Myers, FL
CHERE AVERY
Director of Station Development News director
WBBH and WZVN
WBBH and WZVN
Naples/Ft. Myers, FL
Naples/Ft. Myers, FL
CARLA WOHL
West Coast
Freelance ABC NewsOne
Correspondent
Correspondent
ABC NewsOne
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
PHIL METLIN
VP, News
Supervising producer,
WTVT, Tampa, FL
America's Most Wanted
KEVIN RAGAN
News director
News director
WILX, Lansing, MI
KAKE, Wichita, KS
PABLO PEREIRRA
Reporter, KABC-TV
Weather anchor, WFAA
Los Angeles
Dallas
RUSS LOPEZ
Reporter, KXTV
Reporter, KSBW-TV
Sacramento
Salinas, CA
JONATHAN KNOPF
News director
Senior account exec.,
WCBD, Charleston, SC
AR&D
JIM CHURCH
News director
News director
WJXX
WTVC
Jacksonville, FL
Chattanooga, TN
ROBY CHAVEZ
General assignment
Reporter, KTVT, Dallas
Reporter, WPIX, New
York
CINDY WILLETT
Assistant news
Executive producer,
Director, WTNH.
WTNH
Hartford, CT
Hartford, CT
SUZANNE MALVEAUX Correspondent,
NBC
Reporter, WRC
News, Washington, DC
Washington, DC
MARIA HINOJOSA
Correspondent, CNN
Reporter, National
New York bureau
Public Radio
[EDITOR'S NOTE: WHO'S WHERE
material is adapted from
Shoptalk, by permission of
Don Fitzpatrick Associates.]
TO BE ASSIGNED
(JOBS)
[EDITORS NOTE:
We're trying a new format in this
section also. The WWW link below
each job listing will take you to
a place with more information about
each position.]
JOB TITLE
STATION
MKT
DMA EXP
CLOSES
REPORTERS
REPORTERS (2)
WTOL-TV Toledo, OH
66 2
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/
REPORTER
WDBJ-TV Roanoke, VA
67 >0
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/
REPORTER
WKBW-TV Buffalo, NY
39
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/
REPORTER
WRTV
Indianapolis, IN 25
3+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0013.html
REPORTER
KTVN-TV Reno, NV
119 2+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0014.html
REPORTER/ANCHORS
KFTY
Santa Rosa, CA 5
6/27
(2) FULL TIME
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
REPORTER
KFTY
Santa Rosa, CA 5
6/27
PART TIME
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
REPORTER-
KLKN
Lincoln, NE 101
0+
PHOTOGRAPHER
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
REPORTERS (2)
WKRC
Cincinnati, OH 30
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
REPORTER
WILX
Lansing, MI 106
1+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0018.html
SPECIALTY REPORTING
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER KNXV
Phoenix, AZ 17
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
MOBILE TRAFFIC
Metro
DC
REPORTER
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
CONSUMER REPORTER
WEWS Cleveland, OH
13
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0018.html
FIELD PRODUCING
INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER KNXV
Phoenix, AZ
17
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
CONSUMER PRODUCER
WTMJ Milwaukee, WI
31 3-5
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0019.html
FREELANCE PRODUCERS Telecast
Chicago, IL Nat'l
5+
Production
Group
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0020.html
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS
ASSIGNMENT EDITOR KTBS-TV
Shreveport, LA 77
2
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/
ASSIGNMENT EDITOR KOKH
Oklahoma City, OK 43
2+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0018.html
MANAGERS
NEWS DIRECTOR KGUN
Tucson, AZ
78 3+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
NEWS DIRECTOR KGMB
Honolulu, HI
69 3+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
DIRECTORY OF INVESTI- WCPO
Cincinnati, OH 30
GATIONS/SPEC PROJECTS
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0017.html
BUREAU CHIEF
RNN
Stamford, CT
-- 0+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0019.html
MANAGING EDITOR KPHO
Phoenix, AZ
17 3+
http://www.clark.net/pub/samer/ShopTalk/0020.html
---
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